Collide

Action-packed films cover a multitude of different types of movies. Whether it be espionage, a race car film, a political crisis or a pending disaster, these films can keep a suspecting audience on the edge of their seats. These films can seem intriguing depending on the cast or the writing at hand, that when "Collide" came my way I thought that both the cast and premise were enough to want to see it.

 

To pay for his girlfriend's, Juliette (Felicity Jones) medical emergency while in Germany, Casey (Nicholas Hoult) schemes to pull one more drug heist with his buddy Matthias (Marwan Kenzari) for their eccentric boss, gangster Geran (Ben Kingsley). After a failed attempt at the heist, Casey embarks across Europe on the world-famed Autobahn on an action-packed chase in a race against time to save his girlfriend's life from being taken by an evil druglord Hagen Kahl (Anthony Hopkins). What both Kahl and Geran really want is the cargo Casey and Juliette are carrying. The selling slogan basically says it all: How far would you go for the one you love?

 

Others to round out the cast are Clemens Schick as Mirko, Nadia Hilker as Brigitte, Christian Rubeck as Kay, Aleksandar Jovanovic as Jonas, Johnny Palmiero as Fitch and Joachim Krol as Wolfgang.

 

This was effectively directed by Eran Creevy ("Shifty" '08, "Welcome to the Punch" '13). This filmmaker was able to connect these two young people--Hoult and Jones, so when the important scenes occurred they were able to exude their emotions--whether happy or stressed well and believably. He doesn't have a ton of experience in the director's chair, however given the opportunity, he definitely has the propensity of becoming a truly talented filmmaker. It was adequately written by F. Scott Frazier and Creevy based o a story by Frazier. These two writers aren't specifically seasoned, but this is a screenplay that develops momentum once it gets going. It's written as a flashback, and there are places that seem unexplained, however as the story unfolds, much eventually becomes explained and makes for an interesting story. There are still some disjointed places in script and some slow spots near the middle of the film, but all in all this does move along. Hey, how back could this be with both Hopkins and Kingsley in it?

 

Being one of those stories that pulsates with pounding suspense, the audience will be able to escape and have fun with an intriguing story. And isn't this why we all go to the movies? Even with some pitfalls, this still did deliver a palatable story.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                Rated: PG-13                                    98mins.

 

 

 

Fist Fight

Comedies can be a genre where one can go and laugh, escape and have a great time with, however, certainly in the last 10+ years the amount of these films that have been of quality are getting fewer and farther between to where I go see a comedy now with great trepidation--and comedy is my favorite genre. With "Fist Fight", I wasn't expecting an Oscar worthy film, especially considering that the premise had promise, but as with other 'comedies' this simply got bogged down with a banal script.

On the last day before summer vacation at a rough-and -tumble high school, mild-mannered English teacher Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) accidentally causes his fearsome colleague Ron Strickland (Ice Cube) to be fired. When Strickland then challenges him to an old-fashioned fist fight after school, Campbell must find a way to avoid a vicious beating. As Campbell is trying to keep it together, things go from bad to worse as he attempts to find ways to avoid this confrontation including bribing a student Neil (Austin Zajur) to lie for him to the principal, Tyler (Dean Norris) so as to get Strickland's job back to asking Strickland to reconsider this fight since his wife, Maggie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) will be having a baby any day. Desperate times take desperate measures. Will Campbell get pulverized or will Strickland come to his senses?

Others to round out the cast are Tracy Morgan as Coach Crawford, Jillian Bell as Holly, a teacher, Christina Hendricks as Ms. Monet, a teacher, Kumail Nanjiani as Mehar, a security guard, Dennis Haysbert as Superintendent Johnson, Alexa Nisenson as Ally, Campbell's daughter and Stephnie Weir as Suzie.

Even though Richie Keen has not directed another feature film before this one, he's certainly cut his teeth plenty on all the TV series he's directed and it shows in this project. It's not seasoned directing, but it was effective especially with all the different characters he's dealing with. "Wedding Crashers 2" has been announced so it will be interesting to see what he does with that. It was written by Van Robichaux and Evan Susser based on a story by Robichaux, Susser and Max Greenfield. Where the trouble is with this, as with so many other comedies, is the lack of subtle, well thought-out ideas in script. Why is it that comedies have to be vulgar--going for the jugular, in order to get a laugh? When this tactic is utilized, the comedy is no longer deemed funny. Laugher should be a knee jerk reaction--not forced through over-the-top hijinks fraught with four-letter words, constant reference to sex and drugs and just being totally gross. If one watches comedies of the past--Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Buck Henry, Elaine May, Woody Allen and the like, this is where one will find true comedies that are actually funny, but done with class and finesse. It was extremely difficult to get just about any laughs out of this, not to mention the continuity was mishmashed.

