Before there was "Toy Story", "Finding Nemo", Monster's Inc.", "Ice Age", "Shrek", "Frankenweenie", etc., there was "Peanuts". Created and written by the beloved Charles M. Schulz, his work spawned generations of fans that has delighted and entertained us for decades. Now that we have "The Peanuts Movie" in the offing, another generation can become added to that never ending list of past fans that never tire of this work.
Charlie Brown (Noah Schnapp), Snoopy (Bill Melendez), Lucy van Pelt (Hadley Belle Miller), Linus van Pelt (Alex Garfin), Sally Brown (Mariel Sheets) and the rest of the beloved Peanuts gang make their big-screen debut, like they've never been seen before in state of the art 3D animation by Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age films). Charlie Brown, the world's most beloved underdog, embarks upon an epic and heroic quest, while his best pal, the lovable beagle Snoopy, takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron. From the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of the Ice Age films, this story will prove that every underdog has his day.
Others to round out the cast are Anastasia Bredikhina as Patty, Noah Johnston as Schroeder, Rebecca Bloom as Marcie, Venus Schultheis as Peppermint Patty, Francesca Capaldi as The Little Red-Haired Girl, Marleik "Mar Mar" Walker as Franklin, Madisyn Shipman as Violet, Micah Revelli as Little Kid, Troy "Trombone Story" Andrews as Miss Othmar and Kristin Chenoweth as Fifi.
This was passionately and whimsically directed by Steve Martino ("Horton Hears a Who!" '08, "Ice Age: Continental Drift" '12) plus shorts. He really captured the persona and character of these individuals in this. Of course, it's not like he doesn't know his way around an animated production. It was surprisingly well written by Bryan Schulz, Craig Schulz and Cornelius Uliano based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. I say surprisingly because none of these guys have any other theatrical film experience, however they have done shorts, especially Uliano. I'm sure this rang so well because of Schulz's two sons who collaborated in the writing, and being around their dad meant something had to have rubbed off on them--and it did in spades. Much of this was original, and other parts of it had been used by Schulz Sr., but it was like a homage to their dad and something all those fans could reminisce about. It was like watching and old show but in a much crisper, sharper way that allowed yourself to walk down memory lane.
This is one film that one and all could and should see, because it's funny, heart-warming, uplifting, and the voice casting of these characters sounded like the original voices that were used back in the day. Bill Melendez even used his voice for Snoopy/Woodstock as he did in the original shows. Wow! Now that's detail that really enhanced an already solid product. Break out the popcorn and enjoy!
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: G 86mins. + 7min short (Cosmic Scratt Tastrophe)
When comedies are produced with a musical mix, they are often carried out in a creative way, because the connection between the premise and the musical aspect of the film blends well and usually doesn't need to depend on pratfalls or toilet humor to get one through it. And although "Rock the Kasbah" certainly followed this same formula, there were definitely slow areas, not to mention areas that could've been left out and still have had a strong impact.
A down-on-his-luck music manager, Richie Lanz (Bill Murray) from Van Nuys California stumbles upon teenage girl, Salima Khan (Leem Lubany) with an extraordinarily once-in-a-lifetime voice while on a USO music tour in Afghanistan with his one client, Ronnie (Zooey Deschanel). While he's in a remote Afghan cave area, he hears and subsequently meets Salima and between he and his friend, taxi driver Riza (Arian Moayed), sneaks her to Kabul so as to compete on the popular television show, Afghan Star hosted by Daoud (Beejan Land). Richie certainly has his problems getting her on the show since Afghan women who sing in public is considered a disgrace by the Afghan men specifically her father, Tariq (Fahim Fazli), so Richie's friends including Riza and Merci (Kate Hudson) work their best to see this happen.
Others to round out the cast are Bruce Willis as Bombay Brian, Scott Caan as Jake, Danny McBride as Nick, Jonas Khan as Nizar, Sameer Ali Khan as Azam Ghol, Husam Chadat as Nasim, Taylor Kinney as Private Barnes and Megan Raich as Brittany.
This was effortlessly directed by seasoned, consummate veteran Barry Levinson ("Diner" '82, "The Natural" '84, "Tin Men" '87, "Good Morning, Vietnam": '87, "Rain Man" '88, "Avalon" '90, "Toys" '92, "Sleepers" '96, "Wag the Dog" '97, "Sphere" '98, "Bandits" '01, "Envy" '04, "Man of the Year" '06, "You Don't Know Jack" (TV movie) '10, "The Bay" '12, "The Humbling" '14) plus others. One knows that a director is really on top of their game when the actors are so natural in their respective roles that it looks like you're peeking into people's lives while they're living. Com'on, look at his resume and you can see what I'm talking about. It was written by seasoned Mitch Glazer ("Scrooged" '88, "Off and Running" '91, "Great Expectations" '98, "The Recruit" '03, "Passion Play" '10) plus others. This was certainly a good story and premise, but the continuity of the script could've been a little tighter. It kind of jumped back and forth more than was probably needed, so when the story got to that place where it did soar, you were more relieved than excited at that point. Believe me, this was a worthy watch just for the progression of a man, Ritchie going from a slimy manager, to someone who really cares when he finally finds the real deal in talent.
