After Earth

Cast of Characters:

Kitai Raige - Jaden Smith

Cypher Raige - Will Smith

Director - M. Night Shyamalan

Screenplay - M. Night Shyamalan & Gary Whitta

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some disturbing images

      Academy Award nominee Will Smith and his son Jaden star together in the sci-fi action/adventure film After Earth, based on an original story idea from Will Smith. Is this another Smith summer blockbuster hit, or should you give this one a pass?

      In 2025, mankind has been forced to abandon Earth following a number of cataclysmic events and relocate to a planet called Nova Prime outside the Milky Way Solar System. Fast forward nearly a thousand years later. The humans have been attacked by another predator race known as Ursas that have already been inhabiting the planet. They hunt by smelling fear, but the humans look to their stern and fearless general Cypher Raige (Will Smith) to fight back against the Ursas. Cypher's ability to fight without fear is known to the humans as "ghosting".

      Meanwhile, Cypher's son Kitai (Jaden Smith) is an ambitious, young space cadet trying to work up the ranks within the system. His somewhat rebellious attitude though keeps him from climbing the ladder. Seeing a lack of discipline in his son, Cypher takes Kitai on a mission to relocate an Ursa. While on their mission, the ship is damaged in an asteroid field and is forced to crash land in a nearby planet. Both Cypher and Kitai are the only confirmed survivors. The cage containing the Ursa is missing as well, meaning one of three possibilities: best case scenario, the Ursa died in the crash, the Ursa survived but was badly injured from the crash, or worst case scenario, the Ursa survived the crash and has escaped. Cypher reveals to Kitai that the planet they are on is Earth, which is filled with animals that have evolved over the years into human hunting predators. They need to reach the other half of the ship which is a distance away to retrieve a beacon that will send a distress signal back to their home planet. Having broken both his legs from the crash, Cypher is unable to go, meaning it is up to Kitai to risk the dangers he may face in order to retrieve the beacon.

      The biggest surprise of this film was when I noticed the directing and screenwriting credits for the first time - M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan was at one time one of the biggest A-list filmmakers out there, but his past three to four films have been both financial and critical failures. My guess is the studio heads - knowing Shyamalan's name might detract viewers - kept any credit referring to him as minimal as possible when advertising the film. While this is not the failure that he's been known to make as of recently, this is far from a hit either. For starters, Will Smith is obviously a huge box-office draw, and he gives another solid performance that we'd expect from him, but this is not Will's film. This is Jaden's movie, and quite frankly, I'm still not convinced Jaden is capable of pulling off a lead performance yet. I wasn't convinced by his performance in the bland remake of The Karate Kid, and I ain't buying it here. Most of the time, he just stands there and mopes his way through each scene. Here's the overall problem with the film though. The visuals are average. That wouldn't be a problem if there was an intriguing story to bolster the film, but the story concept is relatively minimal. Father and son crash land on earth. They have to retrieve the emergency beacon or they die. End of story. There's nothing wrong with minimal concepts, and in Shyamalan's case as of lately that would be to his benefit; however, you'd also expect with a simplistic storyline there would be first rate visuals and effects to balance it all out. For the most part the visuals are nothing special and the creature effects are at best meh.

      Let me be clear. M. Night Shyamalan is a talented filmmaker. You don't string together four consecutive great films (The Sixth Sense, the underrated Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village) and call it a fluke. That's like the New York Islanders winning four consecutive Stanley Cup Titles from 1980-83 and someone going, "Well, they got lucky." Obviously, with flops like Lady in the Water, The Happening, and The Last Airbender, it was wise for Shyamalan to bounce back by playing it safe and not having complete creative control. There's no obligatory twist at the end, and although he did write the script (this is his first movie with a co-writer), all complexity that he's normally known for is gone. In fact, I think the studio heads, fearing the average moviegoer would see his name and bolt for the doors, went in the complete polar opposite direction by having him direct with his hands tied behind his back. Other than a few signature film shots that conjure up vintage Shyamalan, his unique visual style is MIA. While not the bounce back Shyamalan needs, this is not a complete disaster. I can justify a slight recommendation by waiting 'til it's out on DVD and seeing it then. I give After Earth a C (★★½).

The Great Gatsby

Cast of Characters:
Jay Gatsby - Leonardo DiCaprio
Nick Carraway - Tobey Maguire
Daisy Buchanan - Carey Mulligan
Tom Buchanan - Joel Edgerton
Myrtle Wilson - Isla Fisher
George Wilson - Jason Clarke

Director - Baz Luhrmann
Screenplay - Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce
Based on the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language

      F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” is one of the most beloved literary classics of the twentieth century, perfectly capturing the excess of the Roaring Twenties. Up until this year, the novel has been adapted four times for film, the most recent being in 2000 for television, and the most well known being the 1974 version starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. Now, in 2013, we have the fifth film adaptation of Fitzgerald’s classic.

