Rated PG-13 for some sensuality and violence.
Starring Saoirse
Ronan, Jake Abel, Max Irons, Chandler Canterbury, Frances Fisher, Diane
Kruger, William Hurt, Boyd Holbrook, Scott Lawrence, Lee Hardee, Phil
Austin, Raeden Greer, Alexandria Morrow, Emily Browning.
Written and directed by Andrew Niccol, based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer.
GRADE: ** (two out of four stars)
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: (2 & 1/2 our of four Moronis) Okay, it's another story written by a member of the LDS Church, but you really couldn't tell by watching The Host. There is a vague undertone of free agency at work in the film, but mostly, it's about survival and stupid, sappy romance (very much like another series of books by a certain LDS author). It should also be noted that the main female lead does not exactly live the law of chastity, but in a universe where God has allowed bug-like aliens to inhabit human bodies, you might let that one pass.
In the aftermath of the success of the Twilight books
and film series, it was inevitable that Stephenie Meyer would write
again. It was also inevitable that any of her writings would be fodder
for another movie or series of movies, which is why we have The Host (based on Meyer's latest novel) in theaters this weekend.
The Host is
the story of how Earth is invaded by glowing caterpillar-like aliens
who insert themselves into the bodies of humans and overtake their
psyches. After implantation, the human hosts appear normal and healthy,
except for their eyes, which have a neon-blue glow. The aliens, known as
“souls,” clean up the planet and create a global utopian society.
Nearly all humans are inhabited by the souls, except for a handful who
resist. One of the resistance is Melanie (Saoirse Ronan), a young woman
on the run from alien “seekers” while trying to keep her little brother
Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) safe. While avoiding seekers, Melanie runs
into another uninhabited human named Jared (Max Irons) and the two young
people fall in love. Melanie eventually gets caught by the seekers and
becomes the host body for Soul Wanderer, a new alien arrival. Melanie's
real soul resists the alien presence, and eventually tricks Wanderer
into going to the desert compound of her uncle Jeb (William Hurt), where
more resistance humans live in an underground cavern and hold out
against alien intrusion.
After Wanderer and Melanie arrive, most
of Jeb's people try to kill her, since her eyes possess the telltale
blue glow. Jeb keeps the gang from killing Melanie's body, while the
real Melanie (speaking as a voice in the head of her own body)
constantly argues with Wanderer about their next move. Wanderer
eventually wins over the humans' trust, as Jared realizes that his
girlfriend is alive and well inside Melanie's body.
Complicating things
more is a new romance between Wanderer and Ian (Jake Abel), forming a
“love square” (as opposed to a triangle). As Ian and Jared split time
schmoozing two different women inside the same body, a persistent seeker
named “Seeker” (Diane Kruger) hunts Wanderer with great conviction,
utilizing all the resources and technology at her disposal (most of
which are chrome-plated sports cars and helicopters).
As Seeker
gets closer, Wanderer reevaluates the morality of stripping humans of
their free will. She must decide whether to sacrifice herself on behalf
of Melanie or keep on possessing her human host.
The Host is
a strange and sometimes imaginative science fiction tale, but it has
all the earmarks of a Stephenie Meyer story. As she did with vampires,
Meyer has taken alien invasion/sci-fi genre to another level by
inserting a sappy love story right in the middle of it.
While some of the quirks of Meyer's alien invasion world are interesting, The Host is
bogged down by all that sappy romance, which is complimented by a lot
of silly dialogue, especially between Melanie's “voice” inside her own
head being controlled by Wanderer. Saoirse Ronan spends most of the
two-hour movie arguing with herself as Melanie and Wanderer, which does
not appeal to folks who like their science fiction with a little more
action and special effects. It also seems that Meyer has some sort of
fixation on having her main female characters being pursued by more than
one hunky lead male – and haven't we all had enough of that already?
One bright spot in The Host is
William Hurt, who delivers a solid performance, giving the film some
much needed gravitas. Other very capable actors (Kruger – and an
underutilized Frances Fisher as one of Jeb's clan) seem wasted in a very
boring romance drama disguised as a science fiction thriller.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Dan's Review: The Croods
Rated PG for some scary action.
Starring (voices of) Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Clark Duke, Chris Sanders, Randy Thom.
Written and Directed by Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco.
GRADE:*** out of four stars
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: (3 &1/2 out of four Moronis) While avoiding an argument about creationism versus evolution, allow me to suggest that despite the absence of any notion of Adam and Eve, The Croods has a lot of good things to say about what it means to be a family in the most difficult of settings. There are a lot of great family gospel truths in The Croods, including a husband and wife who "..have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children." Grug (the Crood patriarch) indeed provides for the family's physical needs, and learns to grow himself while discharging his duties. He also learns from his mistakes and helps bring the family closer together.
