BREAKING NEWS: Title and Cast for BOND 24 Revealed...

It's an exciting early morning all around the world folks, as the cast and title of Bond 24 was revealed at a live press conference in Pinewood Studios in England an hour ago.  The title of the movie will be...  SPECTRE.  Those of us who are hardcore Bond fans know what that name means, and how it signals the modern Bond mythos merging with the past one, bringing everything full circle.

Even more exciting is the revelation of the official cast, which includes Christoph Waltz as the lead villain, and Monica Belluci and Lea Seydoux as the Bond Girls.  Or Bond Ladies, as director Sam Mendes (returning from SKYFALL) introduced them.  Belluci and Seydoux previously played femme fatales in THE MATRIX RELOADED and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL, respectively, and their casting is very promising indeed.  Belluci will play Lucia Schiara, and Seydoux will play Madeline Swan.  No word as to which one of them will be good, bad, or good/bad.

Naomi Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Rory Kinnear, and Ben Whishaw will be returning as the MI-6 stalwarts aiding Bond.  And, of course, there's Bond himself, the great Daniel Craig.

But without further ado, watch the live stream from England:

It's going to be great...

Spotlight On... JURASSIC WORLD

Hello, folks...

A belated Happy Turkey Day to all my fellow Yanks out there.  Please expect the last of the November reviews to post by next weekend. It was such a busy holiday weekend and the coming week won't be much better, so please excuse the delay.  THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR and THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING will post by Saturday. Then we begin our December Reviews. 

For now, please revel in the glory of the long-awaited next entry in the JURASSIC PARK series.  It's entitled...  JURASSIC WORLD - it's due next summer and it looks awesome.  Four words for you: The Park Is Open.

Dun-da-dun-dun!

# 598 - HORRIBLE BOSSES 2

HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 (2014 - COMEDY) ***1/2 out of *****  OR  7 out of 10

(Oh, Lord, here we go again...)

CAST:  Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz, Lindsay Sloane, Jonathan Banks.

DIRECTOR:  Sean Anders

(WARNING: Some SPOILERS and reasons to fear self-employment - straight ahead...)

IT'S LIKE THIS:  In 2011, we reviewed the surprise comedy hit, HORRIBLE BOSSES (review # 372), in which three goobers played by Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day had to contend with three bosses who made the icy, formidable, ruthless Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep) from THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (review # 143) look like a warm,  fuzzy, back-slapping, bear-hugging, glad-handing supervisor. 

If you'll recall, Nick (Bateman), Kurt (Sudeikis), and Dale (Day) were so fed-up with their mistreatment by their respective superiors, but also didn't want to quit their jobs because of the bad economy.  So what did they decide to do?  Well, if you saw HORRIBLE BOSSES, you already know they went down the "homicide" route and recruited the help of Dean "Motherfucker" Jones (Jamie Foxx), a thug who seems like a cross between Tupac, Rainman, and Bozo the Clown.    

Anyhow, that movie ended with Nick, Kurt, and Dale getting their respective asshole bosses sorted out - and moving on to the next phases of their careers which, presumably, will not be presided over by, ahem, horrible bosses.  Which takes us to HORRIBLE BOSSES 2....

It's three years later, and our trio of idiot heroes have decided that the only way to really avoid horrible bosses is to... become your own boss.  Yes, folks, our three doofi have decided to go the self-employment route.  Essentially, they come up with a thoroughly stupid invention that would only fly in a movie.  In real life, they'd be laughed out of every single pitch meeting.  In case you're wondering what the three stooges have come up with, it's called the... "Shower Buddy."

Essentially, the Shower Buddy is a pimped-up shower head that dispenses shampoo, soap, and probably even lube for the occasional "soapy sumthin-sumthin".  And, yes, the fucking thing looks as stupid as it sounds.  Which makes Nick, Kurt, and Dale's success at pitching it to business tycoon Bert Hansen (Christoph Waltz) and his irresponsible son Rex (Chris Pine) a complete head-scratcher.  Essentially, Hansen promises that he will buy 100,000 units of the Shower Buddy.  For starters.  What a guy.

Overjoyed, Nick, Kurt, and Dale get a huge business loan from a local bank and go into production, trying to crank out 100,000 units of their crappy invention by Hansen's deadline.  I should add that Hansen is technically their boss now.  And since the title of this flick is HORRIBLE BOSSES 2, well, I don't have to tell you that Hansen ultimately proves to be less-than-awesome. 

Sure enough, just as soon as Nick, Kurt, and Dale announce they've reached their goal of 100,000 units, Hansen pulls the rug out from under them and says he is canceling his order.  Turns out the slimy fucker is planning to swoop in after our three heroes declare bankruptcy - and buy up their company and products for dirt-cheap at the ensuing auction.  In short, Hansen will still be acquiring those 100,000 Shower Buddies - but at pennies-to-the-dollar, after he ruins and buries our heroes.  What a guy.  

If this were to happen to any other three guys, they'd probably cry themselves silly.  However, let's recall that Nick, Kurt, and Dale spent the last movie trying to murder off their asshole bosses, so they're kind of expert at dispensing payback to jackasses who deserve it.  Sure enough, they hatch a scheme to kidnap pretty-boy Rex and ransom him for around $500,000 (the amount of their bank loan).  Surely, Hansen would easily pony up the cash in exchange for the life of his useless son, right?  

Unfortunately, it turns out that Hansen doesn't love anyone - not even his son Rex.  Well, truth be told, if you could see Rex in action, you'd probably throw him under the bus, too.  Before you know it, Rex is pulling an "Elektra King" and is conspiring with Nick, Kurt, and Dale to rip his Dad off.  Big time.  

Will the real-then-fake-then-real kidnap plot work?  Will Nick, Kurt, Dale, and Rex actually be able to hornswaggle a crafty old-timer like Hansen?  Or is Hansen three steps ahead of them?  What happens when they have to recruit the help of Dale's former nemesis boss, Julia (Jennifer Aniston), who was constantly trying to rape him in her dental office?  Will Julia fuck things up - or just Dale?  And what happens when MotherFucker Jones gets involved again?  How will all this end?

Let's just say that if I was Hansen, I would probably throw these morons under the bus, too, just for inventing something so utterly dumb.


BUT SERIOUSLY:  One of the surprise hits of 2011 was HORRIBLE BOSSES, which was a black-ish comedy about murder.  Fortunately, any potential unpleasantness that may have arisen was smoothed over by the irreverent humor and a game cast that included comedy vets like Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston, as well as new comics Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day, with the surprising addition of dramatic actors like Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Colin Farrell who atypically and successfully played for laughs.

Given the success of HORRIBLE BOSSES, a sequel was inevitable.  The challenge, as with all sequels, was to bring what made the first movie work so well - and add some fresh elements so as not to be accused of merely repeating the previous formula.  Note that THE HANGOVER 2 was taken to task for essentially repeating the schematics of the first movie, but setting it in Thailand.  Frankly, I thought it was good and didn't mind the "retread" of familiar HANGOVER elements.  

