Maleficent

Distributor:         Walt Disney Studios

Year:                    2014

MPAA:                  PG

Content:               AC, V

Genres:                FAN/FAM/DRA

Technical:            2.40:1 (HD)

Runtime:              97 mins.

Country:               USA

Language:            English

Budget:                 $180M

 

CAST

Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Sam Riley, Brenton Thwaites, Kenneth Cranham & Hannah New

 

CREDITS

Director: Robert Stromberg; Screenwriter: Linda Woolverton; Producer: Joe Roth; Director Of Photography: Dean Semler; Production Designers: Gary Freeman & Dylan Cole; Editors: Chris Lebenzon & Richard Pearson; Costume Designer: Anna B. Sheppard; Music Composer: James Newton Howard

 

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

Maleficent is a young faerie who lives in the magical forest realm known as The Moors. She falls in love with human boy Stefan, but their respective kingdoms are at war. Years later, Maleficent (Jolie) defeats the forces of King Henry (Cranham)—to which he decrees that any man who can destroy Maleficent will earn his kingdom as prize. Ambitious and cunning, the grown Stefan (Copley) rendezvous with Maleficent under the pretense of courtship and drugs her. He steals her magical wings (without killing her) as proof of her death and eventually becomes King.

Enraged, Maleficent magically reworks the Moors into a kingdom of Darkness and converts a human man, Diaval (Riley), into a raven for nefarious purposes. The bird informs her that King Stefan has married Henry’s daughter Leila (New) and that they now have a daughter, Princess Aurora. At the christening, Maleficent appears and curses the child to everlasting sleep on her 16^th birthday by cutting herself on a spinning wheel. Only a kiss from Aurora’s true love will set her free. To protect his child, Stefan sends her into the woods with three pixies—pink Knotgrass (Stauntion), green Thistlewit (Temple) & blue Fittle (Mannville)—until the Princess turns 16.

Despite early distaste for the baby Aurora, Maleficent becomes quite fond of her as the years pass. Now almost 16, Aurora (Fanning) is a beautiful and vibrant young woman who thinks of Maleficent as her faerie godmother. She meets the strapping young Prince Phillip (Thwaites) and becomes smitten. Maleficent wants to revoke her curse—but cannot, as Destiny has a way of playing things out for the Princess, Maleficent and Stefan.

 

THE (mini) REVIEW

Directly based on the classic villainess of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959), Maleficent is a big-budget, handsomely-produced endeavor that stumbles though a clunky narrative, some bad casting (Ms. Jolie aside) and dull direction courtesy of first time helmer and Oscar^®-winning VFX maven Robert Stromberg (back-to-back winner for James Cameron’s Avatar [2009] and Tim Buton’s Alice In Wonderland [2010]. I was expecting a spectacle of fantasy on par with the recent (and superior) Snow White & The Huntsman (2012)—directed with more panache by Rupert Sanders. Instead, we get what is essentially a rape drama cloaked in Disney brand melancholia. WTF? Did Lars von Trier kidnap the entire production?

Part of the blame lies in the ambivalent screenplay written by Disney veteran scribe Linda Woolverston (Beauty And The Beast, The Lion King, Alice In Wonderland)—which she adapted not only from the ’59 Disney classic, but also from Franco-Anglo “Sleeping Beauty” stories dating back to the 1600s. What is the point of building up Maleficent as a nasty character if you’re merely going to turn her character arc in a complete 180º turn towards syrupy benevolence? And the aforementioned rape drama (young Maleficent’s wings are clipped after she’s been roofied by her supposed love, Stefan) inserted into the story? Not very appropriate for a Disney family flick, wouldn’t you say?

The other part of the blame falls on director Robert Stromberg’s head. No offense, but VFX folks don’t always make good directors (though editors usually do)—and Maleficent is treated as one big VFX & marketing bonanza instead of a potentially terrifying and fulfilling fairy tale that seems to lurk just below the story’s surface. As I understand it, Stromberg received uncredited help from veteran director John Lee Hancock (2002’s The Rookie, 2004’s The Alamo, Saving Mr. Banks) and probably learned how to direct a big-budget movie in the process.

Regarding the cast, the lovely Angelina Jolie steals the movie as Maleficent—decked out in hot black leather and slinking her way through the role she was born to play. Yummy. The only thing missing was a black leather whip to complete the wicked ensemble…but then again, this is a Disney picture, right? The rest of the cast—with the exception of young Thwaites (vapid) and Copley (miscast)—turn in good performances, with Riley earning props as the half-man/half-raven lackey character with a conscious.

Production values for this $180 million (boxofficemojo.com) epic are top-shelf across the board—and really the movie’s saving grace. The entire production was shot at the famed Pinewood Studios near London, England—with exterior forest sequences lensed in the bucolic region of Buckinghamshire. Kudos must go to first-time production designers Gary Freeman (Art Director for Sunshine, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, 47 Ronin) & Dylan Cole (Concept Artist for Alice In Wonderland, TRON: Legacy, Oz The Great And Powerful) for creating the gorgeous sets (40 in all) and bringing the faerie kingdom The Moors to life.