      The film opens with Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), a Yale University graduate and World War I veteran, receiving treatment in a sanitarium for depression and alcoholism. He constantly refers to a man known as Gatsby to his doctor. Since he finds it hard to articulate his thoughts, his doctor recommends writing it down in a diary.

      We then flashback to 1922. Nick has moved from the Midwest to New York to take a job as a bond salesman. He rents a small Long Island house in the village of West Egg, next door to a mansion owned by Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), a mysterious businessman who's always throwing outlandish parties. Across the bay in East Egg lives Nick’s cousin Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Tom (Joel Edgerton).

      Over time, Gatsby and Nick meet, become friends, and it soon comes to Nick's attention that both Gatsby and Daisy were once romantically linked. Gatsby's still madly in love with Daisy, but she's naturally moved on over the years - or has she? Both her and Gatsby's interaction with each other comes at much displeasure to Tom, despite the fact that he himself is involved in an extramarital affair with a feisty bombshell named Myrtle Wilson (Isla Fisher) who lives in the "Valley of Ashes", an industrial dumping ground in between West Egg and New York City.

      There obviously have been a number of film adaptations throughout the decades, but none have a worse track record than Fitzgerald's Magnum Opus. If you intend on watching the Robert Redford 1974 version, plan on taking a couple Adderall to stay awake. Leave it to writer/director Baz Luhrmann to continue that streak. His 1996 adaptation of the great William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" was, in my opinion, one of the most horrendous films of not just that year, but of the 90's in general . While The Great Gatsby's not the travesty that Romeo + Juliet was, this film is still riddled with flaws. Look no further than Baz Luhrmann for the root cause. The art direction is over the top. Why the hell they'd even consider filming this in 3D is beyond me. The soundtrack featuring the likes of Jay Z, Amy Winehouse, Fergie, and Beyonce seems completely out of place given the time period the story is set in, and as great as some of the performances may be, it's just talent wasted and buried underneath too much style. Besides, no matter how bad the film may be, would you expect anything less from DiCaprio? He's undeniably one of the greatest actors out of his generation if not the best. Joel Edgerton is a fine actor himself, and turned in some solid supporting work in Zero Dark Thirty, but here he seems miscast in the role of Tom Buchanan. The films greatest flaw though is the completely unnecessary story arc of Nick Carraway narrating the story from the sanitarium. Luhrmann is clearly no stranger to taking risks within film. Setting Romeo + Juliet in present day, yet still using the Elizabethan language was a rather big one. If you think setting Nick in the looney bin is a bit of a stretch, wait 'til you see when the words Nick writes pop out on screen and float toward you.

      To its credit, I guarantee come awards season next year The Great Gatsby will earn a Costume Design Oscar nomination, which it deserves. That being said, other than the beautiful costume design by Catherine Martin and a few solid performances from DiCaprio, Maguire and Mulligan, this is still one hell of a disappointment considering the source material and the talented cast involved. "The Great Gatsby" is terrific story that doesn't need all the distracting flash and flare that Luhrmann throws at the screen. While it certainly won't be the worst film of the year, you can possibly chalk this up to the year's biggest disappointment. I give The Great Gatsby a D+ (★½).

Black Rock

Cast of Characters:
Abby - Katie Aselton
Lou - Lake Bell
Sarah - Kate Bosworth
Henry - Will Bouvier
Derek - Jay Paulson
Alex - Anslem Richardson

Director - Katie Aselton
Screenplay - Mark Duplass
Rated R for some strong violence, pervasive language, sexual references and brief graphic nudity

      Horror/Suspense films set in the woods have had their dead horse beaten so many times, Lionsgate released a clever parody of the genre recently titled The Cabin in the Woods. In the winter of 2012, LD Entertainment released Black Rock at the Sundance Film Festival. Now in the spring/summer of 2013 it is finally being released nationwide.

      SPOILER ALERT: The following plot summary does contain a necessary spoiler, so you've been forewarned. Wanting to mend the divide between two of her childhood friends, Sarah (Kate Bosworth) has invited Abby (Katie Aselton) Louise aka "Lou" (Lake Bell) to a remote island they used to camp at as kids. Once at the island, they run into three hunters, Derek (Jay Paulson), Alex (Anslem Richardson), and Henry (Will Bouvier), the latter of which the three girls remember from elementary school.

      While all together for a bonfire, the three men tell the girls that they recently returned from deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan. While this is going on, Abby - about three sheets to the wind at the moment - runs off with Henry into the woods to have sex. Midway through the deed, she changes her mind, which leads to Henry forcing himself on her. Fearing for her life, Abby accidentally kills Henry. Upon discovering that their friend has been killed, Derek and Alex try to track down the girls in order to kill them.

