Category Archives: Reviews

If you think you’ve seen “John Carter” before, it’s because you have (sort of)

Even before you sit down to watch the new Disney film John Carter, there’s something awfully familiar about pretty much anything you’ve seen about the movie leading up to its release. But once the interplanetary action begins to unfold, the déjà vu really starts to set in. The weird thing is, that familiarity comes from many different sources.

These are not the, um, Tharks you're looking for.

In much the same way that the recent Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (read my review here) blurs the lines between fantasy and reality by presenting the works of Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson and Jonathan Swift as non-fiction, John Carter is told from the perspective of author Edgar Rice Burroughs as if he is reading the memoirs of his uncle, the real Carter (Taylor Kitsch). Carter’s abrupt jump from post-Civil War adventures in the American Wild West to the similar terrain of Barsoom plays out in much the same way as 1984’s The NeverEnding Story, with the viewer seeing the action as Burroughs reads it.

Upon his mysterious arrival on this unfamiliar planet, Carter soon learns that there are some big differences between the deserts he was just traversing on Earth and the arid landscape of what we soon learn to be Mars, which is in a Mad Max-like state of unrest as its inhabitants are at odds and its natural resources are dwindling. After some clumsy trial and error, Carter discovers that he has almost Superman-like strength on Mars, and he can leap tall buildings in a single bound. These special powers soon attract plenty of attention from the natives. Though he is unable to fly, the red-skinned humans of Helium (who unfortunately do not talk like munchkins as you might expect of people who live in Helium) have mastered that technique with their floating ships, years before the inhabitants of Carter’s home planet have ever seen such things. (You see what they did there, with the people from Helium being able to fly? Clever.)

Thanks in large part to the beauty and spunk of Helium’s Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), Carter quickly falls in with her people in their fight against the Zodangans (also human) and the Tharks (tall green creatures that look like a cross between the creatures from Avatar and Star Wars‘ General Grievous, with

Should I pet you or run for my life?

Predator-like tusks on their faces). And from the pod race-like scenes to the premise of an unlikely leader and his rag-tag group of allies (including a dog-like creature that is clearly a giant salamander/Boston terrier mix with six legs) trying to unite opposing factions against a common enemy, John Carter has George Lucas written all over it. Or is it the other way around?

The reason so many things in John Carter seem so familiar is because the Burroughs book on which it is based (A Princess of Mars) was a huge influence on Lucas, James Cameron and many other sci-fi and fantasy writers and directors. So its not that this film borrows heavily from other stories, but that those stories have been borrowing heavily from this and other Burroughs works for decades (he’s also responsible for the Tarzan books). Though the movie is an accurate adaptation of Burroughs’ original adventure, and it’s a rare combination of visual accomplishment (in 3-D no less) and an intriguing story, it’s doubtful most moviegoers will realize that movies like Star Wars, Flash Gordon and Avatar likely wouldn’t exist had the John Carter books not been written.

Regardless of that potentially inevitable setback, the movie has a lot going for it. Director Andrew Stanton has proven himself with the animated features Finding Nemo and WALL-E, and John Carter is definitely a great introduction to what he can do in a live action setting. And like so many other live action Disney movies (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea comes to mind), John Carter is sure to become one of those movies that ingrains itself into the minds of children and other adventurous spirits.

Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) is about find out what happens when an Earth guy asks you to pull his finger.

The only weak link in the story comes when a Carter-sympathizing Thark gives him some sort of potion that connects him to Barsoom, allowing him to suddenly understand the planet’s inhabitants, regardless of what language they speak. In turn, they can also understand him despite his Virginian dialect. Though this magical potion and its abilities seem a bit far fetched, at least this movie offers some sort of explanation as to why people from different planets are able to understand each other, unlike many sci-fi and fantasy stories.

But with all the unifying monster-fighting action, the developing love story and visually stunning 3-D effects, John Carter is sure to please most moviegoers, even if many of them think its ripping off all the movies it has inspired. And with ten sequels in Burroughs’ Barsoom series, Disney has plenty of opportunity to create a new sci-fi film franchise.

John Carter. Directed by Andrew Stanton. Starring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Samantha Morton, Ciarán Hinds, Mark Strong and Dominic West. Rated PG-13. www.disney.go.com/johncarter/.

