Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Review: 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' (2015)

Twentieth Century Fox 
For those who do experience it, Kingsman: The Secret Service is sure to become one of those movies that will force some type of grin or cheerful smirk onto your face at its mentioning. It’s not one that will be remembered for its story, characters and really won’t be all that quotable but you will be hard pressed not say you had fun as it’s bizarre, off-the wall quality of action sequences and moments will keep you entertained throughout.  Sure you can pick at the story over and over but with Kingman: The Secret Service, Director Matthew Vaughn gives us a reason to have fun at the cinema. 

Opening in the year 1997, Kingman: The Secret Service begins with secret agents Harry Hart (Colin Firth) and Merlin (Mark Strong) being saved by a fellow secret agent as he gives his life to do so. Soon after this, Harry goes to the home of the fallen agent’s wife and young son Eggsy, informing them to contact the spy organization if they are ever in any trouble. Fast-forward 17 years and we find Eggsy (Taron Egerton) contacting Harry at a time when he is not only in trouble but at a time when the organization is in need of a new agent. This is all happening as billionaire Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) is plotting to decrease the world’s population because of global warming.

You know it’s going to be one wild ride when Mark Hamel is a professor, tied to a chair and the secret agent there to rescue him fails to do so because he is sliced in half by a women who has swords for feet. This is one of the first scenes of the film and it really only gets wilder after that. Due to this, It quickly becomes clear that the story isn’t all that important, as the spectacle that is an action sequence, infused with comedy and just flat out bizarreness, is what is meant to catch your eye. To the benefit of the audience, it accomplishes this with ease.

Director Matthew Vaughn holds nothing back and at times, even amping up his already out of the ordinary visuals. Vaughn allows his style to take over by using a silly, one note premise that, while it doesn’t make much of a story, gives a base to his extremely fun action sequences. It becomes clear that he doesn’t want to take away from this entertaining experience with plot details and developments that could bog everything down. This doesn’t always work but in this case it works and then some due to Vaughn’s full commitment to not taking things all that serious.

Buying into Vaughn’s approach is his cast. Like the story, there isn’t much to the characters this cast portrays but they understand what they are working with and run with it. Firth and Strong are required to have a level of reserve to them but get to cut lose when moments of combat or chaos call for it. In a couple of big action sequences, Firth is amusing as a killing machine or just letting a few punks in a pub know who is boss. Strong’s character, Merlin, in charge of training potential secret agents, acts somewhat as a voice of reason and adds moments of compassion and whit to the cleverly done training scenes.

Fairly new to the scene, Taron Egerton as Eggsy fills the role well, getting to let loose a little more than most characters. What I like about the character and what Egerton brings to this is the clear evolution of confidence and comfort as the film goes on. In fact, becoming so confident that he negotiates doing a Princess from Sweden (Hanna Alstrom) from behind towards the films finale (yes this is worded awkwardly but not as awkward as what is said on screen).

The most outrageous character though belongs to Samuel L. Jackson as the villainous billionaire Richmond Valentine. Using a Mike Tyson-like lisp, Jackson may not make Valentine appear all that evil but it does go well with the nonsense antics that he is up to. The film’s final few scenes, features Valentine really only dropping the f-bomb and nothing more but with the lisp and Jackson’s distinctive delivery in general it’s hard not to be entertained.    

If there is anything to really fault Kingsman: The Secret Service for, it would have to be that it runs a little long, dragging at times. Along with this, a few of the action sequences turn very unsettling in very brief moments but these are small complaints that really won’t be much of a bother. With Kingsman: The Secret Service, Vaughn makes it very difficult not to have fun as he accomplishes something few directors that take on these type of premises forget to do: Entertain first.


