Movie Review - Lights Out

Lights Out (2016)

Staring Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Alexander DiPersia, Billy Burke, and Maria Bello

Directed by David F. Sandberg

While not necessarily the most creative horror film of the last decade, Lights Out takes an intriguing enough premise -- a malicious ghostly entity can only attack when it's completely dark -- and creates a solidly tense film interestingly shot by debut director David F. Sandberg in that the bulk of the scares need to take place in as dark of a setting as possible.

The relatively simple plot involves the young twenty-something Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) who had heretofore been somewhat estranged from her mother (Maria Bello) after a difficult childhood coming back into the life of her elementary school-aged half-brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) after he tells her he's unable to sleep because of some scary paranormal activity occurring in their house.  Remembering similar occurrences in her youth, Rebecca returns home to aid her younger brother and unearths some family secrets that may be behind the supernatural doings.

Nothing about Lights Out is mind-numbingly astounding, but everything is solid across the board.  The acting, direction, and story all work together to create exactly what you want out of a horror film -- to get entertainment out of being a little bit scared.  

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Hacksaw Ridge

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Starring Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, and Teresa Palmer

Directed by Mel Gibson

Hacksaw Ridge is an engaging film of two disparate tones that surprisingly and seamlessly meld together under the direction of Mel Gibson.  Certainly a difficult sit for its last hour which gives the audience one of the most realistically violent portrayals of war I've ever seen captured on film, I never found myself bored or uninterested in the true story of conscientious WWII objector and soldier Desmond Doss even during the film's first ninety minutes which plays like a 1940s style Hollywood wartime romance.  However, while Gibson succeeds at blending two distinct genres (and infusing some amusing humor), his film sometimes plays a bit too hokey due to some of his directorial flourishes and some of his cast's one-note "podunk country" characterizations.

Andrew Garfield portrays Doss who grew up in Lynchburg, Virigina, during the Great Depression.  A near tragic childhood incident in which Desmond could've killed his brother instills a deeply religious belief system into his young mind, with Desmond carrying the missives of the Ten Commandments with him throughout this life.  When WWII begins, Desmond feels that he must enlist to serve his country despite the urgings of his parents (Hugo Weaving and Rachel Griffiths) and his girlfriend Dorothy (Teresa Palmer) to remain in Virginia and do his part on his home soil.  Filled with patriotic pride, Desmond heads off to basic training to be a combat medic where he immediately finds resentment amongst his fellow soldiers for his refusal to carry a weapon, taking on the role of a passive conscientious objector as he abides by the commandment that he "shalt not kill."  Many attempts are made to relieve him of his duties, but Desmond perseveres and is allowed to head over to Japan with his regiment (after a quick wedding to Dorothy, that is).  It's there where the American troops engage in an epic battle to take over Hacksaw Ridge from the Japanese -- a brutal melee during which Desmond proves his worth and his unimaginable bravery without ever picking up a weapon.

Desmond Doss's story on the battlefield is an amazing one -- one that deserved to be brought to the screen.  His tale is treated with reverence by Gibson (and the screenwriters) and it's certainly an odd thing to see religion and faith be treated with respect in a mainstream big budget movie.  For that, I commend Gibson, but I also feel that there were moments when visually the director decides to paint a too blatantly Jesus-esque depiction of Doss.  Slow motion edits and obvious cinematographic overtones hammer home the comparison a bit too bluntly (and actually caused me to laugh at one point in time -- something that was certainly not the intention).  In a similar fashion, during the film's first half, much of cast is forced to portray one-note characters, particularly that of Desmond's father Tom played by Hugo Weaving.  Weaving is the quintessential country bumpkin -- an alcoholic, abusive, slow-talker who is eventually won over by his son's backbone -- and he's playing a joke of a role that feels as if it could've been culled from a Duck Dynasty episode or a human version of The Country Bear Jamboree.  Quite frankly, it's a bit embarrassing, as is the typical array of characters Desmond meets in his army regiment from the tough-as-nails Smitty (Luke Bracey) who refuses to accept Desmond until a pivotal moment changes his worldview to a comedic Sergeant Howell (Vince Vaughn) who puts Desmond through a tough struggle to stay in the army.  Granted, Desmond's army buddies fare better than his father, but the script does these side characters no favors.

