Movie Review - The Tall Man

The Tall Man (2012)

Starring Jessica Biel

Directed by Pascal Laugier

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

Jessica Biel isn't a big name star by any means, but I was a bit surprised when I saw The Tall Man in Netflix Instant's mystery section with a release date of 2012 considering that I had never even heard of it before.  Biel is enough of a "celebrity" that I felt like I should have at least seen some reference to the flick in passing.  Nevertheless, I had not, but given the "mystery" element of the brief plot synopsis -- children in the town of Cold Rock, Washington, are going missing and the only lead that the police have is that a mysterious tall man appears to be the culprit -- I figured I'd give it a shot.  While I now completely understand the reason it didn't get a nationwide release in theaters, it's actually a moderately intriguing little flick that isn't anywhere close to perfection, but kept my interest in the wee hours of the morning when I watched.

Jessica Biel is Julia Denning, the town nurse, who keeps her young son Danny isolated from the rest of the run-down and low-income community for fear of him being abducted by the mysteriously dark-cloaked tall man who has kidnapped nearly all of Cold Rock's children over the last few years.  Despite her best efforts, one evening Danny is nabbed right out of Julia's home by the Tall Man and while she tries to chase him down, she doesn't succeed.  And that's when the movie takes a turn that I admittedly didn't see coming -- and is probably the reason why the film languished in its nearly straight-to-dvd hell.

A long-time reader of this blog (and they are so few and far between that I must recognize them when I can) commented on another thread that The Tall Man is an "ambitious failure," and I tend to agree with that sentiment on a slightly lesser scale.  For starters, I don't think the film is a "failure," but I recognize that writer-director Pascal Laugier doesn't quite have the chops for creating the needed tension a film like this requires (although I think part of that may be attributed to what I can only imagine was a lower budget than other films of its ilk).  As the film twists into something completely unexpected, it ends up languishing a bit in dullness rather than ratcheting up the excitement level.  However, the film's overall tone and overarching message certainly falls under the "ambitious" banner that my commenter noted.  I'm not quite sure I bought what it was trying to espouse, but I accept the concept and give props for the attempt from Laugier.

I'm well aware that The Tall Man isn't high caliber stuff.  [Notice how I didn't comment much on Jessica Biel here...there's a reason for that.]  Still, it's unique enough that despite starting it at 3:15am and telling myself I'd get halfway through and then finish it the next day, I found myself watching it straight through.  That's a positive, I'd say, even though it's certainly a bit flawed.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Theater Review - Fever

Fever

Written by Theresa Rebeck

Directed by Sanford Robbins

Where: Thompson Theater at the Roselle Center for the Arts 

(University of Delaware, Newark, DE)

When: Saturday, April 20, 7:30pm

***Opening Night World Premiere***

The University of Delaware's Thompson Theater at the Roselle Center for the Arts has been turned into a war zone for the next two weeks as a battle of the sexes unfolds in Theresa Rebeck's world premiere play Fever written specifically for the Resident Ensemble Players, UD's professional acting troupe that has been going strong for five years now.  Two years ago, Ms. Rebeck brought the world premiere of her play O Beautiful to the REP, but I found it a mishmash of stereotypes and hot button political issues thrown against a wall with the hope that something would stick.  Needless to say, I was not eagerly anticipating this follow-up when the season subscription was announced.  Well, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with this one -- a laugh-out-loud romp that provides a fun night at the theater despite some problems that arise as the evening progresses.

While Ms. Rebeck certainly takes a big step back from the political hotbed that was O Beautiful, Fever isn't without its provocative issues that will certainly have you questioning whether it's okay to laugh at what's taking place on the stage in front of you.  Focusing on the different ways men and women hear and interpret things, the play opens with a young man and woman (Michael Gotch and Carine Montbertrand) sitting at a table in a Midwest bar seemingly on a first date that is quickly taking a turn for the worse.  As tensions rise, french fries, beer, and vitriolic words begin to fly as the other patrons in the bar look on in shocked amazement.

Photos by Paul Cerro

After the young couple leaves the bar, those remaining can't help but talk about the display that just took place before their eyes.  The only problem is that Patrick and Barry (Mic Matarrese and Steve Tague) saw things quite differently than their female counterparts Margo and Laila (Kathleen Pirkl Tague and Elizabeth Heflin), the latter of whom owns the bar which has been part of her family for generations with her husband Nick (Stephen Pelinski).  As the quartet tries to relay the story of the warring couple to Nick, the genders can't seem to agree on anything that took place, setting off their own little firestorms that build and build as the story progresses.

When the play is focused on this comedic, though biting, battle between the sexes, it works best.  [It veers a tiny bit in certain places into "sensationalism" simply for the sake of being "sensational," but after what I saw in O Beautiful in that regard, this one is like a children's bedtime lullaby.]  Rebeck has created a cast of characters who all have a very distinctive voice, but they meld together so wonderfully with dialog that bounces off one another almost effortlessly.  That's not an easy task and much credit must be given for achieving it.  However, rather surprisingly and somewhat disappointingly, the play falters a bit when it shifts to what it perhaps believes is its actual underlying main story.  Nick is finding it increasingly hard to live within the means he desires given the fact that Laila's family's bar is sucking him dry (both financially and emotionally).  While he's tried to keep these feelings a secret from Laila, he's forced to let it all out when loyal patron Patrick sets up a meeting for Nick with someone (Deena Burke) who feels she could find a buyer for the exquisitely hand-crafted bar (that's right...the actual bar within the bar) for quite a handsome chunk of change.  Obviously, this causes great tension between the married couple, but it's half of a story here that I wanted to love, but couldn't connect with in the slightest.

I understand that Nick and Laila's squabbling over the sale of the bar is supposed to be a more subdued version of the frenetic chaos of the younger couple in their bar, but the connections between the two storylines never really clicked for me.  I desperately wanted to give a damn about Nick and Laila, and actors Stephen Pelinski and Elizabeth Heflin imbue genuine sincerity and sympathy into the characters, but, in the play's final scene, in what I can only assume is to be dialog that embodies the heart of the story, the whole thing falls a bit flat.  It's not that it's disingenuous or that it rings untrue...it just doesn't quite manage to ring at all.

This being said, I think Fever is a play that has the potential to be quite successful and transfer really well to other regional theaters across the country.  With a bit more tweaking particularly in the Nick and Laila scenes, Ms. Rebeck has the makings of a solid hit on her hands.  But by saying that, I'm selling this production a bit short and I don't want to do that because despite its imperfections, the REP themselves have a hit on their hands.  With the help of Rebeck, director Sanford Robbins (whose pleas at every single production to make us bring guests to the REP have not fallen on deaf ears with this reviewer) takes this talented group of REP actors and manages to make me forget that I'm watching a cast that I've come to know over the past four years since I've been attending their productions.  Surprisingly (to me, at least), the actors felt fresh and new with some of them giving their best performances of the season.  [In addition to the aforementioned Pelinski and Heflin, kudos to Michael Gotch and a raunchy and saucy Kathleen Pirkl Tague, both of whom were fantastic.  Although, really, across the board raves for everyone in this production.]  Maybe it was the tackling of a modern-day comedy or maybe it was because they were performing in the world premiere of a play, but something about this show gave them a renewed spirit and vigor that made me long for next season to start as quickly as possible.

