Films based on true stories or people have been a very popular format in the Hollywood community, and I don't see a slow down of them anytime in the foreseeable future, hence the new film based on a true story, "Race". This is probably the second film right behind "The Finest Hours" based on a true story thus far this year.
This is based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens (Stephan James), the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy.
This film starts in fall of 1933 when Owens is accepted at Ohio State University in their track and field division. His coach, Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis) will soon come to realize Owens true potential and pursues in training Owens. Soon the Olympic Committee for the 1936 Olympics, namely Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons) woos Owens to come to Berlin-- the home of the Olympics, even though the NAACP advises him to boycott it due to the racial prejudice here and in Germany with Nazism on the rise.
This is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man's fight to become an Olympic legend.
Others to round out the cast are Eli Goree as Dave Albritton, a buddy and fellow track racer of Owen's, Shanice Banton as Ruth Solomon, Owen's girlfriend, Carice van Houten as Leni Riefenstahl, the Olympics film documentarian, William Hurt as Jeremiah Mahoney, David Kross as Carl 'Luz' Long, Jonathan Higgins as Dean Cromwell, Barnaby Metschurat as Joseph Goebbels, Tony Curran as Lawson Robertson and Amanda Crew as Peggy.
This was expressly well delineated by director Stephen Hopkins ("Predator 2" '90, "Judgment Night" '93, "Blown Away" '94, "The Ghost and the Darkness" '96, "Lost in Space" '98, "Under Suspicion" 2000, "The Reaping" '07, "Maggie Hill" (TV movie) '09, "Beautiful People" (TV movie) '12) plus episodic TV. By his very resume, this guy refuses to be pigeon-holed. Not just with his past films, but as with this film, this filmmaker constantly goes out on that limb to prove that he can direct anything and anyone: action, drama, sci-fi, it makes no difference. The pathos and emotion he was able to emit out of his actors had incredible impact. It was written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, and even though they have only one other film which they wrote under their belts, this was written fairly well. Certainly there were a few places of choppiness and inconsistencies, but definitely had promise. Since it looks as though these writers are a writing team, I'd be very curious to see what these guys would write next. I cannot write these off as poor writers because 1) they're not poor writers and 2) they have such potential, I believe these guys will only improve with each film they write, because this is the direction they are definitely headed. The cast was solid, certainly that of James and Sudeikis really shined as the coach. He usually acts in comedies so why doesn't this actor do more dramas?
It is amazing how many films out there have been based on true stories, and many more will be made as long as there are stories out there interesting enough to write a film about and as long as there is an audience eager to plunk down the bucks to enjoy these many stories that unfold before our very eyes for years to come.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: PG-13 134mins.
There are dumb smart comedies, then there are dumb dumb comedies, and after viewing "Zoolander 2", I walked out of that theater realizing that this film fell into the latter category. Truly I wasn't asking for an Academy Award caliber film, but, com'on I thought I'd get something a bit wittier than was presented.
In this continuation of the first installment, we find that Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) has gone into seclusion because the institute that he built was made of inferior materials thus toppling the structure into the Hudson River killing his wife, Matilda (Christine Taylor) and barely surviving along with his son. His partner/friend in the modeling biz, Hansel (Owen Wilson) was injured as well and subsequently left modeling. A newer, famed fashion magnate in Rome, ATOZ headed up by Alexanya Atoz (Kristen Wiig) woos them both back into the biz with a new show. Little do they know that the invite is merely a scheme to do them in with the help of Mugatu (Will Ferrell). It gets so involved that Valentina (Penelope Cruz), the head of fashion police at Interpol has to be summoned to assist.
Others to round out the cast are Justin Theroux as Evil DJ, Milla Jovovich as Katinka, Billy Zane as Billy Zane, Benedict Cumberbatch as All and Cyrus Arnold as Derek Zoolander Jr.
Whereas the original "Zoolander" was a bit better than its successor, this simply meandered all over the place. There were some funny moments, but overall, this needed help hugely. Although the direction by Ben Stiller ("Reality Bites" '94, "The Cable Guy" '96, "Zoolander" '01, "Tropic Thunder" '08, "The Station" (TV movie) '09, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" '13) was very well done--certainly at a pace that we would come to expect considering the type of comedy this is, but the writing by Justin Theroux, Stiller, Nicholas Stoller and John Hamburg was questionable at best. What's interesting is that all these writers are not new to penning a script, but I believe the culprit was that there were too many writers on board--too many 'hands in the pot' here. There were places where the actors appeared they didn't know what to say next, and it was just too choppy in places that caused it to get so bogged down. And there were way too many cameos from big name stars which ended up causing confusion, and ended up not being the funny film this could have been. No, the original wasn't great, but this was not well penned when it could have been, especially considering the writing power behind this film.
