Cowboys and Aliens

After seeing this movie one thing is for certain. Either the graphic novel that inspired this god awful movie truly sucks or John Favreau sucks as a director. He hit it out of the ballpark with Elf and Iron Man but fell off with Iron Man 2 and this movie makes it official, he is not as good a director as he let on. Cowboys and Aliens was a movie that just screamed potential blockbuster. It had a great premise, great cast, good director, and Steven Speilberg as executive director, the blockbuster ingredients were in the pot and the stew was cooking. Just seems someone forgot to lower the flame and put the lid on the pot.

Now when I said one of the ingredients in this weak ass movie was a great cast, I meant it. Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, the beautiful Olivia Wilde, Clancy Brown, Paul Dano, Keith Carradine, and the mediocre Daniel Craig round out the key components of the cast. Harrison Ford plays Woodrow Dolarhyde who is a cattle baron and Daniel Craig plays Jake Lonergan, leader of an inept gang and a petty thief. These two men are mortal enemies but before the movie tells you that, it gives you Jake waking up in the middle of the desert with no idea who he is and wearing an odd bracelet on his wrist. After defeating three armed gunmen on horseback (to prove just what a bad ass Jake is) he rides into the town of Absolution. He then beats up Dolarhyde's drunk son Percy as well as the sheriff and his crew.

Just when Percy and Jake are about to be hauled of to a real jail in the wagon, Percy's dad and his posse shows up because Woodrow wants his son back and is willing to shed blood to make that happen. Suddenly there are floating lights in the sky and before any bullets fly these lights wreak havoc on the city of Absolution as well as harvest some of it's people. All hell breaks out on the ground and every one runs for cover and that's when Jakes bracelet comes to life and he blasts his way out of the jail wagon and then stands in the middle of the road and takes down one of those flying machines. The alien flying the machine kills some towns people and escapes. Fortunately Woodrow has an Indian in his employ who can track the alien and they all set off after it including Olivia Wilde and Emmett, a 10 year old child who wants to get his grandfather who's been "harvested" by the aliens.

This movie is weak and if I had to rate it on a 1 to 10 scale it barely gets a five. I found myself not giving a damn about any of the characters and I didn't care if they succeeded or failed in the posse's attempt to free the towns people who had been taken. They tried to turn the bad ass into a compassionate and caring hero when he was a psychopath earlier in the film. They want you to cheer and pull for Dolarhyde's character who's an evil asshole. You don't get emotionally invested in any of these characters in any way so there's a visceral disconnect. If the graphic novel was written this way I have no idea why the filmmakers didn't make a significant change in the story line because it damn sure needed it.

When I saw that the score was done by Harry Gregson-Williams I was interested in hearing what he could do. I was a fan of his score for Gone Baby Gone, Seraphim Falls, Man on Fire, and The Town. This time out however Harry missed the mark. Not to say the music wasn't good, it was just forgettable but when the entire movies emotional marks are tied to the score it's an almost impossible task to achieve. It's unfair to put that kind of pressure on a composer but Favreau seemed to have no problem with doing that. That's why I am convinced John isn't as a good of a director as Hollywood wants you to think he is because if all the blame of a good or bad movie falls at the feet of the director then he should have done better than this. I recommend you skip this movie but if you don't then I'll see you at the theater.

Captain America: The First Avenger

In all my life there has never been a decent movie made of the iconic Marvel comic character Captain America. There have been multiple attempts and they've all been simply atrocious. They were either done in by really bad acting by two bit actors or ridiculously small budgets that doomed the production. I have to tell you that after seeing this incarnation I'm still not sure they got it right. This time around the budget was enormous for Captain America: The First Avenger. The special effects were very impressive and the acting was top notch thanks to one hell of a cast but maybe, just maybe no matter how much money you spend or who you get to act in it, maybe Captain America just doesn't make a good movie.

