Annilhilation

Hollywood has been fascinated with the sci-fi genre ever since "Flash Gordon" hit the movie theaters many decades ago when movie studios were in their infancy. Since then, every generation had been offered a plethora of their own sci-fi films to sink their teeth into. Certainly these films have become more realistic the more technological we evolve into, but sometimes we simply want something that, not only is science based, but also has a fantasy side to it as well--this is why we have "Annihilation" offered to us.

Lena (Natalie Portman), a biologist and former Army soldier, joins a mission--to uncover what happened to her husband, Kane (Oscar Isaac) inside Area X--a sinister and mysterious phenomenon that is expanding across the American coastline. Once inside, the expedition which includes Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason-Leigh), Anya Thorensen (Gina Rodriguez), Josie Radek (Tessa Thompson) and Cass Sheppard (Tuva Novotny) discovers a world of mutated landscapes and creatures, as dangerous as it is beautiful, that threatens both their lives and their sanity. The expedition team being comprised of a biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, a surveyor and a Lindquist, has their hands full as reality and fantasy become intertwined as survival ends up being the order of the day.

Others to round out the cast are Benedict Wong as Lomax, David Gyasi as Daniel, Sammy Hayman as Mayer, Josh Danford as Shelley and John Schwab as Paramedic.

This was eclectically directed by Alex Garland ("Ex Machina" '14). This filmmaker's experience focuses more on writing which is also eclectic in style, however when he directs his actors, the emotion he is able to extract from them is amazing and it's as if these characters come to life. It was also effectively written by Garland ("The Beach" (novel) 2000, "28 Days Later..." '02, "The Tesseract" (novel) '03, "Sunshine" '07, "Never Let Me Go" '10, "Dredd" '12, "Ex Machina" '14) plus TV and video games. If I were to akin this film with another, it would probably end up being a cross between "Arrival" and "Alien". "Arrival" for its cerebral aspects and its obscurity, and "Alien" for its gruesomeness and seemingly hopelessness. They both also have a female as their centered hero which makes these films stand out. Certainly being an obscure film, storyline wise, it was a bit slow in a couple of places and jumped around a bit, otherwise a strong film with remarkable female roles. This certainly wasn't Portman's best effort--her "Black Swan" and "Jackie" were both superior, but this is still a powerful performance by her nonetheless. The supporting roles were strong and clear and certainly gave that realistic look. And, of course, the visual effects predominantly designed by Double Negative and Milk Visual Effects were seamless and gave an unearthly visceral look at what this environment , known as The Shimmer, was to look like.

If films such as "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Fahrenheit 451", "Interstellar" "Inception" and the like are cerebral films you can appreciate, this film will also fall into this list with ease. This isn't for the mass audience appeal, so if a "Star Wars", "Star Trek" or "Guardians of the Galaxy" type film are more to your liking, this will probably not fit the bill. But if a thought provoking sci-fi film is something that will suit you, this will be a film you'll love.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                      Rated: R                                     115mins.

Game Night

Have I mentioned that comedies are my favorite genre? And what's ironic is that I rarely see them considering how banal and gross and unoriginal they are. Anymore, comedies are a total waste of celluloid, so I have a tendency to skip them. Well, after I saw my first trailer of "Game Night", I thought this film had potential, and my gut was correct.

 

Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie's (Rachel McAdams) weekly game night gets kicked up a notch when Max's brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) arranges a murder mystery party-- complete with fake thugs and federal agents. So when Brooks gets kidnapped, it's all supposed to be part of the game. As the competitor's set out to solve the case, they soon start to learn that neither the game nor Brooks are what they seem to be. The friends, including Ryan (Billy Rasmussen), Sarah (Sharon Horgan), Kevin (Lamorne Morris) and Michelle (Kylie Bunbury) soon find themselves in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn over the course of one chaotic night.

 

Others to round out the cast are Jesse Plemons as Gary, Michael C. Hall as The Bulgarian, Danny Huston as Donald Anderton, Chelsea Peretti as Glenda and Camille Chen as Dr. Chin.