Certainly if you liked the original, you'll like this, but if you're looking for a script that's fresh, original and funny throughout, this one you might as well pass on. Hey, if one thinks that this might have promise for being a high-quality, very funny film, then you couldn't have done your homework in this. I did my homework, and was still disappointed. You be the judge.
Out of 4 Stars: 1.5 Rated: PG-13 102mins.
Another year, another year of films based on comic books. Through the years, we have seen a plethora of these films: Superman, Batman, Captain America, X-Men, and other incarnations of these films too numerous to mention. Suffice it to say, enough to last a lifetime. It looks like we have "Deadpool" to start out this year's never ending list of 'comic book movies'.
This is the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who after being diagnosed with a rare cancer, and subsequently being subjected to a rogue experiment to cure the cancer that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, with his buddy Weasel (T.J. Miller) to help with a name, adopts the alter ego name Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool, with help from Colossus (Stefan Kapicic-voice and Greg LaSalle-facial performance) and Ellie/ Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life, Ajax/Francis (Ed Skrein).
Others to round out the cast are Morena Baccarini as Vanessa Carlyse, Deadpool's girlfriend, Gina Carano as Angel Dust, a baddie cohort of Ajax, Jed Rees as Recruiter, Hugh Scott as David Cunningham and Leslie Uggams as Blind Al.
Considering his lack of feature film experience, this was surprisingly well directed by Tim Miller (shorts). The staging and pacing, especially by Reynolds was simply spot on, although this was certainly a role made for Reynolds' brand of humor. I would be very interested in what this guy could do given more experience: was this just a fluke or is this filmmaker a natural? It was cleverly written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick based on characters by Rob Liefield and Fabian Nicieza. Both Reese and Wernick were responsible for the film "Zombieland" which was a fresh, original screenplay of a genre that has been worked to death--zombies. And if I were to akin any work they've done before that could mirror the same freshness of an overdone genre, it would be that of "Zombieland". "Deadpool" had that same originality that otherwise would have been a real yawner considering the amount of films generated from the likes of Marvel, DC Comics, etc. have been amazing in number. It takes true talent in writing to take an otherwise hackneyed genre and make something different from it. These two writers also have other experience as well which gives them that edge in the writing realm. As stated prior, Reynolds owns this role--maybe the casting coup of the year. Without him in the title role, this clearly wouldn't have been the film it ended up being. And for this is worth the price of admission.
Last, but not least, this, I believe, is the first film by Marvel that is rated R, and with good reason. Deadpool is an off-kilter guy with his own brand of humor, so it had to have those expletives in here, couple that with some choice boob shots--hey he's that type of guy, and this is not one for the kids. This is an adult 'comic book' based film. Got it?
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: R 108mins.
Romance films typically come in two main formats: either in a comedic or dramatic form. Both formats are again, typically predictable and formulaic in nature, which can leave them uninteresting and trite. Of all writers, in which dramatic romance films are based, that is undoubtedly the king is that of Nicholas Sparks. Most of his films where the film is based on his novels are usually done fairly well, however when it comes to "The Choice", this is certainly not the case.
In this romantic drama, medical student Gabby Holland (Teresa Palmer) moves next door to a charming womanizer named Travis Parker (Benjamin Walker) in a small North Carolina coastal town. Although Gabby has a serious boyfriend, Dr. Ryan McCarthy (Tom Welling), she and Travis quickly develop feelings for each other. In starting to know one another, they definitely get off to a bad start, but then the relationship eventually blossoms into love. Over the course of a decade, their relationship faces ups and downs as they attempt to decide what they want out of life and what is truly important to them.
Others to round out the cast are Maggie Grace as Stephanie Parker, Travis' sister, Alexandra Daddario as Monica, an old girlfriend of Travis', Tom Wilkinson as Dr. Shep Parker, Travis' father, Jesse C. Boyd as Matt, Brad James as Ben, Noree Victoria as Liz, Anna Enger as Megan, Brett Rice as Dr. McCarthy, Ryan's father, Ashley LeConte Campbell as Maryanne McCarthy, Ryan's mother and Sharon Blackwood as Cora.
