Category Archives: Reviews

“Grown Ups 2” is hilarious in the most immature ways

The gang is back together in "Grown Ups 2". Photo by Tracy Bennett.

Even though the name of the film is Grown Ups 2, you can’t expect too much maturity from a film starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock and David Spade. And with a supporting cast that includes Nick Swardson, Maya Rudolph, Jon Lovitz, Cheri Oteri, Tim Meadows, Shaquille O’Neal, WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Salma Hayek’s cleavage, any grown-up expectations should be flushed down the same toilet as the ball-breaking potty humor that dominates almost every frame of this buddy comedy.

Childhood friends Lenny (Sandler), Eric (James), Kurt (Rock) and Higgy (Spade) are each dealing with their own minor conflicts as their kids deal with bullies, puberty and other adolescent problems on the last day of school. And that’s pretty much the gist of the plot, which is all you really need when you have an ensemble cast steeped in ridiculously comedic talent. Swardson as a drug-addled school bus driver who constantly bears the brunt of the films physical comedy? Maria Bello as the open-minded wife who indulges her husband Eric with a cheerleader car wash, only to have the male squad (led by Andy Samberg) get seductively sudsy instead of the buxom females? Austin as Lenny’s high school bully who still intimidates him as an adult? Oh, hell yeah!

Shaquille O'Neal and Peter Dante play a pair of comical cops in "Grown Ups 2". Photo by Tracy Bennett.

Oh, and then there’s the local fraternity led by Twilight‘s Taylor Lautner that challenges the dads to something that involves unnecessary backflips and elaborate handshakes. Plus, Higgy finds out he has a psychopathic illegitimate son (Alexander Ludwig), Shaq basically plays a balding version of Police Academy‘s Hightower and the CGI is way better than White House Down. Higgy’s love interest is a bodybuilding chick named Kitty (Kris Murrell), and she makes an impeccable Hulk Hogan at the ’80s party that serves as the movie’s climax. If it sounds like I’m just rambling off random tidbits of hilarity that’s because that’s basically what this movie amounts to. And that’s exactly what makes Grown Ups 2 the type of idiotic comedy that you’re likely to be quoting for months, as long as you don’t feel too guilty admitting you enjoyed it.

www.grownups2-movie.com

Giant robots and monsters do cerebrally sci-fi battle in “Pacific Rim”

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American Jaeger Gipsy Danger becomes humanity's last hope in "Pacific Rim". Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.

Tired of seeing supernatural and otherworldly forces destroy cities and threaten humanity in movie theaters? Neither are we! But even if you think you’ve had enough of apocalyptic disaster movies this summer, you owe it to yourself to see Guillermo del Toro‘s Pacific Rim. Sure, in the hands of just about anyone else this movie would likely have been another big summer action spectacle with giant robots fighting enormous monsters with explosively appeasing visuals, but little plot to hold it up. But with del Toro at the helm, Pacific Rim pays homage to the Japanese kaiju and mecha movies of the ’50s and ’60s while bringing refreshingly new sci-fi concepts to the screen.

A massive Kaiju wreaks havoc on Earth in "Pacific Rim". Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.

Set in the near future, Pacific Rim centers around an alien invasion coming not from outer space, but from a portal that has opened in the floor of the Pacific Ocean. The creatures that emerge from this other dimension wreak havoc throughout the surrounding areas, forcing humanity to stop fighting each other and unite to fight off this global threat. The only successful answer to the Kaiju threat is the Jaeger, a massive nuclear-powered robot that is able to fight off each new monstrous threat by using advanced weaponry and brute force. Because the neurological load is too much for one person to handle, it takes two people to pilot each Jaeger. And in order to stay coordinated the two pilots must be able to successfully drift, which is basically a cool way of saying they have to have really, really good chemistry because they’re going to be sharing their thoughts, memories and a telepathic connection with each other in order to function as a singular unit.

Robert "Kurrgan" Maillet and Heather Doerksen are Russian Jaeger co-pilots in "Pacific Rim". Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.

