I'm not sure what is Hollywood's fascination with remakes. Is it to make easy money, or are they running out of ideas, or is that all things eventually end up making a circle? Maybe it's a combination of all these aspects, but whatever it is, the remakes, most of the time, aren't ever as well thought out as their predecessors. That being said, we now have "Red Dawn". Not only is this a remake, but one that wasn't made originally too many years earlier-- 1984 with Patrick Swayze and C. Thomas Howell seems to come to mind.
Spokane, Washington awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky-- shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded by the North Koreans, and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their city being under enemy capture. Determined to fight back, a group of young patriots headed up by marine, Jed Eckert (Chris Hemsworth) and includes his brother, Matt (Josh Peck), and friends, Robert Kitner (Josh Hutcherson), Toni Walsh (Adrianne Palicki), Erica Martin (Isabel Lucas), Daryl Jenkins(Connor Cruise), Danny (Edwin Hodge), Julie (Alyssa Diaz), and Greg (Julian Alcaraz), seek refuge in the wooded outskirts of town, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerrilla fighting team. Taking inspiration from their high school mascot, they end up calling themselves the Wolverines, banding together to protect one another, liberate their city from its captors which is headed up by Captain Cho (Will Yun Lee), and take back their freedom which they will soon find out that it bears a terrible cost.
Others to round out the cast are Brett Cullen as Tom Eckert, police officer Dad to Jed and Matt, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Tanner, a marine, Fernando Chien as Lt. Pak, a marine, Kenneth Choi as Smith, Matt Gerald as Hodges, another marine, and Steve Lenz as Pete.
This was directed by virtual newcomer to feature films, Dan Bradley. If his name sounds familiar, it's because he has been a stunt coordinator on a ton of films, so he has worked with many actors in that capacity. So it's not a stretch that the directing here was decent. He should go far. It was written by Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passmore based on the 1984 screenplay by Kevin Reynolds and John Milius which was based on Reynold's story. This is where the film didn't fair as well. The original had more dialogue so as to get to know the characters more, whereas in this, it was much more explosions and gunfire. Hey, it was only an hour and thirty-three minute running time, so they had to cut to chase fairly quick.
If you're an adrenaline junkie, you'll revel, but if you're looking for more character development, you know, getting to know the people you're rooting for more, then this will leave putting in notches on your belt as the body count only rises.
Out of 4 stars: 2.5 Rated: PG-13 93mins.
Films that are epic in size are usually strewn with fine acting, amazing directing, are photographed with perfection and have seamless visual effects. Well, "Life of Pi' showcases this in spades.
Based on the best selling novel by Yann Martel, is a magical adventure story centering on Pi Patel (Suraj Sharma), the precocious son of zoo keeper, Santosh (Adil Hussain) and of his mother, Gita (Tabu). Dwellers in Pondicherry, India, the family decides to move to Canada, hitching a ride on a huge freighter, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean during a terrible storm on a 26-foot lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, all fighting for survival.
This is all told as a flashback from an adult Pi (Irrfan Khan) to a writer (Rafe Spall) who is in need of a good story. This epic story is about one young man's life challenge which includes adventure, discovery, and self-redemption.
Others to round out the cast are Gerald Depardieu as the cook, Ayush Tandon as 11-12 yr. Pi Patel, Gautam Belur as 5 yr. Pi Patel, Vibish Sivakumar as 18-19 yr. Ravi Patel, Pi's brother, Mohd Abbas Kaleeli as 13-14 yr. Ravi Patel, Shravanthi Sainath as Anandi, Pi's girlfriend, Andrea Di Stefano as the priest, James Saito as older insurance investigator, and Jun Naito as younger insurance investigator.
This was extremely well directed by Ang Lee ("Pushing Hands" '92, "The Wedding Banquet" '93, "Eat Drink Man Woman" '94, "Sense and Sensibility" '95, "The Ice Storm" '97, "Ride with the Devil" '99, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" 2000, "Hulk" '03, "Brokeback Mountain" '05, "Lust, Caution" '07, "Taking Woodstock" '09) using passion as his typical trademark. This was written by David Magee based on Martel's novel.
Certainly one of the stars of this was cinematographer, Claudio Miranda, asc ("A Thousand Roads" '05, "Failure to Launch" '06, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" '08, "TRON: Legacy" '10). His ability to use lights and shadows in conjunction with filming reflections as though they were created visually was simply amazing, and will undoubtedly be nominated come Oscar time. The way this film is presented visually, it will give one the feeling that it was located in some surreal places. The visual effects, predominantly created by Rhythm & Hues Studios were seamless, but it was Miranda's photography which really shined.