Veteran Aussie cinematographer Dean Semler (Oscar^®-winner for Dances With Wolves; also lensed The Road Warrior, Waterworld, Apocalypto, 2012) furnishes the movie with a handsome HD-widescreen palette of deep blacks, earthy greens and the occasional candlelight orange—courtesy of the ARRI^® Alexa Plus camera system fitted with PANAVISION^® Primo^® lenses (giving the imagery a robust look). However, given the accolades I’ve just heaped on the cinematography, I am still disappointed that Semler and his director opted for the HD package instead of the tried-and-true 35mm film option. By shooting Maleficent on film, they would have captured the surreal/otherworldly schema of fairy tale movies—such as Alex Thomson’s masterful lensing of Excalibur (1981; dir: John Boorman) and Legend (1985; dir: Ridley Scott). But, as it stands with the HD process, at least those Primo lenses spiff up the proceedings in this movie.

I though that master make-up artist Rick Baker’s design of Maleficent’s features are terrific—and it should be, considering he’s won 7 Oscars^® (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000711/awards?ref_=nm_awd) over the years. The make-up complements Maleficent’s aforementioned hot leather visage courtesy of veteran costume designer Anna B. Sheppard (Schindler’s List, Inglorious Basterds, Captain America: The First Avenger), along with the other visual tropes of medieval/fantasy costumery.

Smooth editing by veteran cutters Chris Lebenzon (Top Gun, Batman Returns, Alice In Wonderland, Dark Shadows) & Richard Pearson (Bowfinger, Men In Black II, The Bourne Supremacy, Quantum Of Solace) compliment a robust score by prolific composer James Newton Howard (Pretty Woman, Waterworld, I Am Legend, The Hunger Games Saga).

It is apparent that the technical aspects of Maleficent far outweigh its narrative virtues—which is a darn shame. This movie could have become a modern masterpiece of fairy tale storytelling—dark, decisive and encapsulated with its own intrinsic grandeur. Instead, we are given a dark story that Disney and the filmmakers water down for mass consumption. I’m pretty sure that Maleficent herself would whip me for saying so (bedazzled in that hot black leather ensemble, of course). Yep, I can only hope…

 

 

 

IMDB:                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587310/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maleficent_(film)

Official Site:          http://movies.disney.com/maleficent

Edge Of Tomorrow

Distributor:            Warner Bros.

Year:                       2014

MPAA:                     PG-13

Content:                  AC, AL, V

Genres:                   SCI / THR / FAN

Technical:               2.40:1 (35mm)

Runtime:                113 mins.

Country:                 USA

Language:              English

Budget:                  $178M

 

 

CAST

Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton, Jonas Armstrong, Tony Way, Kick Gurry, Franz Drameh, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Masayoshi Haneda, Terence Maynard & Noah Taylor

 

CREDITS

Director: Doug Liman; Screenwriters: Christopher McQuarrie & Jez Butterworth; Producers: Erwin Stoff, Tom Lassally, Jeffrey Silver, Gregory Jacobs & Jason Hoffs; Director Of Photography: Dion Beebe; Production Designer: Oliver Scholl; Editor: James Herbert; Costume Designer: Kate Hawley; Music Composer: Christophe Beck

 

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

In the Future, an alien race called Mimics attack the Earth and has taken over Europe. Brash PR-officer Major William Cage (Cruise) is sent to London where he is instructed by United Defense Forces General Brigham (Gleeson) to cover the upcoming Operation Downfall battle—where UDF forces storm the beaches of France to repel the Mimics. Cage makes the fatal error of trying to blackmail Brigham out of sending him. He is arrested, demoted and plopped onto the front lines under the command of tough Master Sergeant Farell (Paxton) and his J-Squad team. Inexperienced at warfare and weaponry, Cage manages to kill an Alpha-Mimic before dying (courtesy of doused Mimic blood) in a losing battle.

Instead of staying dead, Cage wakes up the same previous day and repeats it—stuck in a temporal time-loop thanks to the dousing of Mimic blood. Despite countless repeats and warnings to Farell & J-Squad, Cage continues to die on that beach. He meets Special Forces war hero Sgt. Rita Vrataski (Blunt) and convinces her of his dilemma as she too was doused with Mimic blood. She trains him for battle each “reboot” as they both plan a way to stop the loop—as well as defeat the Mimics in the process.

