Roland Emmerich has intrigued us just about every summer for a number of years with big-budgeted, "2012","Stargate", "The Day After Tomorrow", and "Godzilla". Now he brings us "White House Down", and even though there are some similarities to "Olympus has Fallen" released earlier this year, the premise of the film is certainly different.
Capitol Policeman John Cale (Channing Tatum) has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service of protecting President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx) by one of its representatives, Carol Finnerty (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Not wanting to let his 11 year-old daughter, Emily (Joey King) down with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group headed up by Stenz (Jason Clarke). Now, with the nation's government falling into chaos and time running out, it's up to Cale to save the president, his daughter, and the country.
Others to round out the cast are Richard Jenkins as Speaker of the House Raphelson, James Woods as Secret Service Director, Walker, Nicolas Wright as Donnie the White House tour guide, Jimmi Simpson as Tyler, the computer hacker, Michael Murphy as Vice President Hammond, Rachelle Lefevre as Melanie, Lance Reddick as General Caulfield, Matt Craven as Agent Kellerman, Jake Weber as Agent Hope, and Peter Jacobson as Wallace.
This was intensely directed by Roland Emmerich ("Joey" '85, "Ghost Chase" '87, "Moon 44" '90, "Universal Soldier" '92, "Stargate" '94, "Independence Day" '96, "Godzilla" '98, "The Patriot" 2000, "The Day After Tomorrow" '04, "10,000 B.C." '08, "2012" '09, "Anonymous" '11, "Dark Horse" (TV movie) '12). After reading this resume, you can see that this project was a no brainer for this guy. It was equally written with grit by veteran James Vanderbilt ("Darkness Falls" '03, "Basic" '03, "The Rundown" '03, "Zodiac" '07, "The Losers" '10, "The Amazing Spider-Man" '12). You can see his next project, "RoboCop" in 2014. There were a couple of places that were a bit choppy, but certainly not enough from the one, two punch this script delivers.
All in all, this film is a winner--action, adrenaline, great visuals, intensity, even some comedy in just the right places. If you want to escape into something fun, thrilling, and a great roller coaster ride, this film delivers in spades.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 131mins.
Sequels, or in this case, prequels abound. So many films have gone the round of sequels and a handful of prequels, that with Pixar's "Monsters University", a prequel, at least it is still well written, directed and presented. Hey, it's Pixar!
Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. 'Sulley' Sullivan (John Goodman) are an inseparable pair, but that wasn't always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn't stand each other. This prequel to '01's "Monsters Inc." unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and in the end, became the best of friends.
As Professor Knight (Alfred Molina) teaches the new 'frosh', Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) makes her scene in order to give a little motivation to the new students: if you don't pass the simulation exam, you are out! Since she used the 'fear of God' tactic on them, they all split up into different groups leaving Mike to be with the geek monsters including Squishy (Peter Sohn), Don (Joel Murray), Terri (Sean Hayes), Terry (Dave Foley), and Art (Charlie Day). Let the games begin...
Others to round out the cast are Steve Buscemi as Randy, Tyler Labine as Greek Council VP, Nathan Fillion as Johnny, Aubrey Plaza as Claire Wheeler, Bobby Moynihan as Chet, Noah Johnston as Young Mike, Julia Sweeney as Ms. Squibbles, Bonnie Hunt as Mrs. Graves, Bob Peterson as Roz, and John Ratzenberger as Yeti.
This was effectively directed by virtual newcomer to the director's chair, Dan Scanlon ("Tracy" '09). This guy co-wrote this, and he's done other duties in other Disney films, so be rest assured, Disney is grooming this guy, and with good reason. It was well written by Scanlon, Daniel Gerson, and Robert L. Baird based on a story by these three writers.
And I also realized that the end crawl title design was created by Susan Mason Bradley who has designed every other Pixar film's end credits. As the old adage says, "If it ain't broke, why fix it?" sums up why Bradley is used so much from film to film. The feel of her design simply fits the concept of the film incredibly well, so why use anyone else?
Since every Pixar film is incredibly well done, I tried to find something amiss with this next installment of the Pixar stable, but the more I looked, the more I came to realize that this was every bit as creative and entertaining as its predecessor, as with all other Pixar projects. As I've stated before: How do those guys at Pixar Studios do it?
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: G 104mins.
