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SCENE IT ALL BEFORE

Batman vs Superman: It Was So Close To Being Good

3/25/2016

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Dawn of Justice Reviewed

PictureThe fight scenes are almost worth the price of admission (photo courtesy of collider.com)
Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice has been many years in the making. If you looked close enough you could see posters for this movie as far back as I Am Legend. Featuring two of the most famous comic book characters in the world, this movie had a lot of hype to live up to.  Perhaps some of the negative criticism for Batman vs. Superman will lower expectations and allow audiences to enjoy the film more. 

A lot of people may assume the movie’s negative buzz is Ben Affleck’s fault because of what he did to Daredevil (which I still stand by and liked). Actually he does great as the grizzled, older, and angrier Batman.  He outshines Henry Cavill’s Superman, who seems pretty depressed the entire movie. Lighten up Supes-- you are literally impervious to everything on earth; have a little fun.

There are a lot of big-time actors in this movie-- Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, and Gal Gadot just to name a few--and the best aspect of the movie is all the great performances. There isn’t any wasted talent, which actually turns into a problem of its own, as at times the screen feels overstuffed. 

The movie is really long, over two and a half hours, probably because it has too much ground to cover. The story tries to introduce new characters, set up internal conflicts within each of its main characters, create a reasonable narrative why Batman and Superman are fighting, maintain a romantic angle, show the fighting, set up future DC superhero movies, and make sense. Director Zack Snyder is trying to accomplish what Marvel has done over nine stories and pack it into one. It can’t do it all, and guess what falls by the wayside.

In order to trim the run time, one thing Snyder could have cut were some of Bruce Wayne's many dream sequences. There's a lot going on in that guy's head. Probably explains why he fights crime at night instead of sleeping; the man is always having nightmares. I think Snyder throws so many dreams into the movie to break up the mundane talking the characters do for the first 90 minutes. It probably would have been better if he actually let his characters do superhero stuff, while awake, instead of just talking about it.

Batman vs Superman’s best moment may be the one the movie’s advertising campaign has been building towards, and that is the battle between the two titular characters. The fight itself may not live up to the hype but it comes pretty darn close. Snyder’s visual prowess and choreography are some of his strongest attributes as a director. But the way the fight ends may be one of the most insanely frustrating moments I have ever seen on screen. It basically negates everything we just watched.

That could actually be the theme to the entire movie-- every time the story nears greatness, Snyder does something inexcusable to rip the joy away from us. I will say this about Snyder: he makes a lot of bold decisions with the story, and I just wish he had followed through with any of them.

Someone should also put to Snyder the same question Heath Ledger kept asking-- why so serious? The lack of laughs is even more noteworthy given the recent success of Deadpool. Two and a half hours is a long time without any smiles to be had. But really I can’t remember any Zack Snyder movie that didn’t look gray and dismal. I suppose they will leave the jokes up to Underoos.

Batman vs Superman is so close to being good. The last hour almost completely makes up for the nothing that happens in the first 90 minutes, but it’s not enough. I wish Warner Brothers would have been more concerned making this movie rather than setting up future movies. Because the best way to make sequels is to create a movie with characters compelling and interesting enough that the audience demands more. C-

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Is The Divergent Series Over Yet?

3/18/2016

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Allegiant Reviewed

Picture"Oh God, we're going another one of these movies" - What all these actors are thinking in this picture (Photo Courtesy of EW.com)
Movie studios have been combing through popular young adult novels looking for the next Hunger Games and at one point they thought they had it.  Like the others before it, the Divergent series features a young starlet with a lot of independent movies under her belt, teamed up with a bunch of other young and pretty actors and at least one big-name veteran.  Following this formula, they thought they could recapture the magic of The Hunger Games.  They thought wrong.

The latest movie in the Divergent series is called Allegiant and it picks up right where the second movie, Insurgent, left off.   The war between the factions is over, which means Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) are looking beyond the wall of their city to see what has become of the world around them. 

If you are anything like me, there is a strong chance you haven’t seen the previous movie since it came out last year.  If that is the case you may be find yourself 15 minutes into the movie wondering what exactly is going on.  Gus from The Fault In Our Stars is about to be executed, the tattoo lady from the first movie is now part of the gang, and the new Mr. Fantastic, who betrays the group at every turn, is still traveling with them outside the city.  More importantly, if you are anything like me, you will be thinking to yourself, “Who cares?”

This movie was rough. From the first time they venture outside the city [spoiler alert – they get beyond the wall] and you get a look at the outside world, your eyes will whinge.  It is tough to tell if the movie had too much of a budget or not enough of one. Perhaps it was a combination— enough of a budget to create a whole new world using CGI, but not enough to make the CGI look good.   
 

Somehow they also made their lead character, Tris, the least interesting person in the movie.  I didn’t care what she was doing with Jeff Daniels.  I didn’t care about her put upon and cheesy love story with Four. I just didn’t care.  And it is tough to have a good movie when your lead character lacks a dynamic storyline.

The Divergent series, in its unabashed desire to mimic Hunger Games, ended up with the same problem to boot: the first book is considerably better than the third, yet again it's the third book that’s split into two movies.

There were a couple positive elements in the movie, though. First is Miles Teller, who was hilarious once again as Peter.  His constant one-liners represent the movie’s sole sound dialogue, and only comic relief in this dredge of a story. I also really liked Four in this movie. His character is usually the most lukewarm of the bunch, but when his relationship with Tris hits a rocky patch he gets all John McClain. His fighting scenes were well-choreographed, and his character actually had its own story arc. Maybe one day Theo James will get an action movie all his own—that is if people can sit through this movie.  