Pixar may yet be the reigning king of the hill when it comes to computer animated feature films, but other studios are rapidly closing the gap. Dreamworks Animation is the clear runner-up with solid franchises such as Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, and How To Train Your Dragon. While most of the Dreamworks films are visually impressive, their stories and scripts aren't always top-notch, which may be why they have yet to overtake Pixar's dominance.
The latest Dreamworks animated feature is The Croods, the story of a caveman and his efforts to save his family from global catastrophe. Nicolas Cage voices Grug, an overcautious caveman with a lot of safety rules, most of which involve retreating to the family cave at the slightest hint of danger – real or imagined. Grug's teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone) resists her father's tight rule at any opportunity, while longing for a life outside the cave.
One night, Eep steals away from the family cavern, and meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a young man with a lot of innovative ideas and the knowledge of how to make fire. Guy also knows the aforementioned global catastrophe is on its way, and plans to stay ahead of it. When an earthquake destroys the family cave, Grug is forced to follow Guy into a jungle where strange new creatures roam. Eep (who is taken by Guy's charm and intelligence), Grug's wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), his son Thunk (Clark Duke), his savage toddler daughter Sandy (Randy Thom) and his mother-in-law Gran (Cloris Leachman) tag along as well.
As Grug's family encounters all kinds of new adventures, Guy leads them along, introducing new ways of thinking, which threatens Grug's authority and paranoid habits. As Eep falls in love with Guy and the “End of the World” fast approaches, Grug must learn to evolve, or lose everything dear to him.
The Croods is a fun movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family. The computerized animation is up to par with the best Pixar films, while the action and humor keep the story moving. The humor in The Croods is hit and miss, but funny enough to keep kids in stitches. The outcome of the Croods' saga is easy to see coming, and barely brushes with the kind fatherly sentimentality last seen in Finding Nemo.
Some of the odd creatures and bright colored prehistoric landscapes in The Croods might be a little weird to some, but you can't help but be awed by the technological spectacle of it all. It's odd how far computerized animation has advanced in the past two decades, and the improvement of animation technology since Toy Story blew us away.
The Croods may not be the best family film of the year, but it's good enough to keep computerized animation from returning to the Stone Age.
Starring (voices of) Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Clark Duke, Chris Sanders, Randy Thom.
Written and Directed by Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco.
GRADE:*** out of four stars
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: (3 &1/2 out of four Moronis) While avoiding an argument about creationism versus evolution, allow me to suggest that despite the absence of any notion of Adam and Eve, The Croods has a lot of good things to say about what it means to be a family in the most difficult of settings. There are a lot of great family gospel truths in The Croods, including a husband and wife who "..have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children." Grug (the Crood patriarch) indeed provides for the family's physical needs, and learns to grow himself while discharging his duties. He also learns from his mistakes and helps bring the family closer together.
Pixar may yet be the reigning king of the hill when it comes to computer animated feature films, but other studios are rapidly closing the gap. Dreamworks Animation is the clear runner-up with solid franchises such as Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, and How To Train Your Dragon. While most of the Dreamworks films are visually impressive, their stories and scripts aren't always top-notch, which may be why they have yet to overtake Pixar's dominance.
The latest Dreamworks animated feature is The Croods, the story of a caveman and his efforts to save his family from global catastrophe. Nicolas Cage voices Grug, an overcautious caveman with a lot of safety rules, most of which involve retreating to the family cave at the slightest hint of danger – real or imagined. Grug's teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone) resists her father's tight rule at any opportunity, while longing for a life outside the cave.
One night, Eep steals away from the family cavern, and meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a young man with a lot of innovative ideas and the knowledge of how to make fire. Guy also knows the aforementioned global catastrophe is on its way, and plans to stay ahead of it. When an earthquake destroys the family cave, Grug is forced to follow Guy into a jungle where strange new creatures roam. Eep (who is taken by Guy's charm and intelligence), Grug's wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), his son Thunk (Clark Duke), his savage toddler daughter Sandy (Randy Thom) and his mother-in-law Gran (Cloris Leachman) tag along as well.
As Grug's family encounters all kinds of new adventures, Guy leads them along, introducing new ways of thinking, which threatens Grug's authority and paranoid habits. As Eep falls in love with Guy and the “End of the World” fast approaches, Grug must learn to evolve, or lose everything dear to him.
The Croods is a fun movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family. The computerized animation is up to par with the best Pixar films, while the action and humor keep the story moving. The humor in The Croods is hit and miss, but funny enough to keep kids in stitches. The outcome of the Croods' saga is easy to see coming, and barely brushes with the kind fatherly sentimentality last seen in Finding Nemo.
Some of the odd creatures and bright colored prehistoric landscapes in The Croods might be a little weird to some, but you can't help but be awed by the technological spectacle of it all. It's odd how far computerized animation has advanced in the past two decades, and the improvement of animation technology since Toy Story blew us away.
The Croods may not be the best family film of the year, but it's good enough to keep computerized animation from returning to the Stone Age.