With HORRIBLE BOSSES 2, however, we get a slightly different spin.  In the first film, our trio of comic leads were attempting to commit murder.  Here, they actually commit kidnapping - with the plot thickening in several different directions soon after.  It's about as funny as its predecessor, with most of the original cast returning - plus the welcome addition of Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine as the new "villains."  

Indeed, it's the cast of HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 that make it a solid ride.  Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day have the same goofball chemistry as they did in the first film, and it makes for some sturdy laughs.  Jamie Foxx is a hoot as the doofus criminal who sort of mentors our heroes in the ways of the street - with hilarious results.  The person who steals the show every single time she walks onscreen, though, is Jennifer Aniston, who is comic gold as Julia Harris, the nympho sex addict who simply will not take "no" for an answer.  I wish she could've been used in the plot more.  She's a riot, a gifted comic actress...

In the end, HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 is a worthy sequel to HORRIBLE BOSSES.  Just like the original, it's a solid flick that will please fans of raunchy, irreverent, politically-incorrect comedies.  

# 597 - THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 1 (2014 - ACTION / DRAMA / SCI-FI) *** out of *****  OR  6 out of 10

(Katniss is back - and she's really pissed, yo...)

CAST:  Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Sam Claflin, Willow Shields, Jena Malone, Paula Malcomson.

DIRECTOR: Francis Lawrence

(WARNING:  Some SPOILERS and blatant stalling tactics straight ahead)

IT'S LIKE THIS:  If you need definitive proof that Hollywood is about money and not art, all you have to do is look at the recent trend of turning blockbuster novel trilogies into blockbuster movie quadrilogies.  Essentially, the third entries are being split into two-parters designed to get fans of the books (and general moviegoers) to fork over more cash.  We've seen this tactic with the TWILIGHT and HARRY POTTER franchises recently, and we will see it again in the DIVERGENT franchise.  In the case of DIVERGENT, though, four movies out of three books is actually a great thing because we get to see much more of the sexy Theo James strut his stuff in tight-fitting pants.  Consider me sold.  

We are also seeing this trend with THE HUNGER GAMES franchise.  Our next review is part 1 of the final entry and appropriately titled, uh, MOCKINGJAY PART 1.  If you'll recall in our review of the last film, THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (review # 534), our spunky and intense heroine, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), was roped into a "Special Edition" of the games by the evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland).  Not to spoil that movie, but those of you who saw it know that it didn't end in quite the way we were expecting, setting up an EMPIRE STRIKES BACK-type of cliffhanger ending.  Let's just say CATCHING FIRE ended on a tight shot of Katniss' scowling face, essentially promising us there will be hell to pay in the next movie...

And here we are with MOCKINGJAY PART 1, our next review.  Our story opens with with Katniss waking up in the long-thought-vaporized District 13, which has actually just gone underground to plot a rebellion against the Capital.  Presided over by the coolly pragmatic President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore), District 13's leadership has snatched Katniss from the games in CATCHING FIRE to use her as a poster child for the revolution.  Unfortunately, Katniss is busy sulking over the loss of her pal and possible love interest Peeta Mallark (Josh Hutcherson), who was taken by the evil forces of the Capital at the end of the last movie.  

Eventually, though, Katniss wakes the hell up and realizes her feelings for Peeta are small potatoes in relation to wiping out the dictatorial rule of the Capital.  She eventually gets on board with the propaganda videos being shot by District 13 - and sends threatening messages to President Snow that essentially say his ass is grass.  Especially after Snow orders the destruction of a hospital full of wounded innocents who dared to side with Katniss.  You just know that sooner or later all these movies are going to boil down to a smack-down of epic proportion between Snow and Katniss.  

Snow, however, is not president for no good reason - and orders an attack of District 13, intending to wipe out poor Katniss and her allies before they even get to spark the flame of revolution.  Fortunately, the leaders of District 13 are not leaders for no good reason, either, and cleverly avoid maximum damage.  However, they know that Snow will try again soon - and their window for a rapid counter-attack is very narrow.  

What will Katniss and District 13 do?  Will they be able to strike back in time?  And what will they achieve?  Is President Coin right when she says they have to snatch back Peeta from the Capital?  And what happens when District 13 launches a secret mission to do so?  Will Katniss join them?  Or will she remain in the relative safety of District 13?  And is President Snow so foolish as to let the Capital's guard down to let them just saunter through?  Is he up to something?  

A-fucking-hem, folks...


BUT SERIOUSLY:   In recent years, a curious (but, ultimately, not surprising) thing has happened with how Hollywood handles trilogy adaptations - they've started splitting the third and final books into two movies, essentially creating an artificial quadrilogy.  Obviously, this is solely to make money from two movies instead of one.  It's actually quite clever, if not logically defensible.  Obviously, the intent - aside from making more money - is to turn the final installments into "major events" and build anticipation.  And this has largely proven successful, financially if not always artistically.  Proof of that comes with our latest example of the "Two-Part Final Entry In An Artificial Quadrilogy".

In our review for THE HUNGER GAMES (review # 446), we noted it was an above average melding of a Sci-Fi Action Thriller and Survival Film that was fueled by the magnetism of its lead, Jennifer Lawrence.  In our subsequent review for THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (review # 534), we noted it was a marked improvement on its predecessor, bolstered by a stronger script and Lawrence's reliably powerful presence.  Now, in THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 we see the beginning of the end of THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy...

At the conclusion of our review for THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE last year, we mentioned we were looking forward to MOCKINGJAY PART 1 and hoped it would be a strong introduction to the final part of the trilogy.  Did it live up to our expectations?  Not quite - and therein lies the problem with splitting what was meant to be one movie into two: you weaken the impact of the story because you have to spread events out over four hours or so instead of just two, as was intended.  Such is the case with MOCKINGJAY PART 1.

Gone is the suspenseful build-up to the Games that characterized the first two movies.  In fact, there are no Games in this installment, which robs the narrative of urgency and suspense.  While there are some tense sequences here and there  (such as the Capital's attack on District 13), they do not measure up to the anticipation and thrills of the games and the preparation for them.  In short, MOCKINGJAY PART 1 feels like a routine dystopian sci-fi action/thriller, without the distinctive sense of identity of the first two films.  

The saving grace of this film, as with the other two, is Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen.  However, Katniss doesn't seem to be as strongly-written here as she was in the previous films.  Lawrence is still the charismatic and riveting performer she always was, but Katniss doesn't feel as involved in the plot as she should be.  Again, this is largely due to the fact that this film is essentially just a build-up to the next and final one, wherein Katniss will surely play a central part - but that doesn't help her here, though.   

It also doesn't help that MOCKINGJAY PART 1 puts even more of an emphasis on Katniss' growing feelings for Peeta, who previously was always just a friend to her.  The weak spot of THE HUNGER GAMES films has always been its romantic subplots.  As terrific as Lawrence is, she simply doesn't have much chemistry with her male leads - either with Liam Hemsworth as Gale or Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. Whenever the films focus on these relationships, they becomes less interesting - especially here.  

Contrast this weakness with the strengths of the similarly-themed DIVERGENT franchise, which is also set in a dystopian future society marked by conformity and rebellion.  In DIVERGENT, the romantic subplot is powerful and actually fuels the main storyline, largely because its leads, Shailene Woodley and Theo James, have an electric chemistry that keeps us interested and invested in their relationship.  MOCKINGJAY PART 1 stumbles because, sadly,  its leads don't have anywhere near the kind of sexy spark that Woodley and James have in DIVERGENT.  