Movie Review - Robot & Frank

Robot & Frank (2012)

Starring Frank Langella, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon, and Peter Sarsgaard

Directed by Jake Shreier

In the near future, aging Frank (Frank Langella) is finding himself entering the beginning stages of dementia or Alzheimer's Disease (the specifics are never really discussed in the film).  His son Hunter (James Marsden) lives about six hours away from his father, but still visits him on a regular basis on the weekends leaving his own children behind to care for his ailing dad.  In order to alleviate some of this constant traveling in his life, Hunter decides to buy a robot caretaker (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) who will clean, cook, and keep an eye on Frank's health, reporting back to Hunter when necessary.  Frank is adamantly against this as is his daughter Madison (Liv Tyler) who is working in Turkmenistan and can't really prevent her brother from bringing this newfangled technology into her father's home.

Eventually, Frank realizes that he's stuck with the robot so he might as well try and get to understand the technology...and this is where Robot & Frank starts to slowly go downhill.  The film's opening act (as detailed in the first paragraph) is amusing, but as the flick progresses, we discover that a long time ago Frank was a rather brilliant small-time thief who happened to get caught and spend some time in prison.  When Frank discovers that his robot companion has been programmed to do what Frank tells him to do, Frank decides to teach the robot the tricks of the trade when it comes to robbing people and this duo sets out to do some damage in their small town.

Ultimately, though, it isn't the story that takes Robot & Frank down a notch.  It's the fact that I failed to find myself connected to Frank in the way that I think was necessary in order for the movie to succeed on all levels.  Frank Langella certainly does a good job here...he's better than the part he's given, in fact.  Unfortunately, considering his condition of a slowly deteriorating memory, I never found myself invested in his plight.  When Frank says to his daughter who desperately wants to take the robot away after several weeks together, "But he's my only friend," I can't help but think that was supposed to hit me in the gut.  It didn't in any way, however, and the fault has to either lie in the direction of first time auteur Jake Shreier and/or the script from first time screenwriter Christopher D. Ford.  Somehow the screenplay and the direction never quite made the emotional connection with me in the way that the film desperately desires and needs in order to fully succeed.  Here's this old guy whose health is fading and he's being reinvigorated by a friendship with someone (or something, to be more accurate) he thought he was going to hate.  There's depth there worth exploring and while I think the film tries, it didn't click for me in the way it should have.

While it may seem like I'm critiquing Robot & Frank in a manner that would deem it not worth watching, it's actually a somewhat solid film with some nice performances from the whole cast.  The problem is that the potential for something greater is always present, but the film is never quite able to grasp it.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - Oz: The Great and Powerful

Oz: The Great and Powerful (2013)
***viewed in 3D***

Starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, and Zach Braff

Directed by Sam Raimi

There was no way Oz: The Great and Powerful was going to compare to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, but I was surprised by what disappointed me the most about this prequel of sorts to that Judy Garland winner.  Rather than be wowed by the "astounding" visuals that can be created by filmmakers 75 years later, I instead found myself longing for the days when computer generated landscapes and backdrops didn't even exist yet.  When Garland's Dorothy lands in Oz, the flowers certainly have a plasticine look to them, but they look more "real" and visually appealing than much of what is seen in Sam Raimi's new take on author  L. Frank Baum's work.  The one lesson I learned from this new film is "just because we can utilize computers, doesn't mean we should."  That's not to say that Oz: The Great and Powerful is horrid.  Comparisons have been made to Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and Oz fares better than that Johnny Depp-starring dreck.  But both films epitomize what is wrong with Disney's desire to "update" these classic films and stories for a new generation -- computer effects may seem to allow for more creativity, but the fact is that filmmakers decades ago had to be much more creative in a hands-on manner in order to get these fantastical lands like Oz and Wonderland to come to life.

Dorothy doesn't make an appearance in Oz: The Great and Powerful.  Instead, this is the tale of how the wizard -- podunk traveling circus magician Oscar Diggs (played by James Franco) -- got to the fantasy land in the first place.  Much like Dorothy, Oscar gets whisked up into a tornado, and when he arrives in Oz, he's greeted by Theodora (Mila Kunis), a lovely looking witch, who tells him about a recent prophecy that mentioned a man much like himself would come to Oz and, with his wizarding ways, right all that was wrong with the land.  Theodora takes Oscar to meet her sister, fellow witch Evanora (Rachel Weisz), in Emerald City where he discovers the abundant riches that the new wizard will inherit...should he manage to destroy the wand of the Wicked Witch who lives in the Dark Forest.  Along the way to destroy the Wicked Witch, Oscar meets Glinda (Michelle Williams), yet another witch, who tells Oscar that it is in fact Theodora and Evanora who are the evil ones in the land.  The question then becomes who exactly is Oscar to trust in this unfamiliar place?

Considering my rant in the opening paragraph of my review, it should come as a surprise that I think the best parts of the movie are the unique computer-animated characters brought to the screen in the forms of Finley (voiced by Zach Braff) -- a monkey who becomes forever indebted to Oscar after the wizard saves him from inevitable death -- and China Girl (voiced by Joey King) -- a tiny porcelain girl from Oz's China Town in which everyone is made of fine porcelain china.  While I disliked the computer generated landscapes the humans travel through in every single scene, I do appreciate the character work that has advanced with computer technology.  Finley and China Girl are able to do a bit more than, as an example, Toto in the original film.  Together, these two characters breathe life and impart much humor into the story...more than any of their human counterparts, that's for sure.

I used to be a fan of James Franco.  I say "used to" only because I can't help but think he just doesn't care about anything anymore.  Ever since his horrific hosting of the Oscars a few years ago, his attitude has been a complete turn-off to me and his nonchalance is carried to the screen in this obvious paycheck role for him.  His eyes are lifeless in nearly every scene and he lacks the whimsy needed for a character like the Wizard to succeed.  Similarly, Mila Kunis starts off painfully wooden.  As her character's secrets gradually are revealed, she's able to emote a bit more, but it's a rough start for her as well.  Things aren't much better for Michelle Williams either, but the role of Glinda is perhaps the trickiest one of the bunch, so I'm cutting her a little slack.  Glinda's the epitome of good (as we know from the 1939 original) and there's simply not much to work with.  Rachel Weisz certainly fares the best -- I just wish we didn't have to wait nearly an hour to see her character for the first time.

Despite the humans certainly disappointing, the film managed to hold my attention throughout and I can't ever really say I was bored and that's likely a credit to director Sam Raimi.  Raimi starts the film in a lovely black-and-white 4:3 Academy ratio when Oscar is in Kansas and then expands to a color widescreen format when in Oz.  While I thought this may be too much of an homage to the original, it's a device that still manages to work incredibly well -- it's oddly exciting when we get the first glimpse of color.  Raimi also realizes that despite Oz: The Great and Powerful being a family film, it's okay to throw in a few scary moments here and there...and there are a few moments involving those pesky flying monkeys that could easily frighten a young child.  Credit also must be given to some pretty nice 3D work on display.  It's not often that I'm able to comment positively on 3D work, so when I can, I like to point it out and mention that the upgrade may be worth the surcharge.