If you're going to see this, you must see it on the large screen preferably in the 3D process, otherwise it will lose everything in the translation. As this story is being told, Lee and Magee wanted to take you on a pleasurable ride, and they succeeded.
Out of 4 stars: 4 Rated: PG 125mins.
The vampire theme is seemingly diminishing from theaters, however this theme is bigger than ever on TV, cable stations too be exact. So considering how much money "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 2" has pulled in, there must be a ton of TV watchers in that audience, not to mention teenage girls, which is this franchise's target audience.
Bella (Kristen Stewart) is enjoying her new life and new powers after the birth of hers and Edward's (Robert Pattinson) daughter, Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy). Soon, however, their family bliss is treatened once again by a familiar menace-- the Volturi headed up by Aro (Michael Sheen) and Jane (Dakota Fanning). This time vampire Irina (Maggie Grace) believes a child like Renesmee could challenge the power and existence of the Volturi. As Irina rallies the Volturi to destroy this potential threat, Bella, the Cullens headed up by Dr. Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli), Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), and ones that the Cullens have gathered to help, are preparing to fight, if need be, to a crucial, ultimate battle, to protect their family.
Others to round out the cast are Elizabeth Reaser as Esme Cullen, wife of Carlisle, Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen, Billy Burke as Charlie Swan, Bella's Dad, Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale, Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen, Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale, Chaske Spencer as Sam Uley, Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius, Cameron Bright as Alec, Rami Malek as Benjamin, Andrea Powell as Sasha, and Charlie Bewley as Demetri.
This was paced very well by director, Bill Condon ("Sister, Sister" '87, "Murder 101" (TV movie) '91, "Dead in the Water" (TV movie) '91, "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh" '95, "Gods and Monsters" '98, "Kinsey" '04, "Dreamgirls" '06, "Tilda" (TV movie) '11, "The Twight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 1" '11). It was written by Melissa Rosenberg ("Step Up" '06, and all five of the Twilight Saga films) which was based on Stephenie Meyer's novel, "Breaking Dawn". With the exception of a couple, mostly one twist in this, this, as its predecessors, is completely predictable. One could practically recite the script. But I'm not sure who the real culprit is: Rosenberg or Meyer, because the novels are certainly similar in their writings, so it would lead one to conclude the screenplay would be the same. All that I know is that the 116 minute running time seemed longer than the time actually was.
If you're a 'team Edward' or 'team Jacob' type of devotee, you will be in Twilight heaven, but if you're looking for something that's a bit more fresh and original, I'd pass. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a terrible film; it had merit, but it just wasn't a great film either. The choice is
yours.
Out of 4 stars: 2.5 Rated: PG-13 116mins.
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As I've mentioned in past reviews, biopics are usually fraught with intensity, grit and purpose, and all wrapped up in an extremely polished film replete with fine acting, directing, writing, cinematography, etc. We've all seen films and TV presentations about Abraham Lincoln, this rendition simply titled "Lincoln" is second to none.
The year is 1865. As the American Civil War winds inexorably toward a conclusion, then U.S. president Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) endeavors to achieve passage of the landmark constitutional amendment 13 which will forever ban slavery from the United States which was, obviously, the reason why the Civil War even existed. However, this task is in a race against time, for peace may come at any time, and if it comes before amendment 13 is passed, the returning southern states will stop it before it can become law. Lincoln must, by almost any means possible, through the likes of William Seward (David Strathairn),W.N. Bilbo (James Spader), Robert Latham (John Hawkes), even Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), Lincoln's chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, obtain enough votes, 20 to be exact, from a recalcitrant Congress before peace arrives and it is too late. Yet the president is torn, as an early peace would save thousands of lives, as the nation confronts its conscience over the freedom of its entire population, Lincoln faces his own crisis of conscience-- end slavery or end the war. His wife, Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field) is consistently at his side whether it be support or an unintentional hindrance.
Others to round out the cast are Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Lincoln, President Lincoln's son, Hal Holbrook as Preston Blair, Jackie Earle Haley as Alexander Stephens, vice president to Jefferson Davis--southern states, Bruce McGill as Edwin Stanton, Tim Blake Nelson as Richard Schell, Joseph Cross as John Hay, Jared Harris as Ulysses S. Grant, general to the Union--northern states, Lee Pace as Fernando Wood, Peter McRobbie as George Pendleton, and Gulliver McGrath as Tad Lincoln, President Lincoln's younger son.