 

This was effectively directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein ("Vacation" '15) plus shorts. Direction wise, these filmmakers don't have a plethora of experience in the director's chair, however they know the way around actors and how to get them to bring certain characters to life. Through these character developments, they all have a distinct personality so in order to connect with the other actors and this is talented directing. Their next projects that have been announced are "Vacation Guide to the Solar System" and "Flashpoint" '20. It was creatively written by Mark Perez ("Frank McKlusky C.I." '02, "The Country Bears" '02, "Herbie Fully Loaded" (story) '05, "Accepted" '06, "Back Nine" (TV movie) '10) plus TV. What makes this unique, as compared to the usual formulaic format, is the idea of it being an action adventure with a mystery overtone and an underlying screwball style that I haven't seen in a comedy in a long time. This does have a couple of places of very small slow areas, otherwise this storyline rocks. Both Bateman and McAdams' chemistry was funny and inviting. I simply never tire of Bateman's powder dry style of humor, and even though he has a tendency to play similar characters in his comedies, they are still humorous. He's one of a few actors that succeeds in both comedy and dramatic roles.

 

As comedies go, this has got to be one of the best I've seen in a while. It has everything to keep its audience on the edge of their seats: action, adventure, mystery, humor, and all tied up with a funny and original script by Perez and spot on performances by Bateman and McAdams. Grab the popcorn and enjoy!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                   Rated: R                                       100mins.

 

Early Man

We've seen many animated films for a plethora of years, and as well crafted as they are, it's refreshing to see a film that's created in the Claymation style. These types of animated flicks aren't released too often--they take a while to make, so when they come our way, it becomes a real treat to see them. When I saw my first trailer of "Early Man" I figured I had to see that film considering its Claymation format.

A plucky caveman named Dug (Eddie Redmayne), his sidekick Hognob (Nick Park), Chief Bobnar (Timothy Spall) and the rest of their tribe face a grave threat to their simple existence. Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston) plans to take over their land and transform it into a giant mine, forcing Dug and his clan to dig for precious metals. So Dug subsequently challenges Lord Nooth and his men to a football game or soccer game to win back his land. Because of Dug's clans' incapability of the game, he seeks out Goona (Maisie Williams) to teach the mastery of the game. Not ready to go down without a fight, Dug, Hognob, Goona and the Chief must unite their people in an epic quest to defeat a mighty enemy-- the Bronze Age.

Others to round out the cast are Richard Ayoade as Treebor, Miriam Margolyes as Queen Oofeefa, Mark Williams as Barry, Rob Brydon as Message Bird/Brian/Bryan, Johnny Vegas as Asbo, Kayvan Novak as Dino and Selina Griffiths as Magma.

This was creatively directed by the king of Claymation Nick Park ("Chicken Run" 2000, "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" '05) plus videos and shorts. This filmmaker knows how to extract the most effective emotion from his actors. The humor is dry and so the characters used truly accentuate the effectiveness of entertaining its audience. It was dryly written by Mark Burton ("Madagascar" '05, "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" '05, "Aliens in the Attic" '09, "Shaun the Sheep Movie" '15) and James Higginson, based on a story by Burton and Nick Park. As with this writer's previous films, the writing is dry, humorous, entertaining all with a well thought out script. Even though the storyline here has been done before--underdogs becoming a team in order to save something, this wring is executed in a way that proves once again that determination, perseverance and patience pays off in huge ways. And what can I say for the animation? Claymation is a painstakingly tedious process that takes a true team of incredibly talented artists that have a tremendous amount of patience in order to produce a final product. Aardman Studios is amazingly talented and the company behind numerous Claymation productions.

If Claymation is your desire when it comes to the genre of animation, you will be in heaven, however if it's not, the creative script along with the spot on direction and funny, interesting characters will surely be enough to justify the price of admission. This is funny, entertaining, artfully done all with a great message that we've heard before--we all need to be a team in order to connect, but even if we've heard this before, so much of the time we need to be reminded.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                 Rated: PG                                      89mins.

Black Panther

Marvel Studios is a gigantic company, so large that their films can't even be released in just the summer movie season, so they opt also for the winter as well. As with Disney's "Star Wars" films being rafted out twice a year, Marvel films are released far too often. So now we have "Black Panther" to pacify the most staunchest of comic book film fans.

After the events of Captain America: Civil War", King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country's new leader of royalty. However T'Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two old foes, Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) conspire to destroy Wakanda, with assistance of W'Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya), the hero known as Black Panther must team up with CIA agent Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) a spy, Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakandan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.

Others to round out the cast are Danai Guira as Okoye, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Winston Duke as M'Baku, Sterling K. Brown as N'Jobu, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Forest Whitaker as Zuri, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, John Kani as T'Chaka and David S. Lee as Limbani.