The cast of Allegiant deserves better than a movie that lacks any cohesive and interesting writing.  I imagine these actors are just counting down the days until they can be done with this movie series.  I can assure you that everyone else feels the same.
  D-



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War Is Hell For Tina Fey

3/11/2016

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Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Reviewed

PictureBilly Bob Thorton is once again a scene stealer (Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures)
Tina Fey returns to the big screen proving once again to audiences everywhere she has more to offer than just laughs. Fey plays Kim Baker, a cable news producer who decides to take an assignment in Afghanistan. When Baker arrives on site she immediately finds herself overwhelmed being in the middle of a war-zone, but she is shown the ropes by fellow reporter Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie) and freelance photographer Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman), and soon comes to thrive in her new home, even becoming addicted to the rush of entrenched warfare. 

Make no mistake: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is not a comedy, despite the way it's being advertised. The trailer does its best to compile all of the funny moments from the movie. And while there are some laughs, as the story progresses they become fewer and far between. Fey is less like her role in Sisters and more like her role in Admission, which featured a similar advertising campaign in contrast to its poignant story. Even the title Whiskey Tango Foxtrot probably got a few chuckles from people looking at the posters, but I would bet dollars to doughnuts that the title was shoved down the storytellers’ throat by the studio, because it does not reflect the story. 

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot suffers from the same problems the war in Afghanistan does; it lacks definition. For contrast, World War II movies, (as well as the actual war) feature a clear villain and objective. In this movie about Afghanistan, one of the army’s biggest conflicts involves the town’s well. The story lacks any clear direction, unsure whether it is trying to make a commentary on feminist issues abroad, war time ethics, or the life of a soldier overseas. Because the nature of the conflict is so complicated, the movie tries to cover it all--an impossible task.

While Baker is in an actual war-zone there is very little fighting to see, despite her war coverage being the best part of the movie. But if it’s not covering the troops on the ground then the movie gets equal traction covering the relationships Baker builds. That’s why her supporting cast, especially the work of Alfred Molina and Billy Bob Thorton, is so important. The way Tina Fey plays off these two actors particularly highlights her strength as a leading lady.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot also has a tinge of romantic comedy, which always feels out of place to me in recent iterations of the war movie. While I’ve heard great a philosopher say, “We found love in a hopeless place,” the romantic angles tend to put a halt to any momentum the narrative was building towards, especially in the latter half of the movie. However, it would be hard to separate the romantic storyline out, as it does help drive the plot and character development along. I wish there was a better way to progress the story, but since the movie is based on actual events it may have been tough to leave it out.
 
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot seems to muddle the lines between comedic culture shock, the need for romantic fulfillment, and journeys of professional and personal self-discovery. But just because everything blends together in real life doesn’t mean it should take place that way on screen. Without a clear focus on any of the many issues presented, the audience may walk out of the theater unsure how to describe (or process) what they saw, leaving many wondering WTF.  B-

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Disney's Newest Movie Is A Zoo

3/4/2016

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(zOOTOPIA REVIEWED)

PictureThe funniest moment of the movie definitely come from this sloth (Photo Courtesy of movies.disney.com)
Zootopia is getting a lot of love and is currently sitting at a 100% on the Tomato Meter, which means something needs to be said: it’s not that good. In fact, of Disney’s recent lot of movies (Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, and Big Hero 6), this is my least favorite. That's not to say Zootopia is bad, but it's tough not comparing it to other Disney movies of the same ilk, and I remember enjoying those movies far more. paring it to other Disney movies of the same ilk and I remember enjoying those movies far more. 

The movie stars Jennifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time) as rookie bunny cop Judy Hopps, and Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) as Nick Wilde, a con artist fox. They live in a world of anthropomorphic animals, where prey and predator live together in perfect harmony--or so it seems. Now these once primal enemies are thrust together to try and crack a city-wide conspiracy. 

First off, the movie is long. At 108 minutes this is the longest animated Disney film ever made besides Fantasia, and that is really a series of short stories. Full of plot twists, Zootopia does have a lot to cover. But by the time we got to the third storyline I started wondering, what are we still doing here? I imagine by that point some of the kids in the audience may also become pretty fidgety. 

But the length is not solely due to the story; the movie also has a pretty big anti-racism message they are not subtle in delivering. Perhaps all Disney’s movies do this to some extent, but Zootopia seemed to especially bludgeon its viewers. Then again, given the current political landscape, maybe that's what this movie needs to be doing. #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain.  

All that said, there was plenty about this movie I did enjoy. Nick Wilde has one-liners galore delivered in perfect Bateman fashion, and Idris Elba as the water buffalo police chief, J.K. Simmons as the mayor, and Nate Torrence as the cheetah receptionist are great as well. The movie is also full of pop culture references, from The Godfather to Breaking Bad, and many crime noirs in between. But the movie's best moments definitely happen in the DMV scene when Hopps and Wilde are trying to run a license plate. 
​
Kids are going to like this movie, of that I have no doubt. It is brightly animated, funny in both its sight gags and clever dialogue, and features catchy music from a Gazelle whose voice took me an embarrassingly long time to recognize. The movie feels weighed down from the attempts trying to cram too much on screen, but it still a delivers a valuable message and is worth taking the kids to see. B

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