This film was incredibly well directed by veteran, Steven Spielberg ("Duel (TV movie) '71, "Jaws" '75, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" '77, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" '81, "The Color Purple" '85, "Empire of the Sun" '87, "Hook" '91, "Jurassic Park" '93, "Schindler's List" '93, "Amistad" '97, "Saving Private Ryan" '98, "Minority Report" '02, "Catch Me If You Can" '02, "The Terminal" '04, "War of the Worlds" '05, "Munich" '05, "The Adventures of Tintin" '11, "War Horse" '11) and many others. Watching these actors perform, one can see how effortless Spielberg makes these characters in their different settings. It was written by Tony Kushner (Angels in America (TV movie) ''04, "Munich" '05). Considering the limited feature film experience this guy has, this was written very well. This was based in part on the book "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
This film will undoubtedly pick up several Academy Award nominations which includes Daniel Day-Lewis as best actor, Spielberg as best director, John Williams as best original score, Janusz Kaminski as best cinematography, Michael Kahn, ace as best editor, Rick Carter as best art direction, and Joanna Johnston as best costume design. I believe Lewis will win, because his performance was pure perfection. You'd swear someone exhumed Lincoln from the grave, brought him back to life and let him play the part. Sally Field did give a riveting performance as Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham.
Trust me, this film is a riveting, well thought out, expose on months nearing the end of the Civil War and attempting to bring Amendment 13 into existence, that will leave you spellbound. It is one of Spielberg's masterpieces that should eventually make its way to school classrooms for history purposes. It is a film that should be viewed by one and all, if for not the historical accounts, but for its expertise production values.
Out of 4 stars: 4 Rated: PG-13 149mins.
The original "Taken" '08 garnered critical acclaim as well as audience appeal mostly from the intense presence of Liam Neeson and the slick, tight script by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. Well, these guys just couldn't help themselves, so they decided to do it again with, yep, you guessed it-- "Taken 2".
Bryan Mills (Neeson), the former CIA agent who rescued his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) from Albanian human traffickers, is being targeted now by the families of the men he killed, namely the father, Murad Krasniqi (Rade Serbedgia) of some of those men. When Bryan goes to Istanbul for a job, he invites Kim and her mother, Lenore (Famke Janssen) whose marriage is on the rocks and are presently separated. When the Albanians hear of them being in Istanbul, they try to kidnap them only missing Kim, because Bryan suspected they were being followed. So Kim is able to evade them and later Bryan calls Kim to get his case which is filled with weapons. So with his directions, she locates him to get those much needed guns. Bryan escapes and plans to come back for Lenore, but ends up being outnumbered. So he, at this point, must rely on his memory of city sounds at the time he was blind-folded when kidnapped, to enable him to find her.
Others to round out the cast are Leland Orser as Sam, Jon Gries as Casey, D.B. Sweeney as Bernie, Luke Grimes as Jamie, Kim's boyfriend, Kevork Malikyan as Inspector Durmaz, and Alain Figlarz as Suko.
This was intensely directed by Olivier Megaton ("Exit" 2000, "Transporter 3" '08, "Colombiana" '11). Besson and Kamen make a great writing team and since they also wrote "Transporter 1,2 and 3", intensity with a dose of slickness is definitely their trademark. Their were a few implausibilities, such as Bryan getting a case of guns and grenades on the plane-- whether it be for business or not, and Bryan being able to tell where he was by city sounds not once, but twice seems a bit sretched. In any rate, these guys are talented storytellers.
This isn't as gritty and gripping as its predecessor, as most sequels fall into this trap, but if you did like "Taken", rest assured, you will also get into this one all the while rooting for the good guy.
Out of 4 stars: 2.5 Rated: PG-13 92mins.
The Bond franchise has been changed as far as lead characters, production companies, even the way Bond is portrayed, but when Daniel Craig took over the Bond role back when "Casino Royale" was released, I knew that this franchise still had promise. Now that Craig has two Bond flicks-- the other being "Quantum of Solace", under his belt, he now comes out with his third, "Skyfall".
James Bond's (Daniel Craig) mission is to keep a computer drive that has a list of numerous British agents from being used against them. He chases Patrice (Ola Rapace), the man who has the drive and as they eventually end up fighting on top of a train, Eve, (Naomie Harris) an agent sent to assist Bond, has them in her cross hairs but hesitates to take the shot fearing she'll hit Bond. But M (Judi Dench) orders her to take it. So she does and hits Bond who falls in the river and is presumed dead.
