Moana

After what I could only consider as one of the most heartbreaking weeks of the year, it was nice to watch a film that was on the lighter side and take a bit of a break from all the gloom. I’ll be honest, I really only had interest in this movie because A) it’s a Disney movie featuring the first Polynesian Princess and B) because Lin Manuel Miranda has the helm of the original score, and since everything he touches seems to turn to gold lately, I figured this film would be at least bearable. So with my fingers crossed I entered the cinema feeling like I was the oldest person in the room and settled in.

Disney’s Moana tells the story of a young girl living on the island of ­­­Motunui, who is destined to become the next leader of her people. Although Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) understands the importance of her leadership and attempts to be the perfect daughter, she has an inescapable desire to venture beyond the reef that surrounds the island, an act that has been forbidden by her father Chief Tui (Christopher Jackson). To make matters worse, the community is facing a crisis: a great darkness is beginning to descend on the land, causing fish to be scarce and crops to wither.  Moana’s grandmother, Gramma Tala (Rachel House), explains that this is the work of Maui (Dwayne Johnson), a Demigod who stole the heart of the Goddess Te Fiti, effectively damning the world until it is returned. With her call to the ocean and her people to save, Moana sets off to find Maui and demand he put the heart back, however she and Maui will have to learn to partner up if they are ever to reach Te Fiti in time to save her island.

The positives: One of the great things about this movie is the vast array of characters and how they’re all explored in the film.  The fact that this movie took a step away from the typical prince/princess love story Disney pattern and instead made it a film about journeys and understanding one’s place in the world was really refreshing and sends a great message to the kids (seriously, so many kids) that are going to see this movie. Each character’s actions are explained in a way that makes them relatable, and pushes the message that even the most powerful people can make mistakes as well as learn from them. The musical numbers are well timed and catchy as hell, and the exploration of Polynesian culture and its beauty is really eye catching and entertaining. I really enjoyed this movie mostly because it does away with a lot of stereotypical Disney traits (such as having stick thin characters who are all white and having each character fall in love by the end of the film) and instead reminds us the importance of making our own paths in the world.

The negatives: This is a kids movie, so of course you’re gonna have to learn to suspend your disbelief in parts. If talking crabs, musical numbers and dancing tattoos don’t sound like a good time, you’re not gonna enjoy this movie. Also, the pacing in this film tends to be a little off in places: for kids its fine, but films like Zootopia (2016) remind us that animated films can pander to a lot of audiences, not just the kiddies. In this sense, there are parts where the action tends to lull a little too much and you’re left waiting for things to pick back up, which was a little disappointing.

Guys, what more can I say. The kiddies are gonna love it, and even the big kids are bound to have a good time. Go and see Moana, at the very least you’ll leave with a smile.

La La Land

Damien Chazelle's follow up to his acclaimed 2014 film Whiplash follows along with his theme of trying to achieve your dreams in the entertainment industry, but with a lot more in the way of singing and dancing. Chazelle also makes a comment about the nature of Hollywood and the way that it treats the young people who go there looking for stardom. As we saw with Whiplash, he is also more than capable when it comes to putting music in movies.

Mia (Emma Stone) is an aspiring actress struggling to get even small roles as she drifts from audition to audition with girls who look exactly like her. She goes to Hollywood parties in the hopes of being spotted by a producer. Mia keeps running into Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a jazz pianist who is trying very hard to be taken seriously despite playing Christmas carols at bars and 80s pop songs at parties. Eventually the pair strike up a relationship and soon deviate from their respective dreams as they realise life works differently than they intended.

