Ted 2

Ted 2 - 115min - R

Ted 2....Oh boy. Seth MacFarlane is beating the Ted drum again. Someone take that thing away from him. So many times I have seen movies that were gems and when a sequel comes out it is missing its muchness. Watching makes me cringe at the sad, hollow sound of them banging the same drum over and over.

I didn't get a chance to see Ted and thought about skipping the sequel because I have been doing that a lot lately seeing things out of order however my blog is titled "What is Showing Next" for a reason, so I did. This felt like a pale attempt at a movie. The film got absolutely no laughs from me and the rest of the audience were only mildly amused with a few pity chuckles here or there. It's almost like the filmmakers had a few funny jokes, and they built the story around the jokes. It also felt like a cable episodic television show. The set up and the jokes were almost vignettes among themselves parading as a movie.

Seth McFarlane is a brilliant man and I know that he does the lowest common denominator humor so he can pay for things like Cosmos (which was brilliant) but he can and should do better than banging out sequels. Ted did well because it was something new and different he has the chops to make new and interesting material. You can see the same comedic timing that McFarlane is so good at, but it was still not enough to make this better.

I do want to go back and watch the original because if nothing else this film has made me interested enough in the characters to see the original. There was a good concept here. I just think they lost their way. I am intrigued to know how this bong-smoking teddy bear got its start. There are some jokes that are way offside, but McFarlane seems to have a bus pass to the topics that are at times too crass to be seen on screen.

I understand the appeal of this kind of movie I can see that this kind of humor works for a lot of people. When I go and watch it I have to take my cues from the audience and in this case they have given this movie a resounding yawn.

I want to take a look at the numbers for returns on comedy sequels and see if I can make a case for abolishing them except in the cases where there is an over-arching story arc that they are trying to tell.  Those obviously need them, but there beautiful one-offs that need to be left alone. Hold on.... I was thing of a different move there I am not saying Ted was a gem. I was thinking of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. That movie was perfect and also didn't need a sequel.  I am going to watch Ted and get back to you if it’s worth your time.

Raunchy comedies have a hard time making a sequel that can match the first one. When you scrape the bottom of the humor barrel for jokes you don’t have much to work with. You can’t elevate the material because it loses the audience.  All you can do is rearrange the same level of jokes you had in the first one or change the location you tell the same jokes in.

Am I wrong? 

Lucy

Lucy - 90m - R

I have followed Luc Besson’s career for a long time. I fell in love with his writing from the film La Femme Nikita (1990). He never disappoints in making action films that are balanced with a good, interesting and engaging stories. Lucy is a big “what if” story that urges us to think about what we have done with our time here on the planet. Well, I have spent 90 min of my time watching a visually stunning story about the possible capacity for the human evolution. I am green lighting this film. Mr. Besson does not disappoint.

Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is a girl who is studying in China. Her boyfriend needs her to drop off a package at a hotel for Mr. Jang (Min-sikChoi). This quick drop off sweeps her up into the darker side of the underground drug trafficking business in China. She gets shanghaied into being a drug mule. The drug runners rough her up and she gets a dose of the drug she is smuggling. Her reaction to the drug gives her access to 20% of her brain, this gives her control over her body and she starts down an accelerated evolutionary track. During her journey she gets the help of a Paris Detective, Pierre Del Rio (Amr Waked), and Professor Norman (Morgan Freeman). Her evolution takes her to 100% control over her brain and the next phase of human evolution.

The trailer leads one to believe there were going to be more crunchy bits to the film—the kind of graphic violence where you hear the “crunch” of broken bones and dislocated joints. It’s graphic but very little in the way of hand to hand fighting. The action focuses more on the use of guns and superhuman abilities. Action move directors need to learn the balance that Luc Besson employs in his films. Action is there to enhance the story, not be the focus. If the action becomes a distraction, it needs to be dialed back. Cough… Michael Bay.. cough, cough.

This film brings up questions of where we are going, what we are doing with this incredible gift we take for granted. A good story brings up these concepts without giving you the answers. This movie is one that makes for some good conversations over pie.

