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

A Million Ways To Die In The West

Distributor:            Universal Pictures

Year:                       2014

MPAA:                     R

Content:                 AC, AL, V

Genres:                  WES / COM

Technical:              2.35:1 (HD)

Runtime:                116 mins.

Country:                 USA

Language:             English

Budget:                  $40M

 

 

CAST

Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman, Wes Studi, Rex Linn & Liam Neeson; cameos: Alex Borstein, Ralph Garman, Amick Byram, Dennis Haskins, Christopher Lloyd, Gilbert Gottfried, Ewan MacGregor, John Michael Higgins, Ryan Reynolds & Jamie Foxx

 

CREDITS

Director: Seth MacFarlane; Screenwriters: Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin & Wellesley Wild; Producers: Scott Stuber & Jason Clark; Director Of Photography: Michael Barrett; Production Designer: Stephen Lineweaver; Editor: Jeff Freeman; Costume Designer: Cindy Evans; Music Composer: Joel McNeely

 

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

1882: Old Stump, Arizona. The wild, Wild West is a dangerous place—especially for the milquetoast sheep farmer Albert Stark (MacFarlane)—who just lost his snooty girlfriend Louise (Seyfried)–after chickening out of a duel—to debonair mustache store proprietor Foy (Harris). Deciding to leave Old Stump for San Francisco, he is convinced to stay by his best friend Edward (Ribisi) and his prostitute girlfriend Ruth (Silverman)—who won’t sleep with Edward till they are properly married!

Elsewhere, dastardly bandit Clinch Leatherwood (Neeson) sends his beautiful wife Anna (Theron) into Old Stump while he and his goons hide out from the law. Albert ends up saving her life during a ballroom brawl—thus developing a friendship that eventually deepens. Especially when she (a crack shot) trains Albert to shoot guns when he challenges Foy to a duel in a misguided effort to win Louise back. Albert will need all the training he can get when Clinch finally rolls into town…

 

THE (mini) REVIEW

Family Guy über-meister Seth MacFarlane’s comedic western A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST is amusing, but ultimately fails to transcend classic genre movies like Ted Post’s Hang ‘Em High (1968) and Mel Brook’s masterpiece Blazing Saddles (1974). I bring those films up because—per MacFarlane (via the production notes)—those were among two movies that inspired he and his merry band of writers (Family Guy alumni Sulkin & Wild). Apparently, so did moustaches and songs about them (thanks, Stephen Foster!).

Saddled (excuse the pun) with a dormant genre (the Western—although it got a workout in last year’s entertaining-but-painful misfire The Tonto Movie—err, The Lone Ranger) and more clichés than a tumbleweed kegger, MILLION WAYS goes for broke in a pedestrian screenplay where most of the best jokes are shown in the freakin’ trailer! Sad, as he (and the others) is responsible for not only TV’s randy Family Guy, but also the hysterical Ted (2012). I give MacFarlane credit for trying to skewer this most American of genres—but Brooks did it better—as did director Burt Kennedy before him with the James Garner classics Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) & Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971).

To be fair, MILLION WAYS has plenty of throwaway R-rated gags—and a terrific mid-movie dance number (thanks again, Stephen Foster!) and MacFarlane the director certainly knows where to place the camera—and how to get what he wants out of his game cast. I loved the stunning Charlize Theron—bringing moxie and empathy to her role. Neil Patrick Harris continues to amuse in his role as the fey Foy (tongue-twister anyone?) while Ribisi continues his quirky character shtick. He is abetted by comedienne Sarah Silverman—charmingly less annoying here than usual. The lovely Amanda Seyfried plays a rather unpleasant character—begging the question: why would the nice Albert want to stay with such a bitch?

And what can I say about Liam Neeson? Taking time out from shooting Eurotrash villains, the imposing Neeson gets to play a real bad guy (with a Northern Ireland accent, natch—research your Family Guy history to see why). Throw in plenty of great cameos—see above—and there is some hope left for a decent time-filler. MacFarlane’s one casting mistake: putting himself in the main role (shades of the multi-hyphenate Charles Chaplin, perhaps?). His smirking, self-aware, hipster, character pulls us out of the story proper, and thanks to that great voice of his—reminds me that Peter Griffith & Brian are still with us…even in the Old West!

