Film Review - WHITE HOUSE DOWN ★½☆☆☆☆

White House Down is just that kind of mindless "let's blow everything up in sight" summer popcorn film that you really need to just throw logic, plausibility and opportunity for edgy action out the window. I admit that's typically perfectly fine for me as someone who has sung the praises of that very moviegoing experience on many many occasions, so I should be one of the last people to expect the latest flick from bombastic big screen disaster king (and Independence Day and 2012 director) Roland Emmerich, to reach any cinema verite high bar standards.

Following extremely violent and edgy (and far superior) Olympus Has Fallen starring Gerard Butler, White House Down is the second film in 2013 out of the gate with the premise of one man burdened with battling his way through a fallen White House to save A) the President B) a child in danger and C) the fate of the world from terrorists' ultimate plans to do very evil things on a global scale. While both films follow a painfully similar outline, they wisely differ in their tones and executions of big set pieces. Since my taste for action sequences leans more towards R than PG or PG-13, the victory in my book goes to the intense and dark Antoine Fuqua-helmed Olympus over the play it both safe and by-the-numbers White House Down.

If you can handle the cooky caper antics of terrorists infiltrating the White House by disguising themselves as maintenance workers and A/V techs, big explosions, lots of bloodless gunfire, thin cliched characters blessed with delivering catch phrases, and follow to a tee the "one man against the world Die Hard in..." formula (it here being Die Hard in the White House), you are in for a real treat.

Channing Tatum plays John Cale, a U.S. Capitol police officer with aspirations to secure a position with the U.S. Secret Service. While applying for the job Cale also has his estranged brainy daughter Emily (Joey King) in tow, doing double duty and his damnedest to connect with during a tour of the White House.

Terrorists who have snuck into the White House (in plain sight) also have plans that day, which involves laying siege to the building, making a captive of President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx) and other dastardly things. After Cale is separated from Emily on the tour, he ventures out on a rescue mission and in the process manages to rescue the President and begin the room-by-room battle to get our Cammander-In-Cheif to safety. Cue the action, explosions and catch phrases. And that kinda sums it up. Ok, sure there are some plot twist subplots and revealed ulterior motives that attempt to add depth to a screenplay that's best summed up in the poster one-liner, but overall you know what you are getting into with this.

Tatum, who has managed to enchant big screen audiences the past few years and is fast approaching bonafide box office super stardom (WHD may be the one that just solidifies that), does a serviceable job in this role as a struggling divorced dad trying to make the grade to pass the paperwork and education requirements for the Secret Service job. This despite that his combat service, training and proficiency with various powerful firearms that are probably protected under the 2nd Amendment are above and beyond the call of duty. As the reluctant one man army sporting the classic John McClane action hero tank top look, he has the right stuff for this outing. But as written, casting the lead could have been easily interchangeable.

Foxx's flat President Sawyer isn't written with any big tough guy heroics or inherent diplomatic charisma as previous big screen presidents have been. Most of Sawyer's charm comes solely courtesy of Foxx, and it's noted that he has not served a day in the military, further necessitating his need to rely on a trained aid to escape further harm. Sawer and Cale provide a fine buddy film one-two punch, and Foxx plays up this U.S. President suited solely for this wham bam popcorn type of romp, which of course requires him at one point fire a rocket launcher from a moving car accompanied by the expected wacky beats. It's sequences like this that make you appreciate all the more well balanced action movie Presidents like former Air Force pilot James Whitmore (in Emmerich's Independence Day) and Harrison Ford's James Marshall (Air Force One), or the traditional and impeccable statesmen presence provided by Morgan Freeman's Tom Beck in Deep Impact. Though cross referencing the strengths and weakness of big screen Presidents is a whole other thing to fill up a post.

But overall, little imagination went into the WHD's casting process, keeping to actors playing parts effortlessly and squarely within their safety zone. As Secret Service head honcho, James Woods does his best Jamea Woods, ditto for Maggie Gyllenhaal as the no non-sense agent Finnerty. The Speaker of the House played within expectations by the reliable Richard Jenkins and Lance Reddick pulls his out best Fringe tough-as-nails drama card for General Caulfield.

Let's face it, we'll never have another Hans Gruber, but the field villains here led by Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) are all boring action movie archetypes that spiral into stereotypes who manage to further caricature those tired roles. They're all here, the computer hacker who works his keyboards like a maestro, blasts classical music, sips wine and always has a clever quip at the top of his tongue for every misstep the grand plan takes. Throw in the wild card biker terrorist sporting crazy hair a handlebar mustache. How about the insider turncoat pulling all the strings and has ulterior motives that ultimately fail to make him sympathetic in relation to his ultimate revenge scheme? Check, check and check.

I felt a scant sense of danger throughout the film, whether it involved the execution of the big action set pieces or the threat of actual harm whether it involved the innocent hostages, the young Emily Cale with a gun pointed to her head, or much less any situation involved with President Sawyer or John Cale. Plus quickly shooting characters before establishing a connection to the audience is not the way to build sufficient sudden death tension on behalf of the villains. That's where in the same scenario Olympus Has Fallen successfully established a relentless tense atmosphere where at any moment, any one could be sentenced to meet their maker.

While I do applaud seeing Cale capitalizing on using fallen terrorist's weapons as he advances through their body count, it was equally as frustrating to think that not one piece of their body armor was utilized to protect the President or Cale himself. While I undertand you market this film around Channing Tatum sweating and running all about in the tight white tee so all his hard time in the gym is not rendered useless by outfitting him in bulky kevlar, but in the least does it not make any sense have the President take one of the dead villains freely available bullet proof vests?

By the time you have car chases on the White House lawn, witness strategic decisions made by government security strategists that are so incompetent you have only God to thank that this is a work of fiction, and that such scenarios are beyong what our taxpayer dollars pay for in terms of defending 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, you have either drank the Kool Aid or given up hope. But I will say both Olympus and WHD bank on exploiting the plot point of the frighteningly long time it takes to mobilize any formidable military anti-terrorist opposition when the White House has been assaulted and captured by enemy forces.