A few months later, the British government is upset at M16 for losing the list-- specifically with M. She is told that she'll be allowed to retire by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), but she refuses to leave until the situation is solved. As she arrives back at HQ, there's a terrible explosion.
In the meantime, Bond, who didn't really die, but is laying low, learns of what happened and decides to return. M tasks him with finding the one who has the information. He eventually learns that the man responsible for the explosion and who has the list, is someone from M's past, and this guy is after revenge.
Others to round out the cast are Javier Bardem as Silva, Berenice Marlohe as Severine, Albert Finney as Kincade, Ben Whishaw as Q, Rory Kinnear as Tanner, M's assistant, and Helen McCrory as Clair Dowar MP. Whishaw as Q was an absolute hoot, practically stealing the show.
This was intensely directed by Sam Mendes ("Cabaret" (TV movie) '93, "Company" (TV movie) '96, "American Beauty" '99, "Road to Perdition" '02, "Jarhead" '05, "Revolutionary Road" '08, "Away We Go" '09). By his very resume, this guy is really into grit and intensity. Even this Bond film was more dark than others, so Mendes was the perfect one to helm this project. It was written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan based on characters created by Ian Fleming. This does have a couple of surprises, but overall, it had the same caliber of that of its predecessors.
If you're a Bond fan, especially of the 'rebuilt' version, you will like this. I'm not a huge Bond fan, but for the 2 hours and 23 minute running time, it easily kept my attention and then some.
Out of 4 stars: 3 Rated: PG-13 143mins.
Animated films are typically reserved for the summer audiences i.e. kids out of school, others on vacation, etc., but Walt Disney can't help themselves with producing an animated film about an anti-hero game jumping in "Wreck-It Ralph".
Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) longs to be loved as his game's perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer). Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes... so when modern first-person shooter game arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch), Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. So he 'game jumps' into the game with a simple plan-- win a metal-- but soon wrecks everything, and accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade.
As Ralph inadvertently ends up in Sugar Rush, a candy coated cart racing game lead by King Candy (Alan Tudyk), he runs into Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a young troublemaking 'glitch' who might just be the one to teach Ralph what it means to be the Good Guy, which is more than getting a metal. But will he realize he is good enough to become a hero before it's 'Game Over' for the entire arcade?
Others to round out the cast are Adam Carolla as Wynnchel, Mindy Kaling as Taffyta Muttonfudge, Vanellope's nemesis, Joe Lo Truglio as Markowski, Ed O'Neill as Mr. Litwak, Dennis Haysbert as General Hologram, Edie McClurg as Mary, Raymond S. Persi as Gene/Zombie, Jess Harnell as Don, Rachael Harris as Deanna, and Skylar Astin as Roy.
This was well directed by Rich Moore who is a virtual newcomer to feature films-- he has a ton of TV and shorts to his credit. And, where most animated flicks usually have two directors to share the responsibilities, Moore handled this solo, also to his credit. He should go far. It was written by Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee based on a story by Moore, Johnston, and Jim Reardon. It was a cute premise. Wreck-It Ralph is basically a take on the old '80's arcade game, Donkey Kong. This even had that sort of '80's look type of animation for arcade games which was well executed by Disney Animation Studios.
But after seeing this, and you're yearning for more animation, not to worry, because Dreamworks Animation is releasing "Rise of the Guardians" soon, and Disney is re-releasing "Monsters Inc. in 3D" in December. With the small exception of some incohesiveness in script-- too many people involved-- it was visually stunning, looked great in the 3D format, and the ride was well worth the price of admission.
Out of 4 stars: 3 Rated: PG 101mins.
Consequences. It's something we all experience when we do an act or make a statement in which we know is wrong. This is basically the premise of "Flight" where every wrong choice just turns into a downward spiral seemingly to never pull out of.
Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) has a problem with drugs and alcohol; ask his ex-wife, Deana (Garcelle Beauvais), though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disasterous mechanical malfunction causes he, his crew, co-pilot, Ken Evans (Brian Geraghty), flight attendants, Margaret Thomason (Tamara Tunie), and Katerina Marquez (Nadine Velazquez) and passengers of the plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost out of the 102 souls on board. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober-- but when the crash investigation by the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) and his attorney Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle) and union rep Charlie Anderson (Bruce Greenwood) exposes his addiction, he finds himself in an even worse situation.
Through a new found friend Whip met at the hospital, Nicole (Kelly Reilly) and his buddy Harling Mays (John Goodman), can this guy face his demons head on or end up circling the drain and lose everything?