This was adequately directed by Ross Katz ("Taking Chance" (TV movie) '09, "Adult Beginners" '14). This filmmaker's ability to make sure his actors are staged properly and the pacing being accurate is basically 'clinical' and whereas his direction is appropriate, it's done in a very safe approach. Certainly this guy doesn't have a ton of theatrical film experience, so I can appreciate his safe approach. Given more experience will allow this guy to loosen up a bit more so one can truly see what this guy's about--filmmaker wise. It is written by Bryan Sipe based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks. Certainly this writer has more experience than that of Katz, but this definitely doesn't give this guy any credit. With most films based on a Sparks novel, there has been an interesting twist or uniqueness to the premise in which to give its audience something more to chew on, however with this storyline, it's just basically your typical boy meets girl, girl meets boy, they have issues in getting to know one another, then they get through them and live happily ever after. I kept waiting for any uniqueness to story to unfold from beginning to about half way through, and then came to the realization that it wasn't going to happen. Once about two-thirds of the film played out, it got interesting, but it took way too long for this to happen. To give the writer some credit, maybe Sparks had an off time in producing a novel that still needed work, however odds would be against this way of thinking since his novels traditionally have an interesting premise given the genre.
This wasn't a bad film, it just wasn't a great one. It was a bit disappointing considering most of films based on a Sparks novel translate well to the big screen. As was mentioned prior, the last one-third of the film definitely had that Sparks stamp of approval, but why did this take so long in getting there?
Out of 4 Stars: 2 Rated: PG-13 111mins.
When it comes to comedies, there are writers and then there's the Coen Brothers. These guys actually can do it all--directing, writing and producing, which is what they do with their new film, "Hail, Caesar!". Not only are these filmmakers adept at directing, but their particular brand of quirky powder dry comedy is what makes this a truly funny comedy, unlike so many 'comedy' films out there today.
This story is set during the latter years of Hollywood's Golden Age in the 1950's. It follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer, Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) who is presented with plenty of problems to fix--just keeping its stars in line can be a full time job. But when studio star Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) disappears, Mannix has to deal with more than just the fix, he also has to squelch any gossip that Thora Thacker (Tilda Swinton), gossip columnist, wants to leak out as well as pacifying the director, Laurence Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes) of Capital Pictures, the studio which is producing its prestige film, "Hail, Caesar!" starring Whitlock. And while all this is going on, Mannix is approached about a position with a more stable company, Lockheed, to help them out. With all this pressure, can Mannix control his surroundings, or will all hell break loose?
Others to round out the cast are Alden Ehrenreich as Hobie Doyle, another star, Scarlett Johansson as DeeAnna Moran, another star, Frances McDormand as C.C. Calhoun, an editor, Channing Tatum as Burt Gurney, another star, Jonah Hill as Joseph Silverman, Max Baker as Head Communist Writer and Alison Pill as Mrs. Mannix.
This was written and directed by the incomparable Ethan Coen and Joel Coen--the Coen Brothers ("Fargo" '96, "The Big Lebowski" '98, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" 2000, "The Ladykillers" '04, "No Country for Old Men" '07, "Burn After Reading" '08, "A Serious Man" '09, "True Grit" '10, "Inside Llewyn Davis" '13) plus many others. The Coen Brothers have a very distinct style of filmmaking, however if I were to akin this film with any of their films, I would have to say it would be "Burn After Reading" First of all, they're both quirky comedies, and secondly there are scenes in both films that pit one character that is simple, sort of dimwitted--"Burn After Reading"--Brad Pitt's character and in this film, the Alden Ehrenreich character, and the opposite character that is smarter and more eloquent-- "Burn After Reading"--John Malkovich's character as the ex-CIA agent and in this film, the Ralph Fiennes character. While in their respective roles in their particular scenes, it was amazing how dimwitted these characters were as opposed by the smarter characters, and most of the scenes spoke volumes with minimal dialogue. It made these scenes uproarious, which is the trademark of the Coen Brothers humor. Sure, these filmmakers have done a ton of intense dramas, but when they create a comedy, it is one that, if you like well written and directed work, you will revel when viewing these.
The Coen Brothers are filmmakers that one either loves or hates--there is typically no grey areas, but in a sense, I can certainly appreciate this attribute, because, at the end of the day, this usually makes for a much better developed and well thought out storyline that anyone can respect, and if you are open to their brand of humor, all the more that this will be a fun ride.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: R 106mins.
In the 1940's and 50's, the western genre was very prolific, and a plethora of these films were cranked out to an amazing degree. However, this genre is continually reinventing itself with more recent films such as the Coen Brothers' "True Grit", "Cowboys and Aliens", "The Rover", "3:10 to Yuma", "The Quick and the Dead", "Unforgiven" and even the recent, "The Revenant". So it should not come to any surprise that yet another western is in the offing in the form of "Jane Got a Gun".