While Oz: The Great and Powerful may not have me clamoring for the inevitable sequel that will come our way in a few years, it certainly didn't taint the fond memories of its 1939 predecessor.  And it's a step in the right direction in terms of "fantasy remakes" after the heinousness of Alice in Wonderland a few years back.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Bachelorette

Bachelorette (2012)

Starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, Rebel Wilson, James Marsden, Kyle Bornheimer, and Adam Scott

Directed by Leslye Headland

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

The comparisons to 2010's hilarious Bridesmaids have to be expected when it comes to a movie like Bachelorette if only because the movie industry doesn't have too many female-centric comedies in the marketplace, and by having both films focus on a wedding further connects the two.  However, Bachelorette skews much darker in its comedy which creates quite a different tint on the whole affair, allowing writer-director Leslye Headland's play-turned-film to not play like a retread of the Oscar-nominated (and RyMickey Award Best Picture Top Ten finisher) Kristen Wiig film.

Whereas the characters in Bridesmaids were in their mid-thirties and genuinely excited about their best friend's wedding, the late twentysomethings in Bachelorette who were friends in high school look at the upcoming nuptials of Becky (Rebel Wilson) with disdain.    Becky was always the fourth wheel in the group known as "The B Faces," and it doesn't sit well that "the fat one" in the quartet is the first one to get married.  Regan (Kirsten Dunst), like Becky, lives in New York City and has kept in touch with the soon-to-be-bride more than the rest of the group, so she gets the role of Maid of Honor.  Outwardly showing enthusiasm, Regan's ice queen, bitchy demeanor comes out right away as she calls her fellow "B Faces" Gena (Lizzy Caplan) and Katie (Isla Fisher) to tell them the news.  As the group convenes for the wedding weekend, they begin to realize that they haven't changed all that much since high school...and maybe that's not such a good thing.  Katie's still a crazy bed-hopping party girl, Gena's cocaine snorting is still a commonplace occurrence, and Regan's bulimic tendencies still rear their ugly head at times.  None of these girls are the epitome of perfection and there are moments where they're all incredibly nasty to one another, but they're still friends despite their sometimes warped view of what being "friends" actually means.  They have a shared history that continues to bring them close together and, as time has passed, they begin to wonder whether it's maybe time that they all begin to grow up a little bit.

This isn't to say that Bachelorette ends on a sensitive up-with-people note.  These characters aren't "changed" in miraculous ways by seeing their child-like mannerisms.  Instead, the movie concludes with them simply glimpsing the fact that it's likely time they try to turn into adults as they head into their third decade and maybe Becky's wedding is the impetus to getting that ball rolling.  Kirsten Dunst and Lizzy Caplan succeed the best at coming to this realization for their characters.  Both Dunst and Caplan are given nice arcs and they surprised me by making me give a damn about their rather loathsome characters by the end of the film.  I don't watch Girls on HBO, but I imagine that the reason it's buzzed about (I refuse to say successful because less than two million people watch it per episode and yet it's praised like it's a huge hit) is that it showcases twentysomething women in a light that typically isn't shone on them.  That's definitely the case here and Dunst and Caplan are able to imbue their characters with enough depth to make the film overall a success.

That isn't to say that Ms. Headland's script gives adequate dimensionality to all characters.  Isla Fisher's Katie is decidedly one-note in her party hard attitude and Rebel Wilson's Becky is simply like every other character Wilson has played before meaning she'll make fun of her weight and then act "funny-cute" followed by being "funny-tough."  (Seriously, I just do not get the fawning over her, although I will say Wilson comes off surprisingly good here, it's just that she isn't adding anything new to her repertoire.)  Each lady also has a guy that she hooks up with the night before the wedding and only Adam Scott's Clyde as Gena's high school boyfriend is given anything to work with, but the story isn't really about the men, so I feel like this isn't as much of a letdown.

Qualms aside, however, Bachelorette is a really good film.  It's surprisingly funny, mining laughs from not only pop culture references that are perfect for my age bracket (ie. the age bracket depicted in the film), but also very naturally from the characters themselves.  Thanks to some nice performances from Kirsten Dunst and Lizzy Caplan and a solid (though not perfect) script, this one is absolutely one of the better comedies to come out of 2012...and it's streaming on Netflix...so watch it.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - The Raid: Redemption

The Raid: Redemption (2012)

Directed by Gareth Evans

I'm not sure I've ever seen a film as violent as The Raid: Redemption...at least not within recent memory.  I'm also fairly positive that I've never seen an Asian martial arts-type flick in my life (although I remember growing up seeing some dubbed edited versions as I flicked through local tv on a Sunday afternoon).  So the only reason this was really on my radar was because of some surprisingly fantastic reviews it received upon its release plus some glowing recommendations from co-workers.  While there's admittedly very little story here, The Raid: Redemption is a pretty great action movie filled with some incredible fight sequences and some very tense moments making this one of the better films to come out in 2012.

What little story there is involves a police unit heading into a fifteen-story high rise apartment building in Jakarta, Indonesia, to take down a drug kingpin named Tama (Ray Sahetapy) who is the unit's scummy landlord.  We meet policeman Rama (Iko Uwais) in the opening scenes which show us that he's an expectant father and is quite honestly the only character trait attributed to him.  But the lack of character development surprisingly didn't bother me in the slightest.  Instead, as Rama and his fellow officers make the climb up the fifteen stories fighting off Tama's goons along the way, we're treated to some amazing fight sequences that are choreographed with such precision that it really made me wonder how in the hell they were done.

Writer-director Gareth Evans eschews the quick cutting we're used to seeing in American action movies and instead allows the camera to linger over certain action sequences.  That's not to say we're treated to overly long shots, but there was never a manic sense given to the editing of the fight scenes.  I will say that I was a bit worried at the start of the film.  Things were overly dark and there were some moments where I wasn't quite sure what was going on because of how lowly lit everything was.  However, about thirty minutes in, things brighten up (and the cast is whittled down thanks to the various deaths) and the film becomes much easier to follow.  Evans treats us to several sequences of genuine tension including one involving a hidden closet and a machete that will undoubtedly appear in my favorite scenes of the year list.  Yes, there are some moments of cheesiness whenever Evans actually tries to tell a story rather than focus on the action -- including a reveal for Rama about a family member involved in Tama's seedy underworld -- but the director never lingers on them for too long since he knows quite well the emotional moments can't hold a candle to the fight sequences.

Quite honestly, there's not a lot to say about The Raid: Redemption because if it's a film you want to see, I've already said enough to convince you to watch it, and if it's a film you don't want to see, you checked out when you read the first sentence of this review.  That being said, it's not a film I'd say was in my "wheelhouse" whatsoever, but I found it refreshing (albeit uncomfortably violent at times) and am quite happy I checked it out.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - End of Watch

End of Watch (2012)

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, and Natalie Martinez

Directed by David Ayer

End of Watch is a perfectly acceptable realistic "buddy cop" movie about Brian and Mike (Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña) who work the crime-riddled streets of South Central LA.  As they go through their admittedly difficult and stressful days, they find time to joke around with one another and talk about their significant others -- Brian's got a serious girlfriend in Janet (Anna Kendrick) and Mike is married to Gabby (Natalie Martinez) and they have kids together with another on the way.  When the duo stumble across a human trafficking ring while out doing a routine check on an elderly woman, the Mexican gangs behind the ring are angered and vow to make Brian and Mike pay handily for simply doing their job.

Admittedly, the film is a bit gimmicky.  Brian is taking a college course on filmmaking and he decides to purchase some small cameras that he places in the cop car and on both his and Mike's uniforms in order to film a "day in the life" type documentary about South Central cops.  I actually would've been completely onboard with the concept had director and screenwriter David Ayer had the cojones to stick with it throughout the entirety of the film in a Blair Witch-ian way.  However, the film sometimes cuts to the Mexican gangs and then as it progresses and the action begins to kick up, it abandons the concept altogether at times.  This wasn't necessarily a detriment, but the lack of consistency was noticeable and a bit of a disappointment in terms of the concept.