Grade: B-      

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Review: 'Seventh Son' (2015)

Legendary Pictures
For a couple of reasons, it would be wrong for me to say that I regret watching Seventh Son. The first reason being that, when I first heard about it or saw the marketing for it, this movie could not appeal to me less. The second reason is that I came late to the party (or lack thereof) when it comes to seeing Seventh Son as I saw it a week after its release, so I knew the overall consensus. And yes I know, as a critic, I should do my best not to go into a movie having a preconceived expectation but like I said, this is a reason why I should not regret watching it. I knew I had a preformed opinion about how this experience was going to be and I knew what I getting into, so there are no regrets. As you can probably already tell, the reason I say ‘no regrets’ is not because it turns out that I enjoyed the film but because I didn’t enjoy it, which really has little to do with my opinion going into Seventh Son.  

Based on the book ‘The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch’ by Joseph Delaney, Seventh Son centers on Tom Ward (Ben Barnes), a young man who happens to have special abilities because he is the seventh born son of the seventh son. Because of this, Tom is chosen to be the apprentice of Master Gregory’s (Jeff Bridges), who is referred to as a spook or someone who protects the world against supernatural evil. The recent threat that they must defeat comes in the form of Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore), a witch that Master Gregory locked away several years ago but because of the upcoming blood moon, her powers are increased, allowing her to escape.

If Seventh Son is compared to the genre, an action and adventure flick, that it is sold as than it starts flat but then continues to be flat, though the finale is flat. It’s a film that clearly wants to rely on action sequences and the spectacles that come with medieval sorcery but all of it is so dull and pointless that it just slows the movie down.

Keep in mind though, when I say ‘slow the movie down’, I’m not referring to an experience that is so edge of your seat exciting that it becomes a travesty to interrupt it. Just like all the bells and whistles, the story is equally uneventful. It becomes clear early on that Tom and Master Gregory must stop Mother Malkin before the full blood mood. Of course we know they are going to stop her but this is really all that happens.

There is a romantic story line in which Tom falls for a witch by the name Alice (Alicia Vikander) who happens to be working under Malkin but just like every other aspect of the film it is under written and has very little to do with the story. This story line, along with the story in general fails to produce any type of intrigue or tension. For example, the only way the audience can tell that time is running out to stop Mother Malkin is when the moon is shown getting increasingly red every twenty minutes or so and not by the characters actions, dialogue or emotions.

So at this point, you say, “What about Bridges and Moore? They have to make up for everything else right?” No, their performances fit right in with the rest of the film. Both Bridges and Moore are bad because of the script but they are also bad because of themselves. In this stage of their careers, why they do movies that only ask them to go through the motions and afterwards pick up a check is beyond me. Bridges uses some pointless dialect that can’t be understood and Moore, when she is actually on screen, is just kind of there, really never embracing the villainous role (besides the times her character is a CGI dragon).

Maybe the most interesting aspect of the film is Master Gregory and Mother Malkin’s past. It is revealed that the two were once in a romance together but Gregory moved on to someone else as Malkin became increasingly evil. This caused her to become filled with jealousy and hatred that drove her to kill Gregory’s wife. This is only shared in dialogue between Gregory and Tom, nothing being done with it. This would be a storyline to get into which could be supported with flashbacks of their relationship or even in current moments when the two interact. When the two are on screen together towards the end of the film, for a small moment, it becomes hopeful that the two are going to explore their past together but then Gregory kills her, dashing all hope of this along with hope that the finale would be worthwhile

Like I said, I didn’t bring my A game into this one. I didn’t really care if I ended up not liking it. It was just a viewing that happened. I didn’t expect to be blown away and I wasn’t. The question is, were my expectations the reason I did not enjoy the film. Let’s just say they are the reason for the film’s sake. This means if I had no expectations going in, Seventh Son would only be slightly better, still falling well below average.        


Grade: D

Monday, February 16, 2015

Review: 'Fifty Shades of Grey' (2015)

Focus Features
There I was, setting a reasonable distance from a big screen. The movie occupying that screen: Fifty Shades of Grey. The experience: unfamiliarly bizarre. I won’t go as far as to say an out of body experience but there were several moments when I found myself realizing that I could not grasp what was happening in front of me. Not because it was confusing, not because it resembled characteristics of something you can view at midnight on Cinemax or not even because it was so bad. Because what was being said, what was being done and how it was done felt as if it was all just a joke, not just on me or the others in the audience but even the people on the screen. This feeling, as Fifty Shades of Grey went on and on, had me asking over and over in my head, is this really happening?    