La La Land is an amazing movie that despite being set in the modern day, has the feeling like it could be set in any time period as the story it tells is one that started when Hollywood was born. The dream of making it in Hollywood is one that so many have tried and a lot more have failed than succeeded. Chazelle based this film on his own experiences he had when he first moved to Hollywood and the struggles he had. I'm glad that the romantic elements of this film aren't made a priority, because while they are a good way to movie the story forward, it would be a bore to have this film be about the romance. In a way, both characters are more in love with their dreams than they are with each other. This is the third time that Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have starred together and their chemistry is undeniable. Both play wholly enjoyable characters who are a delight to watch,

Chazelle is fantastic at integrating music into his films, so it is only reasonable that he try his hand at making a musical (although it isn't fully a musical). Justin Hurwitz's score beautifully compliments the big song and dance numbers and while there are basically only three different music variations (apart from the songs), they just work so well. There is also some amazing camera work done during the songs and they play exactly like a Hollywood musical from the 50s or 60s. I do have a few gripes with the musical aspect of this film. The third act is largely devoid of any musical numbers and relies solely on regular story in tying up the film. I get that it was the darker period for the characters, but you can still convey that through song. The other thing is that singer-songwriter John Legend has a small role in the film and I felt like he could have had more songs, because the ones he did have didn't display his talents.

La La Land is just a fun and enjoyable movie, especially to see at the end of a year that hasn't been too good. It is joyful and optimistic right up to the end, where it gets a little heartbreaking as we see the whole movie through the eyes of what might have been.

Allied

Robert Zemeckis’s past two films The Walk and Flight both fell massively short of the mark, with more gloss than quality storytelling. Now he’s taking on a classic genre, the wartime epic romance, and putting his own spin on it with Allied.

It’s the height of World War II and Royal Canadian Air Force officer Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) is travelling to Casablanca in French Morocco as part of a planned assassination of the German ambassador. His partner is French Resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard). The two are to pose as a married couple for cover as they prepare for the mission, however they grow a little too close and after completing the assassination they move back to London to start a life together. A year after their marriage, Max finds out from the Special Operations Executive that Marianne may be a suspected German spy and that he is to help determine if she can be trusted. If she is found to be an enemy agent, Max must execute her by his own hand.

With what might be most closely described as the first act of Allied, we see the two meet in France and swiftly plan their pseudo-marriage and the assassination. This should initiate a spark of character development that draws us into this sweeping romantic war film - the sort of film we haven’t seen in a very long time - but what we get are stale cardboard cut-out roles that only really prepare us for a decidedly tepid film overall.

Before we know it, Max and Marianne have settled down in London and already have a baby girl. We’ve skipped a whole crucial stage of empathy-building and by the time the rumours of Marianne’s allegiance make it to Max, we couldn’t really care less about the end result because we’re not invested in their relationship. Despite all the tabloid hearsay that plagued this film’s production, there’s just no chemistry between Pitt and Cotillard.

The film continues along at a sluggish pace, and makes sure you’re aware that it sees itself as a sort of new-age Casablanca, dangling comparisons around blatantly. The same overly-syrupy filmmaking that we saw in Flight is also present here, with sweeping tracking shots and sentimental strings at every corner. There’s a lack of emotional contour to the film because of this and it all blends into one.

That being said there are some great set-pieces in Allied, particularly the scene when a German plane is shot down during the Blitz and starts to spin out of control down towards their house. As always Zemeckis uses effective and nuanced CGI to blend digital elements in the background, and overall the film looks great, if overly smooth and saccharine.

Despite these few-and-far-between moments, Allied is unfortunately not a return to form for Zemeckis. Although all his sappy directorial decisions are not as adverse to the overall film as the total lack of allure between Pitt and Cotillard and the stagnated characters that they inhabit.

In Memoriam: Carrie Fisher 1956-2016

In a year that keeps taking our beloved performers, another blow has happened with Carrie Fisher passing away from heart failure. On December 23, Fisher went into cardiac arrest on a flight from London to Los Angeles and was subsequently taken to the UCLA Medical Centre where she passed away in the morning of the 27th of December.

Carrie Fisher had a long and storied life that went far beyond the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars, which shot her to international fame. Fisher was born to Hollywood royalty as her mother Debbie Reynolds was a famed actress known for her role in Singin' in the Rain and her father Eddie Fisher was an actor and singer.