Familial ties obviously make such a deep connection a little easier to achieve, as is the case with Raleigh (Charlie Hunnam), an accomplished and cocky Jaeger pilot who loses his will to fight after suffering a crippling loss during battle. But as the Kaiju’s become bigger and stronger, and the decision is made from higher up to decommission the Jaeger program, Raleigh is recruited back to the cause by Stacker (Idris Elba), the commanding officer looking to make one last effort at saving the planet. Raleigh reluctantly agrees, then is re-inspired upon meeting Mako (Rinko Kikuchi), a female rookie with whom he feels a mysterious bond that drifts (pun intended) beyond simple romance. Stacker assembles a squadron of the world’s top Jaeger pilots (including former WWE competitor Kurrgan, who plays an imposing Russian pilot) to do battle with the ever-evolving Kaijus, now coming through the portal in pairs.

In the meantime, Dr. Newton Geizler (Charlie Day) and Dr. Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gorman), a couple of bumbling scientists obsessed with all things Kaiju, figure out how to drift with a Kaiju, which not only provides the knowledge necessary to close the portal, but also provides the Kaiju with somepsychic insight into what we have planned for them. In order to find out even more about the Kaiju dimension, these scientists are referred to Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman), a snazzy-dressing black market trader specializing in goods derived from fallen Kaiju. Though this subplot provides some comic relief to the otherwise impending doom, it also provides information that becomes crucial to winning the war to save the Earth.

Raleigh (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako (Rinko Kikuchi) become unlikely drifting partners in "Pacific Rim". Photo by Kerry Hayes.

While purists might be wary of watching Godzilla-like monsters fighting Ultraman-like robots without the use of rubber suits and miniature cities, Pacific Rim utilizes computer technology in a way that makes these battles seem surprisingly realistic (and even more massive if you see it in IMAX). Though I admit to having a soft spot for seeing giant robots fighting giant sea creatures, del Toro is able to provide such spectacles without being completely outlandish and implausible. In fact, even with only a slight suspension of disbelief, Pacific Rim is a pretty believable sci-fi adventure that is massively realized and enjoyable in multidimensional ways.

www.pacificrimmovie.com

Gru’s babyface turn is solidified in “Despicable Me 2”

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Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) bids Gru (Steve Carell) and his minions adieu. Photo courtesy Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment.

Sometimes the best way to track down a bad guy is to be a bad guy yourself. No longer trying to steal the moon or commit other villainous acts, Gru (Steve Carell) has settled into his new role as adoptive father in a suburban setting quite well in Despicable Me 2. But given his supervillainous past and his seemingly less malicious new demeanor, it’s no surprise to anyone but Gru himself when the Anti-Villain League comes calling to recruit him to their undercover cause. Reluctant to leave his daughters (and possibly slip into his heelish old habits), Gru realizes he should join the AVL when Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) decides he’s tired of making fart guns and inedible jams (his new job now that Gru is a good guy) in Gru’s lab and wants to get back to something a little more evil.

Much to the delight of the adorable unicorn-loving Agnes (Elsie Fisher), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Gru is paired up with slinky AVL agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) who admires more than just his former talents as a villain. In the guise of two cupcake shop employees, Lucy and Gru start spying on the other tenants of the local shopping mall in hopes of figuring out which one is responsible for using a giant magnet to steal some sort of super soldier serum (and the entire lab in which it was created) that turns anyone’s Jekyll into a Hyde-like monstrosity. When the owner of the Mexican restaurant suspiciously stops by to welcome the new cupcake shop to the mall, Gru’s gut tells him that this man is actually El Macho (Benjamin Bratt), a luchador mask-wearing desperado who is so manly he is said to have died while riding a shark loaded with explosives into an erupting volcano.

Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) bake up more than just cupcakes in "Despicable Me 2". Photo courtesy Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment.

Gru is convinced that El Macho is also the man they are looking for, but the AVL thinks otherwise and takes someone else into custody. With the case closed, Lucy is set to be relocated to Australia for her next assignment, leaving Gru with the horrific realization that his cold heart might actually be beating for Lucy. Meanwhile, Gru’s pill-shaped yellow minions are gradually being abducted as test subjects for the stolen serum, which turns the jovial fellows into frizzy-headed purple monsters. Still determined to prove that El Macho is alive and behind all this mayhem, Gru is faced with the additional obstacles of reuniting with the woman he has feelings for and rescuing his missing minions (all while maintaining his regular fatherly duties). But if anyone can save the day it’s going to be the guy who saved the world from total destruction in the last movie.