This is a great film in which to witness a true transformation of a man who learns about love, redemption, fear, and selflessness all the while he's in the war-torn country of Afghanistan. And if you can center yourself on this aspect of the film, I believe you'll get a lot more out of it.
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: R 106mins.
My favorite genre has got to be comedies, but when finding a well scripted comedy is difficult to find, and of recent years it has been problematic, a juicy satirical comedy definitely fits the bill. Since satirical comedies are my favorite format of this genre, by far, then going to see "Our Brand Is Crisis" seemed like the natural move.
This satirical comedy starring Sandra Bullock as a political strategist gives viewers an inside look at the high-stakes, win-at-all-costs world of politics. Bullock stars as "Calamity" Jane Bodine, who is hired to work on the campaign of a Bolivian presidential candidate, Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida) who has fallen way behind in the polls. She faces off against her rival of many times over, political strategist Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton), who is working on the opponents campaign and is looking for every opportunity to antagonize Jane. So, between Jane and her crew including Ben (Anthony Mackie), Nell (Ann Dowd) and Buckley (Scoot McNairy), they must attempt to keep one step ahead of Pat in order for Jane's guy to not only win the election, but so she can finally beat Pat at his own game.
Others to round out the cast are Zoe Kazan as LeBlanc, Dominic Flores as Hugo, Reynaldo Pacheco as Eddie, Louis Arcella as Rivera, the other candidate, Octavio Gomez Berrios as Pepe and Luiz Chavez as Abraham.
This was directed by David Gordon Green ("George Washington" 2000, "All the Real Girls" '03, "Undertow" '04, "Snow Angels" '07, "Pineapple Express" '08, "Your Highness" '11, "The Sitter" '11, "Black Jack" '11 (TV movie), "Prince Avalanche" '13, "Joe" '13, "Manglehorn" '14)
and just by his resume, one can tell that this guy mostly has helmed more of the crass, fart joke types of films. This apparently all changed when he decided to direct this film, because this, being satirical, is better staged and paced than most of his other projects. This was even better written by Peter Straughan who is quite the prolific writer. This guy is a seasoned, veteran consummate writer to beat none. The character development of the two leading stars (Bullock and Thornton) was drippingly satiric--practically acerbic, which makes this even better since it's about the sleaziness of the political machine. When the comedy is a satire, politics make for great fodder, and considering we're in the middle of our election coming up only next year, this makes that all the more timely. Certainly both Bullock and especially Thornton are superb at satirical roles, so the casting of this was spot on.
If you're like me and really get into satirical comedy, you'll revel, however if you're not, the face off between Bullock and Thornton being so smarmy will be alone worth the price of admission.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: R 108mins.
For some reason, films that center around chefs and cooking have always intrigued me-- surely it can't be that I'm a cook or can even cook, but it's probably because of the challenge they go through to create a masterpiece through certain trials that interests me. So when I saw my first trailer for "Burnt", I was hooked. And this was no less intriguing than that of "The Hundred-Foot Journey" which was amazing.
Chef Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) had it all-- and lost it through drugs and a subsequent bad attitude. After a three-year cleanup, the two-star Michelin rockstar with the bad habits to match returns to London. The former enfant terrible of the Paris restaurant scene did everything different every time out, and only ever cared about the thrill of creating explosions of taste. To land his own kitchen and that third elusive Michelin star though, he'll need the best of the best on his side, including maître 'D Tony (Daniel Bruhl) and the beautiful chef Helene (Sienna Miller). With everything at stake, will Adam be able to pull this off considering his past and this being an extremely stressful demanding field?
Others to round out the cast are Riccardo Scamarcio as Max, Omar Sy as Michel, Sam Keeley as David, Henry Goodman as Conti, Matthew Rhys as Reece, a rival chef, Stephen Campbell Moore as Jack, Uma Thurman as Simone Forth, Emma Thompson as Dr. Rosshilde, Alicia Vikander as Anna Marie, and Lexi Benbow-Hart as Lily.