Production values on this $40 million production (boxofficemojo.com) are solid across the board—and the movie’s equalizer. MILLION WAYS was produced in New Mexico and benefits from terrific (but surprisingly clean) genre sets courtesy of production designer Stephen J. Lineweaver (Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Jerry Maguire, Blades Of Glory, Ted) and old-school cowboy leather & old-style lace costumes by veteran designer Cindy Evans (Memento, Along Came Polly, Red Riding Hood, Savages). Smooth cutting is courtesy of veteran editor Jeff Freeman (The Craft, Cruel Intentions, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Ted)—though this comedy probably wears out its welcome after 100 minutes or so.  And I also enjoyed the rousing genre score by veteran composer Joel McNeely (Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale, Soldier, Virus).

MILLION WAYS was lensed digitally (via the Sony CineAlta PMW-F55 camera system) by veteran cinematographer Michael Barrett (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, Zookeeper, Ted). The movie exhibits clean, HD-widescreen lensing that takes advantage of plenty of daytime exteriors (the Sun—ya beautiful key light, you…). My only problem here is that the filmmakers (who wanted to do an homage to the classic Westerns) chose to shoot digitally instead of on 35mm film. Why?

Film would have given this movie much more texture and (at the very least) have earned more accolades in the technical facets. Not convinced? Well, the two greatest non-Sergio Leone Westerns since John Ford hung up his spurs & megaphone (his last Western was 1964’s Cheyenne Autumn) are the aforementioned Blazing Saddles (1974) and the Kevin Jarre/Kurt Russell/George P. Cosmatos masterpiece Tombstone (1993). Know what they have in common? Both were filmed on 35mm film using the PANAVISION^® scope format; see how handsome those films came out? Exactly.

All told, MILLION WAYS falls a bit flat…earning amused groans and eye rolls instead of belly-busting guffaws. It’s amazing how farting cowboys and politically incorrect attitudes were funnier back in the 1970s than they are today. But then again, that other movie had Harvey Korman and company. Here, we’re left stroking our collective moustaches and wondering what could have been—wait, never mind that shit…here comes Mongo!!

 

 

 

 

IMDB:                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2557490/

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

Official Site:          http://www.amillionways.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

 

Blended

Distributor:    Warner Bros.

Year:               2014

MPAA:             PG-13

Content:          AC, AL, V

Genres:           COM / ROM

Technical:       1.85:1 (HD)

Runtime:         117 mins.

Country:          USA

Language:       English

Budget:            $40M

 

 

CAST

Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Kevin Nealon, Terry Crews, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Bella Thorne, Joel McHale, Abdoulaye N’Gom, Jessica Lowe, Braxton Beckham, Emma Fuhrman, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Kyle Red Silverstein, Shaquille O’Neal & Dan Patrick

 

CREDITS

Director: Frank Coraci; Screenwriters: Ivan Menchell & Clare Sera; Producers: Mike Karz, Adam Sandler & Jack Giarraputo; Director Of Photography: Julio Macat; Production Designer: Perry Andelin Blake; Editor: Tom Costain; Costume Designer: Christine Wada; Music Composer: Rupert Gregson-Williams

 

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

After a terrible blind date, widower/father Jim Friedman (Sandler) and widow/mother Lauren Reynolds (Barrymore) vow to never speak again—until a chance opportunity to travel to South Africa for a family vacation throws the pair—along with his three daughters and her two sons—into a delightful and blending vacation that lions, tigers, ex-husbands (McHale), a horny American couple (Nealon & Lowe), a sage resort host (N’Gom), an overhyped resort singer (Crews) and Fate itself cannot get in the way of blossoming love.  Ah, the Circle of Life…

 

THE (mini) REVIEW

BLENDED may not be the greatest comedy—or even Adam Sandler comedy—but it sure tickles the funny bone. Maligned (a tad unfairly) by both the critics and movie-going public, the movie (comedic, goofy, heartfelt, well-produced) is nonetheless a pleasant surprise.

