Film Review: THE HANGOVER PART III ★½☆☆☆☆

There sometimes comes the optimistic approach that a sequel may seize the opportunities to right the wrongs of its previous installment, or installments if so lucky. Of course in an ideal world, sequels would actually improve upon what preceded them, but let's not get ahead of ourselves folks. The Hangover Part III has absolutely no such ambitions to do either. 2009's The Hangover was an unexpected smash hit (deservedly so), and delivered solid laughs and introduced us to new misadventure icons in The Wolfpack.

The noticeably darker The Hangover Part II was rushed out two years later, rehashed nearly exactly the same plot and substituted Bangkok for Las Vegas, which came with far less funny results. The sequel was both a letdown and huge disservice to the initial fun we had with the series' take on the bachelor party gone down the worst rabbit hole imaginable concept.

So our beloved Wolfpack returns for round three in what promises to (please) be the final Hangover hurrah. Phil (Bradley Copper), Stu (Ed Helms ), Alan (Zack Galifianakis), and Doug (Justin Bartha) find themselves in a plot that does not take any cues from the now tried (if not tired) formula, but somehow manages to succeed in delivering even less fun and laughs than the soulless 2011 sequel.

In a nutshell, the plot finds the bearded perennial man-boy Alan off his much needed meds which inadvertently results in him causing the death of his father (Jeffrey Tambor). Following an intervention, his best friends that anybody could have all agree to check him to a rehab center so he can one day again see the world with clear eyes. The Wolfpack never makes it to their destination. They are run off the road and kidnapped by goons led by a crime boss known as Marshall (John Goodman), who has a four years in the making vendetta against none other than Mr. Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong). Chow has also just escaped prison, and cue the inevitable Shawshank Redemption reference.

At this point the film turns into a violent road trip heist flick, finding very little in common with the obnoxious good time we enjoyed in the first installment. Marshall is hell bent on seeking revenge on Chow for swindling him out of millions of dollars worth of gold bars. The gangster of course keeps Doug hostage (and out of the main stage action as always), and sends the Wolfpack off to capture and deliver Chow to him on a silver platter. We follow the gang through a series of unfunny sequences and double crosses until Vegas ultimately becomes the setting for the big finish.

Sure the script does make a conscious effort to bring this trilogy's overall story arc, dare I say, full circle by returning to where it all began: Las Vegas. We have get appearances from characters from the first film: Black Doug (Mike Epps), Jade (Heather Graham) and her son baby Carlos (who is now the four year old Tyler). They even manage to loop in Marshall via a throwaway mention during the first film as Black Doug's boss.

What the film forgets for the most part is any actual big belly laughs or honest to God comedy. Characters we formally laughed at or laughed with are hardly the same bunch anymore. The ensemble work here is cold and detached, and lacks the killer chemistry that was once there. Long gone also are appearances from supporting players like Rob Riggle and Matt Walsh who added comedy weight and priceless scenes.

Melissa McCarthy does turn up and shines some much needed funny moments, but that is just her doing what she does best, and as always does it effortlessly. Too bad they didn't know they had some strengths to exploit, because her scenes provide some of the scant actual comedy moments you hope for, if not expect.

What also struck me was an over abundance of unnecessary animal cruelty laced throughout the script.  Within the first five minutes we get the decapitation of a cute unsuspecting giraffe (as seen in the trailer, so it comes as no surprise), we are also told two guard dogs get their throats slit
(off screen thankfully), and cock fighting roosters get shot, thrown out of a window and suffocated with a pillow. We all have out britches to burn regarding what is sometimes conveyed on the big screen, and I consider myself highly desensitized to many things. But I managed to find an unnecessary and gratuitous running theme of disrespect to the animal kingdom here.   

By breaking from the actual Hangover formula, and not even trying to re-invent it with a clever twist, it only strays farther from the path that actually worked and cements Part III even further as pointless final entry in the series. Fret not, by the time you leave your seat there is a heavy handed threat for another chapter. But I'm more than fine with my fonder memories of our beloved Wolfpack's hi-jinks from the first installment, which stands tall as the crowning jewel of the trilogy.