 

THE (mini) REVIEW

Starship Troopers (1997) meets Groundhog Day (1993) may best describe EDGE OF TOMORROW, a fantastic and deft motion picture that delivers its promise of star power (Cruise), genre thrills, cyberpunk aesthetics and top-shelf VFX—mixed with a strong, visual storytelling conceit courtesy of director Doug Liman (Go, The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Jumper, Fair Game) who is abetted by a smart screenplay written by credited screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie (Oscar^®-winner for The Usual Suspects; also wrote The Way Of The Gun, Valkyrie, Jack Reacher) and scribe-brother team Jez (Birthday Girl, The Last Legion, Fair Game, Get On Up) & John-Henry (Fair Game, Get On Up) Butterworth, with some script-doctoring by genre veteran Simon Kinberg (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days Of Future Past).

Based on the Japanese graphic novel All You Need Is Kill (2004) by author Hirsoshi Sakurazaka, the finished screenplay turns out to be smart, exciting and energetic. What could have been a frustrating exercise in trite repetitiveness instead amounts to a growth of knowledge on the characters’ part (à la the very brilliant and aforementioned Groundhog Day). My only complaint (actually the complaint that most critics have) is the movie’s Third Act denouement. Without going into great detail (after all, see the friggin’ movie yourself!), we get a Hollywood ending that feels rather forced—a sort-of left turn from what has come before. A classic deus ex machina, if you will.

Yet (and overall), EDGE OF TOMORROW works, thanks to a director Doug Liman’s visual acumen and dexterity. Famously known for maverick filmmaking ethos, Liman nonetheless outputs a big studio picture with a guerilla-style techniques and full confidence of his cast and crew. He is abetted greatly by propulsive and intuitive cutting by editor James Herbert (Revolver, Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, Gangster Squad)—who manages to invigorate the loop montages with energy and a total lack of déjà vu. This is intelligent editing at its best.

Speaking of a confident cast—here is eternal youth Tom Cruise—now past 50 and still kicking ass! The late Baby Boomer/early Generation-X actor again brings it to his role of a snarky yes man who goes through a very delineated character arc (kudos script) and emerges a hero. To say that EDGE OF TOMORROW is Cruise’s best leading man work in years is just stating the obvious.

Also worthy of praise is his co-star Emily Blunt—exhibiting strength and femininity in what is dubbed (per the screenplay) the “Full Metal Bitch” role. Blunt’s Rita Vrataski imbues the Cameron-esque tough chick ethos (Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor or Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley) with Roger Corman’s sex appeal heroine (pick a movie of his as your own comparison). Hey, this woman can fight alongside me any day! The rest of the cast is fine—especially the great Bill Paxton as the rough Sarge. Extrapolatively-speaking, had his wise-ass Pvt. Hudson character from Aliens (1986) survived and matured into a battle-hardened warrior—it would be as Master Sgt. Farrell. Go figure!

Production values for this $178 million (boxofficemojo.com) epic are top-shelf across the board. EDGE OF TOMORROW was filmed entirely in England at the famous Leavesden Studios (home of the Harry Potter movies and now owned by Warner Bros.) and at the famed Trafalgar Square in London. Per the production notes, this production marks the first time ever that non-government or non-military helicopters were allowed to land there. Damned impressive.

First up in technical accolades is the robust 35mm PANAVISION^®/anamorphic lensing courtesy of veteran Aussie cinematographer Dion Beebe (Oscar^®-winner for Memoirs Of A Geisha; also shot Chicago, Miami Vice, Collateral, Gangster Squad). EDGE OF TOMORROW was shot on good-old fashioned celluloid utilizing the workhorse Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2 and smaller Arriflex 235 camera systems. The result? A handsome combination of Cameron-esque industrial photography mixed with a realistic synergy of VFX/SFX (credited to 11 houses—the alien Mimics certainly evoke the Starship Troopers bugs) and visual texture.

Another shout-out goes to veteran German production designer Oliver Scholl (director Roland Emmerich’s Moon 44, Independence Day & Godzilla; also designed Liman’s Jumper)—delivering an appropriately futuristic/cyberpunk/ military design ethos again inspired (perhaps intentionally or unintentionally) by James Cameron’s Aliens. He too is abetted by the aforementioned military ethos by costume designer Kate Hawley (Pacific Rim, additional design work on The Hobbit series)—who worked with School in designing and creating the war exoskeletons used by the cast during the battle sequences. Veteran Québécois Composer Christophe Beck (The Hangover I-III, Runner Runner, R.I.P.D., Frozen) earns merit with an appropriately bombastic martial score

All told, EDGE OF TOMORROW is a cut above other recent science-fiction movies—and a great notch in Tom Cruise’s filmography belt. The only downside is a weak, forced ending that limits my rating to a mere 4-stars. I’m sure that Tom’s crying all the way to the bank…

 

IMDB:                   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1631867/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_of_Tomorrow_(film)

Official Site:          http://www.edgeoftomorrowmovie.com

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

Distributor:       20th Century Fox

Year:                  2014

MPAA:                PG-13

Content:             AC, AL, V

Genres:               SCI / ADV / FAN

Technical:           2.40:1 (HD)

Runtime:             131 mins.