Now when I said the acting was top notch, I meant it. Chris Evans plays Steve Rogers aka Capt. America and while he's NEVER impressed me before with his acting (though he was decent in Sunshine) he was decent in this movie. The real star of the movie in my opinion was Hugo Weaving who plays Johann Schmidt aka Red Skull and leader of Hydra. Hugo goes all in portraying the Red Skull and does a fantastic job. He's menacing, violent, and just downright crazy and we all know Hugo can do that better than almost anyone. There's also Oscar award winner Tommy Lee Jones playing Colonel Chester Phillips and the chameleon like Stanley Tucci playing Dr. Abraham Erskine who is responsible for the super serum that takes scrawny Steve Rogers and turns him into a one man fighting machine.

The rest of the cast includes Haley Atwell, Derek Luke, Toby Jones, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper playing Howard Stark, and Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role as Nick Fury yet again. Now the story (for those that have never read the comics) follows Steve trying to join the army so he can get sent overseas and fight Hitler and his Nazis but due to his asthma and his weighing ninety-nine pounds gets him rejected for duty with every attempt and the attempts are numerous. That is until Dr. Erskine snatches him up and pumps him full of the super serum. He's then sent around the country to help sell war bonds as well as overseas to entertain the troops as Captain America. It's not until he finds out his best childhood buddy Bucky Barnes is in trouble. Then there's no stopping Captain America from punching people out and throwing his "mighty shield".

It's slick, stylish, campy, over the top, and utterly ridiculous at times but director Joe Johnston who's last film was the amazingly weak Wolfman does his best to deliver and entertaining film and he does. It's very entertaining, it's just too bad it's hollow. There is absolutely nothing at its core emotionally when you get right down to it. The script written by four scribes takes care of that very early on in the film and after that moment in the movie where tragedy strikes a major character, the movie just falls flat. The music by the great Alan Silvestri does an adequate job but for the most part the music falls as flat as the movie which is surprising if you know Silvestri's work over the years.

Again maybe Captain America is that one Marvel hero that just doesn't transfer well to the screen like the X-Men or Thor no matter how hard someone tries. Maybe he's just better left on the pages of his comic but that's my opinion. Go see for yourself and let me know what you think and I'll see you at the theater.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2

It's over. It's come to an end like we all knew it would when the first book hit the bookshelves. There are no more books so there will be no more films, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 brings this billion dollar franchise to an epic close and honestly, I expected better. Wait, let me not say better and instead I'll say I expected more. I suppose the reason I was looking for more was because I really loved Part 1. It gave me everything I could have wanted that movie to be. Could it have been darker? Sure but that would have excluded Potter's demographic so it was as dark as it could have been and I was good with that. I think what I was looking for in Part 2 was that darkness that wasn't in Part 1. Hell, this WAS the last movie after all.

Picking right up where Part 1 left off Harry, Hermione, and Ron are at one of the Order of the Phoenix' safe houses. Harry realizes where one of those ever important horcruxes might be and with the help of the goblin who escaped with Harry and company from the Malfoy's residence they head to Gringotts and Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. The sequence of getting in and getting out of Gringotts Bank is as entertaining a sequence in any Potter film and the 3D is fantastic. It's a great beginning to a movie filled to the brim with cinematic flourishes that will most undoubtedly take your breath away.

It's an impressive curtain call as well. Characters that came and went, faces that were forgotten from previous movies are all back to do battle against the Dark Lord (who seemingly refuses to change his clothes no matter what) and his minions. This time around Professor Sprout makes an appearance along with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Professor Trelawney. We also get to meet Lilly Potter as a fully formed character as well as Severus Snape (who turns out to be the real hero within the Potter lore). You get to see Snape's love for Lilly develop from when they were just children. It's both touching and heartbreaking when it all comes to a head with Snape finally showing Harry love in his own way. We also finally get to meet Albus' brother Aberforth Dumbledore played by the very talented Ciaran Hinds.

Now my problem with this movie is yes there's violence, death, and destruction of which I am all for. It's all around but it's all done so at a nice antiseptic distance. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of who the good guys and the bad guys are. Big characters, good characters buy the farm but we don't get to see them fight until they can't anymore. I almost felt cheated when characters I liked and admired are dead and you don't know how valiantly they fought or if they ran like cowards. I'm guessing director David Yates wanted to save the hero worshipping for Harry, Hermione, and Ron or maybe he thought you the viewer got enough of all that from the books. Either way in my humble opinion it fell short.