Ultimately The Hangover Part III is not only utterly soulless and manages to disappoint on so many levels, it ends a journey that started off so well on a unfortunate huge final misstep. But now its clearly time to retire from this eternal viscous circle of misadventures, sleep it off, take our aspirin, go back to work on Monday and swear to never ever do it again.

The Hangover Part III opens in theaters on May 23rd.

REVIEW RATING: ★½☆☆☆☆
Directed By: Todd Phillips
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zack Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, John Goodman
Studio: Warner Bros.
Rated: R
Running Time: 100 minutes

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel

Final 'Man of Steel' Trailer Arrives & Amps Up The Action

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel

New 'Man of Steel' Character Posters Revealed

New character one-sheets are hot off the presses from Man of Steel. With less than a month to the highly anticipated release, expect additional posters and images to be revealed in a fast and furious nature. First up are Superman (Henry Cavill), Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and General Zod (Michael Shannon).

Man of Steel is set for June 14th in 2D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D.

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel

Film Review - STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS ★ ★ ★☆☆

J.J. Abrams did what may thought was impossible, he made Star Trek cool, slick and damn fun. Rebooting and infusing new blood into the iconic original '60s TV series with a young cast, lavish special effects and a lot of lens flare proved to be the way to go for a franchise that was enjoying a well deserved hiatus following a run of five shows and ten big screen adventures.

2009's Star Trek was a hot box office hit that managed to gain scores of new fans and please conventions of old school Trekkers. Well, most of them anyways. As Spock would say: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." And for my fellow fans that is what it really comes down to for Abrams' take, making Trek movies for the masses, not love letters to old school fans who will dissect the films to pieces regardless.

Bigger means bigger here. Bigger effects. Bigger ships. Bigger explosions. Bigger battles. Big thrills with massive twists and turns. Yes, buckle your seat belts for the said twists and turns you're in store for. Hell, after all this time, even the Enterprise is FINALLY outfitted with much needed seat belts. I'll refrain from stepping deep into any specific spoiler territory here, they already exist aplenty online and are easily within one or two quick clicks of this review. Needless to say, it's only fair to be vague on the story, and a entirely different discussion can be made once one is freed from tiptoeing around the meaty plot details.

That said, this epic well-paced second big screen adventure starts off as it should, right in the thick of the action. We already got the origin story, so thankfully absolutely no precious screen time is wasted on getting reacquainted with our iconic intrepid crew: Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho), Chekov (Anton Yelchin) and Scotty (Simon Pegg).

What should have been a innocuous mission turns into a major breach of etiquette regarding Starfleet's Prime Directive, which protects primitive cultures from exposure to higher technology than they have developed on their own. Kirk being hotheaded Kirk pays no heed to such things from the rule book in order to save Spock's life on an alien world. Following the thrilling eye opening sequence, James T is stripped of his ship and command as a result of cheating death for his Vulcan friend. Echoes of plot points from the Shanter/Nimoy-era films will not fall on deaf ears to older fans.

Acts of brutal Earth-bound terrorism committed by Benedict Cumberbatch's former Starfleet officer John Harrison sees Kirk and crew sent off on a splinter cell mission to take him out while also leading them into a head to head battle with the Klingons. It's likely that the first half hour of Into Darkness contains more action and gunplay than we've ever seen in any version of Trek. Not only is that is a good thing, but now a staple regarding the more accessible direction the series has taken.

It's from this point on the highly appropriate Into Darkness title really kicks in as friendships are tested and lost, characters show their true colors, and the plot takes you on a rollar coaster ride free for all on what you think you know, and what you actually know. The first film which by including Leonard Nimoy as Spock, directly dealt with, explained and incorporated (but nonetheless rebooted) the original series' timeline. Into Darkness however plays with past ideas on a much more subtle level. It could have easily just moved forward freely on its own path, but fans (with varying degrees) will hear echoes from the rich history to recycle. How you feel about this here depends on your view of whether the series has earned the right to stand all on its own, or should adhere to taking various cues from the past.