Country:              USA

Language:           English

Budget:                $200M

 

 

CAST

Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult, Omar Sy, Shawn Ashmore, Evan Peters, Daniel Cudmore, Lucas Till, Fan Bingbing, Booboo Stewart, Josh Helman, Evan Jonigkeit & Adan Canto; cameos by Famke Janssen, James Marsden & Kelsey Grammer

 

CREDITS 

Director: Bryan Singer; Screenwriter: Simon Kinberg; Producers: Lauren Schuler Donner, Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg & Hutch Parker; Director Of Photography: Newton Thomas Sigel; Production Designer: John Myhre; Editor/Music Composer: John Ottman; Costume Designer: Louise Mingenbach

 

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

In the darkness of the future 2023, mutants have all been but wiped out by the Sentinels—government-created robots—with the exception of Wolverine (Jackman), Storm (Berry), Professor Xavier (Stewart), old nemesis Magneto (McKellen), Kitty Pryde (Page) and a few of the younger generation mutants. Hiding out in China, they are about to be destroyed when Xavier convinces Kitty to telepathically send Wolverine back to 1973—where his younger self will hook up with younger Xavier (McAvoy) and Magneto (Fassbender) to stop Mystique (Lawrence) from killing Dr. Bolivar Trask (Dinklage). The assassination will instigate the creation of his Sentinel Program and cause the future apocalypse.

Back in 1973, Wolverine encounters a drunk, broken Xavier and loyal friend Beast (Hoult) and convinces them to bust Magneto out of the Pentagon’s prison with the help of mutant Quicksilver (Peters) if they are to save the future—but the cunning Magneto may have devastating plans of his own…

 

THE (mini) REVIEW

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is a solid entry (the 7^th) in that other Marvel film series—and the first to feature original director Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2: X-Men United, The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns, Valkyrie) back at the helm since 2003—more on that in a moment. Eschewing bombastic spectacle for a surprisingly intimate point-of-focus yarn, the movie respects the history, characters and the stories while providing top-notch production/technical values and a big cast of familiar faces & characters.

Written in a compressed style by genre veteran Simon Kinberg (2004’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, X-Men: The Last Stand, Sherlock Holmes) and based on the 1981 comic book series Uncanny X-Men (issues #141-142) titled Days Of Future Past by Chris Claremont & John Byrne—the movie version juggles many characters, of which some roles are severely truncated in the theatrical release. Understandably, with so many X-Men characters and a movie that needs to run under a certain amount of time, plotlines and characters get snipped.

Also, a sense of internal logic and plotholes (per the other canon films) begin to tug at the organic fiver of DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. But they really do not interfere in the overall entertainment quotient, as least in my opinion—but remember (and full disclosure): I never read the comics. Feel free to scour the internet (or fist-fight those other wacky comic book geeks) to understand and analyze the internal logic & plotholes.

I must give credit to Singer for maintaining and respecting the story—it shines through in this movie. Under his helm, it DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (solemn, yet entertaining) is just as terrific as its immediate predecessor X-Men: First Class (2011)—directed by Matthew Vaughn, who retains a story credit along with Kinberg and First Class co-writer Jane Goldman. Singer is, of course, abetted by his grand cast—led by the versatile Hugh Jackman as the mercurial Wolverine.

It’s amusing to note how the most popular X-Men character (and the actor himself) has become the poster boy for the franchise. Still, Jackman excels in a part that he was born to play. Top scores are also in order for McAvoy & Fassbender as the young mutant frenemies—while veteran actors (and best buds) Stewart & McKellen buoy those actors’ performances the necessary gravitas to flesh out these inimitable characters. What suffers in comparison, however is the limited time given to the other actors—hello Halle Berry, Anna Paquin and Ellen Page! Nice extended cameos, but still…

On the flipside, young actors Nicholas Hoult (dignified) and Evan Peters (anarchic) almost walk away with the picture. Even Peter Dinklage exudes quiet, sinister resonance as the Frankenstein-esque creator of the robot apocalypse. And Jennifer Lawrence? A great actress who seems weirdly-removed in her role as Mystique—here the unwitting catalyst of what transpires—but seems to pop in and out of the movie as if she was still shooting those Hunger Games movies at the same time. Just sayin’…

Production values for this $200 million production (boxofficemojo.com) are top-shelf across the board. DAYS OF FUTURE PAST was lensed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada—both on location and in studio soundstages. Credit veteran production designer John Myhre (Oscar®-winner for Chicago & Memoirs Of A Geisha; also did X-Men, Dreamgirls & Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) and his crew for coming up with a versatile mise-en-scène spanning 50 years—including the White House, the monastery in China and about another 40 set pieces.