“We Need to Talk About Kevin” is a profoundly chilling look at inherent evil

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Kevin (Ezra Miller) shows his inner monster only to his mother (Tilda Swinton)

It has long been debated if a person can be inherently evil or if circumstances and environment make someone a monster. There is plenty of evidence to support either argument, but in We Need to Talk About Kevin, the monster is clearly born with sociopathic tendencies that fester as the title character grows into adolescence.

Based on the 2003 novel of the same name, this film is presented as the fragmented memories of Eva (Tilda Swinton), a mother whose mind wanders at mundane times like when she is sitting in a waiting room as a fan causes the corner of a poster to flap against the wall (the word “lovers” prominently displayed on the poster’s corner). As Eva’s mind sorts out the details of various incidents from her past, the viewer is forced to make sense of seemingly random images such as John C. Reilly playing with a little girl wearing an eye patch and the recurring sound of a water sprinkler being heard through white curtains flapping in the night wind.

But what at first seems like random thoughts gradually coalesces to form the story of a mother whose teenage son (Ezra Miller) has, since birth, had a dark side that is only apparent to her. When he’s an infant, Eva finds the sounds of jackhammers soothing over his incessant screams. As a toddler, he emptily glares at her as he learns to shoot a toy bow and arrow. And as a teenager he seems to find sick delight in otherwise embarrassing moments such as his mother walking into the bathroom while he’s masturbating.

At first, Eva thinks her son may be autistic. But as time goes on, she realizes he was born with a very different ailment that is nearly impossible to diagnose. Especially since he seems polite and chipper to everyone else, including his father (Reilly). Miller’s portrayal of a natural born killer is profoundly chilling, and the fact that his mother is left with the proverbial blood on her hands (which is masterfully illustrated through flashbacks of her scrubbing the red paint vandals have spattered on the front of her house) makes the situation heart-wrenchingly hopeless.

Eva (Tilda Swinton) and Franklin (John C. Reilly) cope with their son's actions

These increasingly horrific memories are juxtaposed with upbeat and jovial folk and Americana songs by the likes of The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, Lonnie Donegan and Washington Phillips that are somehow very appropriate despite their contradictory tone. But everything seems to serve a purpose in We Need to Talk About Kevin, from the sounds that drift in and out of Eva’s memories to the Jackson Pollock-like paint spatter a young Kevin applies to the walls with water guns (foreshadowing the culmination of his lifelong disregard for anyone but himself).

Though it is not likely to be categorized as such, We Need to Talk About Kevin is one of the best horror movies of the past few years. Sociopaths often never show their true soullessness to the world, but Kevin’s ultimate act of hubris exposes his inner monster in a big way, leaving Eva with nothing but her memories of what was and what could have been. And it’s only when he is forced to face the consequences of his actions that Kevin finally shows some sign of a human conscience.

We Need to Talk About Kevin. Directed by Lynne Ramsay. Starring Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller and John C. Reilly. Rated R. www.kevin.oscilloscope.net.

Review by Jonathan Williams

“The Lorax” spreads ecological message in colorfully animated adventure

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Morality plays are at the center of all of Dr. Seuss‘ limerick-like tales of humanoid creatures in various fantastical settings. These morals are usually either universally accepted ideals that transcend most (if not all) political, religious and cultural boundaries, or are subtly conveyed through whimsical stories filled with colorful characters. The Lorax, however, has a clear environmental message that is made all the more apparent by its namesake, a grumpy little orange creature voiced by Danny DeVito whose existence is based solely on protecting the forest.

That message is made even more colorfully clear in Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, which brings the story to life in computer animated 3-D. As has been done with previous Dr. Seuss adaptations, The Lorax is fluffed up with some back story explaining that Ted’s (Zac Efron) motivation for finding a real tree is to impress Audrey (Taylor Swift), the nature-loving hottie he’s pining for. But in Thneedville, where everything is plastic and a Napoleonic business man (Rob Riggle) has built an empire on bottled air sales, there is no nature.

At the urging of his Grammy Norma (Betty White), Ted sets out to find the Once-ler (Ed Helms), the only one who can tell him where to find a real tree. In much the same way the Grinch lives outside of Whoville’s society, the Once-ler is a hermit who lives in a boarded up mansion in the gloomy area outside of town. This recluse recounts the story of a young entrepreneur who set out to impress his oppressive hillbilly family by mass producing the Thneed, a sweater-like garment that can actually be used for just about anything.