This was meticulously and painstakingly directed by John Wells ("The Company Men" '10, "August: Osage County" '13) plus a ton of TV. One can tell this guy is a consummate filmmaker considering this is only his third theatrical film on the books and all his films have such a high level of direction. It usually takes a director at least 6-7 films to be recognized as well as this guy has been. His timing and pacing with these fine actors is simply spot on. This is equally well written by veteran Steven Knight ("Dirty Pretty Things" '02, "Eastern Promises" '07, "Closed Circuit" '13, "Locke" '13, "The Hundred-Foot Journey" '14)"Pawn Sacrifice" '15) based on a story by Michael Kalesniko. This writer had me sold on his ability when I saw the film, "Locke". This film basically starred--on camera, one actor (Tom Hardy), while driving his car seeing his life unravel before your eyes because of different information he was receiving from different people via his speaker phone. This was not only an acting feat for Hardy, but for writer Knight as well, because it is extremely difficult to capture an audience's attention with really only one actor on film, and this did in spades. This film centered around one character, Adam (Bradley), albeit with other actors in the film, but was majorly about this particular chef, and he was able to pull this off as well. This was certainly one of Bradley's better efforts (and he's a great actor), that he might be in consideration come Oscar time.
For the pure artistic craft--acting, writing, directing, this needs to be seen, but if you're like me, and can get into the restaurant/chef type film, this entertainment factor will only be that proverbial cherry on top.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: R 101min.
As I've mentioned in other reviews, within the last decade, we've seen an upsurge on the spiritual type films, probably because of the problems that we are faced with on a daily basis: divorce, financial downfall, no jobs, debt, sicknesses, etc. So it should be no surprise that films like "Fireproof", "Courageous", God's Not Dead", "Soul Surfer" and the most recent "War Room" are as popular as they are. So Hollywood is jumping on that bandwagon again with the likes of "Woodlawn".
In 1973, a spiritual awakening captures not only the hearts of this country through the Jesus Movement, but also the hearts of the Woodlawn High School Football team. Led by their coach Tandy Geralds (Nic Bishop) and assistant coach Mike Morton (Brando Eaton) along with their sports chaplain Hank (Sean Astin), and fueled by the team's dedication to love and unity in a school filled with racism and hate, the team makes an astounding run at the playoffs, leading to the largest attended high school football game ever played in the torn city of Birmingham, Alabama, and the rise of its first African American superstar--Tony Nathan (Caleb Castille). With this gift as a football player, Tony must learn to embrace his talent and his faith as he battles racial tensions on and off the field.
Others to round out the cast are C. Thomas Howell as Coach George "Shorty" White, the rival coach of Woodlawn, Jon Voight as Coach Paul Bryant, a visiting 'scouting' coach, Virginia Williams as Debbie, Sherri Shepherd as Momma Nathan, Joy Brunson as Johnnie, girlfriend of Tony's, Blake Burgess as Allyson, Marcus Henderson as Reggie Greene, Richard Kohnke as Jet Rutledge and DeVon Franklin as Preacher.
Obviously this is a football themed film which was based on a true story. I kind of akin this as a spiritual "Rudy" '93, "Clash of the Titans" '10 or even "When the Game Stands Tall" '14, even though the latter was basically an inspirational film. This was carefully and meticulously directed by the Erwin Brothers (Andrew and Jon) ("Alumni" '09 (TV movie), "Mom's Night Out" '14) plus TV. These guys certainly aren't veteran filmmakers, but given more work, they could be the next Kendrick Brothers. The actors seemed genuine and real in this, which is even more important considering the message in which they are attempting to convey to their audience. It was written by Jon Erwin and Quinton Peeples, and even though the guys don't have a ton of experience, there was certainly enough to get their different points across. Interesting how they were able to intertwine the message of knowing Jesus in one's life to the problems of racism, prejudice, social climbing, and being good at what you're at and was able to make cohesive all these points in one's life. This would be a tough task for any veteran writer in the biz. It is interesting that all this, in fact, transpired was even based on a true story. This, like with other films, makes for great human interest.
This film certainly has something for everyone, whether you be a believer in Christ or not. I feel we all have problems in this world, and to simply shove them under the carpet hoping they'll go away is just not practical or rational. Instead, if these films have any merit at all, it is to get us to rethink our issues so maybe we can see that there are other paths we can take than just shoving those issues under that proverbial carpet.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG 123mins.
The horror film genre is as old as films themselves, so when you bring in the gothic part of the horror genre, although it's not a new slant on the horror genre, but a bit newer than the traditional horror film. If you go back to 1963's "The Haunting" and its subsequent remake of the same name in 1999, we might have something close to what we have in the offing, "Crimson Peak".
In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author, Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is torn between love for her childhood friend, Dr. Alan McMichael (Charlie Hunnam) and the temptation of a mysterious outsider, Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds--and remembers.
So Edith decides to go to England with Thomas to a massive, cold mansion atop a mountain of blood-red clay to live along with Thomas' even more secretive sister, Lucille Sharpe (Jessica Chastain). This house is place filled secrets that will haunt Edith forever. Between Desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak.