We have seen in our past and present a plethora of zombie related films, and I'm sure there is no end any time in the foreseeable future. We've seen horrific, "Dawn of the Dead", light drama, "Warm Bodies", we've even seen comedic "Shaun of the Dead" and "Zombieland". Now we have a version of that genre that takes the zombie, and turns it into a vicious, contagious virus ridden being that turns people lethal thus rapidly causing a global catastrophe against humanity aptly titled "World War Z".
When former U.N. investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and his family, wife, Karin (Mireille Enos) and two daughters get stuck in urban gridlock, he senses that it's no ordinary traffic jam. His suspicions are confirmed when, suddenly, the city erupts into chaos. A lethal virus, spread through a simple bite, is turning healthy people into something vicious, unthinking and feral. As the pandemic threatens to consume humanity, Gerry, along with Captain Speke (James Badge Dale), and Segen, an Israeli soldier, (Daniella Kertesz) leads a worldwide search to find the source of the infection and, with luck, a way to halt its spread all culminating at the W.H.O. Research Headquarters where he is assisted by a handful of W.H.O. doctors.
Others to round out the cast are Ludi Boeken as Jurgen Warmbrunn, Matthew Fox as Parajumper, Fana Mokoena asThierry Umutoni, David Morse as an ex-CIA Agent, Elyes Gabel as Dr. Andrew Fassbach, Peter Capaldi as W.H.O. Doctor, Pierfrancesco Favino as W.H.O. Doctor, Ruth Negga as W.H.O. Doctor, Moritz Bleibtreu as W.H.O. Doctor, Sterling Jerins as Constance Lane, and Abigail Hargrove as Rachel Lane as Gerry's and Karin's daughters.
This was directed by Marc Forster ("Loungers" '95, Everything Put Together" 2000, "Monster's Ball" '01, "Finding Neverland" '04, "Stay" '05, "Stranger Than Fiction" .06, "The Kite Runner" '07, "Quantum of Solace" '08, "Machine Gun Preacher" '11). By his very resume, it would be difficult to pigeon-hole this guy. He directs action, drama, fantasy, comedy and does so with panache. This is creatively written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard and Damon Lindelof, based on a story by Carnahan and J. Michael Straczynski, which is based on the novel by Max Brooks. With the exceptions of very few choppy areas, this story is a real nail-biter and has one wondering what's going to happen around the next corner. Making this with a storyline whereas these people have an extremely contagious virus than that of just being zombies was definitely a clever move.
The visual effects predominantly created by MPC (Moving Picture Company), ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) and Cinesite along with the 3D process were seamless. Whether one is into the zombie genre or not, there is something for everyone here. And as it seems like a hopeless situation, this leaves you with a somewhat bittersweet ending that will make you think.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: PG-13 115mins.
This is that comedies are getting dumber or am I getting smarter? It's probably a combination of the two. Not that I'm a brainiac, but "This is the End" has got to be one of the most inane comedies I've seen...ever! When will the stupidity stop!?
This genre of comedy/horror follows six friends, (Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson), all playing themselves, who are trapped in Franco's house after a series of strange and catastrophic events devastate Los Angeles. As the world unravels outside, dwindling supplies and 'cabin fever' threaten to tear apart the friendships inside. Eventually, they are forced to leave the house, facing their fate and the true meaning of friendship and redemption.
During the time of being trapped, Jay figures out that all this has got to be the beginning of the end, or the Apocalypse as it is commonly known, found in the Book of Revelation in the Bible, and he feels they all are getting what they might, just might deserve...
Others to round out the cast are Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, David Krumholtz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Rihanna, Martin Starr, Paul Rudd and Channing Tatum, all also playing themselves.
This was adequately directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. All in all, Rogen probably fairs better behind the camera than in front. It was written by Rogen and Goldberg based on a story by them, which was based on the short film, "Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse" by Jason Stone. And as usual, this is the culprit--bad writing. I'm not sure that the concept of playing themselves was a commentary of the fact that some of these actors DO play themselves a lot, or was this a concept of the writers trying to be fresh and cutting edge? If they were trying to be accurate to scripture, they failed. The research would have been easy, but then if they were accurate, maybe it wouldn't have fit their script--not sure. The acting was overdone, loud, and feeling sorry for any of these people was hard-pressed at best.
With the exception of a few funny lines and some of the visual effects predominantly created by Modus VFX, which were nifty, this film was a total wash. If you must see this, wait for the DVD, or else you'll be crying out of frustration once you leave the cineplex.