Andrew Garfield and Teresa Palmer come across much better and their love story is peppered with several meet-cutes and blinky-eyed 1940s flirting, but it works in the environment set up by Gibson.  Admittedly, this romance stands in huge contrast to the incredibly violent though brutally realistic war scenes in the film's second half, but Gibson manages to stage both disparate segments with confidence, allowing Desmond's religious faith to remain a strong focus amidst the chaotic freneticism of the violent Hacksaw Ridge battle.

In the end, Hacksaw Ridge is a successful film and portrays a story that will instill a great deal of pride in Americans who give the film a watch (even those inherently anti-war and anti-violence).  Gibson really does do an excellent job in showcasing and merging the brutality of war with the gentle strength of faith and character in Desmond Doss.  I just wish the screenplay could've allowed for a more well-rounded portrayal of the cast outside of the film's central romantic relationship.  It's good to see Mel Gibson back behind the lens again and even if he adds in a few too many flourishes, he proves he's an adept auteur.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies (2013)

Starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, Analeigh Tipton, and John Malkovich

Directed by Jonathan Levine

Romeo and Juliet with zombies is the overarching theme of Warm Bodies, director and screenwriter Jonathan Levine's comedy about a United States that, in the near future, is overpopulated with zombies, forcing the remaining humans to live behind giant manmade walls in order to protect themselves.  Having stepped out of those walls one night in search of supplies, Julie (Teresa Palmer), her boyfriend Perry (Dave Franco), and her best friend Nora (Annaleigh Tipton) have a run in with a pack of the walking dead, one of whom -- a teenage zombie named R (Nicholas Hault) -- kills Perry and eats his brain which gives R all of Perry's thoughts and immediately has him fall in love with Julie.  When another zombie tries to kill Julie, R whisks her away to safety where the two find themselves realizing that they're not so different after all despite what others may have them believe.

Warm Bodies starts off rather ingeniously.  Mostly through humorous voiceover, R tells us his feelings about his new life as a zombie -- something we don't usually ever bear witness to in zombie films.  Nicholas Hault does a nice job of comedically countering a vivacious voiceover with a catatonic physical state.  The juxtaposition creates more than a few laughs.  Unfortunately, after the initial set-up detailed above, the film sort of wallows in nothingness.  The love story aspect of Warm Bodies just isn't as creative as the concept of finding out what zombies are really thinking behind their empty, human-hunting eyes.  (This makes sense, I guess, seeing as how we've had umpteen adaptations of Romeo and Juliet grace the silver screen.)

Across the board, the acting is above the level we typically see in teenage love stories with Teresa Palmer and Analeigh Tipton making the most of their underwritten characters and Rob Corddry managing laughs as R's best zombie friend.  Unfortunately for everyone other than the character of R, I found myself not really caring about their story lines.  Perhaps it's because the R's voiceovers throughout the film endear him to us more than the other characters, but these other character's plights just didn't register with me.

That said, Warm Bodies is decent.  It certainly is much more grown-up than most teenage romances and the rather ingenious take of making us privy to a zombie's inner thoughts creates an incredibly amusing first act.  I just wish the remainder of the film could've lived up to the opening's promise.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+ 

Movie Review - Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here (2013)

Starring Joel Edgerton, Teresa Palmer, Felicity Price, and Antony Starr

Directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Oh, what joy there is in discovering a little underseen gem of a film and being able to espouse its goodness to others.  Wish You Were Here is one such flick -- a taut, exciting mystery that I heartily recommend.

Steph (Teresa Palmer) and Jeremy (Antony Starr) are all set to travel to Cambodia for a relaxing getaway (with a slight amount of business thrown in for Jeremy).  Looking for a way to spend more time together, Steph invites her older sister Alice (Felicity Price) and her husband Dave (Joel Edgerton), hoping for some quality "sister" time before Alice gives birth to her third child.  While soaking up the sun in Cambodia, the quartet attend a party one evening in which they become intoxicated (or worse) and Jeremy ends up going missing.  Unable to locate him, Steph, Alice, and Dave return to Australia, carrying with them secrets that are gradually revealed as the film progresses.