In the end, though, THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 rises above the average mark because of Lawrence's typically strong work, and a raft of solid supporting performances from a the talented likes of Julianne Moore, Jeffrey Wright, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland.  Let's hope that MOCKINGJAY PART 2 will provide the explosive finale that THE HUNGER GAMES films is crying for.  

In closing, I'd like to dedicate this review to the late, talented Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose tragic, unexpected passing recently is a great loss to his family, friends, and the art of cinema.  You are gone, but not forgotten, sir...

# 596 - WHEN TIME RAN OUT

WHEN TIME RAN OUT (1980 - ACTION / THRILLER / DISASTER) **1/2 out of *****  OR  5 out of 10

(Not exactly a vacation to Tweet about, to say the least...)

CAST:  Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, William Holden, James Franciscus, Edward Albert, Barbara Carrera, Red Buttons, Ernest Borgnine, Veronica Hamel, Sheila Allen, Noriyuki Pat Morita, Burgess Meredith, Valentina Cortese, Alex Karras. 

DIRECTOR: James Goldstone.

(WARNING:  Some volcanic disasters - both literal and figurative - straight ahead...)

IT'S LIKE THIS:  If you could rate a film solely on how hot its cast is, our next review would rate a perfect ***** or 10.  Having one movie with the gorgeous likes of Paul Newman, Jackie Bisset, Bill Holden, Jimmy Franciscus, Eddie Albert, Barb Carrera, and Ronnie Hamel in it is like winning the Eye Candy Lottery.  Unfortunately, when reviewing films, once must take into consideration other things than just how statuesquely gorgeous its players are.  Things like plot, characters, theme, originality, and special effects.  And that's where the problem starts - especially with the last two items.  

Our next review is the 1980 disaster flick WHEN TIME RAN OUT, and its from the same producer (Irwin Allen) and the same screenwriter (Stirling Silliphant) who brought us the 1974 disaster flick THE TOWERING INFERNO (review # 203 ).  And that's another problem, because it appears Mr. Allen and Mr. Silliphant made very little effort to differentiate the two.  Take away the skyscraper in San Francisco threatened by a raging fire, substitute an island resort in the South Pacific threatened by raging volcano - and voila!  They might as well have called this flick THE TOWERING INFERNO 2: DANGER IN PARADISE.

Even the characters of WHEN TIME RAN OUT are eerily similar to the those of THE TOWERING INFERNO - and two lead actors from the first film even show up again here.  There's the rough-around-the-edges hero who warns of the dangers posed by the fire/volcano to the owners of the skyscraper/hotel resort - played by Paul Newman in both movies.  There's the conflicted but ultimately decent tycoon who pooh-poohs the threat - played by William Holden in both movies.  There's the tough, driven media executive love interest who is also sexy and playful - played by Faye Dunaway before, and by Jacqueline Bisset here.  There's the duplicitous management bastard who knows just how dangerous the situation really is, but is keeping his mouth shut for fear of bad publicity and losing business - played before by Richard Chamberlain, and now by James Franciscus.  There's the beautiful but naive heiress/socialite who is being hornswaggled by her duplicitous management bastard husband into thinking everything is okay - played before by Susan Blakely, and portrayed this time by Veronica Hamel.   Then there's the elderly couple who seem more horny than the the characters half their age, played previously by Fred Astaire and Jennifer Johnson, and this time by Burgess Meredith and Valentina Cortese.

I could go on and on and with the strong parallels between the two movies' characters, but what would be the point?  These people are only here to pass our time in the first hour while we wait for the fucking volcano to blow its top, and then to either die horribly or be rescued in the second half when pyrocastic flow engulfs everything in sight.  We get something approaching a love triangle between rough-around-the-ages oil driller Hank Anderson (Newman), tough & driven but also sexy & playful media executive Kay Kirby (Jacqueline Bisset). and conflicted but ultimately decent hotel tycoon Shelby Gilmore (William Holden).  

Then, as if that weren't enough, we also get a love rectangle.  Seems that Shelby's shady business partner Bob Spangler (Franciscus) is schtupping the exotically lovely Iolani (Barbara Carrera), the hotel's concierge.  Unfortunately, both Bob and Iolani are already spoken for.  The former is married to sweet and pretty heiress/socialite Nikki (Hamel), and the latter is engaged to local boy Brian (Albert).  I should also add that Brian is supposed to be Polynesian or something like that but looks like a white boy from Malibu.  In other words, like Edward Albert.  

Anyhow, Hank's crew strikes a vein of oil in the side of the volcano that overlooks Gilmore Kalaleu Resort.  While everyone around him pretty much rips their clothes off and pours champagne all over their nude torsos in joy, Hank is more circumspect and wary.  The rumblings that have been emanating from the volcano ever since they struck oil may have something to do with his trepidation.  Hank's fears solidify when the local volcanology team detects "increased activity" from the crater.  Unfortunately, that idiot Bob is so afraid a panic will ensue that he sits on Hank's report.  Or maybe he's just so busy fucking Iolani to care.  

Meanwhile, Kay follows Hank around the island like some sort of lost schoolgirl with a crush, conveniently tossing aside the fact that she was introduced as a strong, self-assured, determined advertising exec.  So much for striking a blow for businesswomen everywhere, Kay.  I should also mention that while Kay is following Hank like a puppy, Shelby is following her around like a stalker.  Between the Hank/Shelby dick-measuring contest over Kay, and the whole Bob/Iolani/Brian/Nikki train wreck, you'd be forgiven if you were to think you were watching a special episode of THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS set in Hawaii.

Just when you think you can't take another moment of this tropical soap opera madness, the goddamn volcano finally explodes.  About fucking time, yo.  And if you thought Kay pouting over Hank ignoring her or Bob and Iolani sneaking off into the bushes to secretly taste each other's tonsils was excruciating, wait until you lay your eyes on the "special effects" that are supposed to convince us the volcano is, um, ejaculating fire.  I've seen more realistic effects in a Duck Tales cartoon, folks.  Not to mention more credibility.  Newsflash to the producers:  if an island that small with a volcano that big was spewing as much lava for as long as shown, there wouldn't be a goddamn island or a single survivor left.  

Who will survive the the "unforeseen" volcanic eruption.  Will the Gilmore Kaleleu Resort be leveled?  Who will live?  Who will die?  And will anyone discover that Bob hushed the data warning of an imminent eruption just to keep business going?  Who will win Kay's heart?  Hank?  Shelby?  And will Nikki find out that Bob has been porking that exotic slut Iolani?  Will any of this bullshit matter if the lava comes flowing over the hotel and destroys everything?

Well, if you've seen THE TOWERING INFERNO, then you've seen this movie.  