Dan's Review: Olympus Has Fallen
Rated R for strong violence and language throughout.
Starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Finley Jacobsen, Dylan McDermott, Rick Yune, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Phil Austin, James Ingersoll, Freddy Bosche, Lance Broadway, Robert Forster, Ashley Judd.
Written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua.
GRADE: *** out of four stars
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: (3 out of four Moronis) There is a lot of heroism, redemption and selfless sacrifice seen in Olympus Has Fallen, albeit among a lot of graphic violence and over-the-top patriotism. You might leave the theater feeling better about America, but perhaps a little embarrassed at the silly, heavy-handed delivery of such messages. Also, we finally get to see a Mormon in the White House (okay, Aaron Eckhart isn't a practicing member of the LDS faith, but he did serve a mission).
It's a sad state of affairs when you run out of politically-correct enemies in movies. It used to be cool to vilify the Russians, then Arab terrorists, then the Chinese. With the fluid nature of global/political conflict, the list of acceptable bad guys is getting short (What's next? The Canadians?). For example, the recent “Red Dawn” remake suffered through a big, expensive re-shoot after Chinese film distributors disapproved of the movie's original villains (The Chinese), forcing producers to replace them with North Koreans. It is those same North Koreans who are the play the antagonists in “Olympus Has Fallen,” the story of a terrorist attack on The White House.
Gerard Butler plays former secret service agent Mike Banning, working a boring desk job at the Treasury Department following an unfortunate mishap involving the president's family. It's several months after the tragic event when a group of North Korean terrorists launch an attack on the White House. Banning jumps into the battle, dodging a hail of bullets and explosions until he gets inside the White House.
In the basement, the terrorists, led by the evil Kang (Rick Yune) are holding the president (Aaron Eckhart), the vice president (Phil Austin) the secretary of State (Melissa Leo) and most of the president's staff hostage. Under such a crisis, the de facto presidency falls to the speaker of the House of Representatives Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), who consults with intelligence and military leaders.
Meanwhile back inside the White House, Banning turns out to be the only good guy left alive, as he fights to ward off Kang's henchmen while establishing communication with Trumbull and the rest of the people in charge. Banning is entrusted by Trumbull to locate the president's son (Finley Jacobsen) before Kang can capture him and threaten the boy's life to force the president into divulging a secret code that will make all the country's nuclear missiles explode inside their silos.
As the situation escalates, Banning must get to the bunker before Kang can execute all the president's staff and set off an apocalypse.
“Olympus Has Fallen” is one of the most ridiculous action films ever made, and aside from the Washington D.C. setting (actually shot in New Orleans), it is nearly an exact copy of the original “Die Hard” (1988), right down to the lone hero leaping to safety as a botched helicopter rescue goes awry on the roof. The movie is full of implausible plot twists and silly conveniences that are hard to take seriously, and inspire more laughter than cheers. Speaking of cheers, “Olympus Has Fallen” is one long pep rally for the good old U.S. of A., teetering on full-fledged jingoism, like a live-action version of ”Team America: World Police.” The patriotism seethes through with every macho-patriotic one-liner, adding to the unintentional comedy. Despite the absurdity of the story and script, “Olympus Has Fallen” is a lot of fun, if you can suspend belief and have a good laugh at such patriotic extremes.
Olympus Has Fallen’ is rated R for good reason, with plenty of salty language and an abundance of gory violence, most of which comes in the form of dozens of people taking gunshots to the head. Some of those scenes add to the unintentional comedy, but be warned that it makes “Die Hard” seem like a Disney Channel show in comparison.
Starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Finley Jacobsen, Dylan McDermott, Rick Yune, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Phil Austin, James Ingersoll, Freddy Bosche, Lance Broadway, Robert Forster, Ashley Judd.
Written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua.
GRADE: *** out of four stars
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: (3 out of four Moronis) There is a lot of heroism, redemption and selfless sacrifice seen in Olympus Has Fallen, albeit among a lot of graphic violence and over-the-top patriotism. You might leave the theater feeling better about America, but perhaps a little embarrassed at the silly, heavy-handed delivery of such messages. Also, we finally get to see a Mormon in the White House (okay, Aaron Eckhart isn't a practicing member of the LDS faith, but he did serve a mission).
It's a sad state of affairs when you run out of politically-correct enemies in movies. It used to be cool to vilify the Russians, then Arab terrorists, then the Chinese. With the fluid nature of global/political conflict, the list of acceptable bad guys is getting short (What's next? The Canadians?). For example, the recent “Red Dawn” remake suffered through a big, expensive re-shoot after Chinese film distributors disapproved of the movie's original villains (The Chinese), forcing producers to replace them with North Koreans. It is those same North Koreans who are the play the antagonists in “Olympus Has Fallen,” the story of a terrorist attack on The White House.