Just think, the events in Fifty Shades of Grey never happen if a roommate does not get sick. When Kate (Eloise Mumford), a journalist student at Washington State University Vancouver, becomes ill just before she is to interview successful businessman Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) in Seattle for the school newspaper, she ask her roommate Anastasia (Dakota Johnson) to do the interview for her. The interview starts off rough but as Anastasia goes off the script and begins to question Christian like never before, she makes a lasting impression, causing him to pursue a relationship after the interview.       

I haven’t read the book series so I’m not sure how much the film varies from the book but this big screen adaption is a point A to point B kind of thing with nothing in the way of A getting to B. I’m sure that their relationship gets a little deeper in the second book, ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ but in this first film installment, Anastasia meets Christian, then Christian pursues to make her his ‘submissive’.

That word ‘submissive’ is what the story uses as its foundation. Who is this the submissive? Anastasia. This makes Christian Grey the dominant and he won’t let anyone forget these roles. There is a contract and everything. As the wording in this contract is being read out loud or even the type of language and words Christian uses when talking about his style of sexual encounters, is when my head started spinning, wondering if this was all a joke. Phrases, using words such as submissive, pleasure and punish are said by Grey as if everything is completely normal. It was a strange feeling not because I couldn’t believe what was happing on screen but because I couldn’t figure out why it was happening. Poorly written is an understatement and as you find yourself giggling at it you will also be feeling sorry for everyone involved.   

Adding to this bizarre experience was how sexy and lucrative this relationship Christian wants with Anastasia is supposed to be. Though, this is no joke when it is realized. Using the terms used in the film, is a dominant’s relationship to a submissive abuse? Is it abuse if it is consensual? Consensual or not there is a level of physical harm being done. Is that ok? Is it worth pleasure? The film answers these questions in a way that makes the type of relationship presented as one to be desired. It’s not my place to say if this type of relationship is right or wrong, everyone’s psyche is different but I can say that it would not be a positive experience for everyone, the film though put’s a polished spin on it.

Gender roles also come into question with control being a huge theme in Fifty Shades of Grey. Christian wants full control over Anastasia for personal pleasure. Of course in this situation it is man wanting control over woman but in any relationship, control is up for grabs at some point. My question becomes, and maybe I am totally off, but given that the majority of the audience watching this film or reading the books are women, how many will let the man be in full control, not just sexually but in other aspects of a relationship after seeing how a seductive man in Fifty Shades of Grey takes full control in a seductive way. If so, is this a good thing? Like I said, I could be off with this thought but it’s no secret that sex sells and Fifty Shades of Grey is literally and figuratively sex.            

With all this said, I suppose if you were to question Fifty Shades of Grey’s effectiveness according to the goals it sets out to accomplish; it would be difficult to say that it didn’t reach that mark. It wants to be a different, sexy way to show a relationship and that’s exactly what it is. It’s nothing more nor is it anything less. But if we viewed things this way, based on what they wanted to accomplish then there would be a lot of bad getting a pass. With Fifty Shades of Grey, giving it a pass because it did what it set out to do, could not feel more wrong. 


Grade: F     

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Review: 'Jupiter Ascending' (2015)

Warner Bros.
With Jupiter Ascending, the Wachowski’s beg us to come to another world with them. They put out a hand and attempt to entice us with extravagant set pieces and fast moving action sequences. When that doesn’t draw you they add big musical pieces as a back drop to everything. While the music doesn’t necessarily hurt, it doesn’t help either so a message that is supposed to make an action film much deeper is attempted. Even with all of this, it still isn’t convening enough to take the epic journey they offer you or even buy that it is an epic journey in the first place.