This was directed with intensity and an with an element of wit by Ryan Coogler ("Fruitvale Station" '13, "Creed" '15) plus shorts and TV. Even though this filmmaker is young and with a limited amount of experience, what he has directed are well-crafted, films where he is able to work with his actors to make those characters come to life. Obviously he and Jordan have an amazing working relationship considering Jordan has starred in all of Coogler's films. It was also written by Googler ("Fruitvale Station" '13, "Creed" '15) plus shorts and TV and Joe Robert Cole ("Amber Lake" '11) plus TV which is based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. As with the directing, neither of these writers have a ton of experience, but what they have is pure quality. What's interesting is that the films listed in these resumes are films that one would never believe that they would have the quality they have. It's not the subject matter that makes these artists' films rather it is the writing style of them, this film included. Although this film isn't flawless--there's some slowness in script, so the running time could have being a bit shorter, and some scenes the dialogue was difficult to understand due to the explosions, this was still a well-crafted, well written and thought out film. The visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic), Double Negative and Digital Domain were seamless as were the stunts by Andy Gill and Jonathan Eusebio, and all were edited together seamlessly. 

As a film based on a comic book, I must say this is one of the best. Even though there are a few flaws, it has a lot to say and is entertaining as well. And, not to shock, but this does continue. Whether one sees this in 2D or 3D, this will capture the audience's attention and keep you riveted.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                  Rated: PG-13                                   135mins.

Peter Rabbit

Children's stories are a crucial element to the movie going experience. If we, as a society, expect to woo kids into the multiplex, Hollywood truly needs to give them something that's entertaining, safe and enjoyable. We've seen many of them: "Matilda", "Goosebumps", "Babe", all the Pixar films, and the like. Now we have "Peter Rabbit" to add to that ongoing list.

Peter Rabbit (James Corden), the mischievous and adventurous hero who has captivated generations of readers, now takes on the starring role of his own irreverent, contemporary comedy with attitude. In the film, Peter's feud with Mr. Thomas McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson) escalates to greater heights than ever before as they rival for the affections of the warm-hearted animal-lover who lives next door, Bea (Rose Byrne). With the assistance of Peter's family, Ben (Colin Moody), Flopsy (Margot Robbie), Mopsy (Elizabeth Debicki) and Cotton-Tail (Daisy Ridley), does McGregor really have a chance or will he tuck his tail between his legs a get the heck out of Dodge?

Others to round out the cast are Sam Neill as Old Mr. McGregor, Margot Robbie as The Narrator, Christian Gazai as Felix D'eer, Ewen Leslie as Pigling Bland, Sia as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Marianne Jean-Baptiste as General Manager.

This was serious yet whimsically directed by Will Gluck (Fired Up! '09, "Easy A" '10, "Iceland" (TV movie) '11, "Annie" '14) plus TV. This was an effective combination of both whimsical and seriousness of plot which made this a great film for the family. His resume is eclectic with multi genres involved. If you like this brand of direction, Gluck's "Which Brings Me to You" has been announced. It was written by Rob Lieber ("Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" '14) plus TV and Gluck ("Annie" '14, "Angry Angel" (TV movie) '17) plus TV, based on a screen story by Lieber and Gluck which is based on the characters and tales of "Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter. Even though these writers are fairly new to the writing territory, the combination of their respective resumes emit a true understanding of how this film was as effective as it was entertaining. Certainly this is based on a classic story, but the contemporary slant these writers took gave this story a fresh newer look for a new generation of fans. It's been a long time since I've read this classic, but after seeing this, it gave a whole new look on a very old story. It wasn't a comedy that wasn't a belly-laugh type of film, rather this was more subtle in its presentation which not only is entertaining, but keeps the target audience's attention more effectively. Sony Pictures Animation created the animation incorporating live action and this makes this something to keep kids that much more glued to their seats.

Was this film flawless? No, it had some slowness in storyline, but this was so minimal that it was hardly even noticeable. Considering children can tire from a slow script, how slow could this have been? And how many films out there can tout that it can entertain an entire family? Not many that's for sure.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                   Rated: PG                                   101mins.

The 15:17 to Paris

There have been as many disaster films made as there have been westerns or musicals made in Hollywood. But since 9/11, disaster has a new name: terrorism. And since we have seen a plethora of them, but more to the point have been those centering around trains: "Pelham 123" '09 (first one-"Pelham One Two Three" '74), "Unstoppable" '10 and now through the lens of director Clint Eastwood, we have "The 15:17 to Paris".