Abetting the production design is handsome HD-widescreen 3-D lensing by Singer’s usual cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel (X-Men, X2: X-Men United, The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns). Utilizing the ARRI Alexa M & ARRI Alexa XT Plus camera systems for stereoscopic principal photography shooting, Sigel has created a striking dichotomy of the 2023 future (clean, industrial) and the 1970’s past (warmer earth tones). The pièce de résistance is the use of the Phantom v642 Broadcast camera for the movie’s best sequence (Quicksilver’s freeing of Magneto in the Pentagon prison)—which was shot at over 3000fps for an incredible slow-motion ride! Very well done indeed.

Veteran editor/composer (and Singer associate) John Ottman (X2: X-Men United, The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns, Valkyrie) does double duty here, showcasing sharp cutting between time periods as well as providing a robust score that energizes the DAYS OF FUTURE PAST proceedings. And finally, another Singer associate, costume designer Louise Mingenbach (X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns) dazzles with the X-Men costumery as well as the sight of shaggy hairdos, mutton-chop sideburns and plenty o’ polyester for us ‘70s fans.

 

 

 

IMDB:                   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877832/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Men:_Days_of_Future_Past

Official Site:          http://www.x-menmovies.com

 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

MPAA/Content PG-13 (AC, AL, V)

Distributor Columbia Pics. [2014]

Technical 2.35:1 35mm

Genres  FAN ADV SCI

Runtime 142 mins.

Cntry./Lang. USA [English]

Budget $200M

 

 

CAST

Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Embeth Davidtz, Campbell Scott, Marton Csokas, Louis Cancelmi, Max Charles, B.J. Novak, Michael Massee & Denis Leary

 

CREDITS

Director: Mark Webb; Screenwriters: Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner; Producers: Avi Arad & Matt Tolmach; Director Of Photography: Dan Mindel; Production Designer: Mark Friedberg; Editor: Pietro Scalia; Costume Designer: Deborah L. Scott; Music Composers: Hans Zimmer and The Magnificent Six Featuring Pharrell Williams and Johnny Marr

 

THE SYNOPSIS

NYC. Running late for his high school graduation, Spider-Man—aka Peter Parker (Garfield)—foils the theft of radioactive vials by Russian criminal Aleksei Sytsevich (Giamatti). A call from his girlfriend/valedictorian Gwen Stacy (Stone) prompts Spidey to quickly foil Aleksei after saving the life of Max Dillon (Foxx)—a brilliant, introverted OsCorp electrical engineer who idolizes the web-slinger. After the graduation—attended by Aunt May (Field)—Peter breaks up with Gwen as he promised her father, Capt. Stacy (Leary) before his death. Seeing Stacy’s ghost everywhere reminds Peter that being Spider-Man can cause much pain to his daughter.

Elsewhere, the dying OsCorp CEO Dr. Norman Osborne (Cooper) is visited by his estranged son Harry (DeHaan), whom he informs will eventually die of the same hereditary disease. Before passing, Norman hands him a computer key to access all OsCorp files in an effort to beat this disease. Hearing of Osborn’s death, Peter visits his childhood friend to reconnect. Peter’s deceased scientist parents Richard (Scott) & Mary (Davidtz) worked for Norman Osborn, so the history is there; as is the mystery behind their deaths…

Harry humiliates the OsCorp Board—including VP Donald Menken (Feore)—and takes control to explore his father’s scientific projects…one of which involves harvesting energy from genetically enhanced electric eels. Max discovers them when he accidentally falls into a water tank during routine repairs. The eels bite him, causing their energy to mutate Max into a human electrical generator! Stumbling over to Time Square, the cops and Spidey appear when he reacts with hostile force. Spidey subdues Max—who promises revenge as the cops take him away…

Menken has Harry expelled from OsCorp, blaming the new CEO for a cover-up of Max’s “death”. Harry begs Spider-Man to do a blood transfusion in an effort to cure Harry’s disease, but Spidey vetoes the notion…fearing that the side effects may be too dangerous to his friend. Enraged, Harry vows revenge and breaks into the Ravencroft Institute to free Electro.  Sneaking into OsCorp, they kill Menken and access—with help of Harry’s loyal assistant Felicia (Jones)—the top secret advanced weaponry and armor suits that his father had designed and built. Vials of genetically altered spiders that made Peter Spider-Man are also there. Harry ingests a vial but mutates into something green and scary…

Having been accepted to England’s Oxford University, Gwen informs Peter that she is leaving New York. Realizing how much he loves her, Peter decides to go with her. Before they can head for the airport, however, Electro has knocked out most of the power grids in the city as Harry commandeers his father’s green armor suit and glider machine to cause mischief. A final battle is brewing as Peter/Spidey and Gwen take on the villains, but victory comes at a cost…

 

THE CRITIQUE

As far as sequels go, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 is enjoyable superhero entertainment that won’t tax the brain. It is an ambitious continuation to the preceding The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)—itself a “reboot” (ugh…I hate that word) of the popular Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007) starring Tobey Maguire, himself a descent actor who did a nice job sling those CGI webs around CGI New York City.