This film garnered some surprisingly good reviews upon its release last fall and there was even a bit of Oscar buzz surrounding Michael Peña for his role, but for this reviewer, End of Watch didn't stand out in any significant way.  Everything about it was fine and, in fact, better than average, but I was never blown away by anything I was seeing in the acting, directing, or writing department.  This is likely one of the reasons it's taken me over a month to get this review up on the blog.  Despite the lack of anything negative to say about it, there was not a single thing about it that blew me over.  It's solid and you certainly shouldn't be disappointed should you decide to check it out, but I can't help but think End of Watch had a bit more potential than the director brought to it.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - Chernobyl Diaries

Chernobyl Diaries (2012)

Starring Jonathan Sadowski, Jesse McCartney, Devin Kelley, Olivia Dudley, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Nathan Philips, and Dimitri Diatchenko

Directed by Bradley Parker

Had I known that Chernobyl Diaries was co-written by Oren Peli, the writer of all the Paranormal Activity movies, I would've prepared myself for an hour of nothing followed by about twenty-five minutes of jump scares, but I didn't realize that going in.  So instead, as this horror film unfolded about six twentysomethings going on an extreme tourist trip to Pripyat, the city that was home to the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in the 80s, I kept waiting for something to happen.  Anything.  As the sextet along with their Russian guide Uri (Dimitri Diatchenko) explore the city in daylight, I was hoping for at least an ominous feeling to present itself...but director Bradley Parker never achieves a sense of anxiety.  

There's not even any tension after the group's van is sabotaged thanks to some wire-cutting.  Stuck in the town, night falls, Uri somehow disappears, and American Chris (Jesse McCartney) comes back to the van with his leg slashed up.  Chris's older brother Paul (Jonathan Sadowski) starts to feel guilty for convincing his brother, his brother's fiancée Natalie (Olivia Dudley), and Natalie's friend Amanda (Devin Kelley) to come on this kooky extreme trip and vows to get them safely back.  Needless to say, it should come as no surprise that doesn't happen.  As the group fights off wild animals and perhaps even malformed and crazed residents of Chernobyl, they must also fight the ever-increasing nuclear radiation that their Geiger counter is picking up.

Like all of Peli's movies, the biggest problem is that nothing happens in this movie for a good fifty minutes.  When the action finally begins to pick up, director Bradley Parker doesn't have adequate lensing skills to allow the audience to actually be able to see what is going on.  Multiple times I found myself rewinding because pivotal scenes were either too dark or too shoddily staged to get an impression of what was going on in them.  For the most part, the acting is fine (and Devin Kelley in her first feature film was nice on the eyes), but that's not nearly enough to recommend this.  I don't know why I keep giving Oren Peli more chances because he has proven that he does not have what it takes to craft a solid horror film.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Killer Joe

Killer Joe (2012)

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, June Temple, Thomas Haden Church, and Gina Gershon

Directed by William Friedkin

My experience with Tracy Letts's screenplays and plays has been mixed so far.  I was one of the few people I know who found the Ashley Judd-Michael Shannon 2006 flick Bug a frightening psychological horror flick (it's streaming on Netflix for those interested).  However, when I saw his Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning August: Osage County onstage (soon to be a movie with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts), I found the whole thing to be a bloated soap opera.  [I also recently saw Mr. Letts act in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and he was quite good.]  I'd heard good things about Killer Joe and was eagerly looking forward to checking out the film and I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed in the twisted trailer park crime tale.

When Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) runs into a bit of trouble with his drug dealer, he figures that an easy way out of his predicament is to kill his own mother for her life insurance policy.  Seeing as how she just recently kicked him out of her house, Chris figures offing her might not be a bad idea.  When he discovers that his younger sister Dottie (Juno Temple) is the sole beneficiary of his mother's policy (despite the fact that Dottie hasn't had anything to do with her mother for years), Chris manages to get both Dottie and his father Ansel (Thomas Haden Church) onboard with the plan.  However, seeing as how neither Chris nor Ansel has any experience killing someone, they decide to hire a hitman named Killer Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a somewhat sleazy cop who performs decidedly criminal work on the side.  When Joe demands $25,000 up front for the deed, Chris and Ansel are unable to come up with the money, so, as collateral, Joe decides that if young virginal Dottie agrees to date him, he'll commit the murder prior to getting paid.  This twisted tale spirals out of control and all the parties may regret their actions sooner then they ever expected.

The inhabitants of Killer Joe are as white trash as they come.  Sleazy, dumb, alcoholic slobs who spend as much time downing liquor or snorting coke in their trailer homes as they do working.  But what Tracy Letts manages to do with these characters is make them surprisingly enjoyable to watch despite their inherent sliminess.  The darkly comic tone that permeates throughout the whole film is certainly a reason why the audience is able to accept these unlikeable characters because the film almost feels as if it's slyly poking fun at them while telling their sordid tale.

This is director William Friedkin's second time around with a Tracy Letts script after Bug and Friedkin (perhaps best known for his one-two punch of The French Connection followed by The Exorcist in the early 1970s) proves he's got the eye to work these twisted plays into equally uncomfortable films.  Knowing that the film is based on a play, it's certainly obvious when watching how easily this would play out on a stage, but that doesn't make film any less viable an option for telling this tale.  Killer Joe is certainly much more "opened up" then Bug which essentially took place in the confines of a hotel room.

Perhaps the best thing Friedkin achieves here is some very nice performances from his main cast of five.  Matthew McConaughey had a high profile turn in Magic Mike this past summer, but I'd sooner watch his sordid take on the title character in this film again.  Despite Joe's secret job as a hitman, he presents himself as a rather moral character, but both the audience and the characters in the film soon begin to realize that despite his somewhat uppity and "well-mannered" charming appearance, he's quite the slimeball.  The sleaziness comes into play most often when Joe is paired up with the much younger (and perhaps underage, although that's never really fully detailed) Dottie played by Juno Temple.  I've seen Temple in a few minor roles, but she manages to really shine here playing a naive young girl who is nothing but a pawn in her family's twisted games.  Kudos also to Gina Gershon who takes on the role of Chris and Dottie's new stepmom Sharla, the epitome of trailer trash.  A seemingly minor character, her role takes on a greater importance towards the film's conclusion and she's front and center in some of film's more disturbing scenes.

There was a bit of buzz surrounding this film upon its release thanks to its NC-17 rating and perhaps it deserves it -- I, for one, will never look at a chicken drumstick in the same way again.  There are certainly disturbing sexual moments that probably earned it that rating, but the film surprisingly never felt too over-the-top thanks in part to that aforementioned darkly comic tone that runs throughout the piece.  While Killer Joe may not be for all tastes, I found it an all-around unique film that makes me want to explore the repertoire of its screenwriter-playwright Tracy Letts even more.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part II (2012)

Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, and Michael Sheen

Directed by Bill Condon

From the opening scenes, I think I laughed more in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part II than I did in the entirety of this supposed comedy.  Unfortunately, I'm fairly certain I was supposed to take newly vampiric Bella (Kristen Stewart) taking down a mountain lion by chomping it in the throat fairly seriously.  As was I not to laugh at Bella getting angry that werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) has imprinted on her three day-old daughter Renesmee (thus bonding the two together for life) by spouting the words, "You nicknamed her Nessie!  You nicknamed her after the Lock Ness Monster?!?!"  Let's not even discuss the computer-digitized baby Renesmee giggling and touching her hand to her mother's cheek.  All this craziness happens within the film's first fifteen minutes!