BUT SERIOUSLY:   Earlier, we joked that WHEN TIME RAN OUT should have been titled THE TOWERING INFERNO 2: DANGER IN PARADISE.  That's less tongue-in-cheek than you think.  After the massive success of THE TOWERING INFERNO in 1974, producer Irwin Allen tried to launch a sequel that would reunite leads Paul Newman and Steve McQueen.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you feel about these movies) McQueen passed.  Undeterred, Allen turned the project into this film, and was able to recruit McQueen's former co-star, Paul Newman, who was contractually-obligated to star in either a sequel to THE TOWERING INFERNO or another Allen film.  

In short, WHEN TIME RAN OUT began as a direct sequel to THE TOWERING INFERNO, then became its own movie.  Nevertheless, as outlined above, this film has some very striking similarities to that earlier film, from the characters and their relationships with one another, to the way the plot develops and plays out as the story unfolds.  Allen also infuses elements of another titan of the Disaster Movie Genre: THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE from 1972.  On paper, combining elements of THE TOWERING INFERNO and THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, solid films both, seems like a surefire idea.  The end result, however, is a different story.  

For a 1980 film, WHEN TIME RAN OUT had a high budget: $20 million.  That's even higher than the budget for THE TOWERING INFERNO, which was around $14 million.  Of course, you could argue that the gap between their budgets is closer when adjusted for inflation.  Nevertheless, $20 million for a film's production budget is still pretty large-scale for that time.  I read somewhere that the film's budget was spent mostly on location shooting in Hawaii, and allegedly there wasn't much money left over for special effects.  I also read that the studio wasn't willing to pour any more money into the shoot.  This may account for why the special effects are just so amateurish and cheap-looking, and why they stand out in a film that otherwise looks sleek and expensive.  The rather chintzy effects drag down the film considerably, which may explain why it bombed spectacularly on its initial theatrical release.  

Of course, WHEN TIME RAN OUT also came out at the very end of the Disaster Movie Genre run that started with the back-to-back successes of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and THE TOWERING INFERNO in the early 70s.  Subsequent entries into the sub-genre performed less and less at the box-office throughout that decade.  And since WHEN TIME RAN OUT essentially copies most of the character and story beats of THE TOWERING INFERNO, the "freshness factor" is considerably reduced.  The bad special effects are just another liability that seals the film's fate.   

The truth is, once you remove the substandard special effects, WHEN TIME RAN OUT is a fairly decent disaster film.  If this film has a saving grace, is its talented and attractive cast.  Paul Newman is a lot less dynamic here than he was in THE TOWERING INFERNO, and reportedly he only did the film because he was contractually forced to, as well as to get seed money for his philantrophic salad dressing business, "Newman's Own".   Whatever the case may be, a low-key Paul Newman is still better than many actors at their most energetic.  That's how charismatic he is.  William Holden probably gives the film's best performance as the business tycoon who has more of a conscience than we realize.  Jacqueline Bisset essentially plays the same role that Faye Dunaway did in THE TOWERING INFERNO, that of a strong but also seductive love interest, and does it relatively well.  James Franciscus has the Richard Chamberlain role of the shifty business partner whose unethical choices jeopardize everyone.  Franciscus' role here is actually more nuanced and interesting, though, and he gives the role some unexpected shadings that reveal some complexity and something approaching nobility.  Veronica Hamel takes the "rich princess" role that Susan Blakely had previously, but makes it more touching and tragic.  The rest of the cast are similarly familiar and competent.  

Ultimately, WHEN TIME RAN OUT isn't as bad or notorious as reported.  It does have some truly awful special effects that clash jarringly with its other tonier, more expensive-looking production values.  However, with a cast like that, you're going to get some game-saving elements - and that is certainly the case here.  There are those who feel that if WHEN TIME RAN OUT has been released closer to THE TOWERING INFERNO, and been given better special effects, it might have fared better at the box office and with critics.  As it is, it's a passable disaster flick.  

# 595 - THE BOOK OF LIFE

THE BOOK OF LIFE (2014 - ANIMATED / COMEDY / FAMILY) ***1/2 out of *****  OR  7 out of 10

(Looks like Halloween, south of the border, is a hell of a lot more fun...)

CAST:  Voices of Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Kate Del Castillo, Ron Perlman, Eugenio Derbez, Christina Applegate, Danny Trejo, Cheeh Marin, Hector Elizondo, Ice Cube, Ana De La Reguera, Hector Elizondo.

DIRECTOR: Jorge Gutierrez

(WARNING:  Some SPOILERS and compelling reasons to go to Mexico for Halloween - straight ahead...)

IT'S LIKE THIS:  Recently, we celebrated Halloween by reviewing 32 films throughout the month of October for our "31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN" celebration.  While the experience was fun, as was the culminating All Hallow's Eve party at which I cast a long, malefic shadow (ahem), it apparently is nothing compared to the celebrations of our brethren in Tijuana and all points due south.  If our next review is any indication, then I'm spending next Halloween in Mexico, yo.

It's titled THE BOOK OF LIFE, and if you didn't know any better, you'd think this was the sequel to Terrence Malick's deep, profound, and utterly mind-fucking head-scratcher starring Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain from a few years ago, THE TREE OF LIFE.  In reality, though, THE BOOK OF LIFE has about as much in common with THE TREE OF LIFE, as Taylor Swift does with a discreet, sensible person who doesn't use her music to advertise her messy love life.  

Our story opens with a group of kids on a field trip to some museum.  Unfortunately, they happen to be the last group for the day, and the museum guide, Beth (Christina Applegate) must be tired or something because she takes the tykes to some Hispanic exhibit in the back of the museum, where she sits down and proceeds to read them a story from... "The Book Of Life."  Ahem.

Anyhow, Beth spins the yarn of Manolo, Maria, and Joaquin (Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum) from centuries ago who lived in an idyllic little village smack-dab in the center of Mexico called San Angel.  We first meet our trio of leads as young tykes themselves, celebrating "La Dia de las Muertes" with their families. To those of you not conversant in Spanish, that means... "The Day of the Dead..." 

Ay, papi!

Well, fortunately, it's not as creepy as it sounds.  Quite the opposite, actually...  You see, in Mexico and other Hispanic cultures, La Dia de las Muertes is actually a positive thing.  Think of it as Halloween meets Christmas, a time wherein families party down in remembrance of their dead loved ones.  Unbeknownst to Manolo, Maria, and Joaquin, however, someone is watching their festivities.  Actually, make that two someones...

They are La Muerte (Kate Del Castillo) and Xibaba (Ron Perlman).  Apparently, these two are the rulers of the Underworld, and given how much they bicker it's probably a very good thing that the Underworld is divided into two layers:  (1)  The Land of the Remembered, which is a place that's like a never-ending Mardi Gras (except with skeletons and cadavers); and (2) The Land of the Forgotten, which is like the North Pole in the middle of an Ice Age - this place gives new meaning to the phrase "Dead Of Winter."  Not to mention "Colder Than A Witch's Tit."  

La Muerte rules over The Land of the Remembered (AKA PartyTown), where those departed who are lucky to have family and friends to mourn them boogie like their souls depend on it.  Xibaba, on the other hand, rules The Land of the Forgotten (AKA ColdasfuckTown).  And let's just say he wants to move to sunnier, funner climes, folks.  I, for one, don't blame him...