      While this film technically does belong in a genre that has gotten more than long in the tooth, Black Rock is a refreshingly effective thriller bolstered by three strong female lead performances. What differentiates this film from the many other trite and cliche thrillers of the same nature we tend to get nowadays is the realistic approach the filmmakers take in terms of the characters and the story. The dialogue and chemistry between star/director Aselton, Bell and Bosworth is never better and yes, both Aselton and Bell may strip down nude (Wow, in a thriller set in the woods?), but you'll come to find their reason for doing so is very legitimate. Jay Paulson spares us from having to sit through any over the top tirade speeches we tend to get from the cardboard cutout villains and is genuinely chilling. We also get some truly effective lighting and photography from cinematographer Hillary Spera with a final film shot that's perfect.

      At just around eighty minutes, Black Rock never carries on longer than it needs to. Credit both director Katie Aselton and screenwriter Mark Duplass (Katie's husband and also costar on the underrated TV show The League) for keeping this film short, simple, and to the point. Aselton shows a lot of potential as a director and combined with Duplass's sharp script, what could've been just another worn down, tired out, run of the mill thriller proves to be the exact opposite. I give Black Rock a B+ (★★★½).

Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

      Hello, once again, readers, today is my video pick of the week. This week's pick is a criminally overlooked film from 2001 with a very talented cast and an extremely engaging story.

      13 Conversations About One Thing focuses on the lives of four individuals and how their lives - coincidentally or not - intersect with each other. Troy (Matthew McConaughey) is a young and ambitious District Attorney from New York City who, after a winning a big case, goes out to celebrate with his colleagues at the bar. Beatrice (Clea DuVall) is an idealistic cleaning woman who's optimistic outlook on life and how "everything happens for a reason" is put to test following an incident. Gene (Alan Arkin) is a mid-level insurance claims manager who's balancing both his personal life, which involves his son's constant battle with drug addiction, and his work life. College Physics professor Walker (John Turturro) is in the midst of a mid-life crisis, having an affair with a fellow colleague. Through one instance or another all four strangers intersect within each others' lives.

      While not a flashy film by any means, I couldn't help but find myself thoroughly engaged by this philosophical tale of how random strangers have the capability of altering each others' lives through one choice. We've all heard the saying, "No man is an island", and that's the case here. Whether it's a random act of kindness or quite the opposite, we all are capable of making an impact in someone's life and vice versa, even if it's someone we've never met and will never interact with again. The performances by Matthew McConaughey, Alan Arkin, Clea DuVall, and John Turturro are uniformly strong. We also see a quietly restrained and terrific supporting performance from Amy Irving as Turturro's wife and a solid small role from pre-It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Rob McElhenney for those of you who, like me, are fans of the show. With strong acting and a sharp, profound script from sibling writers Karen and Jill Sprecher, this is a low-key yet strong work of film.

What the Hell Were They Thinking?!

      Happy Memorial Day, readers. Hope your holiday weekend has been going well. Today I have a new "What the Hell Were They Thinking?!" pick for you. This week's pick is - wow, what a surprise - a Syfy Channel original film starring Corin Nemec from the 90's show, Parker Lewis Can't Lose. Remember that show? Neither can I.

      Mansquito (aka Mosquitoman) begins with Dr. Jennifer Allen (Musetta Vander) in Baltimore, Maryland, trying to find a cure for the Gillian virus, a virus similar to West Nile but slightly more deadly. Both she and a colleague of hers have collected a number of infected mosquitoes and injecting them with radiation. Why? Who knows, but it has to be the exact levels despite not specifying what exactly are the "exact" levels. It always has to be "exact" levels; otherwise the shit hits the fan. Meanwhile convicted felon Ray (Matt Jordon) agrees to become a test subject in exchange for his life sentence. The police transport Ray to the facility and in a sudden moment of rational decision making, he takes a hostage and demands Dr. Allen to open the experiment room. The police open fire which causes an explosion within the experiment room, dousing both Ray and Dr. Allen with the chemicals containing, yes, the exact levels of radiation. This resulting accident transforms Ray into a mosquito... a six foot, blood thirsty, jacked on "the juice" mosquito. Dr. Allen, having also been infected from the accident returns home to her boyfriend, Lt. Tom Randall (Corin Nemec), and begins to notice that she's changing, but not as fast as Ray did. Thankfully, she has antibodies within her system called a plot contrivance that keep her from rapidly transforming.