Made from the foliage of the forest’s Truffula Trees, which grows in spirals of flowing hair-like tufts in cotton candy pink and other pastels, the Thneed soon becomes the need of the nearby townspeople. After initially cutting down a Truffula (the very act that summons the Lorax), the young man agrees to harvest the tufts of trees rather than continue chopping them down. But at the urging of his fickle family, he breaks this promise in order to keep up with supply and demand.

This simple act of defiance snowballs into typical human greed until there are no more trees in the forest, obviously leading to the present-day phoniness of Thneedville. When business ceases to blossom, his family deserts him (again) and the cute little forest creatures are forced to follow their Trail of Tears-like fate to a new forest, the young inventor watches the Lorax float away in disappointment and is left alone in his big fancy house. Lesson learned the hard way, but there’s still room for redemption.

Luckily for Ted, the Once-ler has the last remaining Truffula seed. Though he’s initially hesitant about letting it go (especially after realizing that Ted’s biggest motivation is impressing a girl), the Once-ler finally gives Ted the seed, with instructions for him to plant the seed in the center of Thneedville. But O’Hare, who has been very Big Brother-like in his attempts to prevent his bottled air-buying townspeople from finding out that real trees create fresh air, has different plans.

Watching Ted race around on the oversized tire of his motorized unicycle thing while avoiding O’Hare’s goons is a lot of fun, and makes great use of the 3-D technology, which actually feels like part of the movie rather than something thrown in for added effect. Though much of Seuss’ magic is lost when all this extra stuff is added to his original story just to make it long enough to be a feature film, Illumination Entertainment (who also made Despicable Me and Hop) still does a great job of nurturing the whimsy and wonder of Seuss. And though most of the dialogue is not in Seuss’ signature rhyme, much of the story is told through musical numbers in which woodland creatures, fish, humanoids and other beings jovially convey pivotal plot points.

The Lorax‘s ecological urgings are a bit heavy handed at times, which has already drawn criticism from some. But as the Lorax himself states, “A tree falls the way it leans. Be careful which way you lean.” Take such advice with an open mind and you’re likely not to lean too far in either direction. Somehow I think Seuss would be happy to know his message is still being spread, especially since this movie is being released on the 108th anniversary of his birth.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. Directed by Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda. Starring Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Ed Helms, Rob Riggle, Betty White and Jenny Slate. Rated PG. www.theloraxmovie.com.

Review by Jonathan Williams

Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston find themselves in “Wanderlust”

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It's more than just the nudist tendencies of Wayne (Joe Lo Truglio) that George (Paul Rudd) is avoiding in "Wanderlust"

Sometimes it’s good to just get away from it all. Especially after you suddenly find yourself out of a job and unable to afford the tiny New York City apartment you just purchased with your wife, whose documentary about testicular cancer in penguins simply isn’t drawing any studio interest. But in Wanderlust it seems like things are going to work out just fine for George (Paul Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston) when George’s brother Rick (Ken Marino, who also co-wrote the script) gets him a job in Atlanta.

George and Linda pack their car and hit the road for a comically unnerving road trip that gives the couple enough alone time to open up about some of their frustrations with each other. Just when this road trip from hell reaches it’s breaking point, the couple happens upon Elysium, a free-spirited retreat where the first person they encounter is a nudist (Reno 911!‘s Joe Lo Truglio) who inadvertently causes George to flip his car over while trying to find his own retreat. Once they get past his free-flapping schlong, the couple ends up having a great time with the quirky characters that populate this Eden-like commune.

The couple somewhat reluctantly leaves for Atlanta the next day because they couldn’t possibly abandon their comfy city lifestyle for a place like this, right? After spending one night in the spaciously uncomfortable home of Rick and Marisa (a dolled-up Michaela Watkins, who masks her misery with margaritas and medication), George and Linda return to Elysium in hopes that they can find true happiness by living off the fat of the land with that free-loving bunch.

George (Paul Rudd) isn't quite as willing to drink Seth's (Justin Theroux) Kool-Aid as is Linda (Jennifer Aniston) in "Wanderlust"

Though it takes some getting used to, they soon feel like part of the Elysium family. But that comes with strains of its own as Elysium doesn’t believe in things like doors and privacy but does believe in things like swapping sexual partners. And when a woman like Malin Åkerman is nonchalantly saying things like, “Think about being inside of me,” the temptation is strong. And Seth (Justin Theroux), the unofficial (and somewhat Manson-esque) leader of this comical cult-like unit, proves that douchebags are douchebags, whether in a suburban Atlanta McMansion or in a hippie commune in North Goergia, as he aggressively pursues Linda while passive-aggressively belittling George.