With his remaining minions, his new girlfriend and his cheerleading children (as well as the unexpected help of an old friend), this villain-turned-hero has an adventurous romp that’s just as hilarious as the first Despicable Me. Even through their animated avatars, the comedic chemistry between the actors is apparent and the writing is delightfully entertaining. And it’s a good thing good guy Gru was once bad; otherwise he may not have the necessary instincts to find the real villain and save the damsel (and minions) in distress.

www.despicableme.com

Guns, girls and a touch of humanity make “Violet & Daisy” touchingly exploitative

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Violet (Alexis Bledel) and Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) are seemingly normal teenagers, aside from the fact that they kill people for a living. Photo by MV Nepenthes LLC, courtesy Cinedigm.

Violet and Daisy are just your average teenage girls on the cusp of discovering the harsh realities of adulthood. But while their obsessions with pop singers and designer dresses seem innocent enough, it turns out these girls have already amassed some unexpected job experience far beyond what most of us will ever include on our resumes. Violet & Daisy, the directorial debut from Precious screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher, is a dark comedy in which Violet (Alexis Bledel, who looks like a cross between Reese Witherspoon and Emily Blunt) and Daisy (Saoirse Ronan from The Lovely Bones and The Host) earn their spending money by gunning down people on Russ’ (Danny Trejo) hit list.

Reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s demented 1994 drama Heavenly Creatures (replacing Jackson’s surrealism with Tarantino-esque blood and violence), Violet & Daisy follows the two girls on their weirdest hit yet. Unlike most of their targets, Michael (James Gandolfini) not only seems to be expecting to be gunned down, but even seems to welcome it. And the fact that his assassins are Lolita-esque hotties rather than rugged gangsters only makes the situation that much more absurdly amusing. After the girls fall asleep on Michael’s couch waiting for him to arrive, they wake up to a guy who has gently covered them with a blanket, then offers to bake them cookies.

Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) and Violet (Alexis Bledel) have a rare nonviolent moment in "Violet & Daisy". Photo by MV Nepenthes LLC, courtesy Cinedigm.

“We’re not here to clean your bathtub or organize your closets or make you happy,” says Violet while aiming a gun at Michael. “We’re here to kill you.” His lack of concern causes hesitation on their part, allowing an odd relationship to develop. Violet and Daisy want to know why Michael is calmly awaiting his demise while Michael is curious how two young girls ended up being the ones on the other side of the guns. But with a rival gang on its way for its own hit on Michael, there’s no time for hesitation.

The odd tension of the situation, coupled with the obviously mixed morals of everyone involved, makes for some darkly hilarious moments. But with Michael’s longing for his estranged daughter and the lack of positive parental figures in the lives of Violet and Daisy, a grotesque bond is formed that makes the inevitability of it all rather touching. There’s a delicate balance between comedy and tragedy at the heart of Violet & Daisy that Fletcher and the cast achieve rather adeptly. When it comes down to it, anything involving gun-toting girls and Danny Trejo is sure to be fun. But rather than coming across as gratuitous and indulgent, Violet & Daisy provides enough humanity and emotional growth for it to be taken a bit more seriously.

www.violetanddaisyfilm.com

“Fast & Furious 6” is everything you should expect from a film starring The Rock and Vin Diesel

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Paul Walker, The Rock and Vin Diesel are working together in the latest installment of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise. Photo by Giles Keyte.

Oh, look. The Rock has another new movie in theaters. Since February, he’s had a new movie out each month in 2013, so why should May be any different? This time its Fast & Furious 6 and he’s reprising the role of Luke Hobbs, the federal agent he portrayed in 2011’s Fast Five. But while he was in pursuit of Dominic (Vin Diesel) and his gang of criminal street racers in the last movie, this time he’s seeking their help in stopping an even bigger threat in Owen Shaw (hey, that’s Luke Evans who was just in that other movie with Brodus Clay). Shaw leads a gang of street racers who drive these seemingly indestructible little wedge racers in order to procure all the pieces needed for a device that could become a global threat if it ends up in the wrong hands. Oh, and apparently Dominic’s thought-to-be-dead girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is still alive, and working for the enemy.

