Saturday, July 30, 2011

Cowboys & Aliens

Photo #46
**1/2 stars

There is something oddly comforting knowing that a film like Cowboys & Aliens is apart of the summer movie tent-pole. It's a high-concept plot with a great cast and a 2D fix to boot. Yet there is also something oddly discouraging knowing that the actual movie itself is just an entertaining movie instead of a great one.


Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford are a dynamite duo. Sure, it's Bond meets Indy, but let's not forget that it's the actors themselves that are the catch. Craig plays a man who wakes up with no memory of who he is in 1873 Arizona. Upon his search for the truth about himself, he discovers a small western town. When he finds out that he's actually a wanted criminal, everyone is after him, including the boss of the town, Woodrow Dolarhyde (Ford).

There's a great scene when Daniel Craig's character enters the town for the first time and discovers that Dolarhyde's drunk son Percy (played terrifically by Paul Dano) is causing problems in the town. He carelessly shoots his pistol in all directions. He stumbles up to our hero and demands money. Our hero not only takes him down, but Percy accidentally shoots a deputy in the process. Percy is taken to jail, but not without the threat of his father coming to his aid. When he and our hero are put in the same patty wagon together, I hoped that we were going to witness Daniel Craig and Paul Dano become this generation's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Instead, Dano's talents are wasted and we hardly see him again for the rest of the movie.

The first act of Cowboys & Aliens is a straight-up Cowboy western, the best part of the movie. After the first riveting alien invasion scene by what the humans call demons (how else could they justify what they're physical seeing?), the movie has a hard time trying to figure out what kind of movie it wants to be.
But I still appreciate what this film is trying to be. It's a cool feeling to see such diverse genres being mashed up. Cowboys & Aliens takes off smoothly, but it has a hard time controlling such a high concept, giving it a much harder landing.

Aliens attack. People get taken. Now everyone must come together to get their people back. We meet Indians who send a character on a spiritual journey. We learn that there are other kinds of aliens than just bad ones. Then there's this huge plot-line about gold, and how the aliens value gold just as much as humans do, and the only explanation we get about that huge plot-line where the aliens value gold as much as humans do, is when someone important tells the main characters that the aliens value gold as much as humans do. The fact that it took five screenwriters to write this movie is a clear sign of narrative confusion.

Jon Favreau is a mature director, but he seems to be playing it safe. He takes the time to establish each character, but what's missing is the excitement of the journey. Everything is in place, the pieces are moving, but where is the sense of wonder in this potential franchise starter? Cowboys & Aliens should be the movie that brings every kind of moviegoer together. Instead, it provides the cliff notes to a better movie.


Saturday, July 23, 2011

Captain America: The First Avenger

Photo #7
*** stars

Captain America: The First Avenger wastes no time in tricking you that it's a straight-up comic book movie. At first glance, that sounds painful. However, it is exactly that characteristic that makes this late summer offering a refreshingly classy and pulpy take on the iconic American superhero.

Chris Evans is a fine choice for the title role. He's likable, not hard to look at, and has a softer side to him that allows us to think that Steve Rogers (the man he was before he became Captain America) is actually a good man. This trait is crucial in the findings of a candidate for Dr. Abraham Erskine, the man who has discovered the scientific capabilities to turn a normal soldier into a super one. He believes that the better than man, the better the solider. Colonel Chester Phillips disagrees, suggesting that America needs the physical strength to win World War II and defeat the Nazis. To him, Steve Rogers is just a short and physically weak man who seems to be rejected by the army more times than Ralph Nader has ran for President.

But the reason Dr. Erskine is so insistent on choosing Rogers is because he never gives up. It is because he keeps getting rejected and insists on trying again that makes him so special. So when he finally lets Rogers in the army, the final test of his heroism comes when the Colonel needs some convincing. During basic training, he throws a grenade into a group of soldiers. Every single soldier scatters and runs for cover, expect Rogers, who bravely dives on the grenade to protect everyone except himself. Turns out the Colonel played a trick, throwing a dud grenade instead of a real one. Clearly impressed, the colonel responds. "He's still skinny."