The blue screen for exteriors in painfully apparent. Granted the actual White House is not freely issuing film permits to shoot crowds and explosive action sequences at the front gates, but much of the faked scenery looks surprisingly distracting. The CGI was also disappointing for a Roland Emmerich film. Years after destroying the White House and other world famous landmarks in ID4, 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow, the FX here somehow manage to look less believable in the shadow of today's better technology, which is unfortunate.

I am admittedly over analyzing this movie as one who typically appreciates the explosive big screen experience Roland Emmerich can be counted on to deliver. But overstaying its welcome at over two hours, White House Down for me plays it far to deep into a paint-by-numbers formula and features a cast of tired run-of-the mill action film cookie cutter characters.

Sure it's a big harmless summer popcorn action romp, and the legions of Channing Tatum fans will get what exactly they want. He and Foxx play off each other well, but deserve a better forum to really show off their potential on-screen chemistry. Check your brain plot filmgoers will enjoy the night out. If you like your explosions and gunfights to stick to safe bloodless cartoonish PG-13 guide lines, here you go. While the disappointing FX will stick out to fellow nitpickers like me, they are not a make or break point to the film, which has other issues that take it down. But even I sometimes hold summer tentpoles whose sole intention is to provide an entertaining night out to reach higher marks when it comes to the sum of its parts. White House Down mangages to overall come up short on too many of the easy levels to pass the grade for me.

White House Down opens in theaters on June 28th.

REVIEW RATING: ★½☆☆☆☆
Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gylennhaal, James Woods, Jason Clarke, Joey King
Screenwriter: James Vanderbilt
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 137 minutes

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Film Review: OBLIVION ★★½☆☆☆

The bleak future Earth we visit in Oblivion allows director Joseph Kosinski a vast canvas to paint a visually unique and stunning film. There is no denying the feat he delivers via a spectacle of fantastic sci-fi landscapes and select action sequences, but the ambitious plot takes away the opportunity to ultimately enjoy the film on all levels.

In a nutshell, Earth is invaded by aliens, whose first strike obliterates the Moon and leads our planet into a downward spiral of environmental chaos. In order to win the war, we resort to unleashing our nuclear arsenal, which leaves the planet a radioactive wasteland. The remaining human population must evacuate and relocate to Titan, one of Saturn's larger moons.

Cut to 2077, Cruise's Commander Jack Harper is nearing the end of his five-year assignment to patrol the Earth's skies and architectural ruins while repairing the robotic drones that defend the massive resource conversion plants vital to humanity's off world survival. He and his partner Vika (Andrea Riseborough) live a routine life in a swanky hi-rise dwelling in the clouds that would make even the Jetsons envious. But when Jack rescues Julia (Olga Kurylenko), a human survivor from a crashed pre-invasion NASA vessel, the game rules change. The sight of Julia awakens long dormant memories buried in Jack's subconscious which lead him to question both his past and very existence.  

Oblivion's first trailer brilliantly set up an intriguing WALL-E worthy story of living in isolation on a future Earth. The later previews introduced Morgan Freeman's character Beech, the mysterious leader of a survivalist group who brought with him a different spin to the story, which felt like too much meat of the plot was then revealed. But truth be told that isn't nearly the half of it. Where it starts and where it ends is quite the journey when Jack's seemingly mundane life is turned on its ass.

While thankfully there is much more under the hood regarding the story, unfortunately that is also where Oblivion starts to falter. Its over ambitious ideas regarding the truth and identity are more hindered by the execution of their explanations, which bog down the beauty of the film's former simplicity. The second and third acts each bring with them radical shifts in the story, adding more mystery and with it, additional head scratching twists and turns in the plot.

A low key Cruise is tasked to be nearly a one man army on-screen, and much like Tom Hanks' turn in Castaway and Will Smith in I Am Legend, finds himself in nearly every scene in the film. The scant supporting cast is just that. Freeman, Kurylenko, Riseborough and Olgaprovide provide minimal additional characters to the mix, but this is a film firmly set on Cruise control.

There is an unfortunate overall emotional disconnect to all the characters, much in the vein of Blade Runner's similar dark tone. Despite its best efforts to really humanize Jack in this dystopian future (he has a lush secret oasis where he wears a Yankees hat and flannel shirt to bask in the sun while sitting on the grass outside his log cabin), by the nature of the character, Jack is denied the opportunity to reap the all charismatic benefits of being portrayed by Tom Cruise.

Oblivion is guilty of taking literal visual cues from 2001: A Space Odyssey, similar lines of dialogue that equally allude to plot points from Planet of the Apes, imposing robotic technology that mirrors both The Black Hole and RoboCop, and even boldly borrows scenes straight out of Independence Day's playbook. However the good news is that all this doesn't come across as blatant screenplay theft or exist simply because of a drought for original ideas. In Kosinski's capable hands (who previously visually wowed us with 2010's Tron: Legacy), these familiar beats actually morph into a successful homage to the wealth of influential sci-fi that came before him. It's up to you to maintain a generous mental scorecard of where you have seen it all before.

While the film ultimately buckles under the weight of its own story ambitions, it easily makes up lost ground in the visual department. Presentation-wise, hands down Oblivion looks absolutely stunning in IMAX, which is something I rarely admit. To really enjoy all its breathtaking effects and big screen eye candy, go the extra mile to see it on the grander scale. Too often film prints suffer from grain and lack of clarity when blown up for the larger format, and Oblivion has no such issues. Seen through Kosinski's lens, Oblivion is truly a visual triumph and an IMAX masterpiece. For fans of such breathtaking sci-fi spectacle, that makes it well worth the price of admission alone.

Oblivion opens in theaters and IMAX on April 19th.

REVIEW RATING: ★★½☆☆☆
Directed By: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo
Studio: Universal Pictures
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 124 minutes

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Film Review - EVIL DEAD ★★★½☆☆

Like many fans my age, my early years of enjoying the horror genre were partly shaped by director Sam Rami's micro-budgeted 1981 cult horror classic The Evil Dead (as well as the two subsequent entries in the series). The good news is we can breathe a huge tense sigh of relief regarding this update of the iconic film. Rest assured, this version will not intrude on fond memories regarding the original, but will firmly take the experience to a whole new level with its blacken heart tone and no expense spared attitude on guts and gore.