While the new Spidey movies lack the dark Wagnerian scope of Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece Batman/Dark Knight trilogy (2005-2012), the snark of the well-oiled Iron-Man series (2008-Present) or the operatic chaos of the infinitely expanding X-Men saga (2000-Present—including spin-offs and origin movies), they do feature an immensely likable (but wise-ass) teenage superhero we can all relate to…almost. Most of our heads lack the prominent spiky pompadour adorning the head of the current Spidey, Andrew Garfield. Just saying…

The newest Spidey movie was written by prolific scribe team Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner (the three men responsible for TV’s Alias & Fringe; Kurtzman & Orici are also responsible for writing such movies as Mission: Impossible III, Transformers & Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, Star Trek [2009] & Star Trek Into Darkness) —and I can only say that they stuffed everything into this one except the kitchen sink (which was probably shattered during the epic battle in The Avengers movie, a MARVEL movie like this one).

One of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 screenplay’s glaring problems is the lack of focus. Why do these movies insist on throwing in 300 freakin’ name villains into one movie? Batman Forever (1995), a fun movie in its own right, did the same thing. Pick a villain! The Green Goblin is Spider-Man’s scariest foe—go with it!! Here, they throw in Electro and The Rhino (to almost no effect) and leave GG to pick up the pieces. I can only assume that GG will return in the next movie, but I cannot focus on that one right now. Is it me? Just saying…

Another issue is throwing in a prologue involving a sub-plot involving Peter Parker’s deceased parents and their involvement with OsCorp. While I understand that it is probably essential to the overall multi-movie arc, this one seems thrown in just because. On the other hand, the Sally Field/Aunt May character gets some mileage out of this plot element during her BIG SCENE. Add in the likable romance between Peter and Gwen—and their amiable personalities—and the screenplay earns back some of its points.

Speaking of the cast, the likable Andrew Garfield reprises his role as Spidey, bringing charm and humility to a role that also requires him to be a New Yawk wise-ass—so much so that my Queens-born/bred actor friend Matthew found his interpretation to be a tad excessive. Three hours of arguing about it with dear Matt confirms (to me anyway) that Garfield is right on the money. Then again, I’m Jersey-born/bred…so wise-ass is a natural prerequisite for growing up in the NYC metropolitan area! Just saying…

Bringing balance to the fore is the lovely Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. Smart, spunky, hot—wow, I’m jealous of Spidey—the young lass holds up her end of the chemistry quotient with Andy. Sally Field, one of the great actresses of her generation, does her part to bring stability to the Parker household—even earning her own aforementioned BIG SCENE.

The villains on the other hand…meh. I was intrigued with Jamie Foxx’s casting as Electro, but was disappointed with his interpretation. Same with Dane DeHaan, an interesting actor who was a much better antagonist in the underrated sci-fi thriller Chronicle (2012). So much attention is given to Foxx’s Electro and Feore’s villainous Menken (another great character actor who can always play a heavy)—among other matters—that DeHaan’s conversion into the new Green Goblin is so anti-climactic. Again, an issue with the screenplay more than the actors involved.

In fact, the only villain that I really liked was the underused Paul Giamatti as the Russian criminal Aleksei Sytsevich, aka The Rhino. We only see him causing bedlam at the beginning and then suiting up as The Rhino at the end to take on Spider-Man. Giamatti is a talented actor who gives it his all here—and I’ll assume that we’ll see him again in one of the forthcoming sequels. But still, why add him in at all? Just saying…

Part of the blame goes to director Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man, 500 Days Of Summer) for not streamlining the screenplay more. Really—did the theatrical cut of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 need to be 142 minutes? That’s 18 minutes shorter than it took for the Titanic to sink way back in 1912! Still, it’s not bad news for Webb, whose strength as the director of this movie is in the human aspects of the story (Peter & Gwen; Aunt May & Peter; etc.). Also, Webb manages to helm the complete package with a growing sense of craft and entertainment value—because let’s face it: this isn’t the visually-operatic retelling of a Dostoyevsky novel or the existential tomes of Kierkegaard. It’s Spider-friggin’-Man…entertain me without giving me a headache!! Comparing Part 1 to Part 2, the latter is more ambitious while the former is better focused. I’m not sure if director Marc Webb is returning for Part 3 (and he should, for the sake of parity)—but I’m pretty sure that he’ll hit his stride—as will the series.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 earns top marks for production values for the estimated $200+ million endeavor (imdb.com). The film was shot entirely in New York State, with a majority of the production occurring within the New York City area—with the exception of an extended chase sequence filmed in Rochester, NY. It has been said that this movie is the largest production ever filmed in New York State.