Out of 4 Stars: 1 Rated: R 107mins.
When I had heard of this film being made well over a year ago, I immediately thought about the different other franchises that have been overhauled. With Batman, Bond films, Star Trek, and even Planet of the Apes enduring overhauls, we now can add Superman in the form of "Man of Steel" to that list. What franchise is next?
Yes, 'Superman' returns again to the big screen with its own overhauling. This starts on the planet, Krypton, whereas after Kal-El is born, his parents, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer) send him to planet Earth because of the fact that Krypton is in the process of exploding. Kal-El is given the name Clark Kent by kindly farmer Jonathan Kent (Kevin Kostner) and his wife, Martha (Diane Lane), who raise him as if he were their own son. As a young boy, Clark displays incredible superpowers that instill him with a profound sense of personal responsibility. Later, the amiable Clark (Henry Cavill) becomes a story by crackerjack Daily Planet journalist Lois Lane (Amy Adams). But when his new world is attacked by General Zod (Michael Shannon), from Kal-El's planet, and his small army, the humans are powerless to defend themselves. So Clark must reveal his identity in order to protect his new planet.
Others to round out the cast are Antje Traue as Faora-Ul, Zod's right hand, Henry Lennix as General Swanwick, Richard Schiff as Dr. Emil Hamilton, Christopher Meloni as Colonel Nathan Hardy, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Dylan Sprayberry as Clark (13 years), Cooper Timberline as Clark (9 years), and Richard Cetrone as Tor-An.
This was directed by apparently this generation's 'king of the big-buidget', Zack Snyder ("Dawn of the Dead" '04, "300" '06, "Watchmen" '09, "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" '10, "Sucker Punch" '11). Snyder has this ability to present his direction in such effortless ways. This was written by the comparable David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Christopher Nolan which is based on DC comic, Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The story covered so much in that you felt that a good deal was explained to bring one up to snuff, and did so in a quick way so there's not a chance to get bored with is at all. This presents Clark in a much more normal, almost gritty way, even though he still obtains these amazing powers. This leaves it open-ended, and in fact, "Man of Steel 2" has already been announced.
The visual effects were predominantly created by Weta Digital, Inc, and MPC (Moving Picture Company), and were absolutely seamless. I even took the chance to see it in 3D, and it actually accentuated the film that much more.
If you're a Superman or Man of Steel fan or not, this film will entertain you from beginning to end, as any film in summer that allows you to escape into another world should do.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: PG-13 143mins.
In this country, romantic comedies are usually very formulaic. We've all seen them--too many titles to list, suffice it to say that a lot of times it is tough to get through them because of their predictability. All that it took to see a fairly solid romantic comedy, was going to an art house and see an independent, Denmark film entitled "Love Is All You Need".
A Danish woman, Ida (Trine Dyrholm), who has just finished her cancer treatments, walk in on her husband, Leif (Kim Bodnia) in bed with his young co-worker, Thilde (Christiane Schaumburg-Muller). After she unravels at what she's witnessed, she ends up traveling alone to their daughter, Astrid's (Molly Blixt Egelind) wedding to fiance, Patrick (Sebastian Jessen), which is to take place in Italy, only to meet the father of the groom, Philip (Pierce Brosnan), and immediately makes a bad first impression.
At the seaside villa where Philip once lived with his wife, conflicts arise not least between the soon-to-be newlyweds. But first impressions fade, and Ida may find her chance for another, hopefully much improved life.
Others to round out the cast are Ciro Petrone as Alessandro, Marco D'Amore as Marco, Paprika Steen as Benedikte, Philip's sister-in-law and a work associate, Bodil Jorgensen as Vibe, and Line Kruse as Bitten. Both Brosnan and Dyrholm give stunning yet real performances.
This was passionately directed by Susanne Bier ("Brev til Jonas" '92, "Pensionat Oskar" '95, "Sekten" '97, "Once in a Lifetime" 2000, "Open Hearts" '02, "Brothers" '04, "After the Wedding" '06, "Things We Lost in the Fire" '07, "In a Better World" '10). A lot of emotion here was needed, especially considering the amount of dysfunction that these characters were intertwined with, and Bier used just the normal amount of these emotions to get the point across that she was attempting to convey while keeping the pace lighter at strategic places of script. This was written by Anders Thomas Jensen based on a story by Bier and Jensen. Other than being a little long-in-the-tooth--could have been about 10 minutes shorter, and a couple of choppy places script wise, this was a heartfelt, light with a dramatic overtone, emotional film with more to offer than the usual rom-com. Even the whimsical score by Johan Soderqvist is incredibly fitting for this film.