Many of us cried 'blasphemy' at the prospect of revisiting the series without Raimi at the helm, who is now decades past his low budget roots and off making some of the biggest films in Hollywood. But he and Dead's irreplaceable original star, genre icon Bruce Campbell didn't give up their keys to the castle and are both on board as producers.

Thankfully not a shot for shot remake, director Fede Alvarez does retrace over many familiar plot points and appropriately adjusts, improves and upgrades in other areas (visual effects have improved slightly since 1981). Evil demons once again take brutal vengeance on five unsuspecting weekend visitors to a remote cabin on the woods.

Film Review - LOOPER ★★★½☆☆

Time travel adventures tend to be a tough bunch to roll through. The concepts of changing history, running into oneself in the past or future, the ripple of the butterfly effect in the timeline, the disastrous effects of a paradox, and of course, what shape does the time machine take? A plutonium powered DeLorean? A blue '60s style British Police Box? Or why the hell not, how about skipping through time in a hot tub?

Thankfully, Looper manages to get a substantial amount right in concept, execution, and presentation, putting it high on the horse in its handling of time travel. These kind of films are dissected ad nauseam by critics and fan boys alike, whether its on the scientific aspects of it all, or to see if it manages to makes any logistical and plausible sense. Some films execute the concept with a grain of salt, Looper does not.

The one-dimensional ads don’t do justice to this high-concept cat and mouse sci-fi chase. The commercials rely on simply hooking you in on Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a futuristic hit man (a “Looper”), being faced with the unexpected assignment of executing his future self, who is sent back to the past, and played by Bruce Willis. Frankly Looper goes above and beyond that on multiple levels, and soars beyond being a simple cause and effect time travel movie.

What works incredibly well in director/screenwriter Rian Johnson’s film is his investment in moody visuals and rich character development. Nobody in the impressive cast is shortchanged for a meaty part with plenty of depth written into their character.

Looper sucks you in from the get-go with a quick grisly attention grabbing opening scene which brilliantly sets both the stage and tone for the film. Another brilliant sequence follows Levitt for thirty years as he lives out his life of drug fueled violence as a gangster, which leads right up to the point where his older Joe (Bruce Willis) is sent into to past to be killed by younger Joe (Levitt).

To attempt a better plot explanation. In 2072, time travel is illegal and carried out only by the mob in secret. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a Looper in 2044, who is hired by said mob to kill vagrants on a clean slate by sending them tied and blindfolded into the past where their bodies have no record. This simple straightforward lucrative job for Levitt’s Joe is thrown out the window one day when he looks into the eyes of his latest kill, and they are his own. It turns out Joe’s employers have decided to close his loop, which means sending his 30 years future self back in time to be killed by his younger counterpart. Bruce Willis' Older Joe manages to elude execution and attempts to carry out a multifaceted plan that will have major repercussions on preventing a dystopian future. And go...

Why do you need to see Looper? Let's start with the performances. Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives a star worthy performance as the young Bruce Willis. It's hard to figure out where prosthetics meet the subtle CGI which assist Levitt's morph job, but none of it takes away from the old school homage to Willis he physically and convincingly pulls off throughout the film. It's a performance that eerily mirrors Willis' facial mannerisms so much you wish you could forget the actual decades younger Bruce from Moonlighting and Die Hard.

These days Willis can phone in a performance and simply chalk it up to Bruce just playing Bruce (Cop Out anyone?). But here he plays Bruce the way Bruce is best played: some parts Pulp Fiction's Butch, some parts 12 Monkeys' James Cole, and this makes one bad ass role whose ultimate, overall, and driving motives force you to wonder if he is the hero or villain of the thick story line laid down. Older Joe is a character whose motives in his past border between simply self serving and heroic, and to attain his objective, he must persevere through heart wrenching and reprehensible actions. Willis has lot to work with here, and he knocks the role out of the ballpark.

Emily Blunt as Sara factors in when the film switches pace gears from its brisk opening hour to a grinding halt in its Witness-esque mid-section. But it's the relationship and subplot developed between Gordon-Levitt's Joe, Sara, and her ten year old son Cid (Pierce Gagnon), that gives the center the movie it's heart. The film builds upon that relationship until its threatened for the sake of the greater good, or what could be perceived as the greater good.

While the film generously grabs some of the best aspects of The Terminator, Back To The Future, 12 Monkeys, and even Akira, Johnson's solid screenplay manages to meld it all together into a moody fresh take. As far as its view on time travel, Looper cleverly takes mostly a direct cause and effect when events in the past effect the future, or even people from the future now living in their own 'past.'

To seriously over analyze or logistically dissect Looper  would take away the thought provoking character driven originality the film deserves. As a time travel concept snob, I did myself a disservice in the theater by over thinking the grand scheme of it all. Trying to figure out all the possible twists and turns that you should't be trying to figure out, not the way to go. Its a thinkers movie without question, but let it all flow and sink in as it moves along.

Looper succeeds as a gritty no-nonsense tense mind bender, and pulls no punches in some imagery that may not sit well with everyone. But there are plenty of terrific action sequences, a fantastic supporting cast, well executed drama, and the film isn't afraid to take the edge off a truly tense moment with a little humor every now and again. But its also satisfying that Looper will also stand tall among the notable entries of time travel films.

Looper opens in theaters on Friday, September 28th.

REVIEW RATING:  ★★★½☆☆
Directed By: Rian Johnson
Starring: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels
Studio: Sony Picture
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 119 minutes

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Film Review: COSMOPOLIS ★½☆☆☆☆

Cosmopolis, not my cup of Friday night cinematic escapist tea after a taxing week of work. Not by a longshot. To be fair, perhaps to select art house movie fans, the new film from director David Cronenberg starring Robert Pattinson may be the perfect tedious dialogue-intensive subjective plot-lined diversion from all the wham bam eye candy summer spectacles that have hit multiplexes all summer long. And to them, all I can say is: "More power to you."