Fisher's first movie role was in 1975, in the comedy Shampoo, which starred Warren Beatty. When Star Wars was released in 1977, only her second film role, Fisher and her co-stars Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford all shot to super stardom. Apart from the Star Wars films, Carrie Fisher appeared in numerous other movies, like Hannah and Her Sisters, When Harry Met Sally, The Burbs, The Blues Brothers, Scream 3 and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Fisher also worked as a script doctor on a huge number of films, including Sister Act, Lethal Weapon 3, The River Wild, Hook and all three prequels of Star Wars. This work went uncredited. She also wrote novels like Postcards from the Edge, which was adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep.

She also had a tumultuous personal life. Fisher had a serious drug problem through most of her life and also suffered from bipolar disorder. She married singer Paul Simon in 1983, but divorced a year later due to their conflicting personalities. She also had an affair with co-star Harrison Ford when they were filming Star Wars in 1976. She had a relationship with talent agent Bryan Lourd with whom she had a daughter Billie Lourd.

Trailers Week 129: 25/12/16

Blade Runner 2049

This sequel takes place 30 years after the original and will probably be really good considering acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve is at the helm.

John Wick: Chapter 2

We all loved the first movie, so let's hope the sequel lives up to the name and maybe even give Keanu's career a boost.

A Cure For Wellness

This thriller has the shadows of Shutter Island with it. I'm not sure if Gore Verbinski has the same skill level as Martin Scorsese though.

The Lost City of Z

Even by the 1920s, I'm pretty sure all those so-called lost cities would have been found. Or maybe this city just didn't want to be found.

How To Be A Latin Lover

This comedy about a lothario who gets romantically involved with rich older women looks hilarious.

The Emoji Movie

I'll be honest, Steven Wright's dry performance always makes me laugh.

Classic Movie Review: The Santa Clause (1994)

Christmas movies are supposed to take place at Christmas. That's the general rule of thumb. And that's generally how I remembered The Santa Clause. Lots of North Pole elves and Santa suits and the like, except that's the sequel that I'm thinking of. In fact a lot of this movie takes place during the rest of the year. That doesn't mean it's bad, just different. In a good way.

Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is a toy company executive who isn't a Christmas person at all. He puts on the Christmas cheer for his son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) though, which is more than his mother Laura (Wendy Crewson) and stepfather Neil (Judge Reinhold) do. Neil is a psychiatrist who believes that Charlie should face the realities of life and tells him that Santa Claus doesn't exist. That is until Christmas Eve when Scott accidentally kills Santa and has to take his place. Head elf Bernard (David Krumholtz) fills Scott in on the contract that he unknowingly has signed and gives him a year to get his affairs in order before it becomes a full time job.

So The Santa Clause kind of isn't a kid's movie, although I definitely saw it when I was one. There are a lot of themes around divorce and mental illness that are an interesting step to take this kind of movie. Scott has so much animosity for his ex-wife it's unbelievable. The best part of the movie however, is the antagonistic relationship that he has with Charlie's stepfather Neil. Normally Judge Reinhold is known for playing fun loving characters, but Neil is an incredibly dark and cynical person, which is how psychiatrists were portrayed in the 90s. It is a shame that there weren't more scenes featuring Peter Boyle (best known for playing Ray Romano's father in Everybody Loves Raymond).

While there are some funny moments, especially during Scott's physical transformation into Santa, it's the darker moments of the film that are better. When Scott first gets roped into being Santa, he is incredibly reluctant about and treats the job with a level of hatred. The idea of the actual Santa hating his job would be a funny movie to watch. Kind of like Bad Santa, but if Santa was real. The movie's ending is also darker than I remember, with Scott being accused of kidnapping and is hunted down by heavily armed police. Not quite the kid's movie content I was expecting.