Sure enough, after observing the interplay of the young Manolo, Maria, and Joaquin, Xibaba proposes a wager to La Muerte.  Sensing that Manolo and Joaquin both love Maria, Xibaba bets that Joaquin will win her heart when they grow up.  La Muerte, apparently not able to resist a bet, states that Manolo will be the one to score.  Both agree that if either of them lose, that person will have to give up the particular part of the Underworld that belongs to them.  In other words, if Joaquin bags Maria, then La Muerte will have to switch kingdoms with Xibaba and move out of PartyTown - and into ColdasfuckTown.

Flash forward about a dozen years or so later, and we find that our trio of tangled lovers have all grown up into teenagers.  Manolo has become an even nicer human being.  Maria has become an even more beautiful human being.  And Joaquin has became even more of an utter douchebag.  Anyone still wondering which of these two dudes will eventually land Maria needs to get a fucking clue or two.  Or three.

Anyhow, things in San Angel take a turn for the dangerous when feared bandit Chato (Eugenio Derbez) begins threatening to attack the town.  Or course, being a decorated military hero now (but still a thorough asshole), Joaquin rises to the occasion to defend the town - and impress Maria, who just returned from a long spell of study in Spain (the Mexico of Europe).  Manolo, on the other hand, is trying to make it as a musician after years of denying his artistic urges.  I don't have to tell you that the guy Maria would choose is not the same one her mom would want her to choose. 

While this drama is all going on in San Angel, down in the Netherworld of Mexico (known in some circles as Acapulco's Red Light District, but I digress), La Muerte and Xibalba are eagerly awaiting to see who will beat Chato - and win the heart of Maria.  Fucking immortals: always pitting us humans against each other like dogs at a racetrack.  Did these two assholes taken notes from CLASH OF THE TITANS or something?

Whatever.  So... who will be the one to vanquish Chato?  Manolo?  Or will it be Joaquin?  Does Manolo have a chance in hell against a decorated war hero?  And what happens when Manolo finds himself fatally tricked by Xibalba and dragged down to the Land of The Remembered?  How can he fight for Maria's heart if he's, you know, dead?  Will La Muerte step in somehow and help?  Will Chato trump everyone?  Who will still be around in San Angel to celebrate the next La Dia de las Muertes?  

I know who: Speedy Gonzalez.  And his little-known cousin, Slowpoke Rodriguez.  Don't believe me?  Look it up. 



BUT SERIOUSLY:   It's been a rich last couple of years for animated family films.   Recently, we had such good-to-terrific films as BRAVE, FROZEN, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN, RIO 2, THE NUT JOB, and BIG HERO SIX.   Some of these films, like BRAVE, FROZEN, MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN, and BIG HERO SIX, have become instant modern classics.  Others, like HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, RIO 2, and THE NUT JOB, weren't quite classics, but were still good enough to qualify as solid entertainment.  

Our latest review, the modestly delightful THE BOOK OF LIFE, falls into the latter category.  It may not be as grand and dynamic as the films in the former group, but like the other films in its category, it has many decent assets of its own.  The biggest one is the colorful, surreal atmosphere that permeates the "Land of the Remembered".  This setting, with its vivid swirls and patterns and textures and festive skeletal denizens, is very reminiscent of Tim Burton films like THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, BEETLEJUICE, and THE CORPSE BRIDE - but much, much more colorful and a little less sinister.  

The voicework by Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Danny Trejo, Kate Del Castillo, Ron Perlman, Eugenio Derdez, Cheech Marin, and the rest of the cast is similarly competent and professional.  However, one of the reasons THE BOOK OF LIFE doesn't quite reach the classic levels of BRAVE, FROZEN, MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN, and BIG HERO SIX, is that the characters, while all entertaining, don't quite soar.  They're okay, but there's nothing particularly special or complex about them.  It doesn't quite help that the love triangle at the center of the story is fairly obvious and lopsided.  Nevertheless, Luna, Saldana, Tatum, and company keep audience interest with their solid work.  

The main reason that THE BOOK OF LIFE rates as a solidly-good film despite its sometimes nondescript characters is because it covers some unique and original territory.  I don't think there's been an animated film that has quite explored the Hispanic tradition of the "Day of the Dead."  It's nice to see the Mexican culture also portrayed in such warm, sunny, and innocent circumstances, considering the grim stories filtering from south of the border about kidnappings, crime, drug cartels and the like.  THE BOOK OF LIFE celebrates a Mexico that is untarnished by these unfortunately modern realities.  

The thing I love the most about this film, though, is it's low key message that our loved ones who pass on don't really die - as long as we remember them and tell stories about them.  The idea that folklore of the familial kind can keep one's spirit alive even after death, is a terrific one.   Had the creators of THE BOOK OF LIFE really developed this aspect of the story, it would've significantly increased our emotional investment in the characters, and it would have likely become a modern classic like BRAVE, FROZEN, BIG HERO SIX, and MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN.  As it is, though, it still a film worthy of being called "good."  

Sometimes, that's all you can hope for.  

# 594 - INTERSTELLAR

INTERSTELLAR (2014 - SCI-FI/DRAMA/ACTION/MYSTERY) *** out of *****  OR  6 out of 10

(Are you kidding me, Christopher?)

CAST:  Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Wes Bentley, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn, Mackenzie Foy, William Devane, Casey Affleck, Timothee Chalamet, and a Surprise Guest A-List Actor Playing A Role You Wouldn't Expect Him To Play Which Is Why It's A Surprise

DIRECTOR:  Christopher Nolan  

(WARNING:  Some SPOILERS and reasons to worry that Christopher Nolan is going down the way of M. Night Shyamalan - straight ahead...)

IT'S LIKE THIS:  Wow.  Out of all the 594 movies we've reviewed so far (well, 645 if you also count the 51 Gialli we reviewed last Autumn in our Giallo Restrospective), the hardest one for me to rate is our next review, the much-anticipated INTERSTELLAR, Christopher Nolan's first film, post-THE DARK KNIGHT RISES.  Given that we loved the Dark Knight films and Nolan's last non-Batman film, 2010's INCEPTION, we were psyched to see his next one.  Hell, it even has the same one-word title that starts with the letter "I".  

Well, color us deflated, post-screening.  The first sign that I knew this flick wasn't going to be anywhere near INCEPTION of any of Nolan's Batman films was the fact that I was sighing with impatience and rolling my eyes before the first half-hour was even up.  I kept checking my phone (to the annoyance of the family sitting behind us) to see if this movie hadn't been directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the director who never met a corny trope he didn't want to pick clean.  Nope, the Internet continued to report that my hero Christopher Nolan had allegedly directed this... schmaltz-fest.  

Ugh.  

We'll discuss why INTERSTELLAR semi-blows in the BUT SERIOUSLY section of our review.  For now, just know that the movie starts in the not-too-distant future, in what looks like a dustier, grimier version of rural Texas (if that's possible).  Our hero is Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a former engineer who now works as a farmer - unwillingly.  You see, in Coop's era, the planet has started to dry up, with dust storms increasingly frequent, and rain increasingly infrequent.  Crop after crop begins to fail.  First wheat, then Okra, and soon the leaders of the world believe corn will be next.  Presumably, marijuana is doing okay because Coop shambles around with heavy-lidded eyes.  Oh, my bad... that's just how Matthew McConaughey looks all the time.  Hmmmmmmmmmm....