What didn't fall short was Alexadre Desplat's score. Not only did he NOT copy the same score from Part 1 (which I really enjoyed) but he also incorporated some of the musical cues from the last two composers John Williams and Nicholas Hooper. The music for Part 2 was better than Part 1 and that's saying something. It was a job well done by Mr. Desplat and I tip my hat to the man. Did I love Deathly Hallows Part 2? Sadly not and maybe that's because I was spoiled by Part 1 or maybe I just need to see it again. Either way, I'll see you at the theater.

Beginners

When I heard about the premise of this movie and then found out who was in it I thought it sounded interesting. An elderly man comes out of the closet to his adult son after the husbands wife and sons mother passes away. Now to me that sounded like a story just rife with potential hilarity as well as making a statement on society at large and while it does the latter, the hilarity is definitely missing. Don't get me wrong, this movie will make you laugh but the laughter causing moments are spread out thinly throughout the film.

Starring Ewan McGregor who plays Oliver, Christopher Plummer playing Hal , and Melanie Laurent who plays Anna Beginners is a slow moving movie about a father and son coming to grips with each other in the face of death and loss. Not told in straight ahead fashion but dominated by flashbacks director and writer Mike Mills deftly spins a yarn of a story around Oliver and all he's been through as a kid growing up in a house with no real love between his parents. He tells how growing up in that environment plays a major role in everything he does in his life as a man.

Hal married the quirky Georgia played by the very talented Mary Page Keller. She marries and has a kid with Hal even though she knows he's gay. In fact Hal has known he was gay since he was thirteen but he wants a piece of that American dream where the nice house, car in the garage, and children. He was afraid though that it could all be taken away if his homosexuality was to be discovered, so afraid in fact that he wouldn't even hold his own sons hand when out in public. Because Oliver grows up in such a dysfunctional household with parents who are clearly in a passionless relationship, when he comes across Anna he has no idea on how to make that relationship work.

When Georgia passes away Hal is now free to live the life he's always wanted to and can do so out in the open. He fully embraces the gay culture, makes a boatload of new gay friends and even places a personal ad to find a lover. He eventually finds Andy played by Goran Visnjic from E.R. fame and the two of them enjoy each others company until Hal dies. Before he does though, father and son finally develop that bond they never had when they were younger and it's through that bond that Oliver finally realizes that he can make choices. He can choose to be happy or sad and eventually Oliver chooses to be happy.

Christopher Plummer is great in this film and should be recognized come Oscar time (and I have never said ANYTHING like that before) but the real star of this movie is Athur, Hal's Jack Russel terrier. Played by "Cosmo the dog", Arthur is great and steals almost every scene he's in and while there are no real rewards for acting animals and their trainers, there really should be. Beginners is a well done film but it's trailer and posters are misleading, be warned it's not a "fun" or "funny" film at all but is definitely entertaining and a movie worth seeing. I'll see you at the theater.

Larry Crowne

So let's say you aren't interested in any way of seeing giant robots fighting each other for the control of mankind and planet earth. While I'm at it let's say you aren't one of the masses that cares for kids waving wands around trying to save their world from some maniacal evil wizard. If you fall into one or both of these category's then boy do I have the movie for you. Larry Crowne is a movie that stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. There are no robots and the only magic in this movie you're supposed to believe in is the romance between the two leading actors (which is sometimes hard to buy).

Universal's release of Larry Crowne right after Transformers and two weeks before Harry Potter was a stroke of genius. The charm of this movie is the perfect escape for those parents who are worn out by said giant robots, animated racing cars, guys in green pj's, and bracing for the wizarding world. Directed by Tom Hanks and written by Tom Hanks and Nia Vadarlos, the woman who wrote and starred in My Big Fat Greek Wedding which was produced by Hank's production company Crowne is the story of a man who seemed to have a handle on life and had things going his way while working at U-Mart. That was until he's let go because he's maxed out as a team leader and can rise no higher in management due to his never attending college.

The beauty of this movie isn't the topical story but the great cast assembled. Larry's neighbors are Cedric The Entertainer and Taraji P. Henson who play the married couple Lamar and B'Ella. George Takei plays Dr. M the economics professor that unknowingly helps Larry get a handle on his finances. Tom Hanks' wife Rita Wilson makes an appearance as his banker and his son Chet Hanks plays the pizza delivery boy. Rounding out the cast there's Pam Grier, Wilmer Valderrama, Rami Malek, Brian Cranston, and the lovely newcomer Gugu Mbatha-Raw who plays the flirtatious Talia. You'll be seeing a lot more of her I'm sure (she's that good).