These pressures eventually tear George and Linda apart, with Linda choosing to stay at Elysium while George returns to his depressing job at his brother’s portable toilet company. It doesn’t take him long to smell the proverbial shit, however, and he goes back to Elysium to win Linda back (despite her many shortcomings and relationship-destroying mistakes). And eventually everyone finds true happiness by attaining a balance between the comforts of city life and the freedom of their primal spirits.

Wanderlust. Written and directed by David Wain. Starring Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, Malin Åkerman, Kathryn Hahn, Lauren Ambrose, Ken Marino and Alan Alda. Rated R. www.wanderlustmovie.net.

Review by Jonathan Williams

Woody’s walls crumble in “Rampart”

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Dave Brown is the type of cop that makes people hate cops. He’s spent more than two decades playing fast and loose with the rules and abusing his authority, but is able to rationalize any of his actions as finding true justice. But in the wake of the Rampart scandal of the 1990s, in which dozens of officers were scrutinized for similar misconduct, Brown’s attitude is about to get him into serious trouble.

Stepping away from the comedic role he normally plays (his irreverent and endearing sarcasm is even present when he’s playing a serial killer or other such dramatic role), Woody Harrelson portrays Brown in Rampart in much the same way Denzel Washington played the bad cop in Training Day. Brown is, in many ways, like a cross between Washington’s Training Day persona and Michael Douglas’ Falling Down character. Brown’s ability to do heinous things while convincing himself he is justified in doing so is chillingly convincing thanks to Harrelson’s ability to immerse himself in the role without letting many of his Harrelsonisms shine through as they usually do.

But Brown’s dysfunctions aren’t exclusive to his profession. He has two daughters by two women who happen to be sisters, making the children siblings and cousins. And they all live in the same house, which is yet another example of Brown’s complexity. He’s a chain-smoking womanizer who, when questioned about his racism by another cop played by Ice Cube, contradicts his obvious racism with the fact that he has had sex with black women. Yet he’s charming enough that the mothers of his daughters (Anne Heche and Cynthia Nixon), for example, don’t object to living as one big unhappy family under the same roof. It all makes sense in his mind and he can usually make those around him go along with his rationalizations as well.

After another car unexpectedly smashes into Brown’s car while he’s on patrol, he is caught on tape giving the other driver a relentless Rodney King-like beatdown. The ’90s political landscape caused by Rampart isn’t the only blemish on Brown’s reputation as he is also known as “Date Rape” Dave after the death of serial sex offender was attributed to him a few years earlier (though never proven). All of this is used against him after the beating tape surfaces and the structured life Brown has manipulated for himself starts to unravel.

Things only get worse for him when his teenage daughter (Brie Larson) becomes increasingly defiant and his significant others tire of his negligence and kick him out of his own house. In Brown’s mind, everyone is out to get him. But in reality, he has brought all of this on himself and everything just happens to be imploding simultaneously. Though he plots a pretty effective strategy to get himself out of his bigger dilemmas, it seems that everyone has finally wised up to his conniving ways and his plans continuously backfire.

Despite his many shortcomings, it is ultimately his stubbornness that proves to be his biggest flaw. Even as he watches his personal and professional lives crumble before his eyes, Brown refuses to turn his frustrations inward in order to find the true source of his problems. Once a hero in his own eyes, Brown makes himself a victim to help him cope with the reality of what is happening. Sadly, he will never see that he is a victim, but of his own actions, which is what makes him a convincingly flawed character rarely examined as thoroughly as is done in Rampart.

Rampart. Written and directed by Oren Moverman. Starring Woody Harrelson, Ned Beatty, Ben Foster, Anne Heche, Ice Cube, Cynthia Nixon, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright and Steve Buscemi. Rated R. www.rampartmovie.com.

Review by Jonathan Williams

“Act of Valor” shows the heroism and hardships of real Navy SEALs

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To my understanding, Act of Valor was originally to be a recruitment tool produced by the United States Navy in order to promote the Navy SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) program that evolved into a feature film. The SEALs are the elite of the elite. These guys are true badasses. Known as “operators,” these groups form a tight bond that is forged in combat and strengthened through hardship and time. Since a majority of the cast of Act of Valor is made up of active-duty Navy SEALs (whose real names are not revealed for obvious reasons), these hardships and bonds are on full display.