Anyway, the world has no use for engineers or anything fluffy like that because of the rising food shortage.  They need farmers, goddamnit.  And like it or not, Coop is gonna have to farm to ensure his family survives.  They consist of willful daughter Murphy (Mackenzie Foy), mellow son Tom (Timothee Chalamet), and crusty father-in-law Donald (John Lithgow).  Coop misses working for NASA as an engineer, but since NASA was shut down so that the government could fund, well, farming he's shit out of luck.  Pick up that hoe, Coop, and stop yer bitchin'.

Things take a turn for the weird when Coop and Murphy find out that the dust in her room has spelled out some position coordinates on her floor (please I beg of you - don't ask).  Following these coordinates on their trusty map, Coop and Murph (as he calls her), discover a hidden bunker that used to be NORAD where what remains of NASA is trying build a gigantic spaceship that will take the inhabitants of Earth to... well, they're not exactly sure yet.

The leader of the scientific group (what's left of it) at NASA is some windbag named Professor Brand (Michael Caine) who is prone to reciting poetry at any given moment - usually when you ask him an important question that begs an even more important answer.  Trust me, you will want to cold-cock this fucker before the halfway point of this flick.  Eventually, Coop gets out of him that they discovered a wormhole near Saturn and sent a bunch of astronauts through it to scout out inhabitable planets.  Now, NASA is getting ready to send out a search party to see how they did and what they found - and would Coop please be the one to lead them? 

After what literally feels like two minutes, Coop agrees.  All this despite the fact that he has two kids and a crusty father-in-law back home to care for.  He rationalizes that if he doesn't go on the mission, it will fail.  Don't be modest now, Coop.  As you can imagine, Murph is supremely pissed off at her old man.  He consoles her by saying:  "When I come back, just think: you'll be as old as me when I left."  Wait, what?  That's supposed to make her feel better?

So, anyhow, Murph understandably gives him a "fuck right the hell off you asshole" look and tells him to be on this way.  Coop complies, and soon he's on his way to Saturn and that bunghole, er, wormhole with three other astronauts.  They are the whiny bitch Amelia (Anne Hathaway), the quiet Romilly (David Gyasi), and the, um, bearded Doyle (Wes Bentley).  Oh, and there's also a terminally sarcastic robot named TARS (voice of Bill Irwin), who often says things like "I'm gonna blow you out of the airlock" or "I'm going to take off and leave your asses behind on this rock" - and you can never tell if he's joking or not.  So much for technology giving them peace of mind...

What will Coop and his crew find after they pass through the wormhole?  Which of the three planets they discover will be the best to host human life?  What dangers are waiting for them there?  And will they be endangered?  And what about Murph back on Earth?  Will she ever be able to forgive her father for leaving her?  Will Coop's sacrifice be worth it?  Will Amelia ever grow a brain?  Will Doyle ever shave that beard?  Is Professor Brand actually...  a ghost who's been dead all this time?  

Oh, wait... that was a different M. Night Shyamalan movie....



BUT SERIOUSLY:  Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite writer/directors.  I've loved his chilly, hard-edged films since his micro-budgeted but successful first films like MEMENTO and FOLLOWING.  His first big-budget Hollywood effort was INSOMNIA, a remake of the Norwegian thriller of the same title, and that was similarly cool, clinical, and precise, with just the right amount of emotional pathos.  

Then, of course, Nolan dusted off the character of Batman, having been buried underneath a pile of neon lights, glitter, and nipple-adorned batsuits after Joel Schumacher foisted BATMAN & ROBIN on us in 1995.  At that time, it looked like Bruce Wayne and his alter ego was done for.  Nolan, however, performed a "Lazarus" on Batman - and the result was the awesome "Dark Knight" trilogy, which we firmly believe is one of the best trilogies in the annals of cinematic history.  

And, then, INCEPTION came along, and even though it sounded on paper to be a questionable mash-up of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, DREAMSCAPE, and the James Bond franchise, it actually turned out to be a surreal, hypnotic, kinetic thriller that bore the familiar Nolan elements (chilly, precise action and perfectly-pitched feeling).  Needless to say, INCEPTION was a modern classic just like the Dark Knight trilogy - and it was even more remarkable for being an original story without a fully-formed, formidable mythos to precede it like the Batman films.    

After the Dark Knight Trilogy ended, all eyes were on Nolan for what he would do next.  When he announced his next project would be called INTERSTELLAR and would star Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Michael Caine, anticipation began to build.  The scope of INTERSTELLAR was said to be bigger than any other film Nolan had directed, and many thought it would surpass anything he had done before.  Needless to say, expectations were high for this film, including ours.

In our opening, we mentioned jokingly how INTERSTELLAR is probably the most difficult film to rate, out of all the 645 films (including the 51 Gialli from last year) we've reviewed since this site went up in 2010.  It is completely true.  On one hand, INTERSTELLAR has moments of pure bravura wonder and awe - and a truly brilliant premise at its core.  On the other, it has many truly corny moments, false emotionalism, lousy characters, clunky dialogue, and major dramatic missteps that weaken the film as a whole.  It's a very hard film to like, and an impossible one to love.  However, it's equally difficult to dismiss it outright.  

What makes our conflicted reaction to INTERSTELLAR, given how psyched we were for it, particularly unfortunate is because we expected much better from Christopher Nolan - and for good reason.  All of his films going all the way back to FOLLOWING and MEMENTO were sure-footed and well-executed on all levels: plot, character, visuals, music, etc.  With INTERSTELLAR, we get his first misfire.  It amazes us that some quarters are giving this film perfect ratings, considering how flawed it is.   To each their own, but we know when we like a movie - and we just barely liked INTERSTELLAR.   Given our devotion to Christopher Nolan, that is something surprising - and saddening.  

Let me break down the things we liked and disliked about INTERSTELLAR:

LIKES:

1.  Great premise.  The prospect of traveling to farflung galaxies to discover habitable planets taps in naturally to the curious child in all of us. There are moments in the film where this premise pays off, giving us scenes of quiet power and awe.  Indeed, its the silent, wordless scenes that convey the most impact.

2.  A decent ending.  The strongest part of INTERSTELLAR is its ending.  After a weak beginning, a draggy mid-section, the third act at least grows stronger as it nears its denouement.   Nolan is known for solid endings, and INTERSTELLAR is no exception.  

3.  Hans Zimmer's elegant, chilly, exciting, yet also somehow sad score.  Zimmer provided the music for the Dark Knight Trilogy and INCEPTION, and here he goes a different direction, using an array of ethereal sounds like quiet strings, choral pieces, and organ music.  The piece that plays over Coop and Amelia's desperate attempts to dock with the damaged runaway ship (after they leave the second planet) is simply wondrous.