The Rock and Gina Carano are just two of the good-looking badasses in “Fast & Furious 6”. Photo by Giles Keyte.

The Rock and Vin Diesel (alongside Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Gina Carano and a bunch of other good-looking badasses) make an imposing team, but their hot rods and sports cars just don’t stand a chance against Shaw’s resources. Especially when the guy steals a tank and starts blasting and crushing everything in his path during one big chase scene. It seems, however, that the resources and expertise of The Rock and Vin Diesel’s crew are equally unlimited as they have a headquarters filled with all sorts of computers, weapons and other gadgets that allow them to figure out Shaw’s next move whenever needed. Oh, and they steel this homemade harpoon gun thingy from one of Shaw’s cohorts that will end up being crucial to the outcome of pretty much every other action sequence in the movie.

So they figure out that Shaw is working with Arturo Braga (John Ortiz), who is in a Los Angeles prison. Then Paul Walker decides to just waltz back into America (where he is not only a former FBI agent turned criminal, but is also still a wanted fugitive), sneak into prison using an alias, confront Braga and his gang of thugs, leave prison and fly back out of the country to join back up with the rest of the gang. And after he beats up Braga and his thugs, he finds out that Letty is, indeed, still alive and has amnesia, which explains why she shot Dominic earlier in the movie. (Oh, and Dominic just pulls the bullet out of his chest and continues on his mission as if he was just stung by a bee or something.)

Vin Diesel prepares for one of many death-defying stunts in “Fast & Furious 6”. Photo courtesy Universal Pictures.

Anyway, so after that tank chase scene, Shaw is captured (and Vin Diesel defies all laws of logic and science by catapulting himself through the air, catching Letty as she is thrown from the tank and safely landing on the windshield of a car without even scraping an elbow). So even though Shaw was able to obtain the chip he needs to finish his master plan, the good guys now have it. But Shaw has something of more personal value to some of the good guys, so they set him free with the chip. There is a pretty good twist at this point, when Shaw asks Letty if she will be leaving with him. But as soon as Shaw is out the door, the good guys give chase. Then a huge military plane descends so Shaw can drive into the cargo bay and escape. But those harpoon guns come into play here as the good guys chase the plane down what has to be the world’s longest runway in an attempt to stop the plane from taking off.

I haven’t seen any of the previous Fast and the Furious movies, but I don’t think it really matters that much. This movie leaves a lot of ridiculous questions such as: Why does The Rock repeatedly say “sumbitch” even though he otherwise doesn’t have a Southern accent? Why does Vin Diesel always sound like his sinuses are stuffy and his mouth is full of marbles? How does Tyrese Gibson keep his muscular physique while always munching on candy bars and junk food? None of these questions are answered, but this movie can still be fun if you let it. The fight scenes are well choreographed, the car chases are spectacular and it doesn’t pretend to be anything more than what it is. Which is to say that Fast & Furious 6 is everything you should expect from a movie starring The Rock and Vin Diesel.

www.thefastandthefurious.com

Colin Firth and Emily Blunt are living a lie in “Arthur Newman”

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Mike (Emily Blunt) and Arthur (Colin Firth) create new personas in order to feel real connections in "Arthur Newman". Photo courtesy Cinedigm.

You can’t have a midlife crisis without some extreme behavior. But when Wallace Avery (Colin Firth) grows weary of being in an unhappy relationship, looking for work and becoming progressively disconnected from his son and ex-wife, he goes to drastic lengths to leave his former life behind him and start anew. So drastic, in fact, that he creates Arthur Newman, a retired golfer ready to settle into the next phase of his fictitious career as a golf instructor at a Terre Haute country club. So he stages his own death, buys a Mercedes and begins a cross-country trek destined for a truly new life.

Not long after he sets out on this journey, Arthur meets a troubled younger woman named Michaela (Emily Blunt). Clearly having a very different kind of identity crisis of her own, Mike (as she prefers to be called) inadvertently offers just the type of adventure Arthur didn’t even realize he was looking for. While doing a good deed, Arthur and Mike find themselves breaking into the home of a newlywed couple and taking on two additional personas. This role playing becomes such a thrill for Arthur and Mike that they continue fantasizing about being other people while having sex in the homes of these anonymous couples. As their bizarre methods of finding themselves continue, the two grow emotionally closer to one another as each learns more about the other.