This wasn't a total wash in that at least there was a message that was finally established by the film's end. The outtakes at the end were probably the funniest part of this movie. If that tells you anything, I would probably wait for Netflix on this one.

Out of 4 Stars: 1.5                                  Rated: R                                    91mins.

The Great Wall

Typically when Chinese films meet with Hollywood, the quality of these films is consummate. With the likes of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" 2000, "Hero" '02 and "House of the Flying Daggers" '04, action adventure melds with beauty and quality amazingly well. Now that these films have proven themselves profitable, "The Great Wall" was produced to add to that already quality list.

 

The Great Wall of China. It spans 5,500 miles. It took more than 1700 years to build. When two mercenary warriors from the west, William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal) are imprisoned within the Great Wall, they discover the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of the world. As wave after wave of marauding beasts besiege the massive structure, their quest for fortune turns into a journey toward heroism as they join a huge army lead up by General Shao (Hanyu Zhang) and Commander Lin (Tian Jing) of elite warriors to confront the unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force. These supernatural creatures, along with others menaces were obstacles that the Great Wall was built to repel. There are many stories about the Great Wall. Some known, others based in legend. This story is based in legend in 11th century China.

 

Others to round out the cast are Willem Dafoe as Ballard, Andy Lau as Strategist Wang, Lu Han as Peng Yong, Eddie Peng as Commander Wu, Kenny Lin as Commander Chen, Xuan Huang as Commander Deng, Junkai Wang as Emperor and Zheng Kai as Shen.

 

This was directed with style and finesse by Zhang Yimou ("Raise the Red Lantern" '91, "To Live" '94, "Keep Cool" '97, "Hero" '02, "House of the Flying Daggers" '04, "Curse of the Golden Flower" '06, "The Bright Red Lanterns Hung High" '08, "The Flowers of War" '11, "Coming Home" '14) plus others. His style is distinct as it is beautifully photographed--in this case by Stuart Drysburgh, asc., and coupled with an intriguing locale with fine acting, how could these films of his go wrong? It was creatively written by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro and Tony Gilroy based on a story by Max Brooks, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. I get that Gilroy was one of the writers--he's incredibly seasoned, but I'm not quite sure why Zwick was not included as one of the screenwriters. His resume speaks for itself. Even though the running time was only 104 minutes, there were a couple of small places of slowness, otherwise this script soared. I was a bit hesitant about Damon being cast in this type of film, but after viewing this, he really pulled it off. I suspect if he could excel in the likes of "Elysium", he could do this easily and be just as believable.

 

One would think that with a good deal of this being subtitled, it would lose something in the translation, but it was exquisitely well thought and beautifully produced, so keeping up was effortless. This is pure escape at its finest keeping you on that proverbial edge of your seat all the way through the credits end. Enjoy!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                 Rated: PG-13                                104mins.

 

John Wick: Chapter 2

Action films have got to be one of the oldest genres Hollywood has to offer, so much so, that there have been many repeats of action film plots through the years, if not decades. With this info in tow, it has been increasingly difficult for writers to come up with anything that would be considered fresh and original, until "John Wick" popped up in 2014. It quickly became a cult favorite, and since its popularity, another has been produced appropriately titled "John Wick: Chapter 2".

 

Legendary hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is once again forced out of retirement, this time by a former colleague Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) who wants him to repay a debt by killing an Italian crime lord, his sister Gianna D'Antonio (Claudia Gerini). But when the attempted assassination goes awry, Wick finds himself hunted by an international cabal of killers, and his only hope for survival might be a shadowy figure known as The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne). The one thing that D'Antonio constantly forgets is that Wick is not an easy target, and definitely bites off more than he can chew. In fact, Wick is called 'The Boogeyman" by those in the field.

 

Others to round out the cast are Ian McShane as Winston, Ruby Rose as Ares, Common as Cassian, Lance Reddick as Charon, Tobias Segal as Earl and John Leguizamo as Aurelio.