A Navy SEAL emerges from the water in "Act of Valor". Photo courtesy IATM LLC

Though the weaknesses in acting are noticeable, that doesn’t take away from the overall experience of the film. And there are some recognizable faces throughout the movie, but the meat and potatoes consists of the true operators. Watching the SEALs and actors interact is comparable to watching a truly athletic individual partake in a wrestling match for the first time: they’re not as good as those seasoned veterans, but you know that they are doing well.

One of the main points of the film (besides the kick-ass action) is the story of the families that these operators leave behind each time they leave for whatever remote location they are required to infiltrate to complete their next mission. One line in the movie says something along the lines of “these wives say goodbye to their husbands knowing that it might be the last time they ever see them again.” It’s hard to relate to these people and their situations unless you’ve personally experienced it in much the same way that most people can’t understand why wrestlers leave home to drive hundreds of miles for little pay unless they are wrestlers themselves. We do it for the love and passion; the SEALs do it because it is their job to protect our nation. They could choose to do something else, but they know that they belong and are doing the right thing. The difference is we are more than likely coming home after every trip, but they might not.

Lt. Rorke leaves for deployment in "Act of Valor". Photo courtesy IATM LLC

As a veteran who served more than eight years in the United States Army, what I appreciate in Act of Valor is that it’s not too overdone. It’s not over the top, it’s not a blow-as-much-shit-up-as-we-can kind of film, but the action is engaging and keeps your attention the whole time. One amazing moment in the film is when the sniper picks off one of the goons and before the body splashes into the water, another operator’s hands come up from under the water to gently pull him under. The communication and synergy between these SEAL Teams is unparalleled and quite amazing. I’ve seen it firsthand and it is truly a sight to behold.

I’m not going to give away any more of the film because I’d rather you see it and form your own opinions. But trust me, it is worth the trip and you will walk away with a different perspective on the military and the sacrifices that they make daily protecting our freedom.

Act of Valor. Directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh. Starring Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sánchez, Nestor Serrano and Emilio Rivera. Rated R. www.actofvalor.com.

Review by dany only

Things just can’t seem to come together in Iranian film “A Separation”

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A lot of stuff happens in A Separation. First an Iranian couple is arguing in front of a judge about getting a divorce because Simin, the pretty wife, wants to leave the country so their 11-year-old daughter Termeh can be raised in a less oppressive environment. Her husband Nader seems like a reasonable enough guy, but he has to think about his father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. When the two are unable to agree on the divorce, Simin moves out and Nader hires a housekeeper.

Because of her moral issues with some of the unexpected duties of taking care of a man with Alzheimer’s, the housekeeper quits after the first day. Desperate for the money, she reluctantly returns the following day, only to have Nader return home from work early to find that she has neglected his ailing father, whose condition seems to worsen as a result.

OK. So stuff is happening again and I’m wondering when it will all come together. I mean, the movie has received lots of critical praise and won all kinds of awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. And it was nominated for Academy Awards in Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay. So I eventually have to have some reason to care about what is happening, right?

Well, an argument between Nader and the housekeeper ensues that results in Nader shoving her out the door and closing it. This is where stuff gets really interesting. The housekeeper accuses Nader of causing her miscarriage, Nader claims he didn’t know she was pregnant and Simin tries to find a compromise that will make everyone happy. The housekeeper’s hotheaded husband refuses to cooperate and even goes so far as to punch Simin in the face during a scuffle between him and Nader.

Throughout this ordeal, no one is being completely honest about what happened or what they were aware of. But they all have seemingly good reasons for not telling the full truth. Termeh, who is smarter than the adults give her credit for being, seems to see right through the lies and innocently questions the motivations of the adults telling them.

In the end, compromises are made, but no one seems to get full closure since no one is willing to fully reveal the truth of the matter. And the story comes full circle, this time with Simin and Nader agreeing to the divorce. But the ultimate decision is Termeh’s to make. And since her eyes have been opened to just what her parents (and other adults) are capable of, it’s a tough decision that will be hard for everyone to cope with, especially in the oppressive Iranian culture.

A Separation. Directed by Asghar Farhadi. Starring Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat and Sarina Farhadi. Rated PG-13. www.sonyclassics.com/aseparation/.

Review by Flash Gorem