In the early evening of August 21, 2015, the world watched in stunned silence as the media reported a thwarted terrorist attack on Thalys train #9364 bound for Paris--an attempt prevented by three courageous young Americans, Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone, traveling through Europe. The film follows the course of the friends' lives, from the struggles of childhood through finding their footing in life, to the series of unlikely events leading up to the attack. Throughout the harrowing ordeal, their friendship never wavers, making it their greatest weapon and allowing them to save the lives of the more than 500 passengers on board.

Others to round out the cast are Judy Greer as Joyce, Spencer's mom, Jenna Fischer as Heidi, Alek's mom, William Jennings as Spencer (11-14), Bryce Gheisar as Alek (11-14), Paul-Mikel Williams as Anthony (11-14), Thomas Lennon as Principal Michael Akers, P.J. Byrne as Mr. Henry, Tony Hale as Coach Murray, Jaleel White as Garrett Walden, Ray Corasani as Ayoub and Patrick Braoude as President Hollande Actor.

 

This was incredibly directed by the incomparable veteran Clint Eastwood ("Play Misty For Me" '71, "High Plains Drifter" '73, "The Outlaw Jose Wales" '76, "Pale Rider" '85, "Bird" '88, "Unforgiven" '92, "Space Cowboys" 2000, "Mystic River" '03, "Million Dollar Baby" '04, "Gran Torino" '08, "Invictus" '09, "Jersey Boys" '14, "American Sniper" '14, "Sully" '16) plus many others and TV. This talented filmmaker has worked with every actor around, but being able to extract the emotions from non actors in a clear and concise way is proof of his genius. there aren't very many--if any directors that could pull this off and this guy pulls it off in spades. These three friends are the actual heroes of this tragic incident and the idea of them reliving their ordeal on film is not only original but genius to boot. As old as Eastwood is, he never ceases to amaze me. There are few directors that I can count on to give me a well crafted film--Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Guillermo del Toro, Paul Greengrass, but Eastwood is definitely on that list. It was incredibly well thought out by writer Dorothy Blyskal ("That's Entertainment!" (TV series)-episode 1 '14). Other than being a production assistant on several other films--"Sully" being one of them, this writer has to be a natural. Considering she has virtually no feature film experience if much experience at all, Blyskal was able to put together a tremendous amount of material about these three heroes in an amazingly short running time and not made it seem short at al, that it simply made me marvel. Sure, it wasn't an Academy worthy script--there were a couple of small places of slowness, it was still a script that worked. In fact, it being written as a series of flashbacks, its pace was actually slow, but I believe that was purposed to get the audience hyped once they got to that horrific incident on that train.

 

Whether you're a disaster film buff or an Eastwood affictionado or not, there is something for everyone in this hour and a half running time: thrills, fear, humor, adrenaline and action. And with these ingredients, isn't this the reason why we go to see films anyway? Go see this one, because the way this film unfolds before you, the ride will be worth the price of admission.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                  Rated: PG-13                                   93mins.

 

Den of Thieves

As crime dramas go, Hollywood has written the book on them. Just in my movie going life, I have to believe that hundreds of these films have been produced and released. To name a handful, there are "Narc", "Dark Blue", "End of Watch", "Contraband" and the like. Will these films slow down? Not likely since we are now offered "Den of Thieves".

 

A gritty Los Angeles crime saga which follows the intersecting and often personally connected lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. headed up by Lt. "Big Nick" O'Brien (Gerard Butler) with comrades Murph Connors (Brian Van Holt) and Gus Henderson (Mo McRae) and the state's most successful bank robbery crew headed up by Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber) with comrades Donnie Wilson (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) and Bo "Bosco" Ostroman (Evan Jones) as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on The Federal Reserve Bank of downtown LA.

Every day, $120mm in cash is taken out of circulation and destroyed by the Federal Reserve--unless someone such as these notorious bank robbers can pull off the ultimate heist and get to the money first...right under the noses of LA's most feared division of law enforcement.

 

Others to round out the cast are Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as Enson Levoux, Maurice Compte as Benny "Borracho" Magalon, Kaiwi Lyman as Tony Z' Zapata, Dawn Olivieri as Debbie O'Brien, Nick's wife and Eric Braeden as Ziggy Zerhusen.