So Rogers gets turned into Captain America. But not after going through some serious physical changes. The best visual effects in this movie is not what you'd expect.

At the same time Captain America is created, the Nazi's have their own secret weapon. Johann Schmidt aka the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) and his secret HYDRA research department, develops the same technology as Dr. Erksine. When Steve Rogers loses someone close to him (I won't give away any deaths in this review), he vows to seek justice. Yet something interesting happens here. Captain America becomes a propaganda machine. It works at first, but eventually, he becomes the laughing stock of the military. Destined to do bigger things, Rogers decides to use his alter-ego in much more fitting way: to kill Nazi's and protect America.

In a time where cinema seems to be breeding comic-book movies every week, here's one that actually has a good message (along with actually making American propaganda look like a noble cause). Being a real hero means being a good man, one who believes in the morals that represent the best of America. Dr. Erskine is the polar opposite of a character like, say, Saruman from The Lord of the Rings, where he is only interested in physical and numerical strength. Dr. Erskine believes that if someone like Steve Rogers is already a good man, think about how great of a man we will become after the experiment. Captain America: The First Avenger isn't a great movie, but it's still a good one. It leaves the idea that maybe, just maybe, next year's The Avengers will be that much better.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Photo #15

***1/2 stars


Regardless if you're a fan of the ridiculously successful franchise (over $6 billion worldwide and counting) or not, you'd be on a fool's errand if you decide to skip the final chapter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, one of the most epic pieces of summer blockbuster entertainment imaginable.

It's hard to imagine what this franchise could have been had it begun differently. Originally, Steven Spielberg was offered the directing gig, but turned it down to do A.I Artificial Intelligence. M. Night
Shyamalan was also offered the job, but turned it down to do Unbreakable. The studio had discussed horrible ideas about changing the story, including making Hogwarts have cheerleaders in it. Had that last idea been for real, there's no guarantee the franchise would have lasted after the first entry.

But fear not Potter fans, as you did not have to experience that travesty. It is now ten years later and the last entry in the
Harry Potter adventures is here. The only way for the entire series to come full circle is to have the last entry be the strongest one. It certainly does just that, as if director David Yates (who took over the series with Order of the Phoenix) already knew everything he had to do before the cameras even started rolling. There's a burst of exhilaration throughout the film's 130-minute runtime that is unavoidable, regardless of what kind of fan you are to this now historic milestone in modern day cinema.


Part 2 appropriately begins exactly where Part 1 left off. Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has discovered the elderly wand (the most powerful wand of all) and is on the verge of becoming more powerful than Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) can possibly withstand. At the same time, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) continue their quest of finding and destroying the Dark Lord's three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items that grant him immortality. When the three leads head back to Hogwarts to search for these crucial elements, they soon discover that they are approaching the battle to end all battles. Voldemort and his army march towards Hogwarts to meet Harry and his alliances in a final act of desperation to destroy the young wizard forever.

In perhaps every
Harry Potter review I've ever written, I've always stressed how I wish I had read all the books first (again, I've only read the first two), so for me it is hard to determine what the film got right and what is missing from the novel. However, from one of the biggest blockbuster film fans out there, I can assure you that as far as epic filmmaking goes, it's hard not to place this wonderful gem right up with some of the best blockbusters ever made.