The uneven-but-amusing screenplay was written by former performance artists-turned-screenwriters Ivan Menchell & Clare Sera—and probably reworked by Sandler’s Happy Madison gang for public consumption. Directed with an eye for physical humor shtick (if not highbrow comedy) by fellow NYU-alum/Sandler chum Frank Coraci (The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, Click), BLENDED rolls along with a large cast of mostly familiar faces and plenty of on-camera mugging—yes, I’m looking at you Terry Crews!

Sandler & Barrymore reteam for yet a third movie (very much in the Tracy-Hepburn vein) though I do find it interesting that—in the intertwining years between The Wedding Singer 1998), 50 First Dates (2004) and now BLENDED (2014)—both actors have matured and produced children of their own, thus giving their performances as parents a naturalistic sheen. Supporting cast members do what they’re paid to do.

Production values for this relatively inexpensive $40 million (boxofficemojo.com) movie are solid across the board. Stateside, BLENDED was shot in Georgia while the remaining majority of principal photography was lensed at the famed Sun City resort in South Africa (some may even still label it the “infamous” resort of Apartheid South Africa of yore—do your research on the internet for those answers or ask an old-timer like me who was around during those years).

However, under the guidance of veteran Happy Madison production designer Perry Andelin Blake (The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, Click, Grown Ups), the Sun City mise-en-scène is lavish, inviting and pleasing to the eye. So is the HD photography (via the Arri Alexa XT camera system) of veteran Argentine cinematographer Julio Macat (Home Alone 1-3, Wedding Crashers, Pitch Perfect). I love the lensing dichotomy of Stateside (clean imagery; verdant color palette) vs. South Africa (still clean imagery; warm aurum & earth tone palettes).

Still not a fan of HD cinematography in narrative filmmaking—but I cannot complain about the hard work and results put into the movie by Macat and his crew. Finally, crisp editing by recent Sandler cutter Tom Costain and pleasant African-based score by recent Sandler composer Rupert Gregson-Williams (both of whom worked on Grown Ups, Just Go With It, Grown Ups 2) round out the technical facets.

All told, while BLENDED is no masterpiece of Preston Sturges comedy proportions, it is not the evil misfire that other critics have been labeling it (I’ll reserve that for the painful review of Sandler’s 2011 bomb Jack & Jill…ughhh). Still, it’s nice to see Sandler & Barrymore back together on the big screen, even if the wildlife gets in the way!

 

IMDB:                   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1086772/

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

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

Million Dollar Arm

MPAA/ Content PG (AC)

Distributor  Walt Disney Pictures [2014]

Technical  2.35:1 35mm HD

Genres  DRA SPO BIO

Runtime  124 mins.

Cntry./Lang.  USA [English/ Hindi]

Budget $25M

 

 

CAST

Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Madhur Mittal, Suraj Sharma, Lake Bell, Pitobash, Darshan Jariwala, Tzi Ma & Alan Arkin

 

CREDITS 

Director: Craig Gillespie; Screenwriter: Tom McCarthy; Producers: Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray & Joe Roth; Director Of Photography: Gyula Pados; Production Designer: Barry Robison; Editor: Tatiana S. Riegel; Costume Designer: Kristen Leigh Mann; Music Composer: A.R. Rahman

 

THE SYNOPSIS

Los Angeles, 2007: Sports über-agent J.B. Bernstein (Hamm) and his partner Ash Vasudevan (Mandvi) are struggling to launch their new agency but cannot attain new clients. Depressed one night, JB flips channels on TV and comes across a talent competition and a cricket game—when he is suddenly inspired to search for talent in India! With Ash on board, they convince wealthy investor Mr. Chang (Ma) to invest in their new concept: Million Dollar Arm.