I'd rather director Bill Condon had relished in the kookiness of vampire-werewolf relations as he did in Part 1 of this epic finale, but instead he's forced to tackle the conclusion of The Twilight Saga which deals with the Volturi headed by Aro (Michael Sheen) who want to kill Renesmee because they believe she is an immortal vampire child.  Vampire children are untrainable and thus will wreak havoc by making vampires more visible to humans in some way.  Therefore, for centuries the Volturi have been killing vampiric kids and murdering their parents who sired them.  However, Renesmee is not an immortal because she was born from vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) and now-vampire-but-formerly-human-and-human-when-she-gave-birth Bella.  Pretty much the entirety of the film is Edward, Bella, and the rest of the Cullen clan bringing together "witnesses" who can attest to the Volturi that Renesmee is not an immortal and thus causes no threat to their secretive civilization.  This assembly of fellow vampires may play like a Who's Who for the Twilight fans, but to this reviewer, he didn't understand why we were wasting so much time listening to these people talk about their problems as if they mattered in the grand scheme of the plot because they didn't in the slightest.

This all leads to the big standoff between the Volturi and the Cullen-led "witnesses" in which a lot of vampire's heads are decapitated (seriously, there's more disembodiments here than in any movie I've ever seen).  But, in the big surprise twist (and I'm gonna reveal it here because I have to discuss how ludicrous the finale is), the big showdown actually doesn't happen.  In fact, it was all playing out in the mind of Aro who was magically "touched" by one of the Cullen clan and was able to see the future which didn't pan out too well for his fellow Volturi.  Instead, Aro decides to quietly leave, therein creating perhaps one of the biggest letdowns in the history of movies.  Five movies and nearly ten hours of film lead to people walking away from each other rather than fighting for what they believe in.  You've got to be kidding me, right?  Come to find out, this whole fight scene was added just for the movie -- it wasn't even in the book.  What was the point of the books then?

Good Lord, what a horrible way to end a horrible cinematic series.  I won't even delve into criticizing Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattinson because I've done enough of that in previous reviews of the series (and, actually, they were their best in this two-part finale which isn't saying much).  What I don't understand at the end of this whole series is why these books became such a huge pop culture obsession.  I guess it's that "love triangle" aspect, but the screenplays of these movies lack any modicum of fun or excitement and the finale proved to end things on a huge sour note.  Thankfully, I won't ever need to venture near these movies ever again.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Previous Entries in the Series

Breaking Dawn - Part One -- C

Eclipse -- C-

New Moon -- D-

Twilight -- C-

I'm actually frightened by how highly I've rated the series as a whole...

Movie Review - House at the End of the Street

House at the End of the Street (2012)

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue, and Max Thieriot

Directed by Mark Tonderai

It's a sure bet that this is the last teen horror flick recent Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence is going to be starring in for quite a while, but she gives a surprisingly solid turn (although she's not tasked with anything difficult to do) as Elissa, the new girl who's moved to a new town with her mom Sarah (Elisabeth Shue).  They got a great deal on a big house because the titular House at the End of the Street just a few yards from their home was the scene of a murder a few years ago.  Still, despite hearing that the girl who had murdered her parents is presumed dead but has yet to be found, Elissa and Sarah brush off the notion of anything bad happening.  When Elissa discovers that Ryan, the son of the murdered parents, still lives in the house, she strikes up a friendship with the shy, sheltered college student much to Sarah's chagrin.  With this being a horror film, let's just say things don't turn out like they do in a Nicholas Sparks movie.

House at the End of the Street doesn't reinvent the horror wheel by any means and its story is admittedly shaky and stretched quite thin even over its short running time.  However, thanks to Lawrence giving her character a little bit of spunk rather than just being the typical horror ingenue, the film rises above the other teen scare flicks the tiniest of margins.  I realize I'm bucking the trend here (as Rotten Tomatoes has this sitting at 11% Fresh) and I don't want to overstate this film's worth -- it's still not anything special -- but it held my interest mainly because of Lawrence.  It's also nice to see Elisabeth Shue return to the screen even though her role (much like all the roles here) isn't really developed beyond a stereotype.  Max Thieriot also doesn't embarrass himself in a role that easily could've veered into corniness (and kind of does at times) -- somehow he reins in the quirkiness required that I didn't find myself laughing at him.

I realize every good comment above is laced with some bad undertone and that's simply because I must recognize that House at the End of the Street isn't a great film, but if you're in the mood for cheesy teen horror, you could certainly do worse.  Jennifer Lawrence makes this more than tolerable.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - The Bay

The Bay (2012)

Starring Kether Donahue, Frank Deal, and Stephen Kunken

Directed by Barry Levinson

On July 4, 2009, something horrible happened in the Chesapeake Bay-side town of Claridge, Maryland.  As partygoers celebrated the day of our nation's birth, things took a turn for the worse as people began breaking out in massive rashes creating huge boils on their skin.  The outbreak led to an influx of patients at the local hospital where Dr. Jack Abrams (Stephen Kunken) tried everything he knew to solve the problem, only to have the conditions of patients worsen.  Not only did it appear that the rash was forming on the outside of the skin, but something was eating away at these patients from the inside in an attempt to get out.

What exactly caused this biomedical breakout in Claridge?  That's what The Bay attempts to answer through first-hand video accounts compiled by former news reporter Donna Thompson (Kether Donahue) who was a fresh-faced college intern reporting on the local Claridge holiday festivities when all hell broke loose putting her smack in the middle of the action. Donna managed to survive the ordeal that hundreds of people did not and after three years and numerous attempts to be quashed by the government, she has decided to videotape her story and release it to the public so they can see the environmental rigamarole our government enacted that played a huge role in the horrifying story of Claridge.

Of course, this is all fake and although I've certainly tired of the found footage genre, The Bay manages to elevate the latest horror craze by allowing the found footage to play like a thesis for Donna, helping her to stand up to the greater powers.  The ecological agenda that the film is certainly striving towards can be a little heavy-handed at times, but director Barry Levinson (best known for 80s hits like Rain Man and Good Morning Vietnam) creates a crafty little low-budget horror film.  While it contains a really solid jump scare or two, there's an overarching sense of unease in The Bay thanks to the crazy notion that it's (sort of) possible something like this could happen.  While I doubt the government in this day and age could manage to cover up the near complete demise of a town (leading to the one incredibly unbelievable aspect of the film), the biological horror is something that does manage to put me on edge a little bit.  [See my love of Contagion as another recent example.]

It's obvious at times that The Bay is a low-budget flick -- the acting isn't exactly top notch, the production often reuses some non-important clips multiple times -- but this is a nice flick that managed to keep me on edge quite a bit of the time.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Men in Black 3

Men in Black 3 (2012)

Starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alice Eve, and Emma Thompson

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld

It's been years since I've seen either of the first two Men in Black movies, but I remember finding them a bit better than typical action comedies.  They weren't anything fantastic, but I at least recall there being a slight enjoyment stemming from them (and if that isn't the case, at least they're remembered that way for their sake).  None of that sense of joie de vivre is present in Men in Black 3, a surprisingly joyless affair without any laughs and lacking either big or small action sequences to provide a sense of excitement.  This third movie just slogs along going nowhere in particular.