Apart from moments of horrendous 90s CGI, The Santa Clause is a great cynical Christmas movie to revisit - especially after the year that we've had. It may not set out to have a cynical message, I'm sure they were trying for some lighthearted fun when the made it, but it's unavoidable to miss the sad undertones about divorce and kidnapping. Not at all like that Home Alone movie.

Trailers Week 128: 18/12/16

Arsenal

Despite this film having a lot of other stars, I can't get over Nicolas Cage looking exactly like he did in the movie Deadfall where he was absolutely insane.

Snatched

I'm not one to badmouth a movie just from the trailer, but I don't think I get this one. It's also just expanding on the myth that Latin America is a super dangerous place to visit.

Going In Style

Old guys robbing a bank, that's kinda cute. But then when you remember that Michael Caine was in The Italian Job, maybe it becomes a bit more conceivable.

The Fate of the Furious

Never betray your family. Otherwise your family will come back to get you. Did I mention these people were a family? Family.

Alone In Berlin

Part of me really hopes that this is an original movie about Nazi Germany and not based on a true story. I get that it's history and there's so many stories to tell, but I just want to see something where we don't already know the outcome.

Dunkirk

Like this one. But then again it does look like Tom Hardy is playing a Nazi fighter pilot. He'd be up for a challenge like that.

Norman

Richard Gere plays a 'fixer', but not the regular type who makes messy situations go away. Or maybe he does.

The Bye Bye Man

Do you know how hard it is to not think of something if I tell you not to? Don't think about a pink elephant.

Unforgettable

No wonder that guy divorced Katherine Heigl. I don't blame him.

Despicable Me 3

An 80s themed movie villain is a fun idea if you ask me.

Adam's Thoughts - Rogue One

Check out Ed's full review of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by clicking here!

The hardest part about judging a movie like Rogue One comes with considering it's context and purpose as a film. Is it meant to be considering fully as its own piece of work, or simply just as an addition to the Star Wars cinematic universe? This experience of entering into a predetermined story is especially jarring for someone like me who is not the biggest fanatic of the Star Wars franchise, but in the end Rogue One can still be seen as a bit of fun in addition to fulfilling its quota of fan service.

Story-wise, this movie was somewhat backed into a corner, in terms of telling a story with a predetermined outcome. Some 40 years later, and a story introduced in the original Star Wars (Episode IV: A New Hope) makes it onto the big screen in its own feature length film. That alone is a remarkable feat, and shows how powerful the franchise really is. Despite this already established story arc, Rogue One still manages to feel like the plot could go in any direction - a sign of a truly exciting narrative. A point is eventually reached where the audience remembers that this story already has an ending, but this doesn't take away from the viewing experience at all.

In a story that has to be told only in this movie alone (no trilogy for this one), it is understandable that the character building of some supporting characters might be a bit lackluster. This is especially disappointing, however, when considering the amount of unnecessary and somewhat forced comedic additions early in the movie. It's fine for even the most serious of movies to have comedic value in them, but when they are forced and in place of detailed character development, it is hard not to question their relevance. In the end, the characters realistically just fit into the cliche of the rag-tag group of outsiders going against the 'big guy', with most of them being token racial characters from different parts of the world (when I'd assume these countries don't even exist in Star Wars).

Lastly, while the fan service was necessary and ultimately pretty well balanced, I can't help but envision some wasted potential in the 'big moments' of Rogue One. Without going into spoilers, the movie maybe could have been more reserved with their limited space in terms of big reveals. While ultimately this would have led to less fan service, it could have been better fan service. In the end, however, this is just nitpicking at what was ultimately an enjoyable flick and a comfortable addition to the Star Wars movies. I can only hope that their future 'story' movies continue to feel like this one, and less like unnecessary money grabs.

Classic Movie Review: Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996)

I was always a bigger fan of Beavis and Butt-Head's spin-off series Daria than the show this movie was based on. That is until I saw the movie that Mike Judge put them in when I was a teenager. Now I know what you're thinking, that this is a movie only teenagers will like, but that's not so. After revisiting it for the twentieth anniversary of it's release, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America is just as funny as it was then and it's still funny now that I am an adult.