Scarlett Johansson’s performance during this film starts out as one character and then her evolution requires her to embody a being that transcends our existence. She becomes more and more distant as the film continues. Morgan Freeman always does a good job and this is not his first Besson film. They have worked together a number of times. The first memorable role this collaboration had was in Unleashed. As always his characters are all spectacularly done.

The last film I saw with Amr Waked he played a royal prince in the film Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. His portrayal of a gritty Paris Detective comes off without a hitch showing off his range of characters. He also plays Lucy’s connection to humanity. Her journey takes her so far beyond our existence that she needs something to remind her of what she once was. This is the only criticism I have. He was supposed to be an anchor for her but he was more like a pet or a trinket that she brought with her. We never really understand what is so special about him that makes him her touchpoint.

Min-sik Choi wears the bad guy role well. He reminds me of a Korean Gary Oldman from the other Besson film, The Professional. A wonderful touch in this film is the lack of sub titles in the initial scenes with Lucy’s abduction. This brings the viewer into the feeling of not knowing what is going on and adds to the tension between the characters. It is a wonderful performance from Min-Sik Choi, his cold lifeless eyes are the icing on the scene. He has also lost touch with humanity for a completely different reason.

Luc Besson writes strong characters and all of them have a rich depth to give them savory believability. He writes with a firm balance between the ugliness and the beauty that humanity has. Getting people to feel for your characters is the hardest thing to do as a writer. His keen sense of how to bring that out in the script and on screen is masterful.

The take away I get most is how the film focuses on how much of a gift life is. I am sitting in a coffee shop reflecting on the 90 min ride I just got out of and I am feeling like I could be doing a whole lot more with my time. I can’t use 20 % of my brain, hell sometimes I don’t even use the 10% I am supposed to. I can’t change the world or my molecules.

I can change what I choose to spend my 10% on. I think I am going to focus on doing more on the things I enjoy doing that bring me closer to the things I want in my life. This kind of thinking is not necessarily what you would expect a person to be thinking walking out of an action film. It is what you walk away with when you walk out of a good film. 

The Last White Knight - Posted on Movie Review World

The Last White Knight  - 78 min - Not Rated

This documentary is a good snapshot of the American town of Greenwood Mississippi during the 60's and of today.  Read my review of it on Movie Review World

Great film. 

Now You See Me

Now You See Me – 115min – PG-13

Now You See Me is a great reimagination on the heist movie genre. Instead of taking you through the plan and build the tension as the night of crime draws near, you are given a front row seat to the heist and experiences along with the dumbfounded FBI agents who are assigned to the case. The pace and tension of this film make excellent entertainment. Even when you are given the answer you are still unsure of you knew the right question.

I might have a skewed view of this movie as it was the first movie that I saw while I was in London. We went to the VUE Theater. As a movie buff I make it a point to go to as many movies in as many different theaters as I can, just to see what the experience is like. This will be my first movie in a different country. HUZZAH LONDON!!

I recommend if you are ever in Westfield Mall and you are looking to go to a movie, go to the Vue and at least once splurge on the VIP seats. They are comfortable and in the sweet spot of the theater (seven rows up and eight across) and you can reserve them. I will have to do an IMHO on my global movie going experiences.

What I like about this movie is how it blends traditional magic and a wee bit of mysticism. You get an answer to some of the tricks but you are still just not quite sure if they are witches that need to have their hearts boiled.

My advice on movies with a hook is to never look for it. Looking just removes the splendor of what you are watching. The same holds true for magic tricks: don’t think, just enjoy. If you are working so hard trying to out think the spectacular illusion you are going to miss the magic. This movie is well written and a prime example of missing the point if you are too busy trying to leap ahead of the story. Just hang on and enjoy the ride.

The movie starts off introducing us to different magicians coming from different back grounds and different disciplines. They are all called together by a mysterious figure who presents them with a tarot card and a date and a location. J Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) is a young performer playing smallish shows making a name for himself like a David Copperfield young flashy magician. He has a high opinion of himself with an “its not bragging if you can pull it off” mentality and he can. Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), is a mentalist and hypnotist working at resorts. His character uses hypnosis to present his marks with a choice, expose their secrets to their loved ones or give a large tip. Kind of harsh but he is exposing the letchy guy, so it’s all good. Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), a woman escape artist holding her own in the magic field. She is tough and can perform just as hard at the men in her field. She’s had a past relationship with Atlas, but nobody is perfect. Rounding out the pack is Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), a street performer in the vein of David Blane before Blane had his stints as a sideshow in a box .