The year is 1871, six years after the end of the Civil War. This story centers on Jane Hammond (Natalie Portman), who has built a new life with her husband Bill "Ham" Hammond (Noah Emmerich) after being injured and tormented by the ultra-violent Bishop Boys outlaw gang. She finds herself in the gang's cross-hairs once again when Ham stumbles home riddled with bullets in the back after dueling with the Boys and their relentless mastermind Colin McCann (Ewan McGregor). With the vengeful crew hot on Ham's trail, Jane has nowhere to turn to, but her former fiancé Dan Frost (Joel Edgerton) for help in defending her family against certain destruction. With her diligence and patience, Frost reluctantly agrees to help her and her husband. Haunted by old memories, Jane's past meets the present in a heart-stopping battle for survival.
Others to round out the cast are Rodrigo Santoro as Fitchum, Boyd Holbrook as Vic, Alex Manette as Buck, Todd Stashwick as O'Dowd, James Burnett as Cunny Charlie and Sam Quinn as Slow Jeremiah.
This was helmed by a filmmaker that knows this type of film in the form of director, Gavin O'Connor ("Comfortably Numb" '95, "Tumbleweeds" '99, "Miracle" '04, "Pride and Glory" '08, "Warrior" '11, "Only Human" (TV movie) '14) plus others. By his very resume, O'Connor was the ultimate selection. He has somewhat a similar approach to directing westerns as the directing legend, Sam Peckinpah with the grit, realism and intensity that was a trademark in Peckinpah films. It was written by Brian Duffield, Anthony Tambakis and Joel Edgerton based on a story by Duffield. With the exception of Edgerton, these writers are fairly new at feature films, however this was actually a solid attempt at an interesting premise. Other than a couple of slow places in storyline, this finally did increase momentum and then soared. Certainly, I'd love to see what Duffield and Tambakis could write next, this being the script it was. The one that actually shined here was that of Ewan McGregor as the baddie. First of all, it was difficult to tell this was McGregor, and secondly, it was a much meatier role than we are used to seeing him in which made it much more appealing to watch.
If you're a western buff, you'll revel, but even if this genre isn't something you'd typically view, the premise, and the way the script was laid out made it an interesting story as it was conveyed to its audience. This has smart directing, acting and writing which is something to revel in considering these aspects are ones we don't see as much as we should see in films today.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: R 98mins.
Since animated films are typically a summer type fare, it's interesting that "Kung Fu Panda 3" is already the second animated flick right behind the recent "Norm of the North". Does someone know something I don't, or have audiences changed recently? Whatever is going on, the animated film isn't going away any time soon.
When Po's long-lost panda father, Li (Bryan Cranston) suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters. But when the supernatural villain Kai (J.K. Simmons) is unleashed and begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters including Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Monkey (Jackie Chan) and others, Po (Jack Black) must do the impossible-- learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas.
Others to round out the cast are Lucy Liu as Viper, David Cross as Crane, Kate Hudson as Mei Mei, James Hong as Mr. Ping and Randall Duk Kim as Oogway.
This was directed with ease by directors Jennifer Yuh Nelson ("Kung Fu Panda 2" '11) plus TV and Alessandro Carloni (short). Especially in the case of Nelson having directed the second installment of this franchise, this certainly was familiar territory. It was also written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger who also wrote both earlier installments of this franchise. This can be a positive and/or a negative aspect in that with the same writers, there's a lot if not too much similarity with all the installments, however if there were different writers, then would there be a bit too much choppiness and jumping around? If there's a plan for a fourth installment, I'm not sure what territory these writers could endeavor that they've not already covered. Look, this is not the only work these talented writers have pulled off--they have quite the resume, so maybe without this franchise getting stale, a new project sounds like something these guys could dwell on, and we would definitely be the lucky recipients. And the animation and visuals were created by the incomparable DreamWorks Animation. The one nice touch to this film was the redesign of the DreamWorks fanfare at the beginning of the film which depicts the feel of the film with distinction.
This is certainly worthy of a viewing, however to see this only on DVD would be a crime, because one would miss the amazing impact this film has. It's a fun flick and a great reprising cast to carry it off, so enjoy.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG 95mins.
Films based on true stories or people have been a very popular format in the Hollywood community, and I don't see a slow down of them anytime in the foreseeable future, hence the new film based on a true story, "Race". This is probably the second film right behind "The Finest Hours" based on a true story thus far this year. 