Others to round out the cast are Melissa Leo as Ellen Block, who heads up the NTSB board hearing, James Badge Dale as Gaunt Young Man, Justin Martin as Will, Whip's son, Ron Caldwell as Trevor, Margaret's son, and Darius Woods as Young Will.
This was brilliantly directed by Robert Zemeckis ("Used Cars" '80, "Romncing the Stone" '84, "Back to the Future" '85, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" '88, "Back to the Future Part II" '89, "Back to the Future Part III" '90, "Death Becomes Her" '92, "Forrest Gump" '94, "Contact" '97, "What Lies Beneath" 2000, "Cast Away" 2000, "The Polar Express" '04, "Beowulf" '07, "A Christmas Carol" '09). The way Zemeckis was able to get the audience to think this guy is an incredible hero to this guy who has a ton of issues and back again was pure genius. Of course with a consummate actor like Washington in the lead role certainly made that task less daunting. It was well written by John Gatins ("Summer Catch" '01, "Hard Ball" '01, "Coach Carter" '05, "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story" '05, "Real Steel" '11). And with the exceptions of a couple of inconsistencies in script, this was well executed. Gatins has been an actor much longer than a writer, but this proves he should definitely receive more work, which does in the form of "Real Steel II" in the works.
This as much as an intense character study of a guy's life being turned upside down. His life has slowly been going down the toilet for years, but it took his tragic event to get him prodded in a direction he really needed to face. Washington's performance was perfection as this pilot who was falling apart before your very eyes, and could possibly garner him a nod come Oscar time. You will be riveted with this film and believing the 'ride' of the film is the crash-landing, but only afterward realize that the 'ride' has only begun after the crash.
Out of 4 stars: 3.5 Rated: R 138mins.
There's not too many actors out there that can do it all-- comedy, intense drama and everywhere in between. But after viewing "Alex Cross", I realized that Tyler Perry could simply do it all, and do it with heart.
Detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross (Tyler Perry) investigates a gruesome murder and while his partner, Tommy Kane (Edward Burns) thinks it's the work of more than one psycho, Cross believes it's an extremely well organized psychotic. Cross eventually discovers the killer has another target and Cross figures out who it is and stops the killer before he gets him. The killer, Picasso (Matthew Fox), feeling as though Cross slighted him, calls him while he's out with his wife, Maria (Carmen Ejogo) and taunts him. It's while talking to him that Cross figures out the crazed killer has a gun trained, and extremely aimed on his wife and tries to save her but fails. Picasso then calls Cross again and Cross vows to get him. So Cross decides to break all the rules to get him. Can Cross get this guy before he has a chance to achieve his next assassin?
Others to round out the cast are Rachel Nichols as Monica Ashe, Tommy and Cross' partner and Tommy's girlfriend, John C. McGinley as Richard Brookwell, Jean Reno as Leon Mercier, Giancarlo Esposito as Daramus Holiday, Cicely Tyson as Cross' mom, Chad Lindberg as Vincent Dardis, Stephanie Jacobsen as Fan Yau, Yara Shahidi as Janelle Cross, Cross' daughter, and Sayeed Shahidi as Damon Cross, Cross' son.
This was effectively directed by Rob Cohen ("DragonHeart" '96, Daylight" '96, "The Guardian"(TV movie) '97, "The Rat Pack" (TV movie) '98, "The Skulls" 2000, "The Fast and the Furious" '01, "xXx" '02, "Stealth" '05, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" '08). It was adequately written by Marc Moss and Kerry Williamson based on the novel, "Cross" James Patterson. Usually Perry writes and directs his work, so it would be interesting to see Perry's script on this. The plot seemed a bit predictable at first, but then it did pick up and even had some twists in it, but I'm curious about how Perry would have handled this idea. Of course, we'll never know.
If you like Perry, and like him in the dramas he's done, you'll like this. After the film starts picking up, it will keep you biting your nails right through the end credits.
Out of 4 stars: 3 Rated PG-13 101mins.
I'm not sure what is Hollywood's fascination with remakes. Is it to make easy money, or are they running out of ideas, or is that all things eventually end up making a circle? Maybe it's a combination of all these aspects, but whatever it is, the remakes, most of the time, aren't ever as well thought out as their predecessors. That being said, we now have "Red Dawn". Not only is this a remake, but one that wasn't made originally too many years earlier-- 1984 with Patrick Swayze and C. Thomas Howell seems to come to mind.