Gerard Butler plays former secret service agent Mike Banning, working a boring desk job at the Treasury Department following an unfortunate mishap involving the president's family. It's several months after the tragic event when a group of North Korean terrorists launch an attack on the White House. Banning jumps into the battle, dodging a hail of bullets and explosions until he gets inside the White House.
In the basement, the terrorists, led by the evil Kang (Rick Yune) are holding the president (Aaron Eckhart), the vice president (Phil Austin) the secretary of State (Melissa Leo) and most of the president's staff hostage. Under such a crisis, the de facto presidency falls to the speaker of the House of Representatives Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), who consults with intelligence and military leaders.
Meanwhile back inside the White House, Banning turns out to be the only good guy left alive, as he fights to ward off Kang's henchmen while establishing communication with Trumbull and the rest of the people in charge. Banning is entrusted by Trumbull to locate the president's son (Finley Jacobsen) before Kang can capture him and threaten the boy's life to force the president into divulging a secret code that will make all the country's nuclear missiles explode inside their silos.
As the situation escalates, Banning must get to the bunker before Kang can execute all the president's staff and set off an apocalypse.
“Olympus Has Fallen” is one of the most ridiculous action films ever made, and aside from the Washington D.C. setting (actually shot in New Orleans), it is nearly an exact copy of the original “Die Hard” (1988), right down to the lone hero leaping to safety as a botched helicopter rescue goes awry on the roof. The movie is full of implausible plot twists and silly conveniences that are hard to take seriously, and inspire more laughter than cheers. Speaking of cheers, “Olympus Has Fallen” is one long pep rally for the good old U.S. of A., teetering on full-fledged jingoism, like a live-action version of ”Team America: World Police.” The patriotism seethes through with every macho-patriotic one-liner, adding to the unintentional comedy. Despite the absurdity of the story and script, “Olympus Has Fallen” is a lot of fun, if you can suspend belief and have a good laugh at such patriotic extremes.
Olympus Has Fallen’ is rated R for good reason, with plenty of salty language and an abundance of gory violence, most of which comes in the form of dozens of people taking gunshots to the head. Some of those scenes add to the unintentional comedy, but be warned that it makes “Die Hard” seem like a Disney Channel show in comparison.
Dan's Review: Admission
Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual material.
Starring Tina Fey,Paul Rudd,Michael Sheen,Lily Tomlin,Wallace Shawn,Nat Wolff,Gloria Reuben,Travaris Spears, Sonya Walger.
Written by Karen Croner, based on the novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
Directed by Paul Weitz.
GRADE: ** & 1/2 out of four stars
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: (One Moroni out of four) Admission has all the appearance of being a sweet story of a middle-aged woman coping with motherhood and her career. There are a few moments of learning to be more selfless, but such messages are mired in a dull movie with plenty of sexual misbehavior.
Comedian Carol Leifer once told a joke about getting accepted into a community college and that the only requirement an applicant needed was a pen. That pretty much describes my entry into higher education, even though I since excelled beyond such humble beginnings and acquired a graduate degree. For others who aspire to get into more prestigious institutions, entry is a little harder, and competition is a little more intense. Such is the setting for “Admission”, a new film starring Tina Fey as a Princeton University “Admission”s officer who struggles with professional ethics and mid-life crisis.
Fey plays Portia, whose job it is to screen thousands of eager applicants who want to get into the prestigious Ivy League school. Her relationship with her professor/boyfriend (Micheal Sheen) hits the skids when he gets a fellow professor pregnant. Portia takes off on recruiting trip, where she ends up at a new-age alternative high school. There, she meets school director John (Paul Rudd), who introduces her to a gifted student named Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), who wants more than anything to attend Princeton. John is also convinced that Jeremiah is Portia's illegitimate son she gave up for adoption 18 years earlier.
As Portia reviews Jeremiah's application, she dismisses the obvious conflict of interest and does all she can to promote him for acceptance. Further complicating the issue is budding romance with John, who struggles with the need to travel the world. John's wanderings are a strain on his adopted son Nelson (Tavaris Spears), who longs for a little stability. Portia's mother Susannah (Lily Tomlin) offers little comfort during her trials due to an overabundance of progressive ideas.
As the deadline for selecting Princeton's newest freshman class nears, Portia must decide whether to take drastic measures on behalf of a boy who may or may not be her son and whether to pursue a serious relationship with John.
“Admission” isn't a terrible film. It has the charm of Fey, who does an adequate job of playing a conflicted professional working woman. Paul Rudd turns in an equally adequate performance, while Lily Tomlin delivers her usual laughs.
“Admission” is supposed to be a romantic comedy, but it isn't that funny, nor romantic, nor touching. Although director Paul Weitz tries to make a movie like his more sentimental “About a Boy” (2002), “Admission” has the distinction of being a movie without much distinction. It's a film stuck somewhere between commentary on the cruelty of snooty college admissions and middle-aged maternal instincts. I suppose the so-called “conflict” represented in the movie doesn't exactly strike me as being all that bad. I mean, when the main struggle is centered around getting into Princeton, that doesn't seem like the end of the world to a guy who is proud of his community college roots.