Beavis and Butt-Head (Mike Judge) wake up one afternoon to find that their TV has been stolen. After looking around town for it, or a new one, they stumble across Muddy (Bruce Willis), a drunken thief who mistakes them for hitmen sent by an associate. Muddy wants them to travel to Las Vegas to murder his wife and retrieve a package from her. But the horny teenagers get confused and think he wants them to have sex with her instead. When they get there, however, Dallas (Demi Moore) decides to use them to her own end and have them transport a biological weapon to Washington DC. Of course this is unknown to the two boys and they are oblivious to the fact that ATF Agent Flemming (Robert Stack) has placed them on a most wanted list.

I'll admit that the jokes may seem juvenile, but they are still pretty funny. Agent Flemming's obsession with cavity searches for anyone and everyone regardless of their innocence ("Don't stop till you reach the back of their teeth") is hilarious. Especially since each order is given with the utmost seriousness. Beavis' poor reaction to sugar resulting in him turning into The Great Cornholio still works every time, despite the inherent silliness of the gag. And of course, who cannot like the pseudo-music video of The Red Hot Chili Peppers being turned into Las Vegas lounge singers doing their version of 'Love Rollercoaster'.

The main attraction of this movie for me is the amount of celebrity voices that the movie contains. Bruce Willis and Demi Moore do a fantastic job as the backstabbing husband and wife thief duo and Cloris Leachman) is hilarious as the old lady who thinks that Beavis and Butt-Head are just the sweetest things she has ever met. Greg Kinnear is fantastic as Flemming's offsider Agent Bork who is always to please his boss with the correct grammar. Cameos from Boyhood director Richard Linklater as a tour bus driver and David Letterman as Butt-Head's dad are small but perfect.

Right from the outset you know this movie is going to be different from other stoner comedies. Whether it's the two main characters destroying a city in their dreams or the opening titles being a homage to 70s cop shows, you never know what this one is going to throw at you, but whatever it is, you know you'll have a good time.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

The Disney-era of Star Wars is well and truly underway following the success of last year’s The Force Awakens, and it continues this year with Gareth Edward’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the first in an anthology of spin-offs that focus on background events and origin stories in the rapidly expanding filmic universe.

Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is separated from her father Galen (Mads Mikkelsen) at an early age when he is taken by Imperial military officer Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn). She finds help from Saw Gerrera (Forrest Whitaker) and manages to stay out of Imperial sights. Years later, the Empire is building a new superweapon, the Death Star, and Jyn is recruited by the Rebel Alliance to join a team who are out to find the design blueprints of the weapon.

As the first major theatrical spin-off of the series, Rogue One is arguably the most hyped about movie of the year. Billed by many as a war-film of sorts, it’s a direction we haven’t seen the series go in before, and strikes a very different tone to The Force Awakens or indeed any of the others. Where space opera sized characters, love-triangles, story twists and endless metaphors about family have dominated previously, Rogue One focuses-down to the nitty-gritty land skirmishes, insane aerial battles and internal politics of the Rebellion that work behind the scenes in the main saga.

Rogue One is in essence the opening crawl of A New Hope, at least that’s what it is intended to be. At the forefront we have the story of Jyn Erso and the team that steal the design schematics of the Death Star. There’s a lot of back-story and character development that falls flat here, primarily because the film moves so quickly that it gets caught up in the rush and the characters don’t have time to breathe. Where these crucial character moments are expedited through the hyperbolic nature of the core films, this instalment aims for more subtlety in style and direction, thus it really can’t hope to build well-rounded characters in the time given and material covered.

Whilst it’s over two hours in length, Rogue One still manages to pack more than its fair share of content into the running time. If we’re not constantly planet hopping, we’re filling in canonic plot holes with new context. If you boil it right down, you could argue the whole film exists to explain the Death Star’s crucial design flaw. Slotted-in at the tail end of the nineteen year timeline-gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, the film feels too grand in scale for a contained spin-off, and in many ways there’s not enough meat in the plot to sustain the construct of such a huge summer blockbuster.

Jones manages to do a lot with Jyn when the film slows down enough to give her the opportunity, though at times she gets lost amongst the frantic action and the various other ensemble members vying for the audience's attention. Luna’s Andor has charisma, but like Ahmed’s Bodhi is inclined to blend into the background too much for a core supporting character. Yen and Wen’s characters are the unlikely buddy-sidekicks of the film who work efficiently as a fighting unit, and Alan Tudyk’s K-2SO whilst sometimes a little too forced, is one hell of an upgrade from C-3PO. Forest Whitaker and Mads Mikkelsen are both not given nearly enough screen time, and finally we have Ben Mendelsohn who is really just the archetype evil villain.

Rogue One however does look beautiful and takes advantage of well designed sets and practical effects almost as effectively as The Force Awakens. There’s X-Wings, Y-Wings and TIE-Fighters galore, as well as various Imperial Walkers on the ground, and plenty of idiotic-as-ever Stormtroopers to be mown-down. There are a few moments of fan service just as in last year's instalment, although not as numerous, and the main sequences are tied together with a fantastic score by Michael Giacchino that weaves in just the right amount of Williams’ iconic soundtrack. One of the biggest issues with the film is *possible spoilers* the  use of CGI to bring a character back from the original films (and effectively the actor back from the dead) who I didn’t really think needed to be in the film at all.

Rogue One feels like a slightly-unnecessary, heavily bloated chapter in the greater Star Wars universe that doesn’t do enough with its characters. However it does manage to differentiate itself from the main saga, and has been made with enough love and devotion to the canon to make it worthwhile viewing for Star Wars fans.

Office Christmas Party

I've always been a fan of the Christmas stoner comedy. Last year's The Night Before was a step above in terms of finding the original concept. With this one, I had high hopes. We've all been to corporate Christmas parties that are one step away from becoming actually enjoyable events and Office Christmas Party takes that to the extreme. However, it shoots itself in the foot by becoming too overcrowded with storylines that aren't at all funny.

The Chicago branch of tech company Zenotek has failed to show any growth in the last quarter, so acting CEO Carol Vanstone (Jennifer Aniston) has threatened to cut forty percent in order to make the branch profitable. She also wants to cancel the annual Christmas party as she considers it an unnecessary use of corporate funds. Her brother Clay (TJ Miller) doesn't want any of his workers to lose their jobs, so he enlists his Chief Technical Officer Josh (Jason Bateman) and his head of tech Tracey (Olivia Munn) to court businessman Walter Davis (Courtney B. Vance) into investing in the company. It turns out the only way to get him to do this is by throwing the best Christmas party ever.

As with all comedy movies, it really comes down to how well the actors are able to perform the jokes. That's the one thing that Office Christmas Party really has going for it. All of the major players have had a career built on performing comedy in one medium or another so there is no one dropping the ball. I've been really impressed with diversity that Jennifer Aniston has been showing in her comedic roles lately. They haven't just been the same thing over and over and her Grinch-esque Carol is a very fun character. I find TJ Miller can sometimes overshadow his costars with his over the top performances, but this time he shares the wealth, being the giving time of the year and all. Kate McKinnon's performance was wonderful as always and she is always able to find particular traits for her characters that are just bizarre and perfect. Despite Jason Bateman once again playing Jason Bateman, I am so comfortable with his character at this stage. He and Olivia Munn have great chemistry too.