 

This was remarkably well directed by first time director Christian Gudegast. With no other directing experience under his belt--not even TV, I am shocked that he was able to extract an extremely realistic attitude of their respective characters from his actors  Being in an over-the-top line of work these guys are in--no matter what side of the law they were in, was carried out in an extremely delineated way. Anyone viewing this film would believe these guys are the characters they played. He will receive more work. It was also written by Gudegast ("Soldier of Fortune" (TV movie) '97, "A Man Apart" '03, "Pink Panther Mafia" '15, "London Has Fallen" '16) based on a story by Gudegast and Paul Scheuring. Certainly this  filmmaker's comfort zone is in the writing realm per his resume. Considering this film didn't have a huge star basis, except maybe Butler, this was amazingly well written, especially considering the running time. Showing these two different crews' similarities--even they were good vs. bad, was a stroke of genius and keeps the audience that much more glued to the screen. Actually with the exception of a couple of slow places in script and a small amount of choppiness, this plot kept me riveted.

 

There is certainly nothing Academy Award worthy here--it's an idea older than dirt, but with the good and bad crew obtaining so many similarities, it begs to ask, who's the bad guys? With that and a twist you don't expect by films' end, this is a great popcorn flick!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                      Rated: R                                  140mins.

 

Winchester

As with ghost stories, they are typically based in pure fiction allowing us to escape into something that will scare us to death. But, when you throw in an element of factual basis, you will then be offered "Winchester". The combination of both fact and fiction can be a chilling idea if only a more polished script was created.

 

The year is 1906 and inspired by true events. On an isolated stretch of land 50 miles outside of San Francisco sits the most haunted house in the world. Built by Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren), heiress to the Winchester fortune, it is a house that knows no end. Constructed in an incessant twenty-four hour a day seven day a week mania for decades, it stands seven stories tall and contains hundreds of rooms. To the outsider it looks like a monstrous monument to a disturbed woman's madness. But Sarah is not building for her niece, Marion Marriott (Sarah Snook) or for the brilliant doctor Eric Price (Jason Clarke) whom she has summoned to the house. She is building a prison, an asylum for hundreds of vengeful ghosts, and the most terrifying among them, Ben Block (Eamon Farren), have a score to settle with the Winchesters.

 

Others to round out the cast are Angus Sampson as John Hansen, Finn Scicluna O'Prey as Henry Marriott, Marion's son, Emm Wiseman as Nancy, Tyler Coppin as Arthur Gates, Michael Carman as Frank, Laura Bent as Ruby Price, Eric's wife and Alice Chaston as Clara.

 

This was effectively directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig (The Spierig Brothers) ("Undead" '03, "Daybreakers" '09, "Predestination" '14, "Jigsaw" '17). The emotions these characters exuded were certainly ones that one would expect considering the subject matter. Of course with both Mirren and Clarke in the top billing, how could these directors possibly go wrong? These characters came to life with clarity through these actors and this does take strong direction. This was also written by the Spierig Brothers (they write what they direct). It was additionally written by Tom Vaughan ("Critical Assembly" (TV movie) '02, "Unstoppable" '04, "Playing House" '10) as well. Where these filmmakers excel in the director's chair, the writing of this was suspicious at best. None of these writers have a tremendous amount of experience, and as this script played out, it became apparent to see this. It starts out with promise getting us introduced to the Price character. And even as we are being introduced to other characters, this builds the audience up into then being introduced to Sarah Winchester herself. This turns out to be an effective build up. After this the plot, although intriguing, becomes convoluted, bouncing around like a rubber ball. and ended up  lacking cohesiveness and conciseness. There was a subplot that did connect with the main plot but the audience had to strain to truly connect them. Actually, by films' end, the confusing aspects did finally connect but not as thoroughly as was needed. Watch out when a film is touted as being based on true events as compared with a true story. The latter is meant to be more factual, whereas the prior is a story that takes many liberties storyline wise. The only thing factual about this was the fact that Winchester did exist as does the mansion, but otherwise the other aspects are questionable, especially the existence of the ghosts. That aspect can only be as factual as the person one is speaking with. The real star here is the house itself--it's stunning and a real tribute to the actual mansion. Even though Mirren and Clarke were onboard here, they couldn't even save this script.

 

Trust me, this wasn't a total wash--as it progressed toward the climax, the different aspects of the story started clicking. Unfortunately, it was simply too late into the story, because the aspects leading up to that section of film was tough to endure.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 2                                Rated: PG-13                                   109mins.