Now, there is a difference between one of the best films ever made and one of the best blockbusters ever made. While I don't see the
Deathly Hallows: Part 2 winning best picture anytime soon (although a nomination is possible as a tribute to the series), the reason why this is one of the strongest blockbusters ever is that it exceeds its already astounding expectations. If this movie failed, the whole series would end on a sour note. It also has the honor of restoring my faith in the 2011 summer movie season, especially considering the dreadful experience that was Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

I did not expect Deathly Hallows: Part 2 to be so twisty and complex, especially when the big secrets are finally revealed. As a spectator going in blind, the final act of this film had me covered in goosebumps, particularly as Harry and
Voldemort prepare for their epic final showdown. When Fiennes speaks the lines "Harry Potter, come to die" I realized just how emotionally invested I was in the story. The film is a stunning spectacle of visual narrative. Moviegoers should be blessed that this final part in the unprecedented series not only doesn't disappoint, but also creates a riff in your moving-loving heart.

Friday, July 08, 2011

Horrible Bosses

Photo #31
***1/2 stars

There's something wickedly clever about a summer comedy where normal people are thrown into nasty situations, yet there's still a sense that you're rooting for them. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day are a dynamite unit of non-stop laughs and irresistible one-liners in Horrible Bosses, the story of three men who want and then try (emphasis on try) to kill their bosses.

Now don't worry, it's not like their bosses are decent people. These are simply three employees who are literally dealing with the worst management imaginable. Bateman plays Nick Hendricks, the company suck-up to Dave Harken (a perfectly cast Kevin Spacey), the ultimate horrible boss. Nick has been dying for a promotion, one he's been working towards for eight years. To show off Dave's ruthlessness, he decides to promote himself instead of Nick, forcing him to be his bitch forever.

If that's not bad enough, Nick tries to remind him that a few years ago, he wasn't allowed to leave work to see his Grandmother in the hospital. She ended up passing away before Nick could get there. Dave laughs when he calls his grandmother "Gam-gam". Dave is the kind of boss that you absolutely hate, except that he's dosed up on psycho-steroids and constantly looking for his next victim.


Kurt Buckman (Sudeikis) has a wonderful relationship with his boss, Jack Pellit (Donald Sutherland). That is, until he has a heart attack and dies. Guess who replaces him? Bobby (the surprisingly hysterical Colin Ferrell), the crazy, coked-up son who doesn't give a rat's ass about anything.

He's so horrible that he asks Kurt to trim the fat off of the employees by literally firing the "fat people" because it makes him sick. Bobby is the kind of boss that stole your job, sunk the company that you've cared about your whole professional career into the toilet, and when discovering about his personal life is, in Kurt's words, as if "you've entered the mind of an asshole".


Now, Dale Arbus (Day) may not have it as bad as Nick and Kurt, but that's only at first glance. He is a dental assistant who is forced to work for his gorgeous boss Dr. Julia Harris (played deliciously by Jennifer Aniston) who constantly wants to have sex with him. This wouldn't be that bad if Dale wasn't happily engaged. Unfortunately for him he can't quit because he was caught urinating at a playground (his defense is that he was drunk in the middle of the night and did not realize it was a playground), so now he's a registered sex offender. Therefore, Dale's choice of unemployment is basically extinct.

Julia is oddly attracted by this, so the more Dale refuses Julia, the more aggressive she is. If you think that's still not enough to justify Dale's actions, his tipping point comes when Julia tries to seduce him by throwing him on top of his unconscious fiance's body during a dental cleaning. In the words of Dale, "let's kill that bitch!"


Horrible Bosses makes the right choice by not taking itself too seriously. We all know that Nick, Kurt, and Dale are not murderers. They've just been so tormented by the man in charge that they see no other option. So when they all finally agree to take their bosses down, they turn to an ex-convict named Mother Fucking Jones to do the job (yes, that is his legal name). Instead, he offers them a mix of good-and-bad advice, telling them that they should kill each others bosses so it can't trace back to any of them.

The question the film asks is: how do normal people go about doing something so morally wrong while having no idea how to do it? When Nick, Kurt, and Dale find themselves going down a road they can't escape from, hilarity ensues. It's the darker-recession version of
The Hangover that isn't paltry when it comes to delivering some twisted comedic fun.