4.  Matthew McConaughey's strong lead performance.  McConaughey recently won a Best Actor Oscar for his transformative role in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, and he proved what some of us already knew for the longest time: that here is a guy who may look like a model but has the complex heart of a character actor.  In short, he's not just about his looks.  In INTERSTELLAR, he doesn't have the kind of meaty role that he had in DALLAS BUYER'S CLUB, and it often paints him in "standard action hero mode" - but McConaughey takes ownership of the role with a mix of swagger and sincerity.  There is a moment of sheer emotional power halfway through the film that works because Nolan only uses Coop's silent, heartbroken expressions as he watches video feed of his now-grown children - and realizing what he's lost.  This is the one of the very few moments in the movie that has a genuine pull on your feelings - and McConaughey plays it masterfully without a single word.  Just his face and eyes.  This one scene pretty much makes up for all the numerous corny and false moments in the story.  It's all due to Matthew McConaughey's acting.  You will know this moment when you see it.  It is heartbreaking and unforgettable - and it single-handedly saves the movie.  


DISLIKES (here we go...):

1.  Dramatically obvious and forced emotionalism.  Many critics of Christopher Nolan have accused him of being too "cold" and "clinical" in his movies.  This is a MAJOR fallacy, because the emotion is there to find in his movies - it's just woven so well into the story that it doesn't jump out at you.  If it did jump out at you, it would be forced and ham-fisted.  And that is the case with INTERSTELLAR:  the emotional factor is somehow both over-the-top and under-developed at the same time.  We never get a strong sense of the bond between Coop and Murphy (which is supposed to be the emotional engine of the movie).  Also, Coop's decision to leave his family behind feels waaaaaay too easy.  Since this father-daughter relationship is supposed to be the cornerstone of the story, its weak, almost perfunctory treatment hampers the whole story - especially since so much weight is put on it in the third act.


2.  Weak supporting performances.  What the hell happened to Anne Hathaway?  She was smashing as Selina "Catwoman" Kyle in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (her first film with Christopher Nolan), but she is a near-blank here.  It's as if she has no idea how to play Amelia.  To be fair, though, Amelia isn't that interesting of a character to begin with.  Hathaway is undoubtedly a talented actress, but she's got one lemon of a heroine to play, forced to utter such ridiculous lines of dialogue that you would expect to find in an sickeningly sentimental M. Night Shyamalan movie., not a hard-edged Chris Nolan one.  Same goes to the usually terrific Jessica Chastain, who gets even less to do as a grown-up Murph.  Chastain is one of my favorite actressess, and though she gets a couple strong-ish moments to play, she is largely left adrift with a character that feels rushed and sketchy. 

3.  Lame dialogue.  Chris Nolan is not known specifically for sharp dialogue, but his strong storylines and vivid characters in previous films at least gave an impression of this.  In INTERSTELLAR, with a storyline that is mishandled and characters who largely feel like caricatures, the dialogue has nothing to mask or aid it.  Quite frankly, I can't believe the same guy who wrote INCEPTION and the Dark Knight movies wrote this same script.  There are many cringeworthy moments that, I guess, were supposed to be moving and touching on the script page, but just had me rolling my eyes as it rolled off the silver screen.  Amelia's speech about love transcending time and space, and her stupid decision-making off it, is just ridiculous concerning her training and the deadly situation they're in.  Hathaway doesn't sell these lines, and I doubt even Meryl Streep could either.  There's also a literal "Eureka" moment where Murph tosses papers from a balcony in glee, after having figured out an important conundrum, that is just somehow painful to watch.  And don't get me started about how Professor Brand keeps repeating that poem "Do not go gently into that good night...", sometimes during the most inappropriate times.   Instead of creating intrigue or interest, it just generates more eyeball-rolling.  Nolan basically shoves sentimentality down our throats instead of using her normally subtle methods which were more effective and real.  And that is so atypical of him.  He usually knows better.  

4.  A plot that feels like "recycled M. Night Shymalan."   The great thing about Christopher Nolan is that he has always usually told genuine stories without building them around some sort of cheap gimmick or twist ending.  It's the reason that M. Night Shymalan's films have been regarded more and more unfavorably with each release: he builds his entire story around the twist.  In short, the whole plot is a just a cheap set-up leading to a supposedly-clever pay off.  Nolan has avoided this trap - until now.  The entire plot of INTERSTELLAR is just there to serve a "twist ending" that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  As my buddy said:  "it's a stupid ontological paradox."   To me, it's just lame and sloppy - and beneath Christopher Nolan. 


Ultimately, INTERSTELLAR barely ekes above average in our book because of a strong central premise and some moments of sheer awe and wonder - and that powerful scene with Matthew McConaughey halway through the film.   If only the rest of it wasn't so... disappointing.  We might have had another Christopher Nolan classic.    

Ugh.  What a wasted opportunity.  

# 593 - BIG HERO SIX

BIG HERO SIX (2014 - ANIMATED / ACTION / FAMILY) ****1/2 out of *****  OR  9 out of 10

(I want one.  I want one now...)

CAST:  Voices of Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, T.J. Miller, Jaime Chung, Genesis Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr., Daniel Henney, James Cromwell, Maya Rudolph, Alan Tudyk.  

DIRECTOR:  Don Hall &  Chris Williams

(WARNING: Some SPOILERS and valid reasons for having your own personal robot - straight ahead...)

IT'S LIKE THIS:  If the movies are any indication, then fusing American and Asian cities is a very cool idea.  In BLADE RUNNER (review # 261), we saw a futuristic Los Angeles that looked like the bastard child that would result from a drunken one-night-stand between the City Of Angels (LA LA Land) and the City Of A Billion Karaoke Bars (also known as... Tokyo).  Essentially, the L.A. of BLADE RUNNER looked like a grimier Chinatown on a really, really busy, rainy night with particularly bad air quality, to boot, somehow.  Hell, if you didn't know it was supposed to be Los Angeles, you'd think it was the slums of Tokyo - only even more bizarre.

In our next review, the stupendously awesome animated adventure BIG HERO SIX, we get another blending of an American burg with an Asian one.  Thankfully, though, this time the result is a lot less grimy and much, much more fun.  Our story is set in the metropolis of, um, "San Fransokyo."  Imagine San Francisco as it looks now, but with a major overlay of Japanese decor, accents, and themes - and where every other person is either Asian or  Eurasian.  That, folks, is San Fransokyo - and I want to live there ASAP.  At the very least, I'm assured to never have to worry about running out of noodle shops or Karaoke bars.  

Our hero is, er, Hiro Hadashi (Ryan Potter), one of the millions of "half-breeds" who live in what used to be Frisco.  Hiro is a teenage prodigy who graduated from high school at the age of 13.  However, instead of moving straight into college and being the youngest freshman at San Fransokyo University, Hiro decided to go into... bot-fighting.  Basically, that's like cock-fighting but with remote-controlled robots instead of... cocks.  Since this story is set in a place that used to be the Gay Mecca of the United States, I could run a hundred miles with that joke, but I won't.  

Anyhow, bot-fighting is apparently illegal, and while Hiro is extremely good at it, his college-age brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) wants him to quit it immediately and put all his misdirected genius ability to good use instead of towards cock-fighting, er, bot-fighting.  To try to inspire Hiro to aim for something bigger than himself (or bot-fighting), Tadashi takes him to the university laboratory that Tadashi studies and works at.  There, Hiro meets the other whackjobs that Tadashi spends his days and some of his nights with.