Cosmopolis, is without question, an edgy eccentric cat that will test your attention span. Set in an alternate version of our present day world that is muddled in financial woes and heightened violent civillian protests, the film is difficult to narrow down to a simple logline. Robert Pattinson plays Eric Packer, a young billionaire who despite his head of security's adamant advice, is hell bent on traveling across town in his stretch limo to get a haircut from his father's aged barber. To complicate things on this New York City day, the intended route is plagued with bumper to bumper traffic, street riots, and death threats have been made to the visiting President of the United States.

Packer, who has a massive amount of his fortune wagered on a risky financial venture, heads out on this trek that predominantly takes place in the claustrophobic confines of his hi-tech limo. Along the way, various strange figures who factor into his life hop into the car as it happens by them during the drawn out odyssey. Each one-on-one exchange, whether it be with his aloof new billionairess wife (Sarah Gadon), technology chief (Jay Baruchel), art dealer (Emily Mortimer), financial advisor (Emily Hampshire), or a wordy 'theorist' (Samantha Morton), allows Packer to spout layer upon layer of long winded dialogue with a heavy helping of pretentious sarcasm.

Cosmopolis, based on the 2003 novel by Don DeLillo, evokes themes that not so subtly mirror today's headlines made from the Occupy Movement and class struggles between the 99% and the 1%.  Eric Packer, by design, is by no means an exciting character, and Pattinson plays him straight out with dead eyes and a flatline smirky delivery of an American accent laced with an 'I'm better than you' tone. It makes the film's lead both fairly unlikeable and unrelatable, and doesn't help us as we sit through Packer's ill advised and far from incident-free day.

Pattinson, not for a lack of trying, has managed only a scant body of work outside of the Twilight series since he first took on the role of the pasty brooding vampire heart throb Edward Cullen. With the final installment of the blockbuster tween series hitting screens in November, the actor will have appeared in five Twilight films since 2008 (taking into account that Breaking Dawn has been split into two installments).

When he managed to find time to rest and squeeze in roles that did not require him to wearing fangs, they have been choices that in theory, were meant to test the waters of breaking out of the Twi-Hard demo. But the adaptation of Sara Gruen's Water For Elephants, and the don't get me started on Remember Me, with its desperate, unnecessary, and insulting final scenes link to the events of 9/11, hardly could be considered showcase leaps of his acting range. And despite clearly being Pattinson's edgiest role to date, Cosmopolis won't do it either.

There is the saving grace third act appearance by a sociopath played by Paul Giamatti, who never disappoints when it comes to stealing the show whether it's in a lead or supporting role (now two in a row for Mr. Giamatti this summer, following his stand out scenes along side Tom Cruise in Rock Of Ages). In the tense twenty minute life or death climax, Giamatti succeeds in pumping some much needed life saving blood into the soulless film. The scene reminded me of the sequence in Boogie Nights where the bathrobe-clad Alfred Molina points a loaded gun towards Mark Whalberg and friends, set to the duet of Night Ranger's Sister Christian and random exploding firecrackers.

But director Cronenberg, who has made his fair share of both straightforward films and experimental sidetracks, uses so little sound design beyond the dialogue track to augment his static scenes. Cronenberg even goes so far to explain that Packer's limo has been thoroughly sound proofed to avoid adding in even the slightest of outside street noise. But the dead air issue is never more apparent when the stakes are at their highest at the end, and is what separates a classic scene from Paul Thomas Anderson's film from a similar scene here that could have raised the tension level.

For the most part, if your mind tends to wander at a movie where you can hear a pin drop (much less hear the crackling of a candy wrapper or the rustling of a popcorn bag), you are better off at the adjacent theater at The Expendables 2 than trying to decipher the at times frustrating dialogue, rally through the tedious pacing, or endure occasional shock value twists that will test your patience even further. If anything, Cosmopolis certainly succeeds as serving as counter programming to every other film it is up against.

David Cronenberg is a versatile filmmaker with a resume that includes films I have seen more than once like The Fly, Dead Ringers, Eastern Promises, A History of Violence, and eXistnZ. This film just as easily could have worked on the stage given its minimal cinematic grandeur and enclosed settings. While I do enjoy a good David Mamet penned film, a stage to film translation mentality is best for keeping pace here.

I am not going to ramble on and on, when at the end of the day I feel that reviewing, whether it be film, TV, music, or literary, is all subjective. What one person may rate as four stars, the next may belittle it with zero. There certainly exists a whole other platform when it comes to films that can be scientifically proven to be bad films.

Pattinson now has the whole world ahead of him now in his post-Twilight career. Frankly I'd like to see him borrow a page from Hugh Grant's mid-nineties career and take a crack at some crowd pleasing romantic comedies as a nervous nelly Brit next to Emma Stone, Kate Hudson, or Anna Faris. There is nothing wrong with a varied career path split between the art film and the safe film, and Cosmopolis is no where near the safe side. Perhaps this may very well be Pattinson waving the flag to his loyal Twi-Hards signaling that this is the way its gonna be from here on in.

Cosmopolis opens in New York and Los Angeles on August 17th, and nationwide on August 24.

REVIEW RATING:  ★½☆☆☆☆
Directed By: David Cronenberg

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Paul Giamatti, Juliette Binoche, Jay Baruchel, Samantha Morton   

Studio: Entertainment One

Rated: R
Running Time: 108 minutes

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Film Review - THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ★★★☆☆

Sam Raimi introduced moviegoers to Marvel Comics' favorite web slinger on the big in 2002's Spider-Man starring Tobey Maguire in the title role. While a solid re-telling of the iconic hero's origin story that clicked with worldwide audiences, the series didn't hit its high point until 2004's Spider-Man 2, and then concluded with the disappointing (and messy) Spider-Man 3 in 2007. When the fourth installment was scrapped in favor of a complete reboot, the initial, obvious, and main concerns were squarely set on the 'too soon?' factor.

Ten years after Spider-Man hit the big screen, to say that this re-telling wipes the slate clean is a pleasant understatement. In The Amazing Spider-Man, director Marc Webb and his team keep Raimi's trilogy reverently preserved while paving the way with this dark alternate approach to the numerous beats expected in any Spider-Man film. To me, what Webb brings to the table with The Amazing Spider-Man is far more his (500) Days of Summer than the recent The Avengers.

First off, the reboot is an edgier take on the popular superhero than you'd expect. The film steps further into The Dark Knight territory than the sheer crowd pleasing rah rah popcorn pep rally that is The Avengers. And I have to say its strengths lie more with the character driven elements over the big budget action 3-D set pieces. It flies high as a plot point paced film first, superhero film second. And that is not meant as a backhanded compliment, but high praise.

There is no apology made in re-tracing all the familiar origin steps we saw in Raimi's Spider-Man. Although it follows a beaten path, conscious changes, some more subtle than others, had to be made to set the two films apart. But as long as Peter Parker get s bitten by a radioactive spider, learns that with great power comes great responsibility after the murder of his Uncle, and fights crime as a masked vigilante known as Spider-Man, we'll all be OK.

Fanboys may nitpick some of the latest adjustments to the mythos, but casual moviegoers won't really have issue with them. Here Peter uses mechanical web shooters (as he does in the comics), whereas Raimi chose to make them organic. Details in the lead up and fall out regarding Uncle Ben's tragic murder, which is what drives Peter to become a masked hero, have been adjusted as necessary. But ultimately the same origin story is being told.

While Norman Osborn (who ultimately becomes the Green Goblin) does not appear in the film, his presence is felt throughout as his Oscorp Tower is a primary setting for numerous crucial plot points of the film. Here the baddie is Oscorp scientist Doctor Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), also know as the Lizard.

The first hour is methodically paced and centered on developing and re-introducing the characters in this entry. Webb and his excellent lead cast of Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker), Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy), Rhys Ifans (Conners), and Denis Leary (George Stacy) pour more depth into what's going on inside these characters heads than you would ever think a film like this would allow. I found the dialogue driven interactions between Peter and Gwen, Peter's quest for answers regarding his parents abandonment, Peter's relationship with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, and Peter's ultimate calling to follow his repsonsibility to become a hero more interesting than what was going on with any of the paint by numbers hero versus villain elements concerning the Lizard.

But when it comes to Ifans' Lizard, sometimes the gray area villain who is more victim than pure evil is not as easy to root against as the all out badass is. The simple beauty of Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight was that there was no origin to the character or any reason to sympathize with his reign of criminal destruction. The Joker was a villain by definition that was meant to be destroyed by Batman. But when the gray area has so many shades, a villain is kept from committing true super villainy.

Don't get me wrong, there are diabolical deeds the Lizard eventually gets around to doing, but Doctor Conners is set up here so much as a victim of his own circumstances and not as a baddie on the level of Doctor Octopus or the Green Goblin, that he falls too far on the side of needing to be helped rather than be defeated. Incidentally, I was surprised to be underwhelmed by the CGI work that brought the reptilian monster to life.

Overall the film looks aesthetically fantastic, shot in 3-D with much fanfare to us filmmaking geeks with the RED EPIC camera rig. Though despite boasting numerous gorgeous hero shots of Spidey in action poses that could leap straight off a comic book panel, I remain a stickler for fast moving scenes in 3-D that are muddled with motion blur (where the action would be clearer minus the third dimension). But for me the film's 3-D truly excels in well paced intimate conversation pieces, notably in the high school hallways between Peter and Gwen. The layered dimensions and gorgeous shallow depth of field makes the dialogue and connection between the actors performances that much more intimate. These days big action set pieces in 3-D are sadly so commonplace with one movie trying to out-D the last one.

The spectacular cast is perhaps the true highlight of the film, and they probably could have pulled this off strictly as a low budget character piece minus lavish SPFX set pieces and battles.

Andrew Garfield simply owns this take on Peter Parker /Spider-Man. His Parker is a true angst ridden outcast, that creepy kid who possibly has a scary dark side under that hoodie and could snap when pushed just a tad too far. He brings to the role both a lot of heart as well as a huge chip on his shoulder, especially in scenes where Peter comes home tired, bloody, and battered every night after his crime-fighting sprees. Garfield's scenes with high school jock and bully Flash Thompson play out as brutal assaults and come off as reciprocally satisfying when Peter uses his powers to even the score. The scenes of discovery as Peter explores his newfound powers are reminiscent of the early parts of Superman: The Movie with the title hero giving his abilities a test run for both himself and the world to witness.

Emma Stone, who never disappoints in any of her big screen performances, brings her A Game sexy, smart, girl charm to Gwen Stacy, and adds believability that she could fall for an odd cat like Pater Parker.

With the front and center absence of the Daily Bugle and its over-the-top Editor-In-Chief J. Jonah Jameson, Denis Leary as Gwen's father Captain George Stacy fills in the gap for spreading the anti-Spider-Man sentiment to the public. Martin Sheen and Sally Field are the true heart and soul of the film as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Peter's troubled home life is given a solid family stability through Sheen and Field, who play them slightly younger and necessarily narrowing the genration gap in the household. They come across as far more accessible and relatable than the stricter old fogie out of touch versions from the Raimi films.

Despite some nitpicky bumps, overall The Amazing Spider-Man is solid, entertaining, and succeeds as a new beginning for the series. It's an edgy film that ironically wows more with its subtle steps than its obligatory hero versus villain action scenes. Case in point bear witness to truly one of the best hero defining scenes ever on the big screen as Spider-Man saves a child from a car dangling off the edge of Williamsburg Bridge. But by borrowing pages from the playbook of The Dark Knight franchise rather than the majority of the other straightforward Marvel crowd pleasers, the film embarks on a necessary alternate path to set a welcome stage for further, and hopefully spectacular, installments.

The Amazing Spider-Man opens on July 3rd in 3D, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D.

REVIEW RATING:  ★★★☆☆
Directed By: Marc Webb

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Denis Leary, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Field

Studio: Sony

Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 136 minutes

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Film Review - TED ★★★½☆☆

In Ted, Seth MacFarlane takes his entire bag of tricks familiar to all us rabid fans of Family Guy, and lets loose a solid onslaught of no-holds-barred FCC-free hilarity.

The live action / CGI raunchy comedy, and MacFarlane's feature film debut, has all the trappings of the edgy and over the top humor we've come to expect, anchored by a walking talking teddy bear that has distinct voice that falls in between Peter and Brian Griffen.

The plot revolves around Ted, a stuffed toy who became all-too-real in 1985 when a lonely boy wished upon a star for his best friend to come to life. Needless to say, the now living bear became a headlines grabbing pop icon during the '80s, but soon enough saw his roaring celebrity days fast fade away as the years dragged on.

But that lonely boy, John Bennet, remained inseparable from Ted and as the story picks up in present day. Bennet (Mark Wahlberg) finds himself an unmotivated stoner with a dead end job at a car rental company, a gorgeous girlfriend of four years longing for an overdue engagement ring (played by Family Guy's own Meg Griffen, Mila Kunis), and constantly couch sitting with his former celebrity beer guzzling pot smoking potty mouthed childhood slack-happy friend.

The raunchy humor hits hard and fast in the film's first act, with MacFarlane pushing his R-rated big screen freedom to its limits. Gross out sight gags. Check. Foul mouthed lovable characters. Check. Racial stereotype humor. Check. Below the belt raunchy sex humor. Check. Flashback asides. Check. Obscure refrences. Check. Hilarious cameos. Check. 

The adorable Mila Kunis plays it pretty straight as Lori opposite all the wild antics going on, especially in countless scenes with a talking CGI bear and her lovable chowder-head Boston boyfriend. Although Wahlberg isn't stretching his acting chops heavily here as the guy caught between settling in with the love of his life and remaining a man child with his child hood buddy, he conveys a winning balance of heart and humor in the lead human role.

In addition to several memorable self mocking celebrity cameos, the supporting cast of Joel McHale, Patrick Warburton, Laura Vandervoort, Giovanni Ribisi, and narrator Patrick Stewart, offer a solid backbone that builds on the strong performances of the leads.

Much like Family Guy where a sarcastic talking dog interacts normally within society, Ted requires the same suspension of disbelief when it comes to witnessing a magical toy that flawlessly runs about in this film. And if a talking bear were to come to life, albeit here scampering around while swearing, drinking, hanging with hookers, and posing for awkward pictures with adoring fans, chances are it would look like Ted (though there is still a strong place in my heart for Teddy from A.I.).

Though the tangible believability of Ted is never felt more than in a violent hotel room bear versus man drag out fight between the fuzzy toy and Wahlberg. If Superman: The Movie could make you believe a man could fly, Ted will make you believe a stuffed bear can brawl (hint: it's best not to use the name Teddy Ruxpin in certain company).

In addition to a brilliant spot-on flashback tribute to Airplane!, you will be left in the cold if your pop culture repertoire can't appreciate a brilliant subplot and extended cameo by Sam Jones, as in Flash Ahhhhhhhh!! Gordon, the '80's 'It's So Bad That It's Awesome' Queen soundtrack fueled sci-fi classic. In typical MacFarlane manner, he really runs hard and fast with the retro reverence of it all, and the more in-the-know you are with Flash Gordon, the funnier it is.

Also a highlight is the disturbing performance by Giovanni Ribisi as Donny, the Ted-obsessed villain with an equally creepy son. Ribisi provides shards of sheer comedic ewwwww inducing moments that I actually found to be on the playing field with the 'best of' Buffalo Bill from Silence Of The Lambs. Ribisi does a lot with a little in this role.

Ted has it's demographic set in stone. There is little wiggle room available to suddenly figure out if this raunchy comedy is your cup of tea or not, so every Family Guy fan should get out and see it. For every time you wish MacFarlane's breakout animated Fox show could take it a step farther, Ted succeeds in accomplishing that on all levels. MacFarlane makes a seamless leap into feature films here by also managing to not just give fans a lazy big screen version of everything we've seen before. He manages to give us a incredible CGI creation that makes you laugh along with his unabashed frat boy bravado, and then balances it back to tug at you when it's a heartfelt buddy movie. At the core of the story, Ted and John really are lifelong best friends who care deeply for one another.

You could treat Ted as brave and bold first date movie to test the uncomfortable levels of edgy humor your better half will publicly laugh at, or be safe and secure with a group of like-minded obscure reference loving buddies to enjoy a night out with. Either way, there is great time to be had here. And frankly you will be hard pressed to find a more original comedy this year than Ted.

Ted opens on the big screen on Friday, June 29th.

REVIEW RATING:  ★★★½☆☆
Directed By: Seth MacFarlane

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel McHale, Sam Jones

Studio: Universal Pictures

Rated: R
Running Time:  106 minutes

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Film Review - BATTLESHIP ★★½☆☆☆

Going into 2012, I had two big budget targets on my radar that I expected to go 'all film school' on: John Carter and Battleship. Unfortunately for Taylor Kitsch, he happened to star in both of them. John Carter was out of theaters before I was able to see it (my bad), and as for Battleship (yes, based on the classic Hasbro naval combat board game), well I'll be damned if I didn't have a great time throughout the ridiculous bombastic spectacle that it was.

To be fair, I am a firm believer that you can't appreciate good movies without sitting through bad movies. And by no means is Battleship a terribly bad movie, but to say it doesn't ride the B-Movie wave big time would be misleading (albeit a B-Movie with a budget of possibly $200 million or so). Every single production penny spent is up there on the big screen, Battleship easily excels as a film that looks and sounds expensive (and you will not experience a louder film this year, of that I can assure you).

Director Peter Berg (Hancock, The Rundown) really steps up several notches by borrowing heavily from the Michael Bay playbook of how to assault the senses of your paying audience. The film certainly has the hi-tech look and feel of a Transformers off-shoot, but Berg thankfully left out much of the roll your eyes humor that somehow always makes it to the final cut of a Bay film.