If you're into interesting characters and premise, and you don't mind subtitles (with some English thrown in), this is the film for you. If nothing else, the beautiful Italian locales will keep you peeled as you're getting used to these characters.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: R 116mins.
Comedies! How can such a great genre consistently struggle to attempt in making audiences laugh, and most of the time fall flat on their faces? No other genre seems to struggle as much. Why is this? Most comedies I review, I either give it a lackluster one or a mediocre one, at best. With the way the world is so whacked out and the crazies are everywhere, there are more than enough good ideas to write an Oscar contender. Ah-h, the key word here is 'write'. Where are all the great comedy writers out there? When I saw the trailer on "The Internship", I wanted it to be funny--it certainly has a great premise, but as the trailer continued, I wondered.
Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) are salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world. Trying to prove they are not obsolete, they defy the odds by talking their way into a coveted internship at Google along with a bazillion brilliant college students. But, gaining entrance to this utopia is only half the battle. The different students are told to divide into groups to compete, thus leaving Billy and Nick solitary, until they realize that there are four other 'outcasts' consisting of Lyle (Josh Brener), Stuart (Dylan O'Brien), Neha (Tiya Sircar), and Yo-Yo Santos (Tobit Rapael). They end up becoming a group and having to compete with the best of the best. As they compete with these elite tech-savvy geniuses, can they prove that necessity really is the mother of re-invention.
Others to round out the cast are Rose Byrne as Dana, Aasif Mandvi as Mr. Chetty, Max Minghella as Graham Hawtrey, Josh Gad as Mr. Anderson, Eric Andre as Sid, Jessica Szohr as Marielena, Rob Riggle as Randy, Harvey Guillen as Zach, Gary Anthony Williams as Bob Williams, and an uncredited role from John Goodman as Billy and Nick's boss. Also there's a small role played by Will Ferrell as Nick's girlfriend's brother.
It was directed by the king of comedy, Shawn Levy ("Big Fat Liar" '02, "Just Married" '03, "Cheaper by the Dozen" '03, "The Deerings" (TV movie) '04, "Joint Custody" (TV movie) '05, "The Pink Panther" '06, "Night at the Museum" '06, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" '09, "Date Night" '10, "Family Album" (TV movie) '11, "Real Steel" '11, "Little Brother" (TV movie) '12, "Family Trap" (TV movie) '12). It was written by Vince Vaughn and Jared Stern based on a story by Vaughn. This is a comedy that one has to be patient with, in that it starts off with the usual kind of schtick that we've come to expect from most comedies. You know, the inane, toilet humor that is not well put together. Then, slowly, the plot starts shifting and the writing becomes much more palatable. The way this premise goes is pretty much predictable, but what actually makes this an improved film, is the way these guys took these misfits, and taught them that to succeed, they really have to depend on each other, and not just within the confines of the competition, but also in life itself. This realization will cause them to click and not only help one another, but WANT to help one another. So, you gotta 'wait' for this film to grab you.
Vaughn and Wilson also teamed up in '05's "The Wedding Crashers", and although it was an OK film, it didn't end up with them and others really learning something after all they went through. This was a much improved pairing of these two actors, and whether you're a fan or not of these guys, as the old adage goes, "Good things come for those that wait".
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: PG-13 119mins.
For some reason Hollywood is obsessed about an apocalyptic Earth, whereas doom and gloom overshadows any positive or half-positive effects that could happen instead. Are people that obsessed with this possibility or is Hollywood just attempting to cash in on society's obsession with it? The plethora of films run the gambit: "The Book of Eli", "The Omega Man" and its subsequent "I Am Legend", the most recent "Oblivion", "Reign of Fire", even the dark animated film, "9". There are too many more to even list, suffice it to say that now we have "After Earth" to add to that seemingly never ending list.
One thousand years after cataclysmic events forced humanity's escape from Earth, Nova Prime has become mankind's new home. Legendary General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family, ready to be a father to his 13-year-old son, Kitai (Jaden Smith), so he takes him on one of his next routine missions, since Kitai has been to cadet training school. While in space, an asteroid storm damages Cypher and Katai's craft, forcing them to crash land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth. As his father lies in the cockpit with two broken legs, Katai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon which was housed in the tail of the craft . His whole life, Katai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Well, through his father's computer visual instructions, today, he will get his chance to prove himself.