Cumberbatch, best know for his acclaimed work on BBC's Sherlock, brings a menacing cold steel elegance to the film's rogue villain. While his role here has been the object of obsessive online speculation since he was cast, Cumberbatch truly tests the mettle of the crew and effortlessly makes his mark among the best of the Trek villains.

Alice Eve joins the cast as Carol Marcus, a familiar character re-booted for the new timeline. While a welcome addition, her necessary role in the plot tips the balance for the ensemble crew and takes away some screen time from Sulu and Chekov. Genre icon Peter Weller turns in a truly memorable performance as her father Admiral Marcus, who proves to be a crucial chess piece to the dynamics of the dense plot filled with heavy political and personal overtones.

For the most part, the film held me firmly on board. I marveled at the intricacies of the screenplay and Abrams' lens flare-adorned spectacle that I am an admitted apologist for. But then came one pivotal point in the third act and it all crashed on me, and the film firmly loses its identity. I have to admit certain subsequent script decisions dropped me hard, real hard. It's easily a debatable point, and I can't really expand on it this early in the film's theatrical run. But it's a firm loud announcement from behind the curtain of "Oh yes, we're really gonna do this" to the audience in the know.

The screenplay takes the rebooted characters their next level, and some of the interplay is exceptional. While perhaps not quite the middle chapter of a trilogy we may have expected, it certainly frees the series up from some necessary building block bullet points (despite how much I knew about the plot ahead of time, I still found myself constantly surprised as the story progressed). Expectations are big, and film makers like Abrams set their own bar sky high.

What works tremendously is the top notch visuals, as if that would be in doubt. If you can hold on for cameras with contant yet precise motion, you're in luck. There is a boatload of glorious CGI magic, it always feels tangible with substantial weight behind it all. The healthy portion of practical sets and effects mixed in should be applauded. The 3D conversion is also quite good, Abrams' directing and framing style thankfully lends itself to the extra layer.

Old fans and newbie fans will take away different things from the experience, and I feel those with less baggage from the past may be better off for it in this case. My reservations lie directly with the script choices made that tested me as an old school fan who sees the blank slate of the alternate timeline a greater freedom to move beyond Trek history, which is not always the case here. If your Trek filmography is comprised solely of the 2009 film, pay no heed to my cavets (which marred, but did not supersede my overall enjoyment of the film).

Is this an event movie well worth the price of admission? Absolutely. Star Trek Into Darkness is a worthy epic experience that delivers heart, relentless action, massive stunning visuals and even finds appropriate spots for humor and deep arcs between the core characters. If you enjoyed the last installment, this is a thinker's amped-up must-see sequel. It expands the new Trek universe and firmly sets the stage to re-explore a welcome familiar path for the crew of the USS Enterprise. Casual fans will walk away happy go lucky, though Trekkers may require discussion groups to vent some issues amongst friends.

Up next for Abrams (in 2015) is nothing less than Star Wars: Episode VII. While I don't want Star Wars to look exactly like this, I sure don't mind knowing it may look a lot like this. 

Star Trek Into Darkness opens in 2D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D on May 16th.

REVIEW RATING: ★ ★ ★☆☆
Directed By: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urba, John Cho
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 132 minutes


Follow @NerdyRScoundrel

Jimmy Kimmel Hits Another Late Night 'Star Wars' Sketch Home Run With J.J. Abrams

Jimmy Kimmel Live! made a Star Wars splash with last month's sketch involving guest Harrison Ford taking audience questions regarding the upcoming Episode VII. It had some funny moments and even re-united the galaxy's best loved duo of scoundrels.

J.J. Abrams appeared last night to promote Star Trek Into Darkness, and talk obviously found its way towards the director's next big undertaking, the next film to take place in a galaxy far far away. The segment features fan suggestions, surprise appearances by sci-fi icons, and look closely for Fandango's movie guru Dave Karger who had a prime seat in the audience.

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel