The Guardians of the Galaxy

                Let me be the first to say that Marvel Studios has really been keeping their a-game going! After the MASSIVE disappointment that was “Iron Man 3” (sorry guys), the films after have been getting better and better. I’ve already mentioned that “Winter Soldier” was my new favorite of the “Avengers” series, but now that moment has changed. Ladies and gentleman of Planet Earth and movie goers alike; I give to you…“The Guardians of the Galaxy.”

                Space outlaw and ravager, Peter Jason Quill (aka Star Lord), acquires an orb to sell off the markets of Xandar. When he encounters Gamora, an alien servant of Thanos; Rocket and Groot, two bounty hunters; they are arrested and meet up with Drax the Destroyer. Now the unlikely group of misfits have to find out the mysteries of the orb and stop Ronan the Accuser from getting it, and destroying the galaxy. This film has just about everything that makes a film pure enjoyment. I don’t think I can recall having this much fun with a film like this, to where I felt like a kid again, watching a comic book film in the theater for the first time. And for a film about a team coming together to stop an evil force, this film not only surpasses “The Avengers” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” but puts those films TO SHAME!

                Chris Pratt delivers the performance of his career as Peter Quill; after his work on “Parks and Recreation,” he has managed to go from the chubby side character, to a full blown action star in a comic book film. Hell, even the producers were impressed with his performance, since they fully admitted that whether he was in shape or not, he was awesome. His chemistry with the other Guardians really adds to the moment, whether it’d be funny or serious, he’s got it strong. Zoe Saldana also manages to rival with Pratt, in terms of performance; if “Star Trek” and “Columbiana” proved anything, it’s that she’s got the chops for an action lady of this generation. The interactions she has with Quill are really investing, as they work off of each other, since both have parallels amongst their lives. Dave Bautista as Drax also adds some greatness to the film, despite him being my least favorite of the Guardians; not that he was bad, far from it, but just that everyone else was better than him. But hey, that’s just my opinion though.

Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel as Rocket and Groot, what can I say? The two characters work off of each other so well, that you actually feel their brotherly bond throughout the course of the film. They’ll both stick up for each other, and it works for the duo of a big hulking muscle and the smart-aleck strategist. Cliché, but they manage to make it work to their fullest.

                Lee Pace as Ronan was just an excellent villain, and he manages to give off the strong intimidation of the tyrant that the character is. His presence and his actions really give off the feeling of chaos brewing in his eyes, like he’s just ready to step up from right-hand-man and crack at any moment. Other big name stars like Benicio del Toro, Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, Karen Gillian, Josh Brolin, Michael Rooker from “Slither,” and Djimon Hounsou also give off great supporting work, adding to what was already a great cast, making it even better.

                The film was written and directed by James Gunn, who is best known for “Slither,” a film which I still consider to be one of the best effects films of the past decade. While he hasn’t had the best track record in terms of writing, aside from one or two projects, this film manages to put him back on the green for me. And I have to talk about the action scenes in this film, which are some of the best I’ve seen this year, and the climax adds so much more to it. For a film I had below-average expectations for, it still manages to surprise me.

                Overall, “Guardians of the Galaxy” is a must see film, and I can’t wait for it to come out on Blu-Ray. I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’re going to top this film for Phase 2, unless “Age of Ultron” pulls a miracle. It’s the best film of the “Avengers” series, and I don’t think I could recommend it higher than what I’ve said. I mean, after seeing some of the mediocre blockbusters released this summer, this one feels like a breath of fresh air.

Rating: 10/10

Earth to Echo

                Three years ago, I, and many others, have hailed the film “Super 8” as this generation's “E.T.” And why not? It was an exciting film that really did pay homage to movies of that time period and generation, all while being its own story. People complained on how the film wasn’t really about the alien, as it was about these kids, and others have complained about why the alien was there to begin with. To those I say…fuck off. The film was successful, and is a film that defines a modern day classic. How that film didn’t get a single Oscar nomination (fuck you, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”) is beyond me. Now where as that film was fantastic, let’s talk about its mentally challenged cousin, “Earth to Echo.”

                “Earth to Echo” is a children’s found footage film (if you’re still reading after that part, enjoy the fun), about a group of kids who live in a smalltown in Nevada, that’s soon going to become a freeway. When their phones go out of whack, they realize it’s a map, and try to follow it before the night is over. What they find is an alien robot, and that the map leads to parts of a key to Echo’s spaceship. Now they have to assemble the key, find the spaceship, and return Echo home, before the men building the freeway find him and destroy the ship.

                Now, disregarding the fact that this is a found footage film, it still wouldn’t have made a difference on what is already a cheap knock-off of much better films, just without any heart. Throughout the course of this film, it rips off “E.T.” without question, as you can count the scenes that are directly from the film. Bike chase? Check. Shady big bad authority figures? Check. A girl tagging along the adventure? You get the picture. Hell, there’s even a scene where they capture the alien, and start to dissect it. Movie, I’ve seen “E.T!” Stop trying to pretend you are! And to make matters worse, the ending of this film, I’m not even kidding, rips off “Super 8” as well, by showing the alien ship being built by metallic crap around the neighborhood…just no. Now, I’ve said before that rip-off films can work, as long as they manage to be enjoyable in its own way, as well as have a personal image to itself. However, much like “R.I.P.D.” and “Vampire Academy” (which we’ll touch on the latter this October), it doesn’t do any of those things, and just comes off as some guy’s poor excuse to make a quick buck, without any effort put into it.

This film was also done COMPLETELY by first timers; actors, writers, editors, etc. The only experience person working on this film was Joseph Trapanese, who wrote the music to this film; and yes, there is music in this film. Now, it would have worked okay, if the music was done when someone was playing it off his or her MP3, but no…music comes out of no-where in a found footage movie…Uh, can I ask why? Why does there need to be music in a found footage film out of the blue? “Chronicle” didn’t do that; hell, NONE of the found-footage movies have ever done that, because it shows that this film just doesn’t know what it wants to be.

The acting is just lousy from…pretty much the entire cast. Throughout the film, I never felt like I was watching actual kids, as opposed to kids trying to act. They don’t do some of the things that kids normally do, and all I saw was them just playing cardboard cutouts of what characters are suppose to be. We got the mopey hero, the girlfriend, the one who can’t keep a promise, the compulsive geek, the bad guy, and top it all off with adults who are really stupid; seriously, who lets kids into a bar or even order them drinks? Surprisingly enough, the only one I actually liked was the geek, Munch, who I swear looked like the kid version of Chris Farley; did anyone else notice that, or is that just me? As for the alien, Echo…there really isn’t much to say about him at all. For a film about kids helping an alien, the alien really isn’t that memorable, despite its name being in the damn title!

If you just look at a preview for this film, with the idea in your head that it’s a found footage kids movie, then you know exactly how it’ll turn out. If you want a film to take your kids to go see, take them to “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” If they’ve already seen it, go see it again. Or better yet, wait for “Guardians of the Galaxy,” because I’m sure kids will have a blast with that as well.

Rating: 1/10

Lucy

                Luc Besson is one of the most…intriguing director/writers I’ve seen in Hollywood. Not that he’s a bad film maker, although films like “Lockout,” “From Paris With Love,” and the “Arthur and the Invisibles Trilogy” could prove me otherwise, but tends to have many ideas he wants to put in films, yet has a hard time keeping it in check. Thankfully, he has plenty of films that have worked like “The Fifth Element,” “Taken,” “The Family,” and “Leon: The Professional” showcasing that he is capable of making it work. And today, we take a look at Besson’s newest film, “Lucy.”

                The film tells of a young woman named Lucy, who is tricked into delivering a new type of drug that allows the human mind to access 100% of their brain, as opposed to the usually 10% we normally use. The deliveries are made by surgically inserting the bag into her body, but the bag soon gets opened from an injury, resulting in the drugs entering her bloodstream. Now with her mind absorbing knowledge and all kinds of new abilities, she has only 24 hours to get the remaining drugs back, and get her knowledge to the people who are studying this phenomenon.

                “Lucy” is a strange case of a film, as it has so many inventive ideas and structure going on, yet in the end it doesn't seem to find a proper footing for itself. It makes it difficult for me to talk about whether the film’s good or bad, without sounding like I’m just rambling. The best way I can describe this movie, is it’s a lot like how “Transcendence” turned out, having a good premise and ideas, but with an execution that isn’t up to par; hell, both films even have Morgan Freeman in them.

                Scarlett Johansson as the titular character, when the film was starting out, had shown the shift in tone from a ditzy blond to one so smart that she can’t feel pain or any kind of emotion; and to the film’s credit, this really did start to get me invested in her arc in the first act. Hell, that scene of her talking to her mother, saying how she’s suddenly remembering everything that happened in her life from the day she was a fetus, was actually quite touching. However, what ruins the tension is the fact that when they’re on this pursuit for the remaining drugs and facing the dealers, it isn't much of a struggle due to one detail: using more than 30% apparently gives you telekinesis. That means that Lucy is practically a superhero, so it’s hard to have that much sympathy for her, especially when they confirmed that she’ll be dead within 24 hours of the drug entering her system. The best way I can describe this is…Neo in “The Matrix,” going into the sequels afterwards. You see him in this a weaker state, only for him to become like this super being that can basically do almost anything. Hell, there’s even a scene in the film where her cop friend, played by Amr Waked, asked why she should bother keeping him with her, since she’s capable of doing pretty much everything on her own. Her response is “you’re a reminder.” A reminder for what? Humanity? If that was it, then why didn’t you just say that?

                Choi Min-sik, the guy from the original “Oldboy,” plays the drug-lord, Jang. And to his credit, he’s good with what he’s given…but that’s all he is in the film, a drug lord. Hell, we don’t even know what his backstory is, or how he was able to get such a drug like this. Was it an experimental drug that he was finally going to release to the public? How did he acquire such a drug? Question like these are never answered throughout this film.

                With all the ideas and questions behind it all, it’s hard for me to recommend this film, because of all the bat-shit insane executions that Besson gives them, which was the opposite effect that “Transcendence” had. I felt like if a different director had handled Besson’s script, it could have turned out to be a really calculative gem. However, that’s not the case. Is “Lucy” the worst film of the year? No, I’ve seen FAR worse. Is it the best? Not by a long-shot. Maybe if you can catch the film at a discount, Netflix, Redbox, or TV, then I’d say check it out. Maybe you might get a different response.

Rating: 4/10

Sex Tape (Dear Hollywood: Fuck You!!)

                You know…I know there are films that can piss people off to a major extent. Hell, I myself have had moments like that, where I’ve lost my shit over a few films, a couple of which happened this year…but this one managed to bring me to an overwhelming amount of hatred…and it’s called “Sex Tape.”

                “Sex Tape” is about a couple, who have both lost their sex drive, so their solution to fixing that is to make a porno, which soon gets uploaded to multiple devices that their friends, family, and mailman own; so they pursue in a chase to get them back before anybody views it.

                Does this premise sound funny to you? If it doesn’t, then thankfully you still have some brain cells left in you. Now if you think the premise is stupid and retarded already, then you have no idea, because this film is the bane of film-making. And for a premise revolving around a porno, it just makes you wish you stayed home and watched ACTUAL porn instead. Not a single damn joke in this film made me laugh, nor did any of these actors feel genuine; and I say actors, because these where not characters, they were actors being in this film just to make a quick pay check. This whole entire film…excuse me, THING, was just nothing but a dated concept, filled with hammered in product placement, non-existent acting, and tasteless jokes that make even Paulie Shore cringe at. Hell, this whole thing feels like a bad cheap episode of a sitcom, like it was a scrapped idea for an episode of “Seinfeld” that someone found in a trash can and decided “Hmm, well it’s crap, but people will eat it up anyway.”

                Jason Segel has officially proven to me that he’s no longer funny when he’s writing his own crap, because he doesn’t even give a damn about it. The fact that he keeps writing himself as the main lead and love interest, has gotten completely stale, especially when he’s constantly writing himself getting naked in too many scenes to count. When is he going to learn that being naked is not funny? If “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “The Five-Year Engagement” have proven one thing, it’s that nudity isn’t comedy; it’s just awkward and gross, especially when it’s constantly shoved in our faces; John Turturro in “Transformers 2” had more dignity than this. Look, I really don’t want to harp on Jason Segel this much, but the only time his writing worked well was with “The Muppets.” Everything else has just been complete and utter cow-shit. Not only that, but the character he wrote for himself is an absolute dumbass. For a guy who has had multiple iPads and has had them drop into his lap for years, how is it he doesn’t know how to remotely wipe stuff, until some douchebag kid tells him that? I have siblings Segel’s age, and even THEY know how this shit works! Fuck you, movie, I’m not stupid!

Cameron Diaz in this film is just a complete bitch in this movie. And by that, I mean she gets mad at her husband for not deleting a simple video of them having sex, despite the fact that it was HER idea to begin with! But here’s an idea: why not just use an actual video camera, instead of a fucking iPad, so you can actually make it a sex tape? You know, because IT’S CALLED “SEX TAPE!” Or how about the scene where she does blow with her boss, Rob Lowe, while Jason Segel is looking for his iPad, when it was CLEARLY by the front door? And then, she gets mad at him, after he gets mad at her when he was being mauled by a dog, in which she blames him for?! Diaz has really let her career go down shit-creek, since she hasn’t done a good movie, aside from voice-acting, in over a decade. Hell, I think the last film that I liked her in was “Gangs of New York,” which came out in 2002! I think that should be a sign for her to fire her agent, and/or kick his/her ass, since she’s in a film, playing a bitch to her husband. But then again, I’m not surprised, since we’re talking about a man who asks Siri for help on how to help a dog breathe.

Which brings me to my next point: the product placement. To anyone who was constantly bitching and moaning about the product placement in “Man of Steel,” you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. There is constant product placement, everywhere you look in this movie, even from the trailers along; Adam Sandler movies have more subtly in their product placement than this filth! And the product placement is a central part in this film, since the ““““sex tape”””” was uploaded to “the cloud.” Hell, there’s even a scene where Jason Segel sees the thing uploaded on each of his devices, from smallest to biggest. Gee, it’s like all those devices are connected somehow…UUUUGGGGGHHH!!! Fuck...YOU, movie! I'm not STUPID!!

The children in this movie are also made out to be some of the most obnoxious and unlikable pieces of shit I have seen in film. You know those lousy archetypes that film makers have represent children that I was talking about in my “Begin Again” review? THIS is exactly what I’m talking about, only much worse. The kids in the first “Purge” movie were more likable than any kid in this film! Oh, and did I mention that the neighbor’s kid is the villain? Yeah, Rob Corddry and Ellie Kemper’s kid, is the one who saw the porno and blackmails the two by threatening to upload it to the internet, for twenty-five grand, so he can buy a horse…okay Segel, AND Nicholas Stoller…I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but…NOBODY IN THIS ECONOMY IS THAT FUCKING RICH IN THE SUBARBS!! And I don’t care if you give out the argument about “oh he’s just a kid,” because no kid would be this much of a fucking asshole or even know about porn, at the age he is, unless his parents were just as douchey. Then again, Corddry and Kemper are lousy parents in this film, since they don’t bother to trust their friend, by simply checking their son’s computer, despite the fact that he acts evil right in front of him; that, and the fact that Corddry and Kemper have sex AND watch the porno in Segel and Diaz's car. So not only does this film represent children in a hateful way, it also represents PARENTING and friendship in a terrible way. FUCK…YOU…MOVIE!

Oh, and did I mention that Jack Black is in the movie? Yeah, Jack Black plays the CEO of YouPorn, which is only an excuse to namedrop other big name porn industries and websites. Okay, first of all, YouPorn only makes this idea seem more dated, since there are other and better websites to check out porn; second, here we go with more product placement…fuck you, movie. Third, instead of just going to the headquarters of YouPorn, why the fuck didn’t they just call the damn cops?! Or even better, punch the kid and then delete it off his computer! It worked for Mark Wahlberg in “Ted.”

Speaking of Seth MacFarlene, I have to bring this up: there was an episode of “Family Guy,” which I’m sure some of you know about, where Lois did a porno back in her college days, and it’s rediscovered and told to the public. And at the end, she basically shows it to the town, embracing the fact that she did something stupid, but isn’t ashamed of it anymore, which is the message of that episode. What’s the message of “Sex Tape?” Don’t be an idiot, or else hijinks! If an episode of “Family Guy” has more meaning and laughs, than a $43 million comedy starring some of Hollywood’s funniest actors…that’s just depressing.

It makes me even sadder, because there are millions of people out there, like myself that have really engaging ideas for films, and have to resort to doing them independently, so they can keep their visions true. They actually want to challenge viewers and show them a story that is meaningful to them, and CAN BE for audiences who take the time to view them. However, their dreams won’t get the recognition because of crap like this! And I know, films are subjective…but if THIS is what’s passing for films, then I’m getting old!

Jake Kasdan, who directed “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” isn’t the best comedic director, but he at least knows how to give a decent enough film! But I don’t blame him for this film, since no one could possibly make this hack screenplay work in any way. Let’s just hope that his next film is nothing like this abomination to film making!

You know, “Movie 43” was a disgrace to Hollywood, and is undoubtedly a prime example on how to NOT make a film…however, I think “Sex Tape” may have surpassed how bad comedy can go! Because even though “Movie 43” had more talent behind it, as far as casting goes, it was dead from the start, due to it being penned by a bunch of hacks who have no talent, so there was no question it was bad; “Sex Tape” HAD talent, or at least what was left of it, and it fucking sucked every drop out of each and every one of the people it was able to snatch, and straight up waste it on cheapness and selling out. That’s right people…I said “Sex Tape” was worse than “Movie 43,” by a LONGSHOT!

FUCK THIS MOVIE, AND ANYBODY WHO HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT!!

Rating: 1/10

GODDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!



If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch "(500) Days of Summer" and listen to "Jersey Boys," to try and revive my faith in film making.

Tammy

                Melissa McCarthy in recent years has gained recognition as one of the funniest female comedians in Hollywood. While she may have started out on “Gilmore Girls,” it wasn’t until her Oscar nominated performance in “Bridesmaids” that she started to get into the spotlight. Since then, she’s worked on “The Heat,” and “Identity Thief,” which were also very funny films, and they show she has great chemistry when it comes to other big name stars. Hell, I still think she was the only funny thing in “The Hangover Part III.” Today, we take a look at her newest film which she produced, wrote, and starred in, “Tammy.”

                In this film, McCarthy plays Tammy; an overweight woman-child who loses her job at a fast-food joint, and finds out her husband is cheating on her. In response to this, she decides to finally get out of town with her grandmother, played by Susan Sarandon, and from there on out, it’s shenanigans throughout the way.

                Was this as good as McCarthy’s other films? Sadly, it isn’t, and it comes from one major, MAJOR problem in the film…the setup for this film is just plain lazy. And what I mean is, the conflict of Tammy finding out that her husband is cheating on her isn’t put as much focus on as it should have; instead, it’s just an excuse for Tammy to just throw a fit and go crying to her mom about it, who just happens to live next door. I know that’s the main setup with the character, that she’s basically a big child, and that’s what a good amount of the jokes set upon, but I felt like it could have worked better if it had a director that was best known for doing characters that way, like Jon Favreau or even Adam McKay, who produced this film with Will Ferrell, the king of playing man-childs. Instead, McCarthy’s husband, Ben Falcone, has the beginning directed like it was tacked on at the last minute, just to give a reason for the film to REALLY start.

                The film is a supposed buddy road movie, but why was that so hard to market? The film’s trailers started out setting up some sort of fast-food heist film, like Tammy was going to get back at the business for firing her, and she does it on the run…but no, all we get is a film that’s just Melissa McCarthy and Susan Sarandon on the road, making jokes. And don’t get me wrong, the jokes themselves are funny, but you get my point. Oh, and did I mention that Dan Aykroyd’s in this movie? Yeah, he plays Tammy’s father, but he’s really underused in this film, and I was hoping for so much more.

                What was weird for me was that some of the cast members in this film were all from “The Way Way Back,” which was my favorite film of 2013. Nat Faxon plays Tammy’s cheating husband, Toni Collette plays the girl Faxon’s cheating with, and Allison Janney is playing Tammy’s mother; with how they got these people back together in another film, I kept expecting a big joke to come at the end, like Steve Carrell popping up in a cameo or something.

                I’ll give the film credit; the acting is actually pretty good. Nothing special, but it did show that these people did care about being in the film. Hell, I’d even say Susan Sarandon manages to bring out some of the funniest lines in the film, even if her character did seem to get a little too overboard. Kathy Bates and Sandra Oh also appear in the film, playing Sarandon’s lesbian cousin and cousin-in-law, and they manage to do a good enough job. I’ll even admit, I did like the touching moments between Tammy and her love interest, Bobby, played by Mark Duplass; granted, he was just playing the average schmoe, but he did alright.

                Overall, “Tammy” is a film that I can’t necessarily recommend as much as I could. The script needed some polishing, and a director who was a bit more experienced. If you like Melissa McCarthy, I’m sure you’ll like this film fine; but for those looking for a much more consistent comedy, I’d probably say go watch “The Lego Movie,” which you can rent at your local Redbox. It’s not that good, but I wasn’t mad at it…you want to know what DOES make me mad though? It’s the fact that people on IMDB think this film was worse than “Sex Tape”…we’ll be going over THAT one next time.

Rating: 5/10

The Purge: Anarchy

                Last year, Platinum Dunes gave us the first film in their filmography that wasn’t a remake or prequel. It was a new film that was, gasp, an original concept: “The Purge.” In that film, they set up this world about America’s new government, ten years from now, setting up a holiday where all crime is legal for twelve hours; meaning, people could kill and beat the ever loving shit out of anyone they so please. The one big problem with the film? This world was wasted for a stupid home invasion movie, and having kid characters that make Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” have a higher I.Q. level. It was just boring, lazily paced, and made it seem like two-and-a-half hours, when the film didn’t even reach the ninety-minute mark. Waste of an idea, wasted potential, and waste of Ethan Hawke’s time.

                When a sequel was announced to come out the following year, I wasn’t too excited…however, when the trailer for the film started coming out, it looked like it was doing what we were asking for, and expand on this world and what it does. And that’s exactly what the film does, after I viewed it. No home invasions, no stupid kids (sort of), and no potential wasted.

                In “The Purge: Anarchy,” we see the people of Los Angeles prepare for whatever chaos may approach this year. It follows a cop, a mother with her daughter, and a young couple, being dragged out into the Purge, by groups of black-ops and bounty-hunters gathering up locals who are trying to stay out of the fray. That’s pretty much how I can describe the plot to you, because if I went any further, it’d pretty much spoil the rest of the film.

                Throughout the whole film, it actually felt like the film makers heard about the harsh comments said about the first film, and (in a rare occurrence from Hollywood) actually listened to the suggestions given out. The people in this film do question this day that goes on; they show the brutality that happens on the streets; they show us what changes have been made after a few years; they show what happens to the people who refuse to purge, or who have had enough. There’s even a rebellion that goes against the NFFA (New Founding Fathers of America) about the consequences of the events, which opens up to the many possibilities that can come about.

                While they do expand on this world and concept, I can’t say the same, completely, about the characters in the film. The characters in this film are basically playing archetypes of what they’re supposed to be, and don’t quite have an identity to them, making it hard to sympathize with them when tragedy is brought up or happens. Also, for a horror film, it isn’t that scary…but I digress.

                Writer/director James DeMonaco has shown some sensibility in doing something that most people in Hollywood don’t normally do, and that’s LISTEN! While it wasn’t really that perfect, I’m at least thankful that he took note of what the people were saying and was able to grant at least 75% of it. If anything, maybe this is going the path of an anthology series, which would lead into what else goes around the world during these dark hours.

                Overall, “The Purge: Anarchy” is an example of a sequel that took note of what the viewers had said, and did just that. In all honesty, I’d say it’s even Platinum Dunes best film to date. It’s not great, far from it…but it’s still good.

Rating: 7/10

Begin Again

                Music is one of the key things in life that are subjective; there could be certain songs or genres in general that one may like that others don’t, and vice-versa. There’s always going to be an audience for at least every song, no matter how bad of a press it gets. I’m no musical enthusiast, but I can tell when I can tell when I like a song or not after a couple listens. With that being said, let’s talk about the new Mark Ruffalo and Kiera Knightley film, “Begin Again.”

                The film tells the story of Dan Mulligan, a music producer who has been struggling through life and trying to maintain a connection with his daughter after a divorce. When he loses his job, he goes to a bar and meets Gretta, the ex-girlfriend of a popular musician, and wants to publish her music. After being turned down for her song, the two decide to gather other street musicians and make an outdoor album band, with the help of Gretta’s friend, Steve, and Dan’s old-friend and rap-producer, Trouble-Gum.

                Needless to say, this film starting out wasn’t really anything special…however, as the film went on, I ended up liking the development and chemistry between Dan and Gretta. So after watching it a second time, I ended up actually loving the story and these characters, because of how real it all felt. The raw emotion and charisma of each of these characters share when they’re onscreen is some of the most heartfelt I’ve seen this year.

                Mark Ruffalo and Kiera Knightley give the best performances they have ever given, showing us real people with problems that come into life; separation, broken hearts, loss of faith, trying to find that light of happiness, all of those struggles are what’s shown in this film simply by these two alone. If anything, they deserve to at least be nominated for Best Actor and Actress, that’s all I ask. And it’s not just them; James Corden, better known as Smithy on “Gavin & Stacy,” showed a lot of personality in the film as Steve. He actually cares about what happens with Gretta, and he always manages to be a charming guy when he needs to be. Corden has really been starting to become one of my favorite actors as of late, and I hope he can bring that same charm in the “Into the Woods” movie.

                Hailee Steinfeld plays Dan’s daughter, Violet, and she also manages to bring out a very realistic performance, as the modern day teenage girl who tries to dress slutty just for attention. She actually is a person, and not just some cardboard cut-out of what one is supposed to be; for those hack writers who have been writing teenagers or kids like bible-camp graduates, like in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” watch this film and take notes on what REAL characters are. Adam Levine of Maroon 5 plays Dave, Gretta’s ex and popular musician, and he actually did pretty damn well. He’s basically playing a character that’s a take on most ego-musicians, but the big difference is Dave’s sense of humanity. Yeah, he’s a douche, but he actually has feelings and does feel guilty about what his actions, unlike talentless hacks like Justin Buttfuck and Miley Sucksit. We also get an appearance by CeeLo Green as TroubleGum, the rap producer that Dan helped get to fame and fortune. I’ve been kind of mild on CeeLo in terms of music, but as an actor he actually is pretty decent; I think it was easy for him, due to the character just basically being him in a way. There’re also appearances by Mos Def and Catherine Keener, who play Dan’s boss and ex-wife, and they manage to be memorable as well, and I hope to see more of their work in the future.

The songs in the film are also really good too, and the people singing them, mostly Knightley and Corden, are really damn good. The film was written and directed by John Carney, the man who brought us the film “Once.” While I wasn’t too crazy about that film, this one manages to hit a home run really well. It’s a film that pokes fun at most music of today being total shit, and acknowledges the work of struggling musicians trying to bring out something that actually has meaning.

Overall, “Begin Again” is a strong contender for my favorite film of the year, and I really hope the Academy shows some recognition for this film, and not just in the technical aspects. I want this to get nominated in the big four acting categories, along with Best Picture.

Rating: 10/10

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

                The “Planet of the Apes” series is one of those sci-fi franchises that I don’t particularly have much thought on. I do respect the original for being one of the most inspiring films of all time, and for giving out one of the greatest twist endings that no-one has ever been able to top; the thing is, the series isn’t really my thing. The sequels, with the exception of “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes,” I could care less about, just in how forgettable they were getting. When Tim Burton made his revision of the series, it was memorable…just for all the wrong reasons. In fact, some have started calling that film, “Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals: The Movie.”

                This then bring us to the next attempt at a reboot, Rupert Wyatt’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” starring James Franco and Andy Serkis. When the film came out, I wasn’t really that invested from the trailers, so I didn’t see the movie. However, when I heard about the praise it was getting, I decided to check it out on TV one day, and…it was actually a pretty good film. In fact, I’d say it was the best film in the series, since the original, as it did show a different path the apes would conquer through today’s and tomorrow’s modern sciences. While the overusing of CGI and nods to the series were distracting, I still enjoyed the film for what it was showcasing, and had some interest in seeing the sequel.

                In “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” directed by Matt Reeves of “Cloverfield” fame, a decade has passed since the overtaking of San Francisco, with the apes colonizing in the forests, some of which have lived peaceful lives with their families. Things get out of hand, however, when humans enter into the territory, seeking the dam for power, resulting in a constant struggle of whether peace will come about, or war breaking out between man and ape. Now was this good? Yes, in fact, I’d say it’s on-par with “Rise,” mostly due to it having some troubling things for me.

                What got on my nerves was the CGI being a little overused again, when it came to the elk and horses, whenever the apes were chasing or riding them. Some of their movements really made them look unrealistic, but not enough to make it unbearable. The other thing that was hard to sit through was some of the human characters; some are just the typical survival stereotypes that were either annoying as hell, or incredibly bland. The only one who I actually thought had any character to develop him was Gary Oldman as the human colony’s supposed leader; when you see that scene of him looking at a picture of his family on a tablet for the first time in years, you feel the harsh emotion that is going through him. I really wish he was in the film longer, because he was one of the only humans in the film I felt sympathy for. The other two, Jason Clarke and Keri Russell, were okay, but not as relatable as how Oldman was.

                The biggest dull thing for me, were the clichés that you can spot at from a mile away. The misunderstood betrayal, the “I hate you, then I like you” bit, the “war is awful” montage, etc. It made the film seem pretty predictable, but I’ll admit they were done nicely.

                Okay, enough of the negatives; what WAS good about this film? Well, I can definitely say the effects on the apes are done very strongly, especially with that opening and ending close-up on Caesar’s face really do make it seem like that’s a legit ape; it’s definitely an upgrade from the previous film. I also loved the scenes of the apes interacting with one another through sign language. Even when they do speak English, it really does add to the atmosphere of it all. That’s another thing; the atmosphere of this movie is really settling, allowing you to soak in the film as it goes along. That’s one of the strong points this reboot has had, convincing you that something like this could potentially happen if possible.

                The best part of this film, and a major redeemer of some of the negative stuff, was Andy Serkis as Caesar. Much like the last film, his performance through the motion-capture technology is stunning to watch, and really makes it a wonder to watch; if anything, the film is worth watching just for his performance alone, and I do wish the Academy would show him some recognition this role! I also enjoyed the performances from the other apes as well, showing different personalities between them and how they work off each other. I honestly do wish this film was more about the apes trying to live life through what damages were caused and how they rebuilt their own society…maybe we’ll get that in the next installment.

                Overall, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” was a very intriguing film that had a lot going for it. While there were some character and cliché flaws, it still manages to give out the right atmosphere and presence that makes it all the worthwhile, especially for Andy Serkis. It’s definitely worth a watch, if you’re up for it.

Rating: 8/10

Deliver Us From Evil

                Horror films…man, has beating a dead horse never been so true than with this genre. For the past ten or twenty years, we’ve hardly been able to get a good amount of horror films without a boat load of bad ones flooding the theaters, like it was a plague. Most of these “horror films” just turn out to be nothing but jump-scares, found-footage bores, or pointless gore-fests. And this time around, we get two-out-of-three of those filling up today’s film, “Deliver Us From Evil.”

                Based on the true story of Ralph Sarchie, we follow two cops in the Bronx investigating the paranormal crimes that are connected by three soldiers, after a mysterious demonic force overcomes them in Iraq. One severely beat his wife in front of their daughter, one was left dead in a basement, and the other is the one controlling people close to them to do horrible things.

Now while I do think that this scenario is genuinely interesting, I can’t say the same for the execution of it all. And that’s the biggest problem with this film; the execution of the film could have been done so much stronger than what this makes it out to be. Instead, what we get is a film that showcases creepy imagery and frightening elements, but in the end I felt so bored to where I was almost checking my watch every five to seven minutes. The film is only two minutes from two hours, yet it feels like two and a half, due to slow pacing.

Eric Bana plays Ralph Sarchie in the film, and I can see he’s trying his best to make this work…but his accent is just so dull, I could have sworn he was trying to do a British accent, if the film didn’t remind me this was the Bronx. You do see some turmoil with him, but not to where you emotionally care about what happens to this guy. Sean Harris, (yes, the mental guy from “Prometheus”) plays the possessed villain, and all I can say was he was all but scary. Not a single damn scene he was in was frightening, intimidating, or even original; the latter is especially true, because his look in the film is just Jared Nomak from “Blade II.” It’s like this film was trying to tell us that there’s no effort put into this film, which there almost isn’t, not even in the cast. Hell, Joel McHale’s in the movie, playing Bana’s partner, and even HE isn’t used properly, despite a few one-liners; you could have easily edited him out of this film, and it would have been the exact same thing.

The director of this film was Scott Derrickson, the same guy who directed “Sinister.” Whereas THAT film was actually scary and investing, this film just feels just as uninventive as his other film, “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” and his remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” He has potential, just doesn’t use it when it’s needed. Let’s just hope he does give out effort for his upcoming Doctor Strange movie.

Overall, “Deliver Us From Evil” is yet again another clichéd modern Hollywood horror film. All it is, is just a bunch of stupid jump-scares, underused acting, and is just another boring flick. That’s the word for this film people: BORING.

Rating: 2/10

Jersey Boys

                Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are one of the most memorable and iconic bands in the world of music, and are still recognized to this day for each of their songs. Sure, not everyone knows the band, but they do know the songs. Songs, like “December 1963,” “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Bye Bye Baby,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes off You,” are examples of their most popular hits. Case and point, you’ve heard at least one song from these people, and there’s no denying it.

In 2005, the story of the Four Seasons was turned into a Tony award winning juke-box musical, under the name “Jersey Boys,” which has recently been turned into a theatrical film, directed by Clint Eastwood. The film tells us the true story of Frankie Valli and Tommy DeVito, who grew up on the streets of Jersey, being common trouble-makers, and being regular club performers, with their buddy Nick Massi. When they feel they’re ready to get into the record business, they are introduced to Bobby Gaudio, and the rest of the film shows us the rise and fall of the iconic band through each of their narratives.

What gives this film a unique twist here, is that it’s a biopic first and a musical second; and by that, I mean that it focuses more on the lives and relationships of these characters, and only letting the musical moments happen very little. In fact, I can only think of three or four times when a song was performed fully. It may be different from the typical musical, but I think it seems fitting for this kind of story. People tend to criticize musicals because they often pause the moment for the sake of a song; and while I do disagree with them on it, I can understand what they mean. However, the musical bits in this film do make sense, since it is a film about musicians, and they are performing for a recording, TV, or a local club.

The cast also does fantastic as well, especially since Clint Eastwood knows how to get a good cast going for his films. Christopher Walken has an appearance in the film as Gyp DeCarlo, the real life loansharker who had mob ties with popular singers, like Frank Sinatra. As always, it’s an enjoyment to see Christopher Walken give it his style of acting, and does manage to contribute to the film quite a bit. One thing that really did seem a bit off to me was Joey Russo as Joe Pesci, the one who introduced Bob Gaudio to Tommy and his friends (and yes, it’s the actor, Joe Pesci, we are talking about here); the reason he threw me off, is that I didn't exactly know how to feel about his performance, because he does have a few mannerisms that Pesci is known for, as well as throw in a reference to “Goodfellas” in there as well.

(Fun Fact: Joe Pesci’s character in “Goodfellas” was based on Thomas DeSimone, but was changed to Tommy DeVito, who was also the Four Seasons member and friend of Pesci.)

                While the supporting cast manages to do a good job with what they can do, it’s our main characters that we’ve come to see for the film. They all do magnificently well, and I was especially happy to see that John Lloyd Young still has the same charm and voice that he had, when he first performed as Frankie Valli on Broadway almost ten years ago. However, the one who gave the best performance, in my opinion, was Vincent Piazza as Tommy DeVito. The emotion that you see in his eyes when he’s down in debt shows just how broken he’s been getting during the tour, is definitely one of the most strong-felt performances I’ve seen this year, and I’m hoping he gets an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. I mean, if they can give Meryl Streep and Oscar for “The Iron Lady,” which was a mediocre mess, I don’t see why Piazza can’t get a nomination at the very least for this.

                Overall, “Jersey Boys” is a fantastic film that I had a lot of fun with, and will most likely be on my best of the year list. It really does bug me how this film is getting low press, because this is way better than what most people are depicting it to be (I’m looking at YOU, Kristian Harloff).

Rating: 10/10

Transformers: Age of Extinction

     Well…the time has come once again, for another “Transformers” film. And to be perfectly honest, I didn’t really care about the films from the beginning. Seriously, I couldn’t give less of a shit if I tried. While I may have been a fan for a short time, my enjoyment for it died out within the span of a couple years. Since then, I didn’t really have much interest over what else would come from the franchise. When I saw trailers for the first film, I didn’t go see it, because I wasn’t into the stuff anymore; when I caught it off tv months afterwards, I just thought it was mediocre. Then we get the second one, which I didn’t bother going to see, due to a phase I was going through; when I finally saw it, I didn’t like it. Then we get to the third film, which I wasn’t planning on seeing to begin with, because I thought it would have been much of the same stuff; and it pretty much was, but there were some elements that I did enjoy, and actually started to have a bit of investment in. However, looking back on it, there really isn’t a whole lot about it that stood out that much for me.

                Case and point, I don’t care about “Transformers” as much as everyone else does. So going into the fourth film, I went in just simply to kill time, since I literally had nothing else to do that day. And…what are my thoughts? Well…let's find out.

                Years after the events in Chicago, Cade Yeager, an inventor, finds a badly beaten Optimus and helps him back up to full speed, only to result in him and his family being tracked down. The reason for this is that the Transformers are being hunted by the government, so they can get the metal they’re made of, and by Lockdown, a hunter who has put a bounty on Optimus Prime, to add to his collection. While the film does have some elements that work, the rest of it turns out to be much of the same shtick that Michael Bay’s been putting in the previous films.

We still have comic reliefs, we still have a hot girl in the middle of action, and we even have some of the generic government crap that’s always common in these films. It isn’t as bad as when it was done the first time around, but when it’s constantly being repeated in each of these films, it tends to get tiresome. Granted, the comic reliefs aren’t done as badly as the Whitwickys, but I digress. My point is, when you get down to it, these films have repeating elements, only with slight changes here and there, and it just tends to get stale and boring, even when you have action scenes that we’ve seen beforehand.

One thing that was a slight nuisance was the resurrection of Megatron, now brought back as Galvatron, was man-made and originally set out to be a government controlled Optimus Prime. For those who don’t know, Galvatron wasn’t Megatron resurrected by humans; he was revived by Unicron, the planet eating Transformer. People, I’m not a Transformers fan, and EVEN I know this! That, and the film is TWO HOURS AND FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LONG!! This thing is as long as “The Lone Ranger,” and it really gets tiresome! Seriously, somebody get a proper editor for these films!

Now, is there a silver lining to this film? Well, of course. For starters, the tone of the film is very serious, aside from some annoying bits. You actually do feel some act of desperation with the characters, both human and robot. Some have criticized Optimus going a bit psycho, but I actually can understand the turmoil he’s going through. I mean, he’s lost some of his only friends to the people who he’s been protecting for years, and this is how they repay him; I’d go a little fucking nuts too, if this happened to me. Not only that, but with some of the action scenes, we actually do get a bit more color to depict which Transformers are what, instead of being completely metal blurs throughout the whole thing. Hell, I’ll even admit the action is a little bit better than the first two.

That brings us to the two actors that really do their best here: Kelsey Grammar and Mark Wahlberg. Grammar as a government agent does do a pretty damn good job here, but I’d be lying if it wasn’t out of place. I mean, the man’s really damn good in the film, but he feels more like a “Die Hard” villain than he does a Transformers villain. Then there’s Marky Mark as Cade Yeager, who is a HUGE improvement over Shia LaButtfuck in the previous films. For one, Mark actually does look like he gives a damn in this film, and can really make half of the stupid shit in the script work to his advantage and make it funny. Hell, there’s a scene in the movie where he crashes a spaceship into a car, and the driver asks for his insurance, to which he responds with “oh yeah, insurance on a goddamn spaceship! Get me my alien gun, Lucas!” and just cracks open a beer that got scattered onto the street and jugs it. It works, because Mark is that damn good of an actor, and Cade is an actual character that does shit! In all honesty, if this film was just edited down to at least two hours, and was the true first “Transformers” movie given back in 2007, it would be worth it just for Mark as Cade.

                Overall, “Transformers: Age of Extinction” is nothing new, at least to me. I did like Mark Wahlberg and Kelsey Grammar, as well as few other things, but with some of the repetitive stuff and how long it is…I’ll let you decide.

Rating: 5/10

22 Jump Street

                Back in the 80’s, one of the most popular tv shows at the time was “21 Jump Street,” about a couple of cops who go undercover as high school kids, breaking in all sorts of crimes. The film may have been a bit corny, but it had a charm to it that still makes it worth watching as a product of its time. It was also the tv show that really got up-and-coming young actor, Johnny Depp, more into the public, after “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Funny, an actor starting on the streets.

                It was then in 2012, a film adaptation of the show was brought to the big screen, starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum…and if you remember my “Best & Worst of 2012,” you would know that I hated this movie. I was originally going to review that film back when I finally saw it, but I just couldn’t find the right words for it, so here’s my chance to explain my feelings. So, why didn’t I like the movie? Simple: it wasn’t funny and I thought these characters were stereotypical and bland. I thought what they were doing in the film was just some of the same juvenile crap that was being done in other R rated action comedies, with hardly anything going for it. I’m not particularly a fan of Jonah Hill, which is why I didn’t see much appeal coming from him, like everyone else does. It also got me mad, because this was directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the guys who made “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” “The Lego Movie,” and “Clone High,” so I know these guys can be really funny.

                So much to my disliking, you can figure that I wasn’t looking forward to the sequel, “22 Jump Street.” However, after viewing films like “This is the End” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” which showed my Hill could really act and be funny when needed, I decided to give the guy a second chance, much like I did Seth Rogen this year. And much to my surprise…I could not have found myself laughing harder than when I was in the theater. In “22 Jump Street,” Schmidt and Jenko get set into another drug case at MC State, after a student is overdosed on WHYPHY. While there, they soon get themselves into more shenanigans, like conflicts with frat boys, girls, and football.

Throughout the film, I had to check my pulse every time I was laughing, to check that I was alive, because this is not the kind of comedy I like. Somehow, I don’t know what they did, but they made a very funny movie. The film ranges from fourth wall jokes, surprise jokes, slapstick, and even sophomoric humor, and it all worked! Not only does the returning cast do a great job with their deliveries, but we also get some great cameos from Patton Oswalt, Queen Latifah, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Jon Benjamin, and even Richard Grieco, who played Dennis Booker on the show.

                   The only thing that I wasn’t too big on, was the film making fun at some of the clichés that most buddy films do, yet are guilty of doing them later on. The splitting up, the moping, the fights, we’ve seen it all. It really bugs me when a film that pokes fun at clichés, do those clichés later on, making it pretty hypocritical.

                Other than that, “22 Jump Street” was a big surprise for me. It managed to keep my attention going, have some hilarious humor, and allow itself to be fresher than what I thought of previously. Hell, I might consider re-watching the first film, to see if it really was all that bad to begin with.

Rating: 9/10