While the story itself isn't necessarily new, co-writers Kieran Darcy-Smith (who also makes his feature debut directing here) and the aforementioned Felicity Price decide to let things unfold in a non-linear fashion.  While the initial bouncing around in time proves to be a bit disorienting, the debut screenwriters (who are also husband and wife) make a smart decision in the way they decide to tell their story -- just as the characters find themselves in a dizzying spiral caused by the loss of their friend, we in the audience are left a bit discombobulated as well and it's an interesting touch.

What makes the film really pop, however, are the performances of Edgerton and Price.  I'd never seen Ms. Price before in anything and I can only hope that she'll find herself branching out from Australian tv and into more films.  Price's role of Alice is a bit tricky as she's forced to often "react to" rather than
instigate situations.  However, her character's naivete is built out of love for both her husband and her sister and when she's forced to question the people for whom she cares deeply, her emotions are palpably wrenching at times.

Even in lukewarm films, Edgerton usually manages to make an impact.  Here, he plays a conflicted man with secrets that are weighing him down, literally causing him pain from carrying them.  Edgerton is given an interesting character to work with and he absolutely makes us feel for his nice guy thrown into a desperate situation.

In addition to getting great performances from his actors, director Darcy-Smith proves more than capable behind the lens, taking a tricky screenplay and making the pieces fit together effortlessly, slowly and constantly building tension until the film's final moments when the Australia present and the Cambodia past storylines combine.  Kudos all around (including some beautiful cinematography) for a fine piece of filmmaking.  Wish You Were Here is absolutely worthy of a stream from Netflix.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - Take Me Home Tonight

Take Me Home Tonight (2011)

Starring Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Folger, Teresa Palmer, and Chris Pratt

Directed by Michael Dowse

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Since I saw The Sorcerer's Apprentice last year, I've admittedly harbored a slight crush on the Australian actress Teresa Palmer.  Despite that, my opinion of Take Me Home Tonight, a 1980s-set film that sat on the shelf for a few years, was not swayed by the presence of Ms. Palmer.  Although both she and Topher Grace are actually quite good, this supposed comedy which takes place over one long summer night failed to produce a laugh once and that's simply unacceptable.

Ms. Palmer is Tori, the beautiful gal whom Matt (Grace) has crushed on since high school.  Years have gone by and both have graduated from prestigious universities, but Tori has gone on to be a successful investment banker while Matt isn't exactly using his engineering degree to its fullest potential by working at the Suncoast Video at the mall.  The two meet up at a party held by Kyle (Chris Pratt), Matt's twin sister Wendy's boyfriend.  Wendy (Anna Faris) finds herself in her own predicament -- head off to grad school or stay with Kyle.  While she debates what to do with her life, Matt is focused solely on the night at hand, trying to impress Tori by concocting lies to make himself sound more impressive.  Of course, it should be no surprise that this scheming will backfire.

As I mentioned, there's actually quite a bit of chemistry between Topher Grace and Teresa Palmer and they're certainly pleasant to watch.  However, they're certainly not "funny" characters, so the film feels the need to surround them with quirkiness, including Matt's best friend Barry (Dan Folger) who, having just been fired from his job that morning goes on a raucous rampage complete with hefty drug use, alcohol consumption, and wild sex.  Unfortunately, the character of Barry, like many of the other roles thrown in simply to garner a laugh or two, don't produce chuckles.  Instead, they often conjure up eye rolls more than anything else while also padding the running time.  And the aforementioned character of Wendy -- completely and utterly pointless.  The attempt to give her a storyline that matters is completely unnecessary as us viewers don't care about her in the slightest despite a valiant attempt by Anna Faris.

The RyMickey Rating:  D

Movie Review - I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four (2011)

Starring Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Dianna Agron, and Teresa Palmer

Directed by D.J. Caruso

Unlike the Stars both Trek and War, the aliens in I Am Number Four are more reminiscent of supermodels than freakish-looking creatures.  Of course, this allows for a much easier ability to fall in love with Earthlings than if one were a long-eared Spock lookalike.  And, in this movie, it's the frivolous love story that takes center stage.