I don’t think it’s off the wall to say that Jupiter Ascending’s premise is half way interesting. The message with in that premise concerns time, how valuable it is and how much we rely on others and how we need them in order to survive. The problem is that after this premise is revealed, these themes really aren’t explored. In Jupiter Ascending, earth and several other planets are just locations for humans to develop until their genes are ready to be ‘harvested’ and used as some type of rejuvenating substance by the House of Abrasax, a powerful alien dynasty.

When the head of the House of Abrasax, the mother of Balem (Eddie Redmayne), Kalique (Tuppence Middleton) and Titus (Douglas Booth), dies these three children each become set on obtaining her inheritance, which includes earth, for them self’s. This dispute may start with three individuals but the character of Kalique seems rather pointless as she is really only used to show how the genes from the harvested humans are used and in doing so, add a bit of nudity. After that she is nowhere to be found for the long remainder of the films running time.

So with earth being the desired planet, Mila Kunis’s character comes into play. From Russian decent and named after late father’s favorite planet, Jupiter (Kunis) is seen cleaning houses in the city of Chicago with her mother Aleska (Maria Doyle Kennedy). Maybe one of the biggest mysteries of the entire film is how Jupiter speaks with an American accent when both her parents were and are Russian and everyone she lives with speaks with a thick Russian accent. It’s a detail that shouldn’t bother me but does.

In need of money, Jupiter accepts an offer from her cousin Vladie (Kick Gurry) that would require her to sell her eggs. As this process is about to happen, Balem orders golem-looking aliens disguised as doctors and nurses to kill her. Why does Balem want to kill her?  Jupiter apparently is a genetic reincarnation of his mother, meaning that she has the opportunity to attain the title to earth.

Who prevents Jupiter from being killed? C-Tates! Caine (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered, half wolf, half human solider saves Jupiter. Upon learning of her background, Caine takes Jupiter to get the title to earth, a process that turn out to be the most entertaining sequence of the film thanks to a fun turn from Samuel Barnett as a robot called Advocate Bob and unfortunately the best performance of the film in the form of a cameo by Terry Gilliam.  

Nothing against Gilliam but he is on screen no more than a minute. Dominating screen time, Kunis and Tatum are given little to work with as far as dialogue and character depth goes but really, performance wise, do not do much to help manners. Kunis goes from one line to the next, just keeping things moving, doing no more than that. Tatum starts out using some kind of dialect that differs from his norm but for some reason this kind of goes away after a while. The role doesn’t call for it but he would be lot more enjoyable if he was let lose a little and allowed to embrace how silly his character and the story is.   

The same could be said for Eddie Redmayne as the films chief villain. A valid argument could be made that he is easily over the top but over the top for all the wrong reasons. I have no clue who thought it was a good idea to give him a whispering, sickly-like voice but it doesn’t work as it doesn’t allow Balem to be something to fear for the characters in the film or all that entertaining for the audience. You have an immensely talented actor in the form of Redmayne in a villainous role and you’re going to put a leash on him? Let him go off, results would include a better performance, character and film. Just doesn’t make much since to me.

May be they didn’t want him to take away from the action sequences. This would be understandable if they were actually good but instead they may be more of a yawn than several of the characters. Sequence after sequence of battles that are merely characters chasing each other in the air in hover blades or of the sort accompanied by sounds, as if they were pulled strait out Star Wars, that  refuse to let your ear drums go in the background. And when I say Stars Wars, I mean the prequels which also seem to have an influence on the visual effects and a few of the costume designs. The music is also very similar and one of the few bright spots of the film but because what is happening can’t match the epic feel of the music, its effect is hindered.

When watching it, it’s difficult to ever find yourself in the position of getting into Jupiter Ascending as it fails to do anything that well. The characters are weak, the action sequences are unoriginal and the themes that come from the premise are barely explored. With it being a product of the Wachowski’s, all of this is surprising given how films such as The Matrix and Cloud Atlas were able to execute in these above categories, but because Jupiter Ascending cannot, it becomes a sci-fi flick that can be easily and willingly forgotten.    