 

This was effectively directed by Chad Stahelski ("John Wick" '14). Coming from a stunt coordinating background, this filmmaker knows a lot about what constitutes a powerful action film and he definitely proved that with "John Wick". This is only his second feature film, and "Highlander" has been announced, but with this talent in this genre, maybe, just maybe he'll put a new spark into a genre that is struggling at best. It was slickly and cleverly written by Derek Kolstad ("The Package" '13, "John Wick" '14) plus shorts. With the exception of a couple of small places in storyline around the middle of the film, this was every bit as polished and slickly written as its predecessor. Not to spoil it for you, but as you're reaching the end, this definitely screams sequel and understandably so. There is so much material a writer can create with this intense and gritty character that the sky's the limit. As long as Reeves, who's great as Wick, is willing to do another film and Kolstad is willing to write another script, this franchise ill be able to continue without the problem of getting stale.

 

The premise of this film coupled with a good script and a plausible cast is what truly makes this franchise. In this day and age where this type of film is as common as the next one, it's nice to see a film within this genre that's fresh, exciting, all with a cast that works.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                           Rated: R                            122min.                                                                                                                                                 

The LEGO Batman Movie

We've all seen a plethora of animated features films, but when "The LEGO Movie" '14 was released, it gave an all new definition of the word-- animation. Having fun with the plot of that film was only one aspect of the creativity-- how did those guys do that amazing animation? We now have a follow up to that movie with "The LEGO Batman Movie".

 

In the irreverent spirit of fun that made "The LEGO Movie" a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble-- LEGO Batman (Will Arnett)--stars in his own big-screen adventure: "The LEGO Batman Movie". But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from the Joker's (Zach Galifianakis) hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others such as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) and Alfred Pennyworth (Ralph Fiennes), and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.

While Batman defends Gotham City from criminals and super villains, he eventually bonds with a young orphan (Michael Cera) he accidentally adopts--who, of course eventually becomes his sidekick Robin.

 

Others to round out the cast are Jenny Slate as Harley Quinn, Siri as 'Puter, Hector Elizondo as Jim Gordon, Channing Tatum as Superman and Doug Benson as Bane.

 

This was creatively directed by Chris McKay ("2wks, 1yr." '02, "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III (TV movie) '10) plus TV. Even though Phil Lord and Chris Miller directed "The LEGO Movie" incredibly well, McKay was able to replicate that same feel as the original to keep it as seamless as possible. It was written well by Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jared Stern and John Whittington based on a story by Grahame-Smith which is based on Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and based on Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The writing in this was as fresh as the original and with the parody style of writing, this was a joy to watch. Other than a couple of very small places of slowness, this script rocked. What amazed me was that usually when there is as many writers attached to a film, the script can and does have the propensity of getting bogged and lacks cohesiveness, but this is truly the exception. As with the original film, Arnett's character of Batman simply stole the show. The rest of the cast was solid, but his performance will stay with you well past the credits end. The animation was brilliantly created by Animal Logic as were the main titles. How did those guys do this form of animation?

 

Obviously if you liked "The LEGO Movie", you'll love this, but even if animated flicks aren't your thing, the creative writing in this will be enough to pull you in. If you really like these films, don't worry, "The LEGO NINJAGO Movie" will be released in September, 2017. Grab the popcorn and enjoy!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                             Rated: PG                               104mins.

 

Split

Psychological dramatic films are intriguing in and of themselves, but when you add in a multiple personality slant to it, it suddenly gets more intriguing. We've seen some films with this theme: "The Three Faces of Eve" '57 with Joanne Woodward as the patient, TV film, "Sybil" '76 with Sally Field as the patient and Joanne Woodward as the doctor to mention a couple. So now we have "Split" in the offing to see what goes on in this patient's head.

 

An outing takes a sinister turn for three teenage friends, Casey, Claire and Marcia (Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley W. Richardson and Jessica Sula) respectively, when they are kidnapped by a ruthless stranger, Kevin Wendell Crumb/Dennis/Patricia/Hedwig/The Beast/Barry/ Orwell/Jade (James McAvoy) and imprisoned in his basement. They soon learn that their captor has multiple-personality disorder, forcing them to plot their escape without ever knowing which of his 23 personas--young or old, male or female, benign or monstrous--they will confront on the way out. As these girls are held captive, Kevin's 24th personality, "The Beast" begins to materialize. After obtaining 23 personalities, does Kevin really need a 24th or not? If he believes he does, for what reason would that be?