JB heads to India to recruit a pair of young men to pitch for professional baseball teams. He is aided by the benignly avuncular Vivek (Jariwala), a local guide; enthusiastic young coach Amit Rohan (Tripathy); and cranky, retired pro scout Ray Poitevint (Arkin). Travelling across India, they scout thousands of young hopefuls and narrow the contestants down to two potentials: Rinku Singh (Sharma) and Dinesh Patel (Mittal)…young men who have no knowledge of baseball, but the heart to give it their all.

Back in L.A., Million Dollar Arm gains traction when famed USC pitching coach Dr. Tom House (Paxton) is hired to train the boys within a tight 3-month window. Having to take in Rinku, Dinesh & Amit (who is now their interpreter) into his home when they are booted out of their hotel, JB must learn to open his heart to the boys and see them as more than just clients. He gets some much-needed guidance from pretty resident doctor/tenant Brenda Fenwick (Bell) in both humility and romance. He’ll need it, as they face insurmountable odds at turning the two boys into professional baseball players.

 

THE CRITIQUE

Swiiiiiiing batter batter batter swiiiiiiing batter!! Sprinkled with a healthy dose of curry spice, MILLION DOLLAR ARM is a charming and gentle baseball fable based on true events. The Jerry Maguire (1996)-meets-Slumdog Millionaire (2008) hybrid is very much a Disney product (though originally set up at Sony’s Columbia Pictures) in execution & result—and that’s not a bad thing. It is safe, heartfelt and inspiring…and quite vanilla with a dash of cinnamon added!

Based on the amazing true story of sport agent J.B. Bernstein (who has represented sports icons Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith & Barry Bonds) and his creation & stewardship of a reality-TV show called Million Dollar Arm (with the help of his partners Ash Vasudevan & financier William Chang), the movie version does a good job of hewing close to many of the facts—courtesy of a straight-forward screenplay by fellow Jerseyite Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, Win Win, Up). Per the production notes, the screenwriter actually spent two weeks in India doing the research on Bernstein’s MDA endeavors. Again, due diligence in capturing the real people and a taste of Indian culture goes a long way—though true dramatic conflict suffers in the process. For more on the reel vs. real conundrum, check out the MILLION DOLLAR ARM page at the History Vs. Hollywood website.

Directed with earnest proclivity by Craig Gillespie (Mr. Woodcock, Lars And The Real Girl, 2011’s Fright Night), it is indeed a well-oiled production. He is abetted by a solid cast led by Jon Hamm (a natural leading man), Asif Mandvi (amusing), Bill Paxton (taciturn but gentle), Lake Bell (brains & beauty) and the great Alan Arkin—playing the craggly, cranky mentor-type he can do in his sleep. Oh wait—he sleeps throughout half the picture!

The Indian cast is also on par, with nice turns by Mittal (heartfelt), Sharma (earnest), Tripathy (energetic) and Jariwala (charmingly benign). Per the production notes, Mittal and Sharma had no baseball experience—so they (just like their characters) were put through accelerated baseball training programs before production commenced. One of their first pitching coaches? The real Dinesh Patel himself.

Production values for this low/midrange, $25 million production (boxofficemojo.com) are actually top-shelf across the board. Principal photography began in India and lasted for three weeks as the crew traveled to different locations—up to and including the Mumbai metroplex and Agra—home to the Taj Mahal. Back in the USA, location shooting included Los Angeles, CA (where the majority of the movie takes place) as well as in Atlanta, GA—which stood in for most of the L.A. sequences in the 2^nd half of principal photography. Can’t beat that Georgia tax credit!

MILLION DOLLAR ARM exhibits a pleasant widescreen-lensing schema courtesy of veteran Hungarian cinematographer Gyula Pados (Basic Instinct 2, Evening, Predators, Metallica: Through The Never). Interestingly (and per American Cinematographer), the decision was made to shoot the Indian sequences on film via the Super 35mm format (using the ARRICAM Studio & ARRICAM Lite as well as the ARRI 235 & 435 camera packages) while the US-based sequences on HD digital via the ARRI Alexa XT & ARRI Studio XT camera packages. Metaphorically, it works—as the contrast in lensing formats mirrors the contrasts of nations/cultures/norms of India and the USA. The former lensing schema is realized by a palette of earthy browns and greens via 35mm film’s robust qualities while the latter’s delineated HD qualities showcase both the modern facets of the big city (Los Angeles) as well as the hard, business-like facets of the sports world and all that it entails.  At least that’s what I gleaned from the cinematography!