The problem with this flick though is that it is way too crowded. Every character that is introduced is given too much character. There's no "here's this accountant character", instead we have to be shown that he has a weird baby fetish (Randall Park does at least try and make it funny). The characters also just end up as stereotypes of people you find in the office and that wears a bit thin quickly. There are too many plot strands as well. Instead of just having the main plot, there's also Jillian Bell's pimp character who is trying to steal everyone's money and something about wifi being accessed everywhere. While they all tie in at the end, the third part of the movie is just distracting and kind of boring.

This is a hard one. If you're a fan of movies like this, as I am, you'll watch it and think this better than you expected. If you wanted a light Christmas comedy, it's probably not for you. Office Christmas Party has a strange intense energy. It's laid on heavy with the jokes and (surprising) destruction with a good mix of hopeful and cynical characters.

Trailers Week 127: 11/12/16

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

But if he only had one cassette tape worth of music, then where will the new 80s tracks come from. Never mind the potential paradox caused by movie music because, look, it's baby Groot!!

The Mummy

For those of you who didn't know, Tom Cruise's superpower is the ability to sprint away his problems. Good thing old dead Egyptians like to move at a snail's pace.

Transformers: The Last Knight

Now I just really want to see a Transformers movie set in medieval times.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

At least it's not another origin story. And check out Michael Keaton as the Vulture. Good move!

War for the Planet of the Apes

Yep, we get it. The apes have to get to the dominant form on the planet. Can't we fast forward to when they start designing their funky clothes from the original.

Fifty Shades Darker

From that last anticipated sequel to this one. Just kidding, no wanted this movie. And why do they have to come out on Valentine's Day? If anything, these movies turn everyone off.

Baywatch

If you want sexy, just watch this. It's got a whole cast of beautiful people. I'm actually glad that they turned this into a comedy, you couldn't make a serious movie of it these days.

Assassin's Creed

I'd still rather play that Roy game from Rick and Morty.

The Wall

Remember the movie Phone Booth? Wasn't that great? Now let's do the same thing, but in the desert and with two people instead of one.

Fist Fight

Poor Charlie, he won't stand a chance. But then again, he shouldn't've been a sneak around Ice Cube.

The Circle

Is it a cult or a tech company? I mean Tom Cruise would make a glorious leader if it ever came to it.

Up For Love

As much of a sucker I am for romance flicks, there is only a finite amount of variations you can do with the genre. It is a very structured genre that is really heavily dependent on the conventions that have been laid down in movies that have come before. That doesn't change if your lead actor is incredibly charming. And it certainly doesn't change based on where in the world the movie is made.

Diane (Virgine Efira) returns home after a night out to a phone call telling her that she left her cellphone at the restaurant. She agrees to meet up with the mysterious man who has her phone who's name is Alexandre. When she arrives at the restaurant where they are meeting, she finds out that Alexandre is only four foot nine. Despite an initial shock, Diane agrees to go on a date with Alexandre and soon she finds herself falling in love with him. But Diane is torn by the resistance she sees from the people around her to see Alexandre as a potential partner.

Boy, oh boy, so the premise of this movie is actually quite tolerable, despite being a conventional romantic flick. It goes through all the beats you'd expect in perfect fashion. But that also made it super boring, you knew when the highs were, you knew when the lows were. Let's get to specifics. First off, the CGI effect to make the regularly six foot Dujardin appear shorter looked absolutely ridiculous. You could tell that he was filmed seperately and just inserted in over the top of the shot. A lot of the time he looked like a double amputee from the shoulders and that was even when he was using his own body. There was one joke about his son's large dog always knocking him over that was played out to death and you knew it was coming and unfunny. Also annoying was the fact that no one who knew Diane was accepting of Alexandre and were all quite vicious toward (except her deaf stepfather who offers one of the better heartbreaking moments of the film). I especially hated the assistant to Diane and her lawyer ex-husband. She acted like a bratty child caught between two divorcing parents and was completely unlikeable.