Men in Black 3 begins in the present day with alien outlaw Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) escaping from his lunar prison and traveling back down to Earth to enact revenge on the man who put him away and blew off his arm in the process -- Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones).  Boris finds a time machine and goes back to the 1969 day before he lost his arm and was captured in order to kill Agent K.  Somehow or another, K "rids" the world of everything that K himself caused since that fateful day so when K's partner Agent J (Will Smith) wakes up in the modern world, he is told that K died back in 1969.  [Why this has to happen, I'm not sure..]  J then goes back in time to try and help K kill Boris (and help past K not be killed by the modern-day Boris) rather than simply capture him in order to save the planet from Boris's modern day nastiness.

Confused?  Yeah, I was, too.  There's no easy way to write the summary in a way that makes sense because the film doesn't really attempt to make a whole lot of sense itself.  Will Smith attempts to try and work his smooth-talking charisma, but his charming persona as J can't win over the audience here because the audience is left flabbergasted at the foolishness of the plot.  With the film taking place mostly in the past, Tommy Lee Jones sits on the wayside for nearly all of the film with Josh Brolin doing an impressive impersonation of a young 1969 version of Agent K, and although Brolin is a bright spot, the allure of the impression wears off after a few minutes.

With that, I'm going to draw this shoddily written review to a close.  When I can't find a way to explain a summary of a movie, I'm turned off from writing my opinion about it.  Just know that Men in Black 3 is the worst of the bunch in this series.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Safety Not Guaranteed

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

Starring Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, Mark Duplass, and Karan Soni

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

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

Remove the curse words and the character who's obsessed with hooking up with his high school flame from twenty years ago and Safety Not Guaranteed feels like a movie Jimmy Stewart and Katherine Hepburn could have starred in seventy years ago.  There's an innocence surrounding this film about Kenneth (Mark Duplass), a guy who posts a help wanted ad in a local newspaper where he says he's seeking out people who want to travel back in time with him (their "safety not guaranteed"), and Darius (Aubrey Plaza), the girl who interns at a local magazine that is doing a story about Kenneth who they all deem as cuckoo.  As Kenneth and Darius get to know each other better, it's inevitable that they're going to begin to fall in love for each other despite their best efforts not to wander down that path.

The problem with Safety Not Guaranteed is the same problem that faces many other indie comedies -- a good premise, but not enough plot to sustain itself.  Despite its under ninety-minute run time, there's just not enough here to make a full-fledged movie feel necessary.  The whole thing was quite cute and Aubrey Plaza's dry delivery is a perfect fit for the dialog she's given, but whenever the film left the world of Kenneth and Darius, it falls flat.  There are two subplots involving Darius's co-workers -- one dealing with head writer Jeff (Jake Johnson) and his mission to find his high school sweetheart and sleep with her again (which is the only reason he took on writing this article in the first place) and the other focused on Jeff's desire to get Arnau (Karan Soni), the mild-mannered Indian computer geek intern, laid for the first time -- neither of which add anything to the overarching storyline.  I can't even find an incidental thematic connection between them and the main plot.

Safety Not Guaranteed is fine.  I laughed enough to not make it a complete bust.  But it never quite comes together in a way that would make it something truly recommendable.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Theater Review - Hamlet

Hamlet

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Mark Lamos

Where: Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts

(University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware)

When: Thursday, March 7, 7:30pm

Photos from the REP

Maybe the Resident Ensemble Players at the University of Delaware should give the audience a Shakespearean production each season.  While this doesn't quite compare to the 2010-11 season's fantastical A Midsummer Night's Dream, this year's Hamlet is quickly paced, nicely acted, and sumptuously designed -- elements that make a centuries-old play a bit more relatable for a modern-day audience.  Not that Hamlet necessarily needs any help in that area.  In fact, although I'm not incredibly well-versed in all of Shakespeare, this seems to be one of his easiest plays to grasp in terms of plot and characters which is all the more reason I'm surprised that I never had to read this in either high school or college as it seems like a really good starting-off point to get into the Bard.  While I had seen the four hour-long Kenneth Branagh version back in eleventh grade and I prepped myself a little bit by watching a recent PBS special on the play, I'm not sure this prior knowledge of Hamlet would've been necessary (but admittedly it was nice to have a general overview of the plot).  That being said, despite a simple story, there is depth to Hamlet and if I had to fault the production in one area it's that director Mark Lamos almost plays things too straightforward -- there really isn't much ambiguity in this production and maybe there should have been a bit in order to see the many layers that make up the title character and his emotional struggles.

The play's called Hamlet so it's a good guess to assume that the thing revolves around the title character with Shakespeare providing quite a commanding role for an actor to tackle.  Here, REP member Michael Gotch grabs hold of the Danish prince and doesn't let go.  Running the gambit of emotions, to me Gotch presents a compelling Hamlet that is undoubtedly intelligent and steadfastly resolute in his need to enact revenge on his uncle Claudius who murdered Hamlet's father and then married his mother in order to ascend to the throne (the latter of which makes for a very funny line in which Hamlet questions whether that now makes his mother his aunt).  If anything, it's this strength Gotch exhibits after seeing his father's ghost that leads to the lack of ambiguity I mentioned above.  I never once believed that Hamlet's nonsensical rambling craziness that he undertakes near the beginning of the play was anything other than an incredibly intelligent young man trying to fool others into thinking he was going mad so they'd render him not capable of committing an act of revenge against Claudius.  Now, all of this is certainly up for interpretation and, as was mentioned in the talkback following this evening's production, there's really no wrong way to interpret the title character here.  That said, after the play had ended, I longed for a tiny bit of ambiguity as to whether Hamlet was slowly going mad and I never really got that.  While Hamlet certainly questions himself and his motives (the "to be or not be" soliloquy comes to mind), the way things are presented in this production, I couldn't help but think he found his answers very quickly despite perhaps putting on a show for those around him.  Listen, though, this is a really minor quibble (and it's not even really a quibble) as Gotch has created something quite great here and if the standing ovation he received at this production is any indication, he has certainly succeeded.

Personally, I think the standing ovation should have started when Erin Partin came onstage to take her bow.  As Ophelia, a former love of Hamlet wronged by his disgust of women after his mother's betrayal of her father, Partin (who is a frequent guest artist of the REP) takes on her best role yet giving the audience something hauntingly beautiful.  The scene in which she tries to win Hamlet back by reminding him of the time they spent together ends in such a viscerally intense manner that it was almost uncomfortable to watch (kudos to both Mr. Gotch and Ms. Partin on that as I mean that as the highest compliment).  Then as Ophelia begins to spiral downward, I couldn't help but feel her pain and sorrow.

In that very scene in which Ophelia's heartbreaking insanity begins to show itself, Partin is wearing a flowing, yet much tattered gown, and while it's incredibly simple, it adds so much to who that character is at that moment in time.  That is the case throughout this production as the costume design by Fabio Toblini is exquisite.  From the blackened iron-clad Ghost of Hamlet's father to the royalty and pomp of Queen Gertrude's blood red gown (which apparently took over 200 man hours to create and rightly so caused some audible awestruck gasps upon its first appearance), the REP continues its tradition of crafting design elements that could rival anything you see on Broadway.  [The stark, yet almost convoluted, scenic design by Alexander Dodge is wonderful as well.]