Starring Tina Fey,Paul Rudd,Michael Sheen,Lily Tomlin,Wallace Shawn,Nat Wolff,Gloria Reuben,Travaris Spears, Sonya Walger.
Written by Karen Croner, based on the novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
Directed by Paul Weitz.
GRADE: ** & 1/2 out of four stars
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: (One Moroni out of four) Admission has all the appearance of being a sweet story of a middle-aged woman coping with motherhood and her career. There are a few moments of learning to be more selfless, but such messages are mired in a dull movie with plenty of sexual misbehavior.
Comedian Carol Leifer once told a joke about getting accepted into a community college and that the only requirement an applicant needed was a pen. That pretty much describes my entry into higher education, even though I since excelled beyond such humble beginnings and acquired a graduate degree. For others who aspire to get into more prestigious institutions, entry is a little harder, and competition is a little more intense. Such is the setting for “Admission”, a new film starring Tina Fey as a Princeton University “Admission”s officer who struggles with professional ethics and mid-life crisis.
Fey plays Portia, whose job it is to screen thousands of eager applicants who want to get into the prestigious Ivy League school. Her relationship with her professor/boyfriend (Micheal Sheen) hits the skids when he gets a fellow professor pregnant. Portia takes off on recruiting trip, where she ends up at a new-age alternative high school. There, she meets school director John (Paul Rudd), who introduces her to a gifted student named Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), who wants more than anything to attend Princeton. John is also convinced that Jeremiah is Portia's illegitimate son she gave up for adoption 18 years earlier.
As Portia reviews Jeremiah's application, she dismisses the obvious conflict of interest and does all she can to promote him for acceptance. Further complicating the issue is budding romance with John, who struggles with the need to travel the world. John's wanderings are a strain on his adopted son Nelson (Tavaris Spears), who longs for a little stability. Portia's mother Susannah (Lily Tomlin) offers little comfort during her trials due to an overabundance of progressive ideas.
As the deadline for selecting Princeton's newest freshman class nears, Portia must decide whether to take drastic measures on behalf of a boy who may or may not be her son and whether to pursue a serious relationship with John.
“Admission” isn't a terrible film. It has the charm of Fey, who does an adequate job of playing a conflicted professional working woman. Paul Rudd turns in an equally adequate performance, while Lily Tomlin delivers her usual laughs.
“Admission” is supposed to be a romantic comedy, but it isn't that funny, nor romantic, nor touching. Although director Paul Weitz tries to make a movie like his more sentimental “About a Boy” (2002), “Admission” has the distinction of being a movie without much distinction. It's a film stuck somewhere between commentary on the cruelty of snooty college admissions and middle-aged maternal instincts. I suppose the so-called “conflict” represented in the movie doesn't exactly strike me as being all that bad. I mean, when the main struggle is centered around getting into Princeton, that doesn't seem like the end of the world to a guy who is proud of his community college roots.
Dan's Review: Stoker
Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content.
Starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver, Lucas Till, Alden Ehrenreich, Phyllis Somerville, Ralph Brown, Judith Godrèche.
Written by Wentworth Miller and Erin Cressida Wilson.
Directed by Chan-wook Park.
GRADE: *** (three our of four stars)
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: (zero Moronis out of four) Stoker is the tale of an 18-year-old girl who has a creepy uncle, and is drawn to his evil tendencies. While a visually-compelling horror/thriller, Stoker doesn't offer up any gospel principles, except perhaps what "not to do."
Everyone has a creepy relative. Sometimes those odd family members can have a negative influence on the entire group, and sometimes the “black sheep” rubs off on others. That's the premise of Stoker, Korean director Park Chan-Wook's English-speaking debut film about an evil uncle's influence over his eccentric 18-year-old niece.
Mia Wasikowska plays India Stoker, an odd teen-aged girl raised by an imaginative father (Dermott Mulrooney) and cold-hearted socialite mother (Nicole Kidman). After the untimely death of India's father in an apparent car crash, her father's brother Charlie (Matthew Goode) comes to visit during the funeral. Uncle Charlie has been away for several years, supposedly traveling the world. His negative influence over other the Stoker estate staff and extended family is immediately felt, and some of them begin to disappear under mysterious circumstances.
India suspects Charlie is behind some of the disappearances, but is nevertheless drawn to his charms. As she discovers that Uncle Charlie may be a serial murderer with a disturbing past, she is torn between disgust and fascination over his macabre ways. She must decide whether to embrace her own hereditary evil tendencies or to follow a different path.
“Stoker” is a Gothic horror tale with a lot of similarities to Hitchcock's classic “Shadow of a Doubt” (1943). The antagonist in both films is named Uncle Charlie and both characters may or may be serial killers. Park Chan-Wook's interpretation of Wentworth Miller and Erin Cressida Wilson's script may or may not be an homage to Hitchcock, but such comparisons shouldn't detract from “Stoker's” superb tension and brilliant cinematography.