There were a couple of good things happening in this movie. Dujardin is incredibly charismatic and his whole persona works really well within the confines of the character. He also has great chemistry with co-star Virgine Efira, despite the physical problems presented by the CGI. They are both good actors and the moments they have together are quite tender. The only other thing that I really admired was the opening scene where Diane walks around her apartment on the phone to Alexandre and it was a very impressive single take.

Up For Love doesn't do anything new for the romance genre. While it tries to shake things up by making one of the characters short, that doesn't make it anything new or original. A cast of completely unlikeable characters doesn't help make the movie too watchable either.

Trailers Week 126: 04/12/16

Incarnate

It's a new take on the whole how to get a demon out of someone thing, but the one thing I really want from this movie is for Aaron Eckhart to be the demon.

Eloise

Seriously, you haven't been told not to mess around with insane asylums?

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

It's probably ancient zombies, but what a way to confine the action/horror.

The Belko Experiment (NSFW)

Don't tell me you wouldn't kill Carol from accounting if you had the chance.

Sleight

I get that this one is about a kid with telekinetic powers, but the fact that it's made by WWE is concerning.

The Shack

So I guess he went crazy after his kid died. That's understandable.

Office Christmas Party

By the time the third trailer for a movie comes out it really becomes a struggle to think of something clever to write, especially when it comes out next week.

Classic Movie Review: No Way Out (1987)

Political thrillers is a film genre that hasn't much been seen since the end of the Cold War. There may be attempts every now and then, but nothing modern can face up against the tension that existed between the US and USSR. And now one was better suited to star in these movies than Kevin Costner. While his efforts in JFK and Thirteen Days are considered to be among the best, the greatest Cold War political thriller he starred in is undoubtedly No Way Out, which is an amazing movie on its own, but punctuated by one of the best twist endings in cinema history.

After he accidentally kills his mistress, Susan Atwell (Sean Young), Secretary of Defence David Brice (Gene Hackman) attempts a cover-up by suggesting that there is a Russian sleeper agent in the Pentagon and he is responsible for the murder. He puts Lieutenant Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) in charge of the investigation in finding the mole, codenamed Yuri. But unknown to Brice and his second in command, Scott Pritchard (Will Patton), Tom was actually the boyfriend of Susan and witnessed the Brice at the scene of the murder. Using his position as lead investigator to find the evidence he needs that Brice was the one to do it.

No Way Out is a very engaging and intriguing thriller. Although it takes its time in setting up the characters and all their relationships (Tom Farrell and Scott Pritchard are old friends, Tom wants to work for Brice, Tom and Susan's romance), the effort put in is well worth the payoff. Especially once Brice and Pritchard invent the idea of there being a Russian spy in the Pentagon. The invention is a fantastic idea, but even more so if you know the twist ending of the movie. Yes, this is the one case in which knowing the twist actually makes the movie better, but if you don't want it ruined, stop reading and go watch the movie. In the last five minutes of the film we actually learn that Yuri wasn't just a fabrication by Brice and Pritchard to cover-up, but an actual mole. And that it was Tom Farrell all along. What makes it so great is that they just thought they were making it up and we were watching Tom trying to reveal the truth. It is by far one of the best twists in movie history.

This is hands down Kevin Costner's best performance. While he'll always be remembered for Dances with Wolves, JFK and Robin Hood, nothing holds a flame up to this one. It's almost as if the desperation that Tom is feeling is real and you are absorbed by his character. It's his complete lack of wrongdoing that makes the twist ending so much more powerful. Costner is also great at restraining his emotion when we know that he should be feeling it. We don't need to know his motivation was or the plot that he intended to pull of as a Russian spy (I'm guessing cause a scandal in US politics, both sides always tried to do that) because he is so amazingly believable as both a spy and a loyal American.

No Way Out is an amazing classic that should be watched by everyone. If you're a fan of political thrillers, murder mysteries or twist endings, this has something for everyone. While it comes from a distinctly Cold War period, it really has stood the test of time because there is no real knowledge of the US/USSR tensions required. Give it a watch, you won't be disappointed (even if I did ruin the twist).