Without getting into the silly names of both alien races involved in I Am Number Four (which make the made-up words in Harry Potter flicks seem normal), the basic story boils down to this -- an alien race was all but obliterated by another.  Nine kids from the massacred race landed on Earth and the "evil" aliens are after them.  So far, they've killed three of the nine and now they're after Number Four, a blond-haired kid who goes by the clever alias of John Smith (Alex Pettyfer).  With the help of his protector (Timothy Olyphant) and alien teen Number Six (Teresa Palmer), John fights the scary aliens all the while going through the typical trails and tribulations of a typical high schooler, including falling in love with the cute girl (Dianna Agron).

As is obvious by the summary above, there's nothing remotely fresh in I Am Number Four.  There's much too much focus on the high school melodrama and unfortunately the alien action stuff doesn't work in the slightest either.  In the end, there's simply nothing in this film that works.

The RyMickey Rating:  D

Movie Review - The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

Starring Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, and Monica Bellucci

Directed by Jon Turteltaub

Putting "From the director and producer of National Treasure" on your movie poster is not a selling point for me.  Yes, that movie raked in quite a bit of dough and produced a sequel, but it seemed like a low-rent Indiana Jones for this reviewer.  Add to that, "starring Nicolas Cage" often makes me run in the other direction.

Let's just say I was very pleasantly surprised with Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice which has much of what I want in a summer movie -- action, cool special effects, and some light humor.  Throw in a tiny bit of a romance and a shockingly amusing turn from Nic Cage himself and this is a sleeper hit for me (unfortunately, I don't see it doing boffo box office, though).

In 740 AD, sorcerer Merlin and his three assistants are desperately trying to battle Morgana Lafey as she attempts to use her powers to bring ruin to mankind.  While they were successful in trapping Morgana in what is essentially a Russian nesting doll (it's given a much niftier name in the film that has slipped my mind), it is not without casualty.  One of Merlin's assistants, the beautiful Veronica (Belucci) is trapped inside the doll with Morgana while another of his associates, Horvath (Molina), betrays and kills his mentor.  This leaves Balthazar (Cage) as the one good sorcerer left and he spends hundreds of years trapping the evil magicians in successively larger dolls surrounding Morgana.  Merlin's dying wish to Balthazar was that he find a true descendant of Merlin who can carry on the Merlinian bloodline and fight to contain the evil Morgana.

All that is told in a rather silly five minute narrative opening that had me questioning the tone of the film. It seemed to be taking itself unnecessarily seriously and it didn't bode well for things to come.  Fortunately, I was wrong.  Cut to nearly 1300 years later and a young school kid named David finds himself through a twist of fate entering a shop owned by Balthazar.  The sorcerer doesn't quite believe in coincidence and soon discovers that David could very well be Merlin's descendent and, eventually, takes him on as his apprentice.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice isn't a work of art.  There are certainly a few flaws here and there, but it was one heckuva enjoyable two hours.  Nic Cage is really great as the quirky oddball Balthazar and he and young Jay Baruchel make quite a duo.  They play off each other amazingly well and are really what make this film rise above typical summer fare.  Alfred Molina is a pretty sinister villain for a PG-rated fantasy flick.  On a completely different end of the spectrum, the gorgeous Teresa Palmer as David's love interest Becky is actually used to good effect here (there's a scene in particular where physics geek David takes her to his lab that is near perfect in terms of capturing the excitement of that "moment" of falling in love).

The film reminds me of the way I felt when I watched The Neverending Story, Jumanji, Little Monsters (oh, Fred Savage),  or even those "classic" Disney live actioners like Escape to Witch Mountain as a kid. These may not be perfect films, but they carry a sense of nostalgia.  There's nothing (except for maybe some special effects) that make it seem like The Sorcerer's Apprentice couldn't have been made in my 1980s youth.  There's no language, no sex, no overt violence...and while that may not appeal to everyone reading this, the innocence of it all conjured up the nostaligia factor and sometimes that's a fun thing to feel when watching a movie.

I, for one, am actually looking forward to seeing this one again.

The RyMickey Rating:  B