With nice turns from Elizabeth Heflin as Hamlet's mother Gertrude and Stephen Pelinski as the outwardly innocent Claudius along with the return of REP actor Carine Montbertrand whose comedic chops have been missing this season, this ensemble proves once again that they're capable of pretty much any play put in their midst.  Together, they help to make this play hugely accessible to an audience of people who are likely not as well versed in Shakespeare's work as they are.  Along with the aforementioned Mr. Lamos who keeps this piece moving along at a rapid pace with nary a moment to catch your breath, this Hamlet is absolutely worth the price of admission.  If you've never seen a REP production and find yourself game for a bit of Elizabethan-era drama, spend the $25 because, to roughly quote a line from the production, this play's definitely the thing.

Movie Review - Seven Psychopaths

Seven Psychopaths (2012)

Starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Woody Harrelson, and Christopher Walken

Directed by Martin McDonagh

I'm not quite sure why Seven Psyhopaths took me two sittings nearly a week apart to make it through, but something in the opening forty minutes didn't reel me in and didn't lure me back to complete it after I had to stop watching.  Oddly enough, the same thing happened with director-writer Martin McDonagh's first film In Bruges.  I started that one, stopped after about twenty minutes, and then never went back (I know, I know, people love that one).  Admittedly, maybe I do need to give In Bruges another chance because once I finished up Seven Psychopaths, I found the whole thing a bit refreshing and, while a bit derivative of other films at the beginning, surprisingly original in how its story plays out.

Having recently seen Mr. McDonagh's work onstage in The Cripple of Inishmaan, the Irish writer certainly has an ear for witty dark humor and Seven Psychopaths certainly fits into that category.  Marty (Colin Farrell) is a struggling screenwriter toiling away at his latest endeavor about a movie containing a tale of seven psychopathic murderers (scenes of which we often see in blips as the flick progresses).  Marty's good buddy Billy (Sam Rockwell) is quite the off-the-wall wackadoo who has partnered up with Hans (Christopher Walken) to establish a dog-stealing business in which they kidnap dogs only to return them for the inevitable reward money their owners put up.  However, when Billy and Hans kidnap the dog of Los Angeles gangster Charlie (Woody Harrelson), Marty soon finds himself tangled up in the criminal underworld.

Most intriguing about Seven Psychopaths is the "meta" aspect of the whole thing that kicks in during the second half and elevates the film more than I could have imagined at the outset.  As Marty's script comes alive around him, McDonagh shifts from what was simply a "been there-done that" darkly comedic modern "gangster" film into something with a bit more depth whose twists and turns become much more interesting and plausible despite their inherent implausibility.  McDonagh jokingly (and referentially) points out his script's "flaws" creating a more elevated comedy than we're used to experiencing in a nationwide Hollywood release.

Across the board, the actors are all game with Sam Rockwell standing out mainly because his character is such a live wire that the actor is given a bit more to do.  As McDonagh's self-referential script mentions, the females here are essentially tossed aside and it makes me wonder why Abbie Cornish, former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, and Gabourey Sidibe's roles were even written into the script in the first place.  While it's true that McDonagh recognizes this fault, I can't help but think we actually would have had a slightly stronger film here without the ladies being included.

Seven Psychopaths didn't really come alive for me until the film's second half when the "meta" aspects came front and center.  Prior to that, it felt like a rehash of other dark comedies we've seen before, but by the end I realize that this was likely McDonagh's point.  By creating something so typical, his final acts the way they are writtern are able to branch away and revel in their absurdity.  I wonder if watching it again, I might appreciate things a bit more.  Maybe I need to try to watch In Bruges again...

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Taken 2

Taken 2 (2012)

Starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, and Famke Jannsen

Directed by Olivier Megaton

Taken 2 may not be the worst movie of 2012, but it may very well be the most offensive in its blatantness at being a pure cash grab for 20th Century Fox.  The fact that US audiences ate this up to the tune of nearly $140 million further disgusts me.  The first Taken wasn't exactly a cinematic masterpiece, but it was a fun ride and served as a launching pad for Liam Neeson to shift from an art-house favorite to cash-grabbing and less selective action star.  More power to the guy for making dough, but at a certain point, it's time to take on something a bit more challenging than continual turns as a generic bad ass -- leave that to Jason Statham who has shown he refuses to play any role that doesn't contain that characteristic.  

As far as a plot, Taken 2 borrows heavily from its predecessor except this time instead of teenage Kim (Maggie Grace) being taken by Albanian baddies for their sex trading schemes, her retired CIA agent father Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) and his ex-wife (Famke Jannsen) are abducted by the revenge-seeking family members of the Albanians Bryan killed in the first movie.  Ugh.  It's utterly ridiculous and incredibly lame.  Am I really supposed to believe that Kim is going to be able to awkwardly run through the streets of Turkey (a country she knows nothing about) and save her father?  Rather conveniently, Bryan stashed a miniature cell phone in his sock so he's able to talk his daughter through how to set off grenades and also give her a mini-cartography lesson.  In that not-so-clever way movies like this often foreshadow things to come, in the film's excruciatingly boring first half hour, Bryan teaches Kim how to drive, so when she commandeers a Turkish taxi, she's able to careen through the narrow alleys without a bit of trouble.  And it should come as no surprise that we're left with the ability to continue on Bryan's story in future movies to come!

I almost could have dealt with the hackneyed and rehashed plot if there was any amount of excitement at any point in time, but director Olivier Megaton fails to create a modicum of tension in the action sequences.  Obviously having graduated from The School of Quick Cuts based out of Michael Bay's backyard, Megaton (who I despise even more after discovering that he took that last name because his birthday is the 20th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima which is horridly tacky) is just lazy with some of the worst chase sequences I've seen in years.  Everything about this movie looks cheap and all the actors seem like they're just there for the cash and nothing else.  The first Taken was silly fun, but this comes nowhere near that level.

The RyMickey Rating:  D

Movie Review - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

Starring Howard Keel and Jane Powell

Directed by Stanley Donen

So I have no idea why I watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers except that I think my mom made me watch this about twenty years ago and when I saw it pop up on Turner Classic Movies during their February Oscar Month, I figured I'd give it a shot as I didn't remember hating it. Well, despite some amusing dance sequences, this 1950s musical doesn't really have any lasting appeal.

The film revolves around the seven Pontipee brothers living in the wilderness of 1850s Oregon.  With no woman to cook and clean for them, eldest brother Adam (Howard Keel) heads to the nearest town to pick up supplies and a fine woman to bring home.  Rather conveniently, he comes across Milly (Jane Powell) who immediately falls for the strapping outdoorsman when he comes in to the restaurant where she works.  On the spot, Milly agrees to marry Adam and within the span of mere hours, the two are betrothed heading back to the Pontipee residence.  Unfortunately for Milly, Adam conveniently left out the part that he has six brothers whom she'll have to care for as well.  Slightly discouraged, Milly resolves to make the most out of her situation and try to turn the Pontipee brothers into nice gentlemen rather than ragged ragamuffins.  Once she finishes her school of etiquette, the brothers set out to get themselves wives of their own.