For this being Tom's second time helming a major motion picture, his first was the critically acclaimed but box office disappointment That Thing You Do, Crowne was well done. There are moments where the movie drags and a lot of that has to do with the (yawn) disintegrating marriage between Julia Roberts character Mercedes Tainot and her porn loving husband Dean played by Breaking Bad's Brian Cranston. Other than that this movie about a man who lifts himself up after being unceremoniously dumped by the company he's worked for for years is not an instruction manual on what to do should this happen to you but it's message should be heeded.

The music by James Newton Howard is spartan due to all the classic rock songs littered throughout the film but James' score was poignant and sweet. Transformers was a movie I wanted to see but Larry Crowne was a movie I needed to see. It may be a movie you need to see as well and if you can buy Mercedes Tainot falling for Larry Crowne then all the better. I'll see you at the theater.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Okay, I know you all are wondering if Rose Huntington-Whiteley adequately replaces Megan Fox as Samuel Witwicky's love interest in this, the last installment of the Transformers trilogy. Well all I can say is while she does look good in heels and a short skirt (which she seems to stay dressed in throughout the movie unless you count those times when she's half naked) her acting is Megan Fox quality. Thankfully though there is a lot more to see and a lot more going on than Rose's weak performance though someone needs to tell Michael Bay to hire a real actress instead of these girls that just look good on the screen but have no real acting talent.

Fear not though, this movie is chock full of talented actors who are also okay on the eyes. Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro reprise their roles as Lennox, Epps, and Simmons respectfully but also appearing in Transformers: Dark of the Moon are the incomparable Frances McDormand, the eerily talented John Malkovich, the chameleon Alan Tudyk, and just in case there wasn't enough eye candy on the screen for the ladies there's Patrick Dempsey (I was told he's a hottie, whatever). There's also the gravitas of Leonard Nimoy voicing Sentinel Prime and a hilarious turn by Ken Jeong fresh off his role in The Hangover II. Throw all this talent in the hopper along with a decent story line, something T2 did NOT have and you have a movie that's far superior than the second and almost as good as the first. If this is the last Transformers movie the trilogy bows out impressively.

The story centers around the reason man stepped foot on the moon and Sam while being the savior of mankind (twice as he will gladly tell anyone who will listen) is unable to get a job. The Autobots, no longer having anything to fear from the vanquished Decepticons now work with man to handle terrorist issues here at home. That was until they find certain Cybertron technology sitting in the middle of Chernobyl, yes I said Chernobyl. Talk about a place making the most unlikely of comebacks. This pisses Optimus Prime off and he realizes he and the Autobots have been either lied to by omission or lied to outright by the US Government. He's then told about the crashed ship that landed on our moon that carried the technology that would have ended the Cybertron civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. They retrieve what was on the moon and then all hell breaks loose.

The 3D done in this movie rivals the amazing 3D of Avatar and Michael Bay is at his nihilistic best destroying the city of Chicago and laying it to waste. When watching this movie I marveled at the number of difficult shots that are in it and marveled more at Michael pulling it all off. The post production hours must have been a bitch but the effort was well worth it and while I am not a big Michael Bay fan, this movie in my humble opinion is his best to date. Now that's not saying much I know but it's true.

The true gem of this movie though is the music. Scored by Steve Jablonsky again, much in the same way John Williams stepped his game up from Star Wars to The Empire Strikes Back Jablonksy does the very same thing. No I am NOT putting Stevie J in the same category as The Maestro but Jablonsky does an amazing job scoring this movie. He impressed with his score on T2 but he aided the emotional depth with his music.

After the debacle that was the second movie I wasn't all the fired up for the third installment but all the mistakes they made in the second by taking their audience for granted they more than corrected this time around. If you're looking for that popcorn summer film that will blow your mind and entertain on all fronts then I highly recommend Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Oh and if you can, see it in IMAX and I'll see you at the theater.