Matthew Goode is especially brilliant as the creepy Uncle Charlie, while Mia Wasikowska's quirky performance is more than adequate. Kidman turns in her usual competent performance, but her presence doesn't add much to the movie, despite her star qualities.
“Stoker” is rated R for a fair amount of disturbing violence and one scene of sexuality involving Wasikowska.
“Stoker” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and opened Friday at The Broadway Centre Theater in Salt Lake City (111 E Broadway).
Starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver, Lucas Till, Alden Ehrenreich, Phyllis Somerville, Ralph Brown, Judith Godrèche.
Written by Wentworth Miller and Erin Cressida Wilson.
Directed by Chan-wook Park.
GRADE: *** (three our of four stars)
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: (zero Moronis out of four) Stoker is the tale of an 18-year-old girl who has a creepy uncle, and is drawn to his evil tendencies. While a visually-compelling horror/thriller, Stoker doesn't offer up any gospel principles, except perhaps what "not to do."
Everyone has a creepy relative. Sometimes those odd family members can have a negative influence on the entire group, and sometimes the “black sheep” rubs off on others. That's the premise of Stoker, Korean director Park Chan-Wook's English-speaking debut film about an evil uncle's influence over his eccentric 18-year-old niece.
Mia Wasikowska plays India Stoker, an odd teen-aged girl raised by an imaginative father (Dermott Mulrooney) and cold-hearted socialite mother (Nicole Kidman). After the untimely death of India's father in an apparent car crash, her father's brother Charlie (Matthew Goode) comes to visit during the funeral. Uncle Charlie has been away for several years, supposedly traveling the world. His negative influence over other the Stoker estate staff and extended family is immediately felt, and some of them begin to disappear under mysterious circumstances.
India suspects Charlie is behind some of the disappearances, but is nevertheless drawn to his charms. As she discovers that Uncle Charlie may be a serial murderer with a disturbing past, she is torn between disgust and fascination over his macabre ways. She must decide whether to embrace her own hereditary evil tendencies or to follow a different path.
“Stoker” is a Gothic horror tale with a lot of similarities to Hitchcock's classic “Shadow of a Doubt” (1943). The antagonist in both films is named Uncle Charlie and both characters may or may be serial killers. Park Chan-Wook's interpretation of Wentworth Miller and Erin Cressida Wilson's script may or may not be an homage to Hitchcock, but such comparisons shouldn't detract from “Stoker's” superb tension and brilliant cinematography.
Matthew Goode is especially brilliant as the creepy Uncle Charlie, while Mia Wasikowska's quirky performance is more than adequate. Kidman turns in her usual competent performance, but her presence doesn't add much to the movie, despite her star qualities.
“Stoker” is rated R for a fair amount of disturbing violence and one scene of sexuality involving Wasikowska.
“Stoker” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and opened Friday at The Broadway Centre Theater in Salt Lake City (111 E Broadway).
Dan's Review: Spring Breakers
Rated R for strong sexual content, language, nudity, drug use and violence throughout.
Starring James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, Gucci Mane.
Written and Directed by Harmony Korine.
GRADE: zero stars
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: Negative 10 Moronis out of four (-**********) This film is full of so much evil, it may be responsible for ushering in the Apocalypse. It's almost as if Satan himself produced the movie - except that might be giving Harmony Korine too much credit. He's obviously not as clever as Satan. Spring Breakers a modern depiction of Sodom and Gomorrah, except with less intelligent dialogue. Spring Breakers may also be the antonym for the 13th Article of Faith. There is nothing honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy to find in this movie, and if you seek after such things, look elsewhere.
For many college students, Spring Break is a rite of passage; a time for indulging in all kinds of debauchery and blowing off a little steam. For writer/director Harmony Korine, the annual twenty-something mecca to tropical beaches was the inspiration for Spring Breakers, the story of four college girls on a crime spree during Spring Break.
At this point in most of my reviews, I usually provide a plot synopsis – but since Spring B reakers doesn't really have a plot, I will digress and keep it brief. Suffice to say the movie is about four college girls who rob a fried chicken stand to obtain the cash they need to travel to Florida. The quartet consists of Cotty (Harmony's wife Rachel Korine), Brit (Ashley Benson), Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), and Faith (Selena Gomez). After robbing the chicken stand, the girls go to Florida and party down until they end up in jail. A rapper/drug lord named Alien (James Franco) bails the girls out and recruits them as his new posse. Faith (being the innocent Christian of the group) denies Alien's request and heads back to school. The other girls jump into Alien's world, leading them into conflict with a rival drug lord (Gucci Mane). That's pretty much it, and I really don't care if anyone sees this as a spoiler.