Ultimately, I'd be willing to forgive the cheesiness of the storyline if the songs had anything going for them, but unfortunately they don't.  While there are some rousing dance routines, they simply aren't enough to recommend this one which proves to be much more dated than musicals from its time frame.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - To Rome with Love

To Rome with Love (2012)

Starring Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Begnini, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Allison Pill, and Ellen Page

Directed by Woody Allen

There's part of me that's happy that Woody Allen somehow manages to still make a film a year.  [Trivia tidbit:  1981 is the last year he hasn't had a film released...that's a shocking feat.]  Even if his previous one was a clunker, producers still shell out the money for the 77-year-old auteur to write and direct.  Coming fresh off the heels of his biggest financial success in decades Midnight in Paris (a film which I didn't fawn over nearly as much as everyone else), Allen sticks with the European travelogue motif he's explored as of late jetting off to Italy in To Rome with Love.  Admittedly, I was a bit surprised that this venture is comprised of four completely separate shorter films that Allen edits by intercutting them scene by scene.  I initially thought the storylines would come together, but they don't.  Instead, it's four incredibly simple plots that happen to take place in Rome, but never once glorify it or paint the city in the same adoring light in which Allen viewed Paris in his last film.  And, rather unfortunately, none of the stories prove to be engaging enough to make you want Allen to head back to them as soon as he switches to another tale.

The film opens with Hayley (Allison Pill), an American visiting Rome alone, soon after graduating college.  When she gets lost one day, she asks an Italian hunk named Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti) for directions and the two immediately hit it off, finding themselves engaged after a very short time.  Hayley's parents Jerry and Phyllis (Woody Allen and Judy Davis) make the trek over to Italy to meet Michaelangelo and his folks.  Jerry was a former music executive and happens to hear Michelangelo's father Giancarlo (Italian opera singer Fabio Armilato) singing in the shower causing the American to concoct a crazy idea to make this singing funeral home owner into an overnight operatic sensation.

We then meet Leopoldo (Roberto Begnini) in his ho-hum, boring desk job.  He's got a wife and kids whom he loves, but he lives a life of very little excitement until one day out of the blue, Leopoldo begins to be followed around by paparazzi.  They track his every move and he becomes an instant celebrity throughout Italy.

There's also a newly married Italian couple Antonio and Milly (Alessandro Tiberi and Alessandra Mastronardi) traveling to the big city so the husband can try his hand at filmmaking with his inside-the-industry relatives.  However, when Milly leaves their hotel room to get her hair done, the voluptuous Anna (Penelope Cruz) arrives -- a prostitute who has been sent to Antonio's room by accident. When Antonio's relatives (who had never met his new one) barge into the room while Anna is beginning to work her magic on Antonio, the young Italian is forced to pretend that Anna is his wife, much to his chagrin.

Finally, there's another love story, this one involving Americans Jack and Sally (Jesse Eisenberg and Greta Gerwig) who are living in Rome while Sally attends college.  When Sally's friend Monica (Ellen Page) comes to visit from the States, Jack begins to fall for her despite his best efforts.  The supposedly funny bit here is that Jack seemingly has a sometimes-visible self conscious in the room with him in the form of Alec Baldwin who tries to steer Jack in the right and moral direction.

On their own, the individual films may have been cute for about ten minutes a piece, but each is unfortunately drawn out to seemingly interminable lengths.  While the film only runs two hours, all of the stories felt like they could have wrapped up much quicker and the movie would've worked a lot better with much trimming.  It isn't exactly helpful that the acting is simply okay with much of the talent (Eisenberg, Baldwin, Allen, Begnini, Page) simply playing characters we've seen them play before...in better movies.

So, despite the fact that Woody Allen continues to get the dough to make his films, maybe that money could be better spent elsewhere so Allen could take a little bit of a breather to better organize his thoughts.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Oscar Stuff

POST OSCARS UPDATE -- I'm actually pretty happy with my 19/24 predictions...although it didn't win me the Oscar pool at work (but only because I made a change on that ballot from below...aargh!!!).   Certainly the best I've done since I've started this blog.  I took some big risks and only one paid off (Ang Lee in Direction).  That said, in terms of the actual winners, I think most of them are deserving even if I didn't choose them as my "Should Win" winners.

Seth MacFarlane was okay as host.  Certainly better than the stodgy Billy Crystal, but there were a bit too many jokes that fell flat.  And while I appreciate the thought process to make this an "entertainment show," there were a bit too many musical moments.

Best Picture -- CORRECT
Will Win:  Argo
Should Win: Argo

Best Director -- CORRECT
Will Win:  Ang Lee
Should Win: Steven Spielberg

Best Actor -- CORRECT
Will Win:  Daniel Day-Lewis
Should Win: DDL

Best Actress -- WRONG (Jennifer Lawrence)
Will Win:  Emmanuelle Riva
Should Win:  Naomi Watts

Best Supporting Actress -- CORRECT
Will Win: Anne Hathaway
Should Win:  Anne Hathaway

Best Supporting Actor -- WRONG (Christoph Waltz)
Will Win:  Robert De Niro
Should Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Best Adapted Screenplay -- CORECT
Will Win:  Argo
Should Win:  Lincoln

Best Original Screenplay -- CORRECT
Will Win: Django Unchained
Should Win: Flight

Best Cinematography -- CORRECT
Will Win: Life of Pi
Should Win:  Anna Karenina or Lincoln or Skyfall

Best Costume Design -- CORRECT
Will Win: Anna Karenina
Should Win: Mirror Mirror (or Anna Karenina)

Best Editing -- CORRECT
Will Win: Argo
Should Win: Argo

Best Makeup and Hairstyling -- CORRECT
Will Win: Les Miserables
Should Win: Les Miserables

Best Original Score -- CORRECT
Will Win: Life ofPi
Should Win: Anna Karenina

Best Original Song -- CORRECT
Will Win: Skyfall
Should Win: Skyfall

Best Production Design -- WRONG (Lincoln)
Will Win: Anna Karenina
Should Win: Anna Karenina

Best Sound Editing -- WRONG (Tie -- Skyfall/Zero Dark Thirty)
Will Win: Life of Pi
Should Win: Skyfall

Best Sound Mixing -- CORRECT
Will Win: Les Miserables
Should Win: Skyfall

Best Visual Effects -- CORRECT
Will Win: Life of Pi
Should Win: Life of Pi

Best Animated Film -- CORRECT
Will Win: Brave
Should Win: Paranorman

Best Documentary Feature: Searching for Sugar Man -- CORRECT
Best Documentary Short:  Mondays at Racine -- WRONG (Innocente)
Best Animated Short:  Paperman -- CORRECT
Best Live Action Short:  Curfew -- CORRECT
Best Foreign Language Film:  Amour -- CORRECT

My Reviews of Oscar-Nominated Films

Argo -- A

Lincoln -- A-

Amour -- B

Django Unchained -- B

Les Miserables -- B-

Zero Dark Thirty -- B-

Silver Linings Playbook -- C+

Life of Pi -- C+

Beasts of the Southern Wild -- C

The Impossible -- A

The Sessions -- A

Skyfall -- A-

Flight -- A-

Paranorman -- B+

Wreck-It Ralph -- B+

Brave -- B

Prometheus -- B

The Master -- B

Moonrise Kingdom -- B-

Frankenweenie -- B-

Mirror Mirror -- B-

Snow White and the Huntsman -- B-

The Avengers -- C+

Ted -- C+

The Pirates! Band of Misfits -- C+

Hitchcock -- C

Anna Karenina -- C

Note:  The Hobbit (nominated for Best Make-Up/Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects) and Chasing Ice (a documentary nominated for Best Song) are the only films nominated outside of the shorts/documentary/foreign categories that I did not see.