Grade: D+

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Review: 'Project Almanac' (2015)

Paramount Pictures 
One thing that a film concerning time travel can do without basically even trying is bring up lots of questions, questions regarding several different aspects. Questions about the story, the plot points that are affected by the time travel subject matter and even the ethical and moral implications of the act. The more complex and in depth the time travel story line is, the more questions. Project Almanac is no exception to this occurrence. On top of entertaining, Project Almanac brings up plenty of questions.
            
              In a way of revealing the ‘found footage’ type of approach that the film takes, Project Almanac quickly introduces the audience to David (Jonny Weston) and his two friends, Quinn (Sam Lerner) and Adam (Allen Evangelista), as David is creating a college admissions video for MIT. Soon after this, David receives the desired acceptance letter from the school. The problem is though, that in order to pay the high tuition, his mother Kathy (Amy Landecker) decides to sell the house. Unwilling to let his her do this, David, along with his sister Christina (Virginia Gardner), try’s to find any unfinished work of his later Father’s (Gary Weeks), an inventor, to complete and hopefully get a scholarship to cover the tuition. In doing so, they find an old video camera that has footage of David’s 7th birthday party. One oddity though, present day David can be seen in a mirror on the tape. This suggest that time travel exists, leading to David, his sister and his friends finding the work his father started and creating some sort of time machine.
            
              Like almost any ‘found footage’ style of film, Project Almanac could do what it does without it. It is easy to ask yourself as you are watching it, “How did the camera catch that?” and think a handful of times that there is no way a camera would be placed there. It also is a little annoying to hear characters recite lines that pertain to filming everything, as if they keep justifying the ‘found footage’ cinematography. With this said though you really have to be in a bad mood or feel like picking every detail apart to really care that it doesn’t always work because for the most part, it really doesn’t hurt the film. At times it can be rather enjoyable.
            
               Maybe it’s just me, maybe not but there is something about a camera recording an empty room that puts me on the edge of my seat. The fact that I don’t really know what exactly is going to happen on the screen or when and where it is going to happen produces a trilling feeling within. It’s what made Paranormal Activity so good, and while Project Almanac doesn’t use this device on the same level and is miles away from the horror genre, there are still a couple of moments in the film where it is used and works.
            
              The ‘found footage’ aspect also works in regards to the romantic side of the story. In the process of creating a time machine, David becomes acquainted with a girl from his school, Jessie (Sofia Black-D’Elia), whom he happens to have a crush on. As they get to know each other more, the two develop strong feelings for one another. The filming style gives this a even more natural feel that really enhances an already entertaining aspect of the film. Also aiding in this is both Weston and Black-D’Elia as they are solid in the roles, giving the emotions that come with attraction which allows the audience to be interested in what is going on between these characters.
            
             While being delightfully amusing, this relationship, as it is affected by time travel, also brings up question about responsibility and ethics. Of course were talking about the fantastical act of physically going back in time with a machine but being able to do this means power and power isn’t science fiction. In the film, the teenage characters, stumble into enormous power when they create the ability to travel back in time. The question is, are they of the age to handle this kind of responsibility? The film suggests no but what would a reasonable age be? Would anyone be responsible enough?
            
              If so, if maturity matters when concerning time travel or power, what is worth going back for, what is worth using power for? Would you change anything? David goes back to change an encounter with Jessie that hindered their relationship. This ultimately negatively affects several people, allowing the film to suggest that second chances can’t happen through recreation but through earning them.
             
              When David attempts to fix everything that went wrong when he changed something about the past, is when the film gets a little messy. This could just be me being too dumb to understand the time travel rules that film creates but I also believe that some of this has to do with an ending that is rushed as it is too concerned with wrapping things up rather than presenting a clearly planned out finale that can tie everything together nicely.
            
              As a result, it all feels a bit anticlimactic and makes one wonder if any of the characters learned anything or accomplished anything really significant. Nerveless, a slightly disappointing ending isn’t enough to take down Project Almanac. Though it is most likely a film for a younger audience, Project Almanac is an exhilarating and entertaining entry in to the always interesting time travel genre.         


Grade: B