Smooth cutting by veteran editor Tatiana S. Riegel (The Million Dollar Hotel, Lars And The Real Girl, 2011’s Fright Night, Bad Words), dichotomous East/West production design by veteran Californian Barry Robison (October Sky, Hidalgo, Wedding Crashers, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), dichotomous East/West costume design by Kriston Leigh Mann (The Pacifier, Lars And The Real Girl, TV’s Parks And Recreation) and a handsome/dichotomous East/West score by veteran Indian composer A.R. Rahman (Oscar^®-winner for Slumdog Millionaire; also scored 127 Hours, Elizabeth: The Golden Age). Notice all the dichotomy MILLION DOLLAR ARM has to offer!!

THE BOTTOM LINE

With plenty of gentle charm and spirit, MILLION DOLLAR ARM is a feel-good movie that scores a base hit.  While it won’t earn the accolades reserved for the masterpiece baseball movies of yore, this one certainly merits a spot in the dugout.  It’s nice to see that a biographical movie based on real events hews closely to what really transpired—at least I won’t have to sit through the seventh-inning stretch (read: hokey TV documentary) on this one!  Heyyyy swiiiiiiing batttttttttter!!

 

 

 

IMDB:                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1647668/

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

Official Site:          http://movies.disney.com/million-dollar-arm

Godzilla (2014)

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

Distributor Warner Bros. [2014]

Technical  2.35:1 HD

Genres  SCI THR

Runtime  123 mins.

Cntry./Lang. USA [English]

Budget   $160M

 

 

CAST

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Carson Bolde, Sally Hawkins, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn, Richard T. Jones, Victor Rasuk & Patrick Sabongui

 

CREDITS 

Director: Gareth Edwards; Screenwriter: Max Borenstein; Producers: Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Mary Parent & Brian Rogers; Director Of Photography: Seamus McGarvey; Production Designer: Owen Paterson; Editor: Bob Ducsay; Costume Designer: Sharen Davis; Music Composer: Alexandre Desplat

 

THE SYNOPSIS

1950s: The US military tests atomic bombs in the Pacific, known as Project Monarch. 1999: Project Monarch scientists Drs. Ishiro Serizawa (Watanabe) & Vivienne Graham (Hawkins) investigate a colossal MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) skeleton in a collapsed Philippine mine, where two egg pods are discovered. One has hatched and something has crawled out of it, headed to the sea…

In Japan, increased seismic activities near the Janjira Nuclear Power Plant alarms nuclear physicist Dr. Joe Brody (Cranston) and his wife Dr. Sandra Brody (Binoche), who leave their young son Ford at school when a near-meltdown occurs. Sandra and her crew die while averting disaster and Joe is devastated—convinced that it was not earthquakes that caused this…

2014: An adult Ford (Taylor-Johnson) is a Navy Lieutenant (Bomb Disposal Unit) living in San Francisco with his nurse wife Elle (Olsen) and their young son Sam. He is called to Japan when his father is arrested for trespassing in the Janjira exclusion zone. To placate his conspiracy-prone father, Ford sneaks back into his old home with Joe to gather more data.

Joe’s suspicions of the 1999 seismic events are confirmed by Drs. Serizawa & Graham—who confess that they have captured/imprisoned a large male winged MUTO…which promptly escapes and destroys the facility, killing scores of people—including Joe. Ford joins Serizawa & Graham aboard the USS Saratoga—where they are briefed by Admiral William Stenz (Strathairn) that the MUTO is heading east to the USA, feeding on nuclear power sources for energy.