Wait, did I say “filmed”? Yes! Lensed on 35mm film in the classic PANAVISION^® scope format by ace South African cinematographer Dan Mindel (Spy Game, Star Trek [2009], Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek Into Darkness), this movie looks fantastic. I say this with amazement because Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man was shot in HD by veteran cinematographer John Schwartzman (Armageddon, Seabiscuit, The Green Hornet) and the look of the two movies cannot be more different. Not to knock Schwartzman—he’s one of my favorite cinematographers—but Mindel actually convinced Webb to go for the film/anamorphic package—and to terrific results. I am so very happy to see that film is not yet on its way to the morgue.

Unnecessarily-long running time excluded, the movie’s cutting is an exercise in elegance by veteran Sicilian editor Pietro Scalia (Oscar^®-winner for JFK & Black Hawk Down; also cut Ridley Scott’s Hannibal, Gladiator, American Gangster, The Counselor). And speaking of elegant, the musical score by Hans Zimmer (Oscar^®-winner for The Lion King; also composed Ridley Scott’s Black Rain, Gladiator, Hannibal, Matchstick Men as well as Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy) with The Magnificent Six supergroup earns kudos as well. To read more about them, click here.

I’d also like to extol the grandiose production design by New Yawker Mark Friedberg (The Ice Storm, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Across The Universe, Noah)—who beside creating a cool lair design within OsCorp—actually created a great mock-up of Times Square for the Electro vs. Spider-Man sequence—aided in VFX by the artisans at Sony Picture Imageworks. Easily the best set-piece in the movie, one day of shooting on location in the real Times Square—in addition to capturing all visual references for later studio work (per the production notes)—gets props for intricate detail orientation.

The cool Electro VFX make-up was designed by prolific house KNB EFX Group while the new Spidey costume was designed by veteran Deborah L. Scott Oscar^®-winner for Titanic; also costumed Back To The Future, 2000’s The Patriot, Transformers 1-3) in an effort to harken the MARVEL comic book incarnation’s original design—including the white eyepieces…heretofore never done for any Spider-Man movie.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

With everything but the kitchen sink thrown in, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 manages to score as overall entertainment—but sputters in its individual minutiae (unfocused screenplay, excessive villains, etc.)—hence the ½ star reduction. However, a strong cast, handsome production values, nifty VFX and that classic New York state-of-mind vibe slings this flick forward into the future with the next movie already on the horizon. You keep slinging, Spidey baby…just saying!!

 

 

 

IMDB:                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872181/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_2

Official Site:          http://www.theamazingspiderman.com/site/

The Smurfs 2

 

MPAA/Content PG [AC, V]

Distributor Columbia Pictures

Technical HD 1.85:1

Genres FAM/FAN/COM

Runtime 105 mins.

Country USA

Budget $105M

 

CAST

Live Action: Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Jayma Mays & Jacob Tremblay

Voices: Katy Perry, Christina Ricci, Jonathan Winters, JB Smoove, George Lopez, Anton Yelchin, John Oliver, Frank Welker, Tom Kane, Fred Armisen, Jeff Foxworthy, Alan Cumming, Gary Basaraba, Adam Wylie, Joel McCrary, Kenan Thompson, Kevin Lee, Paul Reubens, Shaquille O’Neal, B.J. Novak, Jimmy Kimmel, Shaun White, Mario Lopez & John Kassir

 

CREDITS

Director: Raja Gosnell; Screenwriters: J. David Stem & David N. Weiss and Jay Scherick & David Ronn and Karey Kirkpatrick;  Producer: Jordan Kerner;  Director Of Photography: Phil Méheux;  Production Designer: Bill Boes;  Editor: Sabrina Plisco;  Costume Designers: Rita Ryack & Véronique Marchessault; Music Composer: Heitor Pereira

 

THE SYNOPSIS

Three years after the smurfploits in the original movie, the evil wizard Gargamel (Azaria) creates two new Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties: Vexy (Ricci) and Hackus (Smoove)—who are sent to Smurfland to kidnap Smurfette and bring her to his new lair in Paris, France.

Apparently, Gargamel has become a famous and successful wizard—thanks to the shrewd managerial skills of his sentient cat Azrael!  It’s up to Papa Smurf (Winters), Grouchy Smurf (Lopez), Clumsy Smurf (Yelchin) and Vanity Smurf (Oliver) to journey through their magic water tunnel and reach out to their friends Patrick & Grace Winslow (Harris & Mays) in NYC for help.

Grabbing their young son Blue (Tremblay) and Patrick’s amiable stepfather Victor (Gleeson), who tags along, our heroes head to Paris to rescue Smurfette from the kooky Gargamel—who plans on harnessing the Smurfs’ essence to take over the world.  The City of Lights gets lit up as the virtues of love, family & Smurf Power saves the day!!

 

THE CRITIQUE

In a million years, when all is said and done and some alien lifeform arrives on our planet to analyze the Earth’s Human Race, what they’ll probably uncover are Cokeâ bottles, Facebook and yes…the Smurfs.  These enlightened, advanced beings will deduce that the Human Race loved sugared water, online yapping and those little blue people.  Pack up the ships, fellas—Earth’s a lost cause!

Seriously, I’ll be the first to admit that those little smurfing bastards possess a certain naïve charm that has granted them six decades of popularity—and yes, I even watched their syndicated cartoons back in the early 1980s.  Created in 1958 by the late Belgian comics artist Peyo (le nom de plume of one Pierre Culliford), the Smurfs have enjoyed a popularity matched only by The Beatles, Elvis and Pope John Paul II…and yes, Coca Colaâ.

Come to think of it, Belgium can hold credence to outputting not only the Smurfs—but also frites, Jean-Claude Van Damme and terrific Neuhaus chocolate.  Not too shabby!  Anyway, I digress…

THE SMURFS 2 brings back the cast and crew of the 2011 original for more blue shenanigans.  Helmed with easy aplomb by veteran director Raja Gosnell (The Smurfs, Big Momma’s House, Scooby-Doo), the movie is already pre-sold on the Smurfs’ name and plenty of wacky physical comedy to boot.  Having already mined these attributes in the original Smurfs movie (and others of the ilk), I could almost say that Gosnell is helming on autopilot—but the dude has a strong track record with these fluff movies.

The movie’s screenplay is credited to five (count ‘em!) different writers.  First up is the veteran writing duo of J. David Stem & David N. Weiss—responsible for co-writing The Smurfs, Shrek 2, Are We There Yet? & Daddy Day Camp.  Next up is the veteran writing duo of Jay Scherick & David Ronn—responsible for co-writing The Smurfs, National Security, I Spy & Guess Who.  Lastly, there’s veteran scribe Karey Kirkpatrick—responsible for writing Chicken Run, James And The Giant Peach, The Little Vampire & The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.

I write out this laundry list of accomplishments because among these five writers is a cadre of hilarious and successful movies that serves as pedigree.  So why is it that THE SMURFS 2 feels rote and undisciplined?  While the original movie was no masterpiece of Cinema, it felt fresher…and did not suffer the agony of the live-action version of Garfield (2004).  At least the writers were smart enough to change the Earthbound setting from New York City to Paris as a way to freshen things up—so there’s one smurfing plus.

More griping: why introduce all of the Smurfs in Act I only to separate a mere handful to carry the rest of the movie?  That was frustrating—but I will elaborate further on this a few paragraphs below.  I guess I am expecting too much from a family movie that does indeed check off most of the appropriate boxes.  Still, it still smurfs me off!

At least the cast is game, with Hank Azaria (as the slimy wizard Gargamel) stealing the movie with dead-on characterization and plenty of nasty bon mots.  From what I’ve read via the production notes, Azaria was given plenty of wiggle room to come up with some zingers—and it shows.  He’s the best human actor in the movie.  Returning as the leads are versatile actors Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays—both of whom sadly become marginalized in their (mostly) reactionary roles—and given less to do than the first go-around.  Luckily, veteran Irish actor Brendan Gleeson provides some welcome empathy as Harris’ underappreciated but amiable stepfather.

If you read the above roster of Smurf voices, you’ll see a plethora of talented actors/actresses who bring character and energy to their roles.  It’s too bad that 95% of them are sidelined for almost the entire movie!  Big props go out to the late, great Jonathan Winters—who voiced Papa Smurf for one last time before passing on to that big TV sitcom in the sky.

THE SMURFS 2 was shot on location in Paris, France and on soundstages in Montreal, Canada.  Production values for this $105 million production are top-shelf—with a special shout-out going to Sony Pictures Imageworks for their seamless VFX and realization of the CGI Smurfs in the three-dimensional “film” space.

Credit veteran British cinematographer Phil Meheux (The Smurfs, Casino Royale, The Mask Of Zorro, GoldenEye) for bringing some classy HD lensing to the production.  Disclaimer: this gentleman happens to be one of my favorite cinematographers currently working in the business.  Good cutting by veteran Sabrina Pilsco (The Smurfs, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, Sky Captain And The World of Tomorrow) and solid production design handled by veteran Bill Boes (The Smurfs, Fantastic Four, Scooby-Doo) also elevate THE SMURFS 2 an extra star on my scale.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

THE SMURFS 2 is goofy entertainment squared directly at toddlers, children and people who love those little smurfing bastards.  A pedantic, been-there-done-that veneer hangs over the proceedings, but luckily—a game cast, seamless VFX and some Gallic culture gives this blue roux some flavor.  Not great Cinema (by any means), but a smurfing good time will be had by most—especially little blue people…who probably like Coca Colaâ.

 

IMDB:             http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2017020/

Wikipedia:     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smurfs_2

Official Site:   http://www.smurfhappens.com/site/