Others to round out the cast are Sophie Okonedo as Faia Raige, wife of Cypher, Zoe Isabella Kravitz as Senshi Raige, daughter of Cypher, Glenn Morshower as Commander Velan, Kristofer Hivju as Security Chief, Sacha Dhawan as Hesper Pilot, Chris Geere as Hesper Navigator, Diego Klattenhoff as Veteran Ranger, David Denham as Private McQuarrie, Lincoln Lewis as Running Cadet, and Jaden Martin as Nine-Year-Old Katai.
This was intricately directed by M. Night Shyamalan ("Praying with Anger" '92, "Wide Awake" '98, "The Sixth Sense" '99, "Unbreakable" 2000, "Signs" '02, "The Village" '04, "Lady in the Water" '06, "The Happening" '08, "The Last Airbender" '10). It was effective and gritty, and the way he was able to get Will Smith to act in such a controlled way in conveying his instructions to his son being under such extreme situations was incredible. This was written by Gary Whitta and Shyamalan based on a story by Will Smith. As in the past, the majority of Shyamalan films have had bizarre premises, i.e. "The Lady in the Water", "The Happening", "The Village", but even though this is of the sci-fi genre, it's not quite as bizarre as its predecessors. And this proves that he doesn't need to be so over-the-top bizarre to get the audience's attention, for this to be an effective piece. No, this was a bit slow in places where it didn't need to be, but just because this is summer with all the big-budget, high adrenaline, explosive flicks out there, another big-budget film, this being one, doesn't have to have explosions cover to cover to be effective. It had action, but not clean clear through, and I believe this made this more effective considering what we all expect this time of year.
This film has predominantly two actors in it--Will and Jaden Smith (father and son), and this not being the first film together, "The Pursuit of Happyness" being the first and Will Smith producing his son in the remake "The Karate Kid", they work well together. And this is especially evident when most of the scenes are between them. This says a lot-- a father trying to connect with his son, survival when your options are extremely limited, all rolled up with a nifty sci-fi backdrop. If you plan on seeing this, best to see on the large screen to get the full effect especially with it being presented in IMAX.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: PG-13 100mins.
Usually films are easy to pigeon-hole which genre they belong to, but in the case of "Now You See Me", there's a little bit of everything in it, i.e. drama, action, a dash of comedy, and a bit of suspense all with dazzling visual effects. But this is what makes this film that much more appealing.
This story pits an elite FBI squad headed up by Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent, Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent) in a game of cat and mouse against a super-team of great illusionists, "The Four Horsemen" consisting of J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco). They pull off a series of daring heists against corrupt business leaders including Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) during their performances, showering the stolen profits on their audiences while staying one step ahead of the law. Rhodes finally decides to consult with Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), an ex-magician who now is bent on exposing the extremely deceptive magicians, so Rhodes then can locate and expose "The Four Horsemen" for who they really are.
Others to round out the cast are Michael J. Kelly as Agent Fuller, Common as Evans, David Warshofsky as Cowan, Jose Garcia as Etienne Forcier, Jessica Lindsey as Hermia, Caitriona Balfe as Jasmine Tressler, and Stephanie Honore as Atlas Groupie.
This was slickly directed by Louis Leterrier ("The Transporter" '02, "Unleashed" '05, "Transporter" '05, "The Incredible Hulk" '08, "Clash of the Titans" '10). He works well with his actors, especially in an ensemble setting as this is, and he's not fearful of letting the actors 'go-for-it', counting on their expertise given the scene. It was written by Ed Solomon, Boaz Yankin, and Edward Ricourt based on a story by Yakin and Ricourt. Other than a few places where the script is a bit choppy, this story exceeded my expectations for a tight screenplay.
As one of the lines in the film states, "everybody loves a good magic trick", this film certainly delivers, whether one likes magic or not. I suspect that's the real reason this will be a crowd pleaser.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 116mins.
Roland Emmerich has intrigued us just about every summer for a number of years with big-budgeted, "2012","Stargate", "The Day After Tomorrow", and "Godzilla". Now he brings us "White House Down", and even though there are some similarities to "Olympus has Fallen" released earlier this year, the premise of the film is certainly different. 