Turns out another MUTO is following it: Godzilla…an alpha predator lizard over 300ft. high! Project Monarch’s attempts to eradicate Godzilla in the 1950s atomic bomb tests forced the creature into the ocean depths. Godzilla has returned to eliminate the MUTOs—as a female has been discovered trashing Las Vegas. Apparently, the male & female MUTOs are in the mood for love—and only Godzilla can prevent that in a massive showdown in the City By The Bay…

 

THE CRITIQUE

Celebrating 60 years of cinematic mayhem, the popular and beloved Lizard King is back! And with all due respect to the late, great Jim Morrison, I’m referring (of course) to GODZILLA. Yep, he back and he’s bad—but in a good way! While I’m not a fan of reboots, this series certainly deserved it—especially after that disappointing 1998 version courtesy of director Roland Emmerich & producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day, Stargate)…ya know, where Ferris Bueller himself takes on ‘Zilla after skipping school.

As envisioned by newbie screenwriter Max Borenstein, this latest incarnation of the Toho Studios kaiju mainstay creates an aura of mystery and misdirection as Godzilla is mentioned in reverent tones—but does not appear on-screen for until 60 minutes or so into the movie. There have been some complaints by fans and critics regarding this, but I liken it to Bruce The Shark’s full-on entrance late into Jaws (1975) or the scary Xenomorph late Act II reveal in Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979). Granted, BTS broke down enough to cause headaches during the infamous production shoot, but old ‘Zilla (a total CGI creation) earns his way onto the screen with an anticipatory roar and a real sense of terror (more on the VFX later). The screenwriter also touches upon the timeless theme of Man Vs. Nature—and that mankind is truly not the alpha predator on Planet Earth. That honor goes to the Count Of Monte Disco…ME!! But I digress…

I’m glad that British director Gareth Edwards (Monsters) resisted the temptation to show his hand early into the proceedings. Restraint is a rare virtue in the Cinema of Today—but I for one enjoyed the build-up. Earning a shot at helming a big-budget Hollywood movie, Edwards proves that he has the talent to emulate the late, great king of disaster movies himself: Irwin Allen (producer of The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno & producer/director of The Swarm) while upping the ante on a global scale. Under Edwards’ auspices, GODZILLA is presented in a serious manner —thereby ensuring that ‘Zilla is taken verrrry seriously. It works.

His handling of the actors is as good as can be within the limited parameters of Borenstein’s script—this being one of its drawbacks. The human characters are basically reactionary beings to the kaiju mayhem occurring around them… unfortunately an occupational hazard for Shakespeare-minded thespians and fans of actor-first types of movies. Still, the assembled cast does a perfectly fine job of acting scared—with shout-outs going to Bryan Cranston (a terrific character actor), Ken Watanabe (another terrific actor) and one of my favorites: David Strathairn, as the pragmatic Navy Admiral surprisingly without a secret agenda or Gen. Jack D. Ripper tendencies. Lead actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson (of the Kick Ass movies) may not be the obvious choice for the action dude role (Mark Wahlberg comes to mind, though he’s busy helping the Transformers this summer), but I’ll give him a pass since he bulked up for the role.

Production values for this massive $160 million (boxofficemojo.com) motion picture endeavor are top-shelf across the board. Principal photography was done in Vancouver, Canada—which doubled for San Francisco and a few other locations in the movie. Location work was also done in Hawaii, Las Vegas, San Diego & Tokyo, Japan with extensive VFX doing the rest of the heavy lifting. It’s also worth noting that the US Army & Navy gave their full support for this production with the use of their vessels and manpower.

GODZILLA looks fantastic from a lensing aspect, courtesy of veteran Irish cinematographer Seamus McGarvey (The Hours, Sahara, World Trade Center, The Avengers). Though shot on HD video utilizing the workhorse ARRI^® Alexa Plus 4:3 camera system, McGarvey had the foresight to use PANAVISION^® C-Series lenses—older glasses that give movies the widescreen look of the ‘70s & ‘80s. This one looks like it was captured on film, accentuating reds, greens & blacks like those epics of yore. Very nicely done indeed!