So let's get to the plot, which is safe to say is fairly straightforward. Throwing caution to the wind, some optimistic astronomers in Hawaii beam a blind 'hello' beacon to a distant Earth-like planet in hopes of high fiving any existing extraterrestrial neighbors. Lets just say when the eventual response years later is not a reciprocal greeting, but a preliminary alien invasion force, its up to the guys and gals of the U.S. Navy to let them know exactly where the buck stops.

Alex and Stone Hopper (Taylor Kitsch and Alexander Skarsgård) are our lead hero Naval officer brothers, with Alex being the unpredictable Maverick to Stone's straight and narrow Goose. Academy Award Winner Liam Neeson plays Admiral Shane, Commander of the Pacific Fleet, and adds the necessary weight to the role of the big man in charge. Sports Illustrated supermodel Brooklyn Decker plays Admiral Shane's supermodel physical therapist daughter, and to complicate matters, fiancée to Kitsch's screw-up sailor. And then we have Rhianna as Petty Officer Second Class Cora Raikes, who also serves as a weapons specialist (and also for my taste has far too much screen time as the tough-as-nails-who-always-has-a-one-liner military chick).

While the plot is thin, (do we get or even deserve a reason for the alien's invasion?), a big summer actioner like this should not (and does not) require its audience to think too hard. Are there scenes where combat takes place that are literally inspired by the board game based on nautical coordinates? Of course. They have you mid-scene before you realize it. And does anyone get to deliver THE big Battleship tag line? Wait for it...

When the aliens do arrive after we spend a little too long with character developing introductions, Battleship kicks in on full throttle. The intense battle scenes are well staged and the accompanying special effects are convincing. The powerful alien submersible ships are both impressive and oppressive, as are the razor laced roller balls of destruction. Another piece of eye candy are the humanoid aliens who travel about in nifty Mass Effect inspired exo-suits.

Battleship definitely settles into its A-game comfort zone with some quick cutting Top Gun-esque excitement on the high seas. Since ship to ship combat on the big screen has been monopolized by the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, it's great to see the bad ass arsenals of sea faring vessels that are not waving a jolly roger flag atop their masts.

By the time the plan in store for third act big finish reveals itself, you will either be cheering or throwing your concessions at the screen. But again, that is part of the inherent fun of the popcorn formula it adheres to. There are some cringe worthy lines of dialogue that read better off the script page than in front of a camera, but frankly moments like that only make you appreciate more how Bill Pullman managed to pull off the pep rally Presidential speech in Independence Day.

Battleship doesn't pretend to be anything but what it is. Its all there right in your face and you know already if this is your idea of a good time at the movies. If so, add an additional half star rating. So go with it, enjoy the intended high octane fun, watch big things go bang and boom, and most of all, don't over think it. That's what I did.

Battleship opens in theaters today.

REVIEW RATING: ★★½☆☆☆
Directed By: Peter Berg

Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker, and Liam Neeson

Studio: Universal Pictures

Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 131 minutes 

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Home Video Review - CHRONICLE ★★★☆☆

**This review ran originally on February 3, 2012 for the theatrical run, and is being re-posted for today's release on Blu-ray and DVD**

Peter Parker learned through tragedy that “with great power comes great responsibility,” and only through that realization was Spider-Man born. In Chronicle, we learn what happens when super powered high schoolers do not have a life changing epiphany that inspires them to devote their lives to costumed heroics.

Director Josh Trank, in his directorial debut (and also co-wrote the screenplay), effectively adapts the waning POV 'found footage' style of film making to the superhero genre, and borrows familiar themes and imagery from Carrie, Cloverfield, District 9, and Akira.

With the studios pumping out tent pole superhero films more than ever, (Batman, Spider-Man, and The Avengers are all on deck for this summer), the time has never been better to sample a different spin on the genre. Chronicle offers just that, and it's even better when it's a job done well.

The film takes place in a Seattle, where the high school teens can be pretty cruel, especially to an introvert like Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan). He is not only a social pariah obsessed with capturing every moment of the day with his video camera, but finds himself burdened with an abusive father and dying bedridden mother.

During a house party, Andrew is recruited by his estranged cousin Matt (Alex Russell), and Steve (Michael B. Jordan), the popular jock who has it all, to record their underground discovery of a creepy glowing structure. Waking up the next morning, the trio discover they have gained telekinetic abilities as simple result of their close encounter with the object.

Personally I am fine with using scant literal logic to explain off what bestows super powers on mere mortals. A gamma ray overdose makes Bruce Banner Hulk out? Fine. Exposure to cosmic rays gives the Fantastic Four fantastic abilities? Sure. A lightning charged chemical lab bath bestows Barry Allen with super speed to become The Flash? Got it. Here, a mysterious underground crystal of unknown origins suddenly enables these teens to move objects with their minds. Just ignore the fact that they should maybe worry about radiation poisoning first, but that would be a whole different movie altogether.

The fun begins when the boys veer off the path of the Hero’s Journey because they are far more interested in utilizing their powers for pranks and hijinks rather than acts of valor. But when one incident takes things too far, it’s not hard to figure out where the film is headed, and which of the three will snap first when things inevitably go downhill when push comes to shove.

The film hits a high point when flight is added to their checklist of powers. An truly inspired flying sequence hits all the right marks for showing the audience both the thrill and inherent danger of taking to the clouds. It is here that the POV camera truly finds it’s calling. When controlled by Andrew’s mind, it is allowed to float around in the air and releases the film from the limited shooting style of an off-screen character holding the all too familiar shaky camera.

As Andrew’s demons begin to consume him, his powers also corrupt him, and the film turns to the dark side, complete with an explosive FX laden third act that echoes a heavy influence from Akira. Warner Bros. should take note how this climax was done extremely well with clever shooting on a shoestring budget, and be grateful they put their pricey adaptation of the iconic Japanese manga on the back burner.

The brisk 84 minute running time leaves little room for excessive expository chat between the characters, and quickly takes the audience right to the heart of the story, which works well here. The three leads all do all they can with their roles. Dane DeHaan has the standout part as Andrew, who has the most to work with. You certainly believe him as he breaks down under the weight of the circumstances he’s dealt with.

While the found footage genre is getting stale, Chronicle successfully plays around with the shooting concept enough so not to keep it to the standard issue we are accustomed to seeing. While the budget is low (the calling card of this type of movie), every once in a while much like Cloverfield, the film writes an occasional check to the FX house and wows you with impressive sequences.

Chronicle is easily a solid alternative to the current slew of superhero blockbusters where fancy costumes are a given, and the good guys must take on their arch enemies for the greater good of mankind. While setting up a welcome opportunity for sequels, the self contained story it presents will either satisfy you for keeping it to the point, or wishing it addressed the bigger picture.

The Chronicle publicity team at 20th Century Fox sends mysterious "flying people" soaring high over NYC...

REVIEW RATING: ★★★☆☆

Directed By: Josh Trank

Starring: Dane DeHann, Alex Russell, and Michael B. Jordan

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Rated: PG-13

Film Review - DARK SHADOWS ★★☆☆☆

Perhaps to no one's surprise if you have scratched your head after seeing the recent trailers and TV spots, it's kinda hard to pinpoint where exactly Dark Shadows is trying to fit into.

Based on the cult TV supernatural soap opera of the same name that ran on ABC from 1966-71 starring Jonathan Frid as the patriarchal vampire Barnabas Collins (and laying claim to the bloodsucker craze decades before Twilight, True Blood, Underworld, and The Vampire Diaries), director Tim Burton teams up with Johnny Depp on the big screen for the eighth time to provide their version of the show. It's not by definition a modern day update since much of the story is set in 1972, but there perhaps begins some of the film's quirks.

Like every Tim Burton production, the film is in no way short changed in regards to his checklist of signature features (gorgeous gothic art direction, characters bearing scant skin pigment, looming overcast skies, lavish architecture and costume design, and a rousing score by the great Danny Elfman), but it's when the film tries to find its actual identity in tone that it starts to hit some bumps in the road.

Depp stars as Barnabas Collins, a young well-to-do 18th century Brit living in Maine who finds himself cursed with a vampire's immortality and buried "alive" by his scorned lover, housekeeper (and witch), Angelique Bouchard (played by a sultry Eva Green). When Collins is dug up nearly 200 years later in 1972, he is left to find his way in the 'modern world' and make good once again his family name for whom the local town, Collinsport, was named for.

Once back among the living with his descendants who have financial woes yet still keep shop in the ancestral mansion Colinwood Manor, the fish-out-of water dysfunctional family dynamic ensues and Barnabas soon discovers his centuries ago nemesis Angelique is alive, kicking, and has maintained a monopoly on the local commerce since banishing him to an eternal grave.

Dark Shadows is a strange brew of horror, slapstick quirky comedy, and family drama all wrapped up in typical Burton-esque gothic themes. The eyebrow raising marketing set to a groovy '70s soundtrack has the film pegged as an off beat comedy, but Burton sees to it that the film also walks a line of various tones, but then crosses that line over and over throughout its near two hour running time. Additionally, much of the broad humor in the film has been revealed in the numerous trailers, leaving less to honestly laugh at when you actually sit down to see it in theaters.

While the movie is bookended by promising darker material, its the middle of the film that gets chatty with its fair mix of soap opera subplots, straight up horror moments, retro humor, visual gags, and even a campy musical montage. But the overall decision of having an 18th century vampire befuddled over dated relics like lava lamps, Troll toys, and Alice Cooper seem to limit the comedic possibilities that would appeal to a younger demographic had it been set in the present day.

The films boasts an impressive solid ensemble cast, including many players familiar to the Burton-verse. But the script doesn't quite find the time to spotlight any of them for too long until they are forced to find quick resolutions in the big finish third act. Michelle Pfeiffer (re-teaming with Burton after re-defining Catwoman in 1992's Batman Returns), Chloë Grace Moretz, Helena Bonham Carter, Jackie Earle Haley, and Eva Green all manage to deliver worthy performances in the time they have to share on screen among a large cast. The always underrated Eva Green really shines here in a standout turn as Depp's love/hate witch nemesis, but her Angie reminded me of a campy version of her stinging mystical Morgan(a) from last year's short lived King Arthur retelling Camelot on Starz.

Whether this was a Burton film or not, Depp's casting as Collins offers a solid choice to walk the mixed tone that is never quite firmly set in the film. His Barnabas is a charmer one minute, a blood sucking killer the next, but always finds maintaining a sense of strong family values at the top of his list of personal priorities. Though the man out of his time routine only goes so far, despite the charm Depp brings to the role. Jonathan Frid, who originated the iconic vampire role on the TV show, has a welcome blink and you'll miss it walk-by cameo. It goes without saying that life long Shadows fan Burton would make certain he had an appearance. Sadly, the actor passed away last month at the age of 87.

Last year's modern day Fright Night remake starring Colin Farrell pulled off a fantastic balance of horror that featured a snarky charismatic vampire, but also possessed a firm sense of confidence in embracing what it was trying to convey in tone on screen. It could be brutal in its horror violence, but its humor reflected that dark side. Shadows seems to suffer from an identity crisis at times, though the cast never flinch regarding the material and make each individual scene work. Though looking at both films overall, comparing Dark Shadows to Fright Night is the old apples and oranges debate.

Dark Shadows is a mixed bag of what you will be treated to on the big screen. As a Tim Burton production, there are all the familiar trappings you expect to see and will enjoy seeing. Those production perks do not disappoint. But overall I found it to be a bit confused regarding the who it is ideally targeting, and exactly the where it is trying to call home. But like any Tim Burton opus, if Dark Shadows comes across as a quirky misfit without a pace to fit in, then perhaps the director truly has succeeded in capturing a core theme common to all his films. 

Dark Shadows hits both 2D and IMAX screens today.

REVIEW RATING: ★★☆☆☆
Directed By: Tim Burton

Starring: Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloë Grace Moretz

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 112 minutes 

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