There is some truth to the fantasies in "Arthur Newman". Photo courtesy Cinedigm.

While Arthur’s escape from reality is based on problems that are pretty typical of men of his age, Mike is running from things that are much harder to remedy. Having taken on the persona of hew twin sister, a paranoid schizophrenic currently locked away in a mental hospital, there’s more to Mike than Arthur probably wants to know. But he finds out soon enough when he wakes up one day to find that not only is Mike gone, but so is the bag of cash he’s been using to fund his trip. After Mike turns herself in, however, Arthur bails her out and they continue on their way. Seems like a stupid move on Arthur’s part until you remember that he’s a boring middle-aged man who’d probably like to continue having sex with this beautiful younger women, no matter how twisted the scenario might be. Plus, the fact that Mike, who he now knows is a kleptomaniac, felt some sort of regret after stealing his money indicates that maybe she’s changing for the better.

Just when it seems that Arthur and Mike’s fantasies are about to become reality, all of their lies are exposed, leaving them to sort through the shortcomings they’ve been trying to cover up. But they’ve discovered a good bit about themselves, thanks largely to their paths unexpectedly crossing. Realizing what they really need to do in order to find true happiness, they’re both able to find peace despite what would otherwise have seemed like a frivolous adventure.

www.arthur-newman.com

The Rock and Wahlberg flex their slapstick muscles in “Pain & Gain”

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The Rock gets in a little cardio in "Pain & Gain". Photo by Jaimie Trueblood.

I am not a Michael Bay fan. That being said, I go into most of his movies with very low expectations and am sometimes pleasantly surprised. Though The Rock‘s track record as a Hollywood actor is not dissimilar to Bay’s directorial achievements (both are responsible for large box office draws thanks to a certain charisma, despite the fact that most of their films are amusingly terrible), somehow the idea of seeing the former WWE Champion star alongside Mark Wahlberg as two Miami bodybuilders has a certain appeal to it.

I was surprised to find that Pain & Gain is based on a true story, which has created a bit of controversy due to the fact that the death and dismemberment of real people in the ’90s is turned into a comical crime caper fueled by cocaine, partying and other excesses. While those close to the victims have every right to be offended by Pain & Gain (and not for the reasons that make most of Bay’s movies offensive), that doesn’t make the movie any less entertaining for the rest of us. In fact, from a completely objective point of view, Pain & Gain could be Bay’s best movie yet, with the right balance of absurdist comedy, visual flair and the T&A (and hard-bodied male leads) that have come to define Bay’s films.

Well, there has to be at least one explosion, right? Photo by Jaimie Trueblood.

One of the biggest reasons Pain & Gain seems to make an extra effort to be more than just another Michael Bay movie is the acting muscle being flexed. The Rock and Wahlberg are joined by Anthony Mackie, who has become one of Hollywood’s best supporting actors with recent roles in The Adjustment Bureau, Real Steel, Man on a Ledge and Gangster Squad. And with Ed Harris playing the detective that’s onto their hustle, and Tony Shalhoub as the rich businessman that becomes the target of their extortion tactics, it would have been hard to screw this one up. I don’t even recall very many explosions in Pain & Gain, which must mean Bay took this film pretty seriously.

In place of explosions, however, is a moderate dose of blood and gore. But even the exaggerated blood spatter comes across more as slapstick than Dexter-like gruesomeness. Pain & Gain‘s strongest point is probably the dialogue (something Bay, The Rock and Wahlberg are all good at), with almost every line being delivered as if it’s the most important one-liner in the film. Sure, it’s all a bit excessive and ridiculous. But it is a Michael Bay movie (starring The Rock) after all, so that is to be expected. But without complicated stories about alien robots fighting for control of the planet or an asteroid on a collision course with the planet (ie, things that go “boom!”), Bay manages to focus on his other flashy extravagances, which makes for a film that’s entertaining without being completely contemptible.

www.painandgainmovie.com