Others to round out the cast are Jim Beaver as Carter Cushing, Edith's protective father, Burn Gorman as Holly, Leslie Hope as Mrs. McMichael, Doug Jones as Edith's mother, Lady Sharpe, Jonathan Hyde as Ogilvie, Bruce Gray as Ferguson, Emily Coutts as Eunice and Alec Stockwell as Finlay.
This was eerily and hauntingly directed by the incomparable Guillermo del Toro ("Cronos" '93, "Mimic" '97, "The Devil's Backbone" '01, "Blade II" '02, "Hellboy" '04, "Pan's Labyrinth" '06, "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" '08, "Pacific Rim" '13). If anyone has had any influence on my giving a horror film a chance, it is that of del Toro. The horror genre has never been one of my favorites, but every time I see one of his, it gives me a shot in the arm that I normally wouldn't have through another filmmaker. He brings that quirkiness, eeriness, that twist in the formation of certain characters. His "Pan's Labyrinth" has got to be one of my favorites of his. This was equally well written by del Toro and Matthew Robbins. Both are veteran screenwriters and it shows in spades here. There were a couple of very small areas of slowness, but otherwise this storyline and character development simply rocked! The cast of Chastain, Wasikowska, Hiddleston and Hunnam were solid and played off well from each other. del Toro truly knows how to showcase what a real horror story is supposed to act and look like. The horror flicks today are simply slash and dash fare that ends up looking dumb and contrived, but this was a classic horror film that used to be the common way of creating them...until now. Hopefully this will start a trend. Take note Hollywood.
Whether you're into horror or not, if the story doesn't grab you, the intensely fine directing and writing will. This is del Toro probably at his best, although "Pan's Labyrinth" would be a tough act to follow.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: R 119mins.
Well, it's been a number of days since I've seen a film considering I had a bi-lateral inguinal hernia repair done. This is my first day back to the cineplex, so suffice it to say, it was a tenuous trip, however, I am healing nicely.
Interesting that with all the people to write about, Hollywood decides to write yet another film on the computer guru known as "Steve Jobs". Whereas the 2013 version "Jobs" with Ashton Kutcher in the title role was more about how he actually got started and the process therein, this version centered more on his three product launches culminating with his 1998 introduction of iMac.
This incisive biological drama explores the genius and shortcomings of computing giant guru Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) through not only the lens of the three product launches, but through the eyes of long-suffering close assistant, Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), associate, Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg), co-founder Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogan) and CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels). This is set backstage at three different product launches and intertwined amongst all this, he must deal with his long-standing girlfriend, Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston) and the daughter, Lisa whom he claimed repeatedly was not his child. As his family life continues to deteriorate, this wraps up the brunt of his career with the 1998 unveiling of the iMac.
Others to round out the cast are Perla Hanley-Jardine as Lisa Brennan (19), Ripley Sobo as Lisa Brennan (9), Makenzie Moss as Lisa Brennan (5), Sarah Snook as Andrea Cunningham, John Ortiz as Joel Pforzheimer, Adam Shapiro as Avie Tevanian, John Steen as Mike Markula and Stan Roth as George Coates.
This was incredibly well directed by the very quirky and versatile Danny Boyle ("Scout" (TV movie) '87, "Monkeys" (TV movie) '89, "Trainspotting" '96, "Slumdog Millionaire" '08, "127 Hours" '10, "Trance" '13) plus others. The nuances he presents with his characters in each of his films are always so subtle, but definitely has his stamp on them. While the subject matter can change incredibly so, the character makeup of his characters are usually to always a different slant on the norm, such as the characterization of Kutcher's Jobs in "Jobs" was amazingly different than that of Fassbender's characterization in this version, even though they were playing the same person. This was equally written well by veteran screenwriter Aaron Sorkin ("A Few Good Men", "Moneyball"). This was well thought out, cohesive and entertaining rolled up into one, and other than a couple of very small places of slowness, this script soared and kept you glued, although Fassbender and Winslet's performances didn't hurt. These two are consummate actors and both could receive nods come Oscar time.
If one is into storyline content, the previous "Jobs" would fit the bill, but if you're into a finely crafted film, i.e. directing, writing and acting, this would definitely be the better option. Trust me, whenever a film can have filmmakers and actors as these any time in that same film, one can't go wrong in perhaps coming to that realization of this being worth the price of admission and then some.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: R 122mins.
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Before there was "Toy Story", "Finding Nemo", Monster's Inc.", "Ice Age", "Shrek", "Frankenweenie", etc., there was "Peanuts". Created and written by the beloved Charles M. Schulz, his work spawned generations of fans that has delighted and entertained us for decades. Now that we have "The Peanuts Movie" in the offing, another generation can become added to that never ending list of past fans that never tire of this work.