Spring Breakers is one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time, and that's saying something. I suppose Korine was going for some kind of satire in the film, but even if the bad acting, inane, repetitive dialogue and overindulgent tableau were intentional, all we are left with is an extremely awful movie.
I also suppose that the casting of two iconic Disney “princesses” (Gomez and Hudgens) in a film full of sex, nudity, binge drinking, heavy drug use, gun play and violence was also meant to inspire shock and awe, but it's less ironic than it is uncomfortable and disgusting. Gomez avoids any nudity or sex, but Hudgens jumps into all kinds of sordid behavior – a far cry from her role in the High School Musical series. Their performances are nothing more than awful caricatures, pretending to be the worst of people they could imagine, while using ridiculous southern accents.
Equally dreadful is Franco, who seems to be impersonating every stereotypical white guy who tries to be an urban black thug, right down to his cornrow hairstyle. Perhaps it's just another failed attempt at satire, but Franco's performance is more annoying than comical. Speaking of annoying things, one of the most irritating audio devices used by Korine is the continual use of a loud gun cocking sound that rings out in every scene transition. By the end of the film, you just hope the characters will use guns on themselves and put the audience out of their misery.
So even if you're tempted by some sort of perverted compulsion to see how far Disney princesses will go, do yourself a favor and stay away from Spring Breakers at all costs. This terrible movie isn't worth your time.
Starring James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, Gucci Mane.
Written and Directed by Harmony Korine.
GRADE: zero stars
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: Negative 10 Moronis out of four (-**********) This film is full of so much evil, it may be responsible for ushering in the Apocalypse. It's almost as if Satan himself produced the movie - except that might be giving Harmony Korine too much credit. He's obviously not as clever as Satan. Spring Breakers a modern depiction of Sodom and Gomorrah, except with less intelligent dialogue. Spring Breakers may also be the antonym for the 13th Article of Faith. There is nothing honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy to find in this movie, and if you seek after such things, look elsewhere.
For many college students, Spring Break is a rite of passage; a time for indulging in all kinds of debauchery and blowing off a little steam. For writer/director Harmony Korine, the annual twenty-something mecca to tropical beaches was the inspiration for Spring Breakers, the story of four college girls on a crime spree during Spring Break.
At this point in most of my reviews, I usually provide a plot synopsis – but since Spring B reakers doesn't really have a plot, I will digress and keep it brief. Suffice to say the movie is about four college girls who rob a fried chicken stand to obtain the cash they need to travel to Florida. The quartet consists of Cotty (Harmony's wife Rachel Korine), Brit (Ashley Benson), Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), and Faith (Selena Gomez). After robbing the chicken stand, the girls go to Florida and party down until they end up in jail. A rapper/drug lord named Alien (James Franco) bails the girls out and recruits them as his new posse. Faith (being the innocent Christian of the group) denies Alien's request and heads back to school. The other girls jump into Alien's world, leading them into conflict with a rival drug lord (Gucci Mane). That's pretty much it, and I really don't care if anyone sees this as a spoiler.
Spring Breakers is one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time, and that's saying something. I suppose Korine was going for some kind of satire in the film, but even if the bad acting, inane, repetitive dialogue and overindulgent tableau were intentional, all we are left with is an extremely awful movie.
I also suppose that the casting of two iconic Disney “princesses” (Gomez and Hudgens) in a film full of sex, nudity, binge drinking, heavy drug use, gun play and violence was also meant to inspire shock and awe, but it's less ironic than it is uncomfortable and disgusting. Gomez avoids any nudity or sex, but Hudgens jumps into all kinds of sordid behavior – a far cry from her role in the High School Musical series. Their performances are nothing more than awful caricatures, pretending to be the worst of people they could imagine, while using ridiculous southern accents.
Equally dreadful is Franco, who seems to be impersonating every stereotypical white guy who tries to be an urban black thug, right down to his cornrow hairstyle. Perhaps it's just another failed attempt at satire, but Franco's performance is more annoying than comical. Speaking of annoying things, one of the most irritating audio devices used by Korine is the continual use of a loud gun cocking sound that rings out in every scene transition. By the end of the film, you just hope the characters will use guns on themselves and put the audience out of their misery.
So even if you're tempted by some sort of perverted compulsion to see how far Disney princesses will go, do yourself a favor and stay away from Spring Breakers at all costs. This terrible movie isn't worth your time.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Dan's Review: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, dangerous stunts, a drug-related incident and language.
Starring Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Jim Carrey, James Gandolfini, Alan Arkin, Jay Mohr, Michael Herbig, Mason Cook, Luke Vanek, Zachary Gordon.
Written by Jonathan M. Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Chad Kultgen and Tyler Mitchell.
Directed by Don Scardino.GRADE: ** (two out of four stars)
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: ** (two Moronis our of four) The story of Burt Wonderstone is one of redemption and humility, but any good thing you might learn from the movie is embedded in a lot of stupid behavior and lack of morality.