 

Others to round out the cast are Betty Buckley as Dr. Karen Fletcher, Kevin's doctor, Izzie Leigh Coffey as 5-year-old Casey, Brad William Henke as Uncle John, Sebastian Arcelus as Casey's father and Neal Huff as Mr.Benoit, as Claire's father.

 

This was creatively written and 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, "After Earth" '13, "The Visit" '15). This film has got to be the best thing he's created since "The Sixth Sense", because the incredible differences of personas exuding from Kevin was subtle, but at the same time incredibly individual. Even though having McAvoy in the lead role, the consummate actor that he is, this was truly amazing directing. Other than a couple of small slow areas in script, this screenplay rocked. It was cohesive, taught, and gripping and kept its audience on the edge of their seats. Shyamalan was way overdue for a solid, good film. I think the problem with this filmmaker is the fact that he is so original, but so original that he goes toward the bizarre and macabre that it turns people off. This film is quirky and original in its presentation, however it is still based in some sort of realism that its audience can have something to grasp a hold of. I didn't think Shyamalan was going to be able to produce a winning film since "The Sixth Sense" days, but he actually pulled it off and he did in spades. And what can I say about McAvoy? This guy is a phenomenal actor--this I knew, however this simply confirmed that opinion. The way he was able to invent each and every character with the difference it had was pure genius. Assuredly, this role is certainly meaty enough to be considered come Oscar time.

 

If you're a Shyamalan fan, you'll like this regardless of the quality, but this is a film that one would and could appreciate and respect for its creativity and amazing character development. Kudos to Shyamalan! 

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                Rated: PG-13                               117mins.

 

 

 

 

 

The Space Between Us

Films about space explorations have filled our movie houses for many decades, and although they usually have and interesting premise to work from, some of them are executed with precision, and others, well, they haven't succeeded on many levels. "The Space Between Us" certainly has an intriguing premise, however when finally produced, possessed a script that needed a little help.

 

In this interplanetary adventure, a space shuttle embarks on the first mission to colonize Mars, only to discover after takeoff that one of the astronauts, Sarah Elliot (Janet Montgomery) is pregnant. Shortly after landing, she dies from complications while giving birth to the first human born on the red planet--never revealing who the father is. This begins the extraordinary life of Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield)--an inquisitive, highly intelligent boy who reaches the age of 16 having only 14 people in his very unconventional upbringing. While searching for clues about his father, and the home planet he's never known, Gardner begins an online friendship with a street smart girl in Colorado named Tulsa (Britt Robertson). When he finally gets a chance to go to Earth, he's eager to experience all the wonders he could only read about on Mars--from the most simple to the extraordinary. But once his explorations begin, scientists discover that Gardner's organs can't withstand Earth's atmosphere. Eager to find his father, Gardner escapes the team of scientists and joins with Tulsa on a race against time to unravel the mystery of how he came to be, and where he belongs in the universe.

 

Others to round out the cast are Gary Oldman as Nathaniel Shepherd, Carla Gugino as Kendra Wyndham, BD Wong as Tom Chen, Gil Birmingham as Shaman Neka and Colin Egglesfield as Sarah's brother.

 

This was effectively directed by Peter Chelsom ("Funny Bones" '95, "The Mighty" '98, "Serendipity" '01, "Shall We Dance" '04, Hector and the Search For Happiness'14) plus other films. All the characters have their own distinct personalities emitting just the right amount of emotion and this is where effective directing comes into play. It was written by veteran writer, Allan Loeb based on a story by Stewart Schill, Richard Barton Lewis and Loeb. As  stated  prior, even though the idea of this film is amazingly creative, this film simply had enough discrepancies to make it distracting, such as Sarah Elliot must've known about her pregnancy before she left Earth considering when the child was born. And there were a couple of slow places in script as well where the running time could've been cut at least 10 minutes. Loeb is a seasoned writer and with this, I suspect he just had a bad day at the laptop. The best thing about this is the premise: a human born on another planet and cannot survive back on Earth because his body has become too acclimated to the gravity of the other planet. It's something a lot of us has never thought of before. Butterfield gives a credible performance as Gardner as does Robertson as Tulsa.

 

If this idea for a film intrigues you, I believe you'll have fun with this movie, however if a taught script is more what one is looking for, this might be something that can wait for the DVD. It's a film that allows us to sit back and just escape into.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                  Rated: PG-13                                   122mins.