They, in no particular order, are:  (1)  Fred (T.J. Miller), dude who wants to be able to transform into a giant lizard and readily admits that he, um, "recycles" his dirty underwear (please really don't ask); (2) Go Go (Jaime Chung), aptly named aggressive chick who is more driven and determined than The Terminator; (3) Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), easily-frightened dude who seems to be the only African-American in all of San Fransokyo (where'd the others go?); and (4) Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez), ditzy chick whose research involves explosive play-dough or something.  

Somehow, the time spent by Hiro in this lab and in the company of these bizarros and freakshows apparently floods him with inspiration.  Especially after he meets Dr. Callaghan (James Cromwell), the stern, by-the-book director of the laboratory.  Dr. Callaghan basically tells Hiro that the lab produces some of the best technical geniuses in the world - and that if he plays his cards right, he might be admitted into  the program, too.  Before you know it, Hiro has tossed aside his obsession with illegal bot-fighting and is wracking his brain to come up with a project that will gain him access to the University.  

Speaking of projects, Tadashi introduces his little brother to the one he's been working on.  Evidently, altruistic and humanitarian Tadashi has been trying to invent a medical aid robot that will help patients, and care for them better than any human doctor could.  Unfortunately, Tadashi has evidently been watching GHOSTBUSTERS too many times, because his robot looks like the Giant Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man from that movie.  Only much nicer.  His name is "BayMax".  And given this place used to be San Francisco, I'm surprised his name isn't "GayMax".  I'm just saying.

BayMax can do all sorts of cool stuff, like analyze your biometrics at a glance and tell you if you have hemorrhoids before you even feel the first tingle.  Unfortunately, looking like a smaller version of the Stay-Puff Man, he's not exactly the model of cat-like grace.  Which makes him kind of useless for anything more than being a nurse or medical aide.  Soon, however, BayMax must be more than just a fatter Florence Nightingale when Hiro recruits him to be his sidekick.

You see, during a showcase at the campus designed to show off the projects of prospective students in order to determine if they make the cut, a fire breaks out that kills Tadashi and Dr. Callaghan - and wipes out the entire showcase hall.  That includes Hiro's special project: nano-bots.  Of course, Hiro's too heartbroken at losing his big bro to care about his special project being burnt right the fuck up.  

Soon, however, Hiro is starting to question whether the fire was accidental or not.  And he's starting to think not.  He starts to investigate with the aid of Stay-Puff Junior, er, BayMax.  Then as if that weren't enough, Tadashi's whackjob pals from the lab join in the hunt.  So much for Lone Wolf-ing it.  Before you know it, they have  zeroed in on a prime suspect: Alistair Krei (Alan Tudyk), a wealthy industrialist who showed an excessive amount of interest in Hiro's nano-bot project at the showcase.  Right before the fire broke out.  Hmmmmmmmmmm.....

Is Krei the one who started the fire that killed Tadashi and Callaghan?  Did he do it to steal Hiro's nano-bot project?  If so, why?  And what can Hiro and BayMax do to get it back?  Will Go Go, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, and Fred be able to help?  What happens when all of them get "superhero makeovers"?  Will they start calling themselves...  "Big Hero Six"?  

What do you think?  What's the poster say?  Duh. 


BUT SERIOUSLY:  Sometimes a film can seem okay, even good, in its trailers - but completely amaze you when you actually go see it.  When one of my buddies said earlier this year that we had to see BIG HERO SIX, my answer was a non-committal "sure, why not."  I'd forgotten about my promise until this past weekend when it opened against, of all movies, Christopher Nolan's latest would-be blockbuster, INTERSTELLAR.  I thought the previews for BIG HERO SIX were okay, but it was INTERSTELLAR that I was dying to see, being a big Chris Nolan fan.

Well, imagine my surprise that out of the three movies we saw in theatres this weekend (THE BOOK OF LIFE being the third one), the one I loved the most was... BIG HERO SIX.  And the one I liked the least was...  INTERSTELLAR.  We'll discuss why INTERSTELLAR is not only a huge disappointment, but also the biggest disappointment of 2014, in our review for it (coming up next).  For now, let's talk about why BIG HERO SIX is such an awesome film. 

Quite simply, this movie caught lightning in a bottle with its concept and execution.  Its premise of a teenager befriending a non-human being and embarking on a quest together is nothing new.  We've seen that set-up as far back as E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, and most recently in the HOW TO TRAIN YOU DRAGON MOVIES.  However, BIG HERO SIX puts a refreshing spin on that well-used scenario by tweaking the details and giving them quirky spins.

The setting of the City of San Fransokyo is colorful and evocative and goes a long way in reinforcing BIG HERO SIX's link to anime and manga comics - a popular medium in Japan.  The proliferation of Asian influences also gives the visuals an exotic flavor that is utterly beguiling, from its numerous Eurasian and Asian characters, to the details of the streets and buildings.  The result is an appealingly surreal and festive atmosphere that ups the energy level.

The given of any excellent film, animated or otherwise, is a strong set of vivid, likable, dynamic characters, and BIG HERO SIX has an outstanding gallery.  Led by the plucky, resourceful, and gifted hero, Hiro, and his best new pal, BayMax, these colorful figures anchor all the spectacular action because of our interest in them.  At least twice during this movie, I turned to my buddy and said, "Man, I love these dorks..."  That's the sign that a movie has clicked with you.  Not once did that come even close to happening with INTERSTELLAR.  In fact, I actually rolled my eyes at least four times in that movie.  But more on that soon.  

What really distinguishes BIG HERO SIX is the same thing that elevated the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON movies, which also made E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL the classic that it is:  the friendship between a boy and the "pet" that he loves (and loves him back).  The relationship between Hiro and BayMax is the strong emotional spine that holds this film together.  There is a moment of sacrifice at the end of this film that will bring a tear to your eye.  The same exact scene exists in INTERSTELLAR, but that didn't bring a tear to my eye - instead I just rolled them yet again.  But, as I said, more on that later.

The key to BIG HERO SIX's success as a story is it deftly juggles various plot and character elements and uses the right amount of humor, action, and emotion - without trying to shove any of them down the audiences' throats.  As a result, the audience reacts on their own - and genuinely.   With INTERSTELLAR, Christopher Nolan inexplicably and unfortunately doesn't trust us to feel things on our own - and resorts to cheap gimmicks that belong more to M. Night Shyamalan.  

But, as I said, that's for our next review.  For now, just know that there's a reason that BIG HERO SIX, a movie no one was really anticipating, trounced INTERSTELLAR at the box-office this weekend (a movie that everyone, even me, was expecting to be terrific and number one): it's a far better film.  

Shows you what we know....

NOVEMBER 2014 REVIEWS

Hello, folks...

Just a couple of weeks away from Turkey Day.  Gobble. gobble...

For now, let's get our November review started.  Please expect INTERSTELLAR and BIG HERO SIX to post shortly.  See the full schedule for this month below:

# 593 - BIG HERO SIX (2014)

# 594 - INTERSTELLAR (2014)

# 595 - WHEN TIME RAN OUT (1980)

# 596 - THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 (2014)

# 597 - HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 (2014)

# 598 - THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR (2014)

# 599 - THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (2014)