Conventional wisdom suggests there's no such thing as magic. Nevertheless, select people are able to make a decent living as magicians, mostly in Las Vegas. Their success is contingent upon creating illusions via sleight of hand, diversion and technological developments. Such individuals are the subject of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, starring Steve Carell as a magician in need of a little humility.
Carell plays Burt, a man who learned to love the art of performing magic while being picked on by bullies as a child. The young Burt meets with Anton (Steve Buscemi) and the two boys form a bond that takes them into adulthood as a famous Vegas casino headline act. Over the years, the two men who learned to love magic as children have become jaded celebrities with an act that has become redundant and stale. The duo has also managed to go through countless assistants (all named “Nicole”) until they end up with Jane (Olivia Wilde), a stagehand who has aspirations of becoming a magician herself.
As the Burt and Anton show begins to show signs of obvious decline, a “shock” magician (think: Chris Angel) street performer named Steve Gray (Jim Carrey) ascends to fame via the Internet. The combination of Steve “The Mind Rapist” Gray's act, their stale act and their failed friendship, Burt and Anton's act is canceled by casino owner Doug Munny (James Gandofini). Anton goes his separate way while Burt tries to find work in Vegas. Unable to succeed without Anton, Burt becomes destitute, ending up living in a motel and finding works as a magic performer in a retirement home for elderly Vegas acts. In the retirement home, Burt meets Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin), the man who inspired him to become a magician when Burt was a boy. Rance helps Burt realize what a creep he's been and helps him rediscover his passion for magic.
When the opportunity to headline Munny's newest casino comes along, Burt reunites with Anton and Jane to compete with Gray for another chance at stardom.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone has its moments as a comedy, but it's a bad thing when the star of the film plays the least funny character. Carell's performance is uncomfortable and a little too creepy to pull off a magical farce. A close second in the “most uncomfortable” performance contest is Jim Carrey, whose antics seem out-of-place and as always, over-the-top. The only person whose performance doesn't evoke wincing is Arkin, who steals every scene he's in. Olivia Wilde is as lovely as ever, but seems miscast as a wide-eyed magician-in-waiting.
Some of the gags work, but most of the humor in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is sub-par, leaving audiences with a less-than-magical feeling.
Starring Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Jim Carrey, James Gandolfini, Alan Arkin, Jay Mohr, Michael Herbig, Mason Cook, Luke Vanek, Zachary Gordon.
Written by Jonathan M. Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Chad Kultgen and Tyler Mitchell.
Directed by Don Scardino.GRADE: ** (two out of four stars)
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: ** (two Moronis our of four) The story of Burt Wonderstone is one of redemption and humility, but any good thing you might learn from the movie is embedded in a lot of stupid behavior and lack of morality.
Conventional wisdom suggests there's no such thing as magic. Nevertheless, select people are able to make a decent living as magicians, mostly in Las Vegas. Their success is contingent upon creating illusions via sleight of hand, diversion and technological developments. Such individuals are the subject of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, starring Steve Carell as a magician in need of a little humility.
Carell plays Burt, a man who learned to love the art of performing magic while being picked on by bullies as a child. The young Burt meets with Anton (Steve Buscemi) and the two boys form a bond that takes them into adulthood as a famous Vegas casino headline act. Over the years, the two men who learned to love magic as children have become jaded celebrities with an act that has become redundant and stale. The duo has also managed to go through countless assistants (all named “Nicole”) until they end up with Jane (Olivia Wilde), a stagehand who has aspirations of becoming a magician herself.
As the Burt and Anton show begins to show signs of obvious decline, a “shock” magician (think: Chris Angel) street performer named Steve Gray (Jim Carrey) ascends to fame via the Internet. The combination of Steve “The Mind Rapist” Gray's act, their stale act and their failed friendship, Burt and Anton's act is canceled by casino owner Doug Munny (James Gandofini). Anton goes his separate way while Burt tries to find work in Vegas. Unable to succeed without Anton, Burt becomes destitute, ending up living in a motel and finding works as a magic performer in a retirement home for elderly Vegas acts. In the retirement home, Burt meets Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin), the man who inspired him to become a magician when Burt was a boy. Rance helps Burt realize what a creep he's been and helps him rediscover his passion for magic.
When the opportunity to headline Munny's newest casino comes along, Burt reunites with Anton and Jane to compete with Gray for another chance at stardom.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone has its moments as a comedy, but it's a bad thing when the star of the film plays the least funny character. Carell's performance is uncomfortable and a little too creepy to pull off a magical farce. A close second in the “most uncomfortable” performance contest is Jim Carrey, whose antics seem out-of-place and as always, over-the-top. The only person whose performance doesn't evoke wincing is Arkin, who steals every scene he's in. Olivia Wilde is as lovely as ever, but seems miscast as a wide-eyed magician-in-waiting.
Some of the gags work, but most of the humor in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is sub-par, leaving audiences with a less-than-magical feeling.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)