Abetting the terrific lensing is slick editing by veteran cutter—and Miami’s own—Bob Ducsay (Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Van Helsing & G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra); handsome production design by Australian native—and Wachowski Siblings favorite—Owen Paterson (The Matrix Trilogy, V For Vendetta, Speed Racer)–capturing the East-West aesthetics in perfect synergy; and a voluminous score by veteran French composer Alexandre Desplat (Syriana, The Queen, The King’s Speech, Argo) that combines bombastic score music with Japanese instruments and the use of the late Hungarian composer György Ligeti’s haunting Requiem (excerpt) during the exciting/terrifying HALO jump sequence that was also used in the movie’s fantastic trailer. Again, the little aspects that bump up the movie’s cachet.

In closing, I must mention GODZILLA’s terrific VFX schema (collaborated by 9 different FX houses) including a CGI San Francisco and old ‘Zilla himself—created to stand over 300ft. high and packing some density. Looks like the Lizard King has been hitting McD’s for some late-night grub! Seriously, the monster FX easily equal those of the fantastic (though perhaps underrated) Guillermo Del Toro kaiju-fest Pacific Rim (2013)—where those monsters & robots were rendered to look and feel like real, towering beings. When ‘Zilla roars in the one, you will believe that he is real!!

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

The rebooted GODZILLA roars into the Cinema’s modern epoch in a classy, entertaining endeavor ripe with terrific VFX, handsome production values and a good cast who must overcome the fact that they are second-fodder to the Lizard King himself. Beats the 1998 version by many ‘Zilla strides!!

 

 

 

IMDB:                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0831387/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_(2014_film)

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

Last Vegas

MPAA/Content  PG-13 [AC, AL, MV]

Distributor  CBS Films [2013]

Technical  HD  2.35:1

Genres  COM DRA

Runtime 104 mins.

Country  USA

Budget  $28M

 

CAST

Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen, Jerry Ferrara, Romany Malco, Roger Bart, Joanna Gleason, Michael Ealy & Bre Blair; cameos by 50 Cent & Redfoo

 

CREDITS

Director: Jon Turteltaub; Screenwriters: Dan Fogelman; Producers: Amy Baer, Joseph Drake & Lawrence Mark; Director Of Photography: David Hennings; Production Designer: David J. Bomba; Editor: David Rennie; Costume Designer: Dayna Pink; Music Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh

 

THE SYNOPSIS

Brooklyn, NY; the 1950s.  Billy, Paddy, Archie & Sam are rambunctious kids and best friends known as The Flatbush Four.  Modern day: spread across the country with lives of their own, The Flatbush Four are no more.

Billy (Douglas) is a successful Malibu lawyer who proposes to his young girlfriend Lisa (Blair).  Retired blue collar Paddy (De Niro) is a cranky widower who refuses to leave his Brooklyn home.  Twice-divorced retired Air Force man Archie (Freeman), recovering from a mild stroke, lives with his overprotective son and his family in Englewood, NJ.  Accountant Sam (Kline) and his wife Miriam (Gleason) live in a retirement community in Naples, Florida—though Sam really hates it.

Billy calls Archie and Sam to announce the news—and the men decide to celebrate in Las Vegas as gift to Billy for his lifelong generosity to them.  They trick Paddy into coming—as he stopped talking to Billy years ago for not coming to his wife’s funeral.  After some bickering, a cease-fire is declared and they head off to their modest hotel—which is closed for renovations.

Billy has his assistant book them into the luxurious ARIA—which Archie pays for after winning $100k at the blackjack tables!  A penthouse suite and personal host Lonnie (Malco) are given to the guys and their Vegas vacation begins.  Along the way, they befriend a drag queen performer named Maurice (Bart) and a former tax attorney-turned-lounge singer named Diana (Steenburgen)—who takes a liking to both Paddy and Billy.

The Flatbush Four’s swanky penthouse pad becomes Ground Zero for Vegas partying, where the men reconnect; Paddy pimp-slaps a young turk (Ferrrara) into indentured servitude; Lonnie comes to respect his elder charges; Archie parties like there’s no tomorrow while Sam puts the moves on hot young chicks (after Miriam encourages him pre-trip, of course).  Paddy and Billy’s problems will get resolved too.  But will Billy go through his wedding to the much younger Lisa—or is Diana the one for him?