They are sponsored by Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) and are now named The Four Horseman. They pull off a bank robbery halfway around the world. FBI Agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) tries to catch them with the help of Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a magic expert.

Louis Leterrier has a great understanding of how to balance all the complicated elements of this story. I have enjoyed his work from the start. Leterrier’s Unleashed is one of my favorite movies. He understands that an action movie is about the characters more than the explosions. We have to feel a part of what is going on. If we can’t get behind your characters we are just watching empty images. Most action movies seem like a long string of death and destruction. Now don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy that but it’s empty without the emotional connection.

Another person worth mentioning is the actress Mélanie Laurent who plays a member of Interpol assisting with the case. The last time I saw her, she was running from Nazis and burning down theaters. Her performance in this movie is like the beautiful girl assistants in a magic trick. You are looking at her and not the trick. She is beautiful and talented but keep your eyes on the things going on around her.

There’s a slight technical gaff in the scene where The Horsemen are switching out the money. They pop out of the bottom of the truck like nothing is on them -- except a few million Euros. Large bundles of money have to weigh about as much as a pallet of paper and that’s heavy. They would not be popping out of anywhere except the hospital. Oh wait I know, I know…it’s Magic.

Oh and I saw the bridge they were at in France. Very cool.

What is your favorite Leterrier Film and why?

Oblivion - Guest Review

Oblivion – 126 Min – PG-13
by C. L. Cadwallader

Tom Cruise gets a bad rap with a lot of people. “Tom Cruise Crazy” anyone? Is it the Scientology? The couch-hopping? Breaking Nicole Kidman’s heart? (She seems to have come out on the top side of that deal.)I don’t know. What I do know is that he seriously brought his ‘A Game’ to this movie. Oblivion is beautifully shot, well-acted and exciting. It gets a green light from me.

The movie opens on a near-future Earth ravaged by an alien invasion. Jack Harper (Cruise) is a drone repairman, one of the last humans remaining on the planet. He lives with his partner/lover, Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) on a kind of floating station. Together they keep the machines harvesting the last of Earth’s resources while they wait to join the rest of humanity on Saturn’s moon Titan.

I’m going to stop there with the summary and talk instead about the trailers for Oblivion. For months leading up to this movie, I watched the trailers, growing increasingly intrigued. Cruise’s voiceover tells us that humanity won the war, but lost the planet. He pretends to play a little football in a ruined stadium. Morgan Freeman’s voice says everything we believe is a lie. Flash! Bang! Action! Something kills some humans and Tom Cruise doesn’t like it. What do we know from this trailer? We know Tom Cruise is some kind of hot shot pilot who like sports and might be a bit of a goof-off, probably not too concerned with the rules. Morgan Freeman is a mysterious stranger who may or may not be on his side. We suspect there’s something going on beneath the surface.
What is it? Who are the good guys really? What’s the deal with Jack and Victoria?

We don’t know. That’s the key here. Now, I will admit, I do like a good Tom Cruise movie (Top Gun, MI:Ghost Protocal, The Last Samurai, Jerry Maguire, etc.). I’m also a sucker for flashy sci-fi movies, so I would probably have seen this movie anyway, but the trailers sealed it for me. The premise was intriguing; it had Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman, and I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. The trailers gave me just enough information without giving away ANY of the secrets. I enjoyed following along with Jack Harper as he learned the things that had been hidden from him. At each step, I was asking questions, and eagerly awaiting the answers. I felt satisfied at every point through the film. I wasn’t left hanging with questions for too long, nor were the answers too easily provided. The trailer did exactly what a trailer is supposed to do. It made me want to see the movie.

I think this is important to point out because so many trailers have turned into a mini summary of the movie. The recent RomZomCom Warm Bodies comes to mind. The trailers for that movie told me at least 80% of the entire plot. Sure, the details are what makes the film, but if I want a recap, I’ll read Wikipedia. The trailer should raise questions, but never answer them. The trailers for Oblivion do that, and even if the movie hadn’t lived up to expectations, I would applaud the producers for their good work getting me there based on the trailer.