 

THE CRITIQUE

LAST VEGAS, an amusing—but harmless—Baby Boomer comedy, wants to be the raunchier Hangover Series’ granduncle…but merely comes off as raunchy-lite (and please hold the salt).  If anything, the movie can at least boast that all five of its principal actors are Oscar^®-winners.  That’s something, right?

Written by Dan Fogelberg (Cars, Fred Claus, The Guilt Trip), the screenplay manages to project (just about) every human emotion while maintaining a feckless, status quo veneer.  The comedy is about four aging Baby Boomers who make one last go of the new/young/modern Vegas—it has heart…but where are its balls?  Writing a more ribald tale to secure an R-rating would have made this movie more fun and rowdy.

And yes: a re-imagining of The Hangover (2009) for the Post-WWII crowd may not have been original—but it would have had the balls needed to pull it off.  Remember, Baby Boomers can still lay claim to the greatest bachelor party movie of the 20^th Century: Bachelor Party (1984).  Now that was a funny, funny movie.

At least LAST VEGAS is helmed with a sure hand by veteran director Jon Turteltaub (3 Ninjas, Phenomenon, Instinct, The Kid, National Treasure series)—whose movies I rather enjoy.  His work may not stand out—screaming AUTEUR! AUTEUR! AUTEUR! from the top of the Luxor pyramid—but being a steady hand amidst this distinguished cast cannot hurt either.  Under Turteltaub’s stewardship, the movie exhibits gloss, class and heart.

The game cast gives the characters some energy and individuality.  I am a fan of each actor’s talents & filmographies and can say that each has their moment or two during the course of this movie.  Any limitations in characterization (and there are some) are purely based on how they were written.  I must say that the standouts in this one (aside from the gold-bling cast) are Roger Bart (as a drag queen) and young Jerry Ferrara—holding his own against De Niro and company.

Production values for this modestly-budgeted $28 million movie are solid across the board.  LAST VEGAS was shot in and around Las Vegas (of course) & Atlanta, GA—which stood in for Brooklyn, NY; Englewood, NJ; Naples, FL; and (amazingly) Malibu, CA.  Kudos to veteran Production Designer David J. Bomba (Secondhand Lions, Walk The Line, Race To Witch Mountain) for also recreating the ARIA Resort & Casino interiors including the centerpiece SkySuite penthouse room where the boys stay.

LAST VEGAS features glossy HD-widescreen lensing by veteran cinematographer David Hennings (Blue Crush, You Again, Horrible Bosses)—capturing the colorful Vegas settings using the versatile ARRI^® ALEXA camera system.  The camerawork is abetted by a smooth cutting schema courtesy of veteran editor David Rennie (The Kid, Race To Witch Mountain, You Again, 22 Jump Street) and music by DEVO’s own Mark Mothersbaugh (Rushmore, The Life Aquatic With Steven Zissou, 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street).

 

THE BOTTOM LINE 

Playing very much like The Hangover Series’ randy-but-cuddly-but-toothless granduncle, LAST VEGAS entertains yet fails to live up to the advertising hype.  Still, the game cast, solid technical facets and seductive Vegas setting sell themselves very easily.  I can proudly say that this is a Sin City movie that even my mother can watch…when she gets back from Atlantic City, that is.

 

 

 

 

IMDB:                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1204975/

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

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

New MFR Logo

Hello MFR Fans!!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have today launched MFR’s exciting new logo–thus replacing the original banner created in 2006:

 

Original Logo (2006-2013)

 

 

New Logo (2013- )

 

The new MFR logo showcases a modern 3-D look complete with film strips located on the bottom of the logo, as well as inherent in the OO of the MOONSTAR name.  This new logo will headline on the new MFR website when it goes live in the near future.

Any comments, praises, critiques or love letters can be sent the usual way.  Many thanks and enjoy the new look!