      This film shares a lot of similarities with 1986's The Fly, starring Jeff Goldblum, and in a way Mansquito is just like the David Cronenberg thriller... minus the great performances from both Goldblum and Geena Davis, the Oscar winning makeup effects, the sharp direction from Cronenberg, and the slow, tense pacing of Goldblum's transformation. You know, while watching this movie, my mind started to wander a bit. Halfway through I started thinking, what's the deal here? It's a six foot mosquito with a bit of roid rage. Get a fireman's hose and about a hundred gallons of Off! Problem solved. Exact levels be damned, just hose the son of a bitch. If in the event he does stab you with his dagger like Proboscis and starts sucking your blood, just flex your muscles. Mosquitoes hate it when you do that. The acting was so atrocious I started to suspect the filmmakers just did a casting call through Craigslist, or just posted an ad bulletin at a nearby laundromat. Corin Nemec was the "big get" here, and he must've been ecstatic to see his name put before the film's title. See, you're a star then. Must've been a greater feeling than even starring in Operation Dumbo Drop - the high point of his career. His performance was absolutely, well, I wasn't really paying attention to his performance. I was more wondering how the hell the Mansquito could kill any other human within seconds, yet this cop with the douchy looking slicked back hairstyle that looks like he couldn't even fight off a Care Bear is somehow able to fight him off with a taser. The transformation scene with Ray was - well, it has to be seen. The best way I can describe his face being formed into the head of a mosquito is it's similar to that Windows screensaver with the morphing cube of different colors. The only difference is the screensaver's more breathtaking. I remember John Landis's great film, An American Werewolf in London. That scene where David Kessler transforms into the werewolf was groundbreaking not only in terms of makeup effects, but visual effects as well. We've come a long way since 1981 in terms of film effects, and apparently this film didn't get the memo. Of course, like any other God awful monster flick, the female doctor's always this smoking hot bombshell, which explains why she doesn't transform as fast as the convict does. Oh, they'll give her a few small transformation spots here and there and turn her eyes bloodshot red, but that's about it. Other than that, her morphing moments consist of her in the bathroom ripping her shirt off, crouching down in her bra and panties and moaning in pain. Oh, that explains it! I was expecting a shower head to pop on and splash her with water while she tosses her luxurious hair in slow motion to Warrant's "Cherry Pie". Finally, I gotta bring this up. Just how the hell does a film like this - and I'm positive this ain't the case for just this Syfy Channel film - get pitched to the studio heads? "So get this. We start off with this deadly virus that can wipe out humanity, and we'll throw in phrases like West Nile virus and 'exact levels of radiation' so people will think this is a taut, intelligent thriller. Then we have a guy turn into a big mosquito." "Well, that sounds promising! I like the little 'exact levels of radiation' touch. Makes the film more scientifically credible than people will give us credit for. Say, can you have the doctor look like a porn star?" "Uh - yeah. Why would we have it any other way? You're gonna love her transformation scene!" "Outstanding! Here's millions of dollars! I was gonna wipe my ass with it anyway."

The Hangover Part III

Cast of Characters:
Phil Wenneck - Bradley Cooper
Dr. Stuart “Stu” Price - Ed Helms
Alan Garner - Zach Galifianakis
Leslie Chow - Ken Jeong
Jade - Heather Graham
Sid Garner - Jeffrey Tambor
Doug Billings - Justin Bartha
Marshall - John Goodman

Director - Todd Phillips
Screenplay - Todd Phillips & Craig Mazin
Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, some violence and drug content, and brief graphic nudity

      2009's The Hangover was one of the surprise hits of that year. It further propelled Bradley Cooper into leading man status, gave Ed Helms (who already had success as Andy Bernard on TV’s The Office) a springboard for his film career, and pushed Zach Galifianakis into mainstream comic acting success. Following 2011's sequel, Phil, Stu, and Alan - or should I say, the Wolfpack - are back in the third and final entry in the dark comedy series, The Hangover Part III.

      After causing a horrendous highway accident that winds up making top story headlines on almost every media outlet, Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) is given the tough reality check by his friends and family that he needs to enter rehab. This was made particularly clear to those close to Alan after his not so sober speech at his father Sid Garner’s (Jeffrey Tambor) funeral. At first, Alan is stubborn and refuses to go; however, he winds up changing his mind, but only on the condition that the rest of the Wolfpack take him there. Finally agreeing to go, Alan heads off to a rehab facility in Arizona with his gang, Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper), Stu Price (Ed Helms), and his brother-in-law Doug Billings (Justin Bartha).

      On their way to the facility, however, they are run off the road by a group of thugs that blindfold and kidnap them. They awake to meet Marshall (John Goodman), a man who's name they recall from their first trip to Vegas back in The Hangover. Through pen pal letters between Alan and Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), Marshall explains to them he discovered that Chow stole half of the gold he obtained in a $42 million heist. Holding Doug hostage, Marshall gives the Wolfpack an ultimatum: find the $21 million half that Chow stole, bring Chow to him, or Doug gets killed.

      I remember saying in my 21 & Over review that The Hangover wasn't a masterpiece comedy by any means, but it still was a laugh out loud comedy due to the comic chemistry between the three leads of Cooper, Helms, and Galifianakis. The Hangover Part II, while still funny, wasn't quite as good as the first simply 'cause it seemed like they were just running through the same formula. The Hangover Part III takes a completely different approach than the first two, even a bit more darker at times, and succeeds. There technically isn't a "hangover" moment here in the third entry, but that doesn't stop Cooper, Helms, and Galifianakis from playing off each other so well. Galifianakis once again proves to be the scene stealer here amongst the three, and it really wasn't until this film that I realized underneath the crazy, mentally unstable, and unorthodox antics of Alan Garner, there's an odd sweetness to his character - particularly in a scene involving a kid that I'll refrain from saying who. In spite of just how insanely crazy everything he says to Phil and Stu seems not just to them, but us the viewers as well, he still means what he says wholeheartedly. It's like he truly would be upset at the number of phone app download hours he'd have to re-spend if he lost his phone like Phil did. The always dependable John Goodman plays a terrific villain. Melissa McCarthy pops up in a cameo where both she and Galifianakis hit it spot on together, and there's one key moment on top of Caesar's Palace that contains a stunt that's excellently choreographed.

      I will admit, like with the past Hangover films, Ken Jeong's Leslie Chow wears on your nerves after a while. I can't quite fault the writers for that considering their intentions were clearly to make him obnoxious, 'cause that's what he is. I just sat there thinking if they somehow make a spinoff film focused on Chow (which I doubt), unlike these films, imagine how excruciating that would be to sit through. Despite Chow being in one or two more scenes than he should be, I don't quite get the hate for this film. Most of the criticism seems to be based on how "different" this film is from the others. So you didn't like the first sequel 'cause it was too much like the first, now you don't like this one 'cause it's too different? Come on. It's like "beggars can't be choosers" here. While not quite packing the surprising punch that came with the first, this is still slightly better than the second. I may be that lone voice in the wilderness, but who cares? I laughed quite a bit here. I give The Hangover Part III an A- (★★★½).

REVIEWS COMING LATER NEXT WEEK...

What the Hell Were They Thinking?!

Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

Black Rock

The Great Gatsby

After Earth

Now You See Me

Fast & Furious 6

Cast of Characters:
Dominic Toretto - Vin Diesel
Brian O’Connor - Paul Walker
Luke Hobbs - Dwayne Johnson
Letty Ortiz - Michelle Rodriguez
Mia Toretto - Jordana Brewster
Roman Pearce - Tyrese Gibson
Tej Parker - Chris “Ludacris” Bridges
Han Seoul-Oh - Sung Kang
Gisele Yashar - Gal Gadot
Owen Shaw - Luke Evans
Riley - Gina Carano
Arturo Braga - John Ortiz

Director - Justin Lin
Screenplay - Chris Morgan
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language

In 2001, The Fast and the Furious was released starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Fast forward to today, twelve years later, and we now have the sixth installment in the near two billion dollar grossing action film franchise, Fast & Furious 6.

      Following the events that took place in their successful Rio heist, the “Fast and Furious” gang led by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) have retired. Dominic lives with his girlfriend outside the states. Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) and Dom’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) have had a son together. Both Gisele (Gal Gadot) and Han Seoul-Oh (Sung Kang) have moved to Hong Kong, and Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) live it up “lifestyles of the rich and famous” style.

      After a Russian military convoy is destroyed, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and his partner Riley (Gina Carano) track down Dom, requesting his help along with the help of Dom’s team. They believe former British Special Forces soldier Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) was the mastermind behind the recent attack and Dom has what it takes to bring him down. Dom at first refuses, that is until Hobbs shows him photos of his former girlfriend Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), whom Dom thought was dead. Dom is able to bring together the entire crew and they all agree to help if and only if Hobbs is able to grant them all full pardons.

      I’ll be honest. I hate The Fast and Furious films, so it was hard for me to go into this film without being slightly biased against it. That being said, I found this film to be the best of the series. Whoa, hold on. Slow your roll, Benjamin. Don’t get me wrong. This film has its flaws, quite a few of them actually. The acting’s what you’d expect from this film, bland with a side order of Vin Diesel sounding like a battered drunk, muttering through his dialogue for an hour and a half to two hours. Luke Evans as the main villain is about as intimidating as the Strawberry Shortcake doll, and at times the dialogue is pure cheese, particularly whenever the gang goes from committing high stake felonies to sipping back cold ones by the barbeque, talking about the importance and value of family. That being said, I would never walk into a film like this expecting acting out of Scorsese film and a David Mamet script. You’ll be sorely let down if you do. To its credit, there are a few exciting action sequences by director Justin Lin that are so over the top you have to believe that Lin and Co. this time around wanna make the film a bit more self-aware of just how ludicrous it really is. Tyrese Gibson and Chris Bridges both provide some dependable comic relief at times, and the very end of the film provides a glimpse at the next villain that no one could see coming from a mile away. Yes, there will be a seventh film, and at this point, hell, why not?

      While this is far from good and I really can’t emphasize that enough, I also felt it's far from the garbage that were its predecessors in the series. In spite of all the flaws, there’s still enough for me to give this a mild recommendation, which is a lot more than I can say about the previous films and a lot more than I was expecting to give this one. It'd seem kinda odd for me to tell you just skip the other five films and watch this one, but continuity be damned. I give Fast & Furious 6 a C (★★½).

Epic

Cast of Characters:
Ronin - voiced by Colin Farrell
Nod - voiced by Josh Hutcherson
Mary “M.K.” Katherine - voiced by Amanda Seyfried
Mandrake - voiced by Christoph Waltz
Mub - voiced by Aziz Ansari
Grub - voiced by Chris O’Dowd
Bufo - voiced by Pitbull
Professor Bomba - voiced by Jason Sudeikis
Nim Galuu - voiced by Steven Tyler
Queen Tara - voiced by Beyonce Knowles

Director - Chris Wedge
Screenplay - William Joyce, James V. Hart, Daniel Shere, Tom J. Astle & Matt Ember
Based on the children’s book “The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs” by William Joyce
Rated PG for mild action, some scary images and brief rude language

      

      Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, and Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz lend their voices in the new animated feature film, Epic, from the same creative minds that brought you Ice Age and the underrated Robots. Is this film worth taking your family out to see during Memorial Day Weekend, or should you give this one a pass?

      Epic opens with Mary Katherine (voiced by Amanda Seyfried), a near-20's teenager, visiting her odd and eccentric scientist father, Professor Bomba (voiced by Jason Sudeikis). For quite some time, Professor Bomba has been convinced, through research of his, that there is a world within their own world of tiny human soldiers. Mary Katherine is obviously skeptical of her father, but unbeknownst to both of them, Professor Bomba is right. Within their world, there lives two races, one good and one evil. The Leafmen are protectors of the forest led by Ronin (voiced by Colin Farrell) and all guided under the rule of Queen Tara (voiced by Beyonce Knowles). Nearby the Leafmen live the Boogans, led by Mandrake (voiced by Christoph Waltz), the Boogans ruthless leader determined to destroy the forest.

    One day while Mary Katherine is out chasing after her dog that broke out of the house, she finds a dying Queen Tara who was brought down by Mandrake's army. Tara gives Mary Katherine a mysterious pod and uses what power she has left to shrink her. Mary Katherine, clearly confused by what just happened, is met by Ronin along with Grub (voiced by Chris O'Dowd) and Mub (voiced by Aziz Ansari), a snail and slug respectively that are both given the responsibility of guarding the pod. She joins the three hoping they can help her find Nim Galuu (voiced by Steven Tyler), the wise, old Glowworm sage of the forest who Queen Tara told Mary Katherine to give the pod. Together, along with Nod (voiced by Josh Hutcherson), a feisty and independent young soldier under Ronin's guidance, the Leafmen must protect the pod, which contains the next heir to rule the forest, from Mandrake and his army of Boogans.

      I'm of two minds on this film. On the one hand, the gorgeous visuals and animation provide a vibrant look and feel to this film that's as good as any other animated film out there today. Along with the visuals, there are few standout voice-over performances from Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Farrell and in particular Christoph Waltz, who like Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins, has a voice just perfect for voice-over. On the other hand, the story is a tad bit mediocre and, other than the fact that it borrowed a little bit too much from Fern Gully, doesn't really pick up the pace until about halfway through the film. This isn't the first animated film to deal with the lead girl with a dead mother angle, and it seems they all have to have the token two wisecracking pair of creatures. Also, in spite of the standout voice-over work, I felt both Beyonce and Steven Tyler didn't really add much. Being an Aerosmith fan myself, I know full well how animated Tyler can get, and you'd think he'd be perfect here. That being said, they both just seemed to phone it in.

      All things considered, I'm still gonna give this a mild recommendation. In spite of a few bland voice-over performances, and the somewhat average story, out of all the films out right now, this is one of the few the whole family can see, that's including the little ones. The animation is excellent and there are some terrific action sequences. The kids will also get a kick out of Professor Bomba, the Grub and Mub creatures, as well as finding Christoph Waltz's Mandrake to be an effectively scary cartoon villain. If you're looking for a film to take the whole family out to see this holiday weekend, in spite of its flaws, this film is still worth a watch. I give Epic a B (★★★).

Peeples

Cast of Characters:

Wade Walker - Craig Robinson

Grace Peeples - Kerry Washington

Virgil Peeples - David Alan Grier

Daphne Peeples - S. Epetha Merkerson

Simon Peeples - Tyler James Williams

Melvin Van Peebles - Grandpa Peeples

Nana Peeples - Diahann Carroll

Director - Tina Gordon Chism

Screenplay - Tina Gordon Chism

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug material and language

      Craig Robinson has been a consistently dependable comic actor in supporting roles such as Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Zack and Miri Make a Porno and is probably best known for his role as Darryl Philbin in the great American version of The Office on television. In 2013, he finally gets his own starring vehicle in Peeples.

      Wade Walker (Craig Robinson) is a "Kounselor" (the K was his idea) for kids that are struggling with childhood problems. He manages to hit a bit of success with a kids motivational song he wrote, "Speak It (Don't Leak It!)". His girlfriend, Grace Peeples (Kerry Washington) is a lawyer who comes from a successful Kennedy-esque type family (Wade refers to them as the Chocolate Kennedy's). Wade has been trying to muster the courage to finally propose to her, but just hasn't been given the right opportunity to do so.

      Over at Sag Harbor in the Hamptons, Grace's family plans on celebrating their annual reunion for Moby Dick Day. Grace, being particularly intimidated at the thought of introducing Wade to her family, decides to attend the reunion without him. After a year of dating Grace, Wade decides it's the right time to meet her family in person, so he heads out to Sag Harbor to surprise Grace and maybe even eventually "pop the question" to her. Upon arriving at her family's house, he meets Grace's father, a Federal Judge named Virgil Peeples (David Alan Grier) who's instantly not too thrilled with the fact that the man courting his daughter is one who has achieved success from "singing songs about urine to minors".

      Here's the problem with this film - outside the fact that Tyler Perry's name is attached to it. Tweak the story a bit with the surprise element of meeting the family and switch the characters from White to Black. You still have Meet the Parents - a much better film. Everything about this movie - the demanding father, the boyfriend in a line of work the dad isn't keen on, the slacker teenage brother causing trouble that everyone assumes is Wade, the "little secret" the dad's trying to keep from the family - it's all a mirror image of the Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller comedy from 2000. You could maybe get away with it if you advertised it as say, "the Black version of Meet the Parents". While not a good film, 2005's Guess Who, starring Ashton Kutcher and the late Bernie Mac at least gets credit for blatantly being advertised as a remake of the classic Guess Who's Coming to Dinner with the race roles switched. Honestly, I don't know how they could advertise it any other way.

      Craig Robinson is obviously a terrific comic actor and the lovely Kerry Washington is always a screen presence. The two of them do have their moments and there is some shared chemistry together. Plus, it's great to see David Alan Grier back onscreen. That being said, Peeples is too much of a Meet the Parents ripoff ending in a predictably lackluster conclusion for me to give it even a mild recommendation. While not as overly preachy as other Tyler Perry films (he produced this film), Peeples is still overall just a mediocre effort. I give Peeples a C- (★★).

Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

      Readers, it’s time for this week’s video pick. My recommendation this week recently won Best Picture as well as Best Actor, Director, Original Score, and Costume Design at the 2012 Academy Awards. It also utilizes a style of film not commonly seen since decades ago.

      The Artist tells the story of silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). Valentin is the biggest star of the silver screen set during the silent era of film in the mid to late twenties. While posing for pictures outside a film premiere of his a young woman, Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), accidentally bumps into him. Valentin takes no offense and reacts with amusement, even allowing Peppy to be in a few shots. The next day Peppy winds up as front page material with the heading, "Who's That Girl?" Things keep looking up for her when Valentin insists on her having a part in his next film, despite the objections of his studio boss, Al Zimmer (John Goodman). Gradually, Peppy begins to rise within the industry, eventually becoming a star in her own right. Two years later, Zimmer brings in Valentin to show him a new film. The difference is this film has sound. Despite Zimmer telling him that the silent film era is coming to a close and that the "talkies" are the future of film, George is dismissive and views sound in film as only a fad. Refusing to take part in the new and burgeoning film era, Valentin finds it harder and harder to achieve film success, all the while Peppy's now become the big silver screen star that he once was.

      Some of you might be a little turned off at the thought of seeing a silent film. Let me tell you, though, a great film is a great film regardless of style or genre, and The Artist is a great film. Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius earned every bit of the directing Oscar he won with his pitch perfect ode to silent films. Everything from the black and white color, the 1.33:1 screen ratio to the slightly lower frame rate of 22 fps, giving the film a more sped-up look (standard is 24) are all nods to that period of film set during the early 20th century. To be fair, the film isn't entirely silent, but the moments where there are sound - as few as they may be - are great touches of cleverness from Hazanavicius. Both Jean Dujardin and the beautiful Berenice Bejo deliver two terrific performances, and the chemistry between them couldn't be any better. Obviously, since there is no spoken dialogue, their performances are sold through their body language. There is a risk of going over the top or as they say in the film, "mugging for the camera", but both Dujardin and Bejo give just the right amount of body language and strike just the right tone with their Oscar worthy performances (Both were nominated, Dujardin won). There are also some fine supporting work from many other well known performers such as Penelope Ann Miller, James Cromwell, and John Goodman, and I can't forget the Oscar winning score. With any silent film the score is by far essential to its greatness considering the music goes hand in hand with the performances. In a way, it's like the phrase, "Let the music do the talking." Take my word for it, this is a phenomenal film that I hope you enjoy as much as I did. With flawless direction and perfect performances, The Artist is a funny, romantic, and moving tribute to a once great era of film now long past.

What the Hell Were They Thinking?!

      Hello, readers, it's time for this week's "What the Hell Were They Thinking?!" This week's car crash is a little bit different from what you'll normally see in this segment. Most films here - about 99.99999999% of them - will be the type of movie with the general consensus that it's pure crap. This week's pick is a film that received a bit of critical acclaim and even a couple top ten lists.

      Across the Universe is a romantic drama/musical set to a number of Beatles songs featuring the characters Lucy ("Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds"), her brother Maxwell ("Maxwell's Silver Hammer"), his friend Jude ("Hey Jude"), along with Sadie ("Sexy Sadie"), Jojo (mentioned in "Get Back"), and Prudence ("Dear Prudence"). Well, isn't that cute? Lucy and Jude join an anti-war movement after Lucy's brother Maxwell is drafted and sent to Vietnam. Others in the movement with Lucy and Jude is Sadie and Jojo, two musicians that resemble Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix so much, you'd swear at some point a Jim Morrison lookalike will pop up too, but probably not 'cause they wanna keep it PG-13. Why Janis and Jimi parallels? Why not Desmond or Vera or Molly or Julia or Sally or, hell, even Rocky Raccoon?

      The good news for this movie is that you'll laugh out loud through quite a bit of it. The bad news for it is it'll mostly happen when you're not supposed to. This film may have had its share of critical acclaim (to be fair, reviews were mixed), and award nominations, yet that didn't stop me from wondering after the first few seconds went by, "How the hell did this get the green light?" When the film wasn't downright unintentionally laughable, it was eye popping, mouth dropping bizarre. Eddie Izzard as Mr. Kite and Bono (excruciatingly bad here) as Dr. Robert are two prime examples. Hey, see what they did there? In particular, Bono's scene belting out "I Am the Walrus" in his "Beyond" bus along with a number of other crazy, groovy, possibly drug addled hippies had me actually wondering just how high I really was. Keep in mind, I've never done drugs in my life. It's just that part in the film had me second guessing for a moment. Then we get the number of wink at the camera moments. Prudence shows up at the group's little Greenwich Village hippie pad and crawls through the bathroom window. When Sadie - yes, looking all sexy at the moment - asks where she came from, Jude and Maxwell respond back, hell do I even have to say it? The writing is so cutesy and overly sugary sweet with all its bull shit winks and nods I'm surprised the writers didn't use the pseudonym "Savoy Truffle". Hey, see what I did there. All this coming from one who does not have a bias against musicals (The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street are just to name a few of the ones I love). All this coming from one who has really admired lead star Evan Rachel Wood's film career. All this from one whose favorite band just so happens to be The Beatles. Clearly a film like this more than divides viewers' reactions, even amongst Beatles fans. There will be some that think this is an "amazing adventure", and they'll laugh heartily at all the stupid little nods that are as subtle as screaming at the top of your lungs in the middle of packed crowd. I on the other hand kept running "Yer Blues" off the classic "White Album" through my head, "The eagle picks my eye/The worm he licks my bones/I feel so suicidal/Just like Dylan's Mr. Jones/Lonely wanna die/If I ain't dead already/Ooh girl you know the reason why." John and George obviously get a pass here, and I know both Paul and Ringo experimented with drugs during their heyday. I just find it hard to believe there's enough acid in this world to get either of them to agree to this. At least then they could've blamed it all on drugs once done watching it, after which Paul probably would wish he's dead and Ringo would, in fact, like to be under the sea... That is, after hurling himself off the London Bridge. Eh - I'll just blame Yoko.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Cast of Characters:
Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu - John Cho
Commander John Harrison - Benedict Cumberbatch
Dr. Carol Marcus - Alice Eve
Rear Admiral Christopher Pike - Bruce Greenwood
Lieutenant Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott - Simon Pegg
Commander/Captain James T. Kirk - Chris Pine
First Officer Spock - Zachary Quinto
Lieutenant Nyota Uhura - Zoe Saldana
Lieutenant Commander Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy - Karl Urban
Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus - Peter Weller
Ensign Pavel Chekov - Anton Yelchin

Director - J. J. Abrams
Screenplay - Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof
Based upon Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence

      Spock, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, Bones, and Captain Kirk are all back in one of the most anticipated summer blockbuster sequels this year. Does director J. J. Abrams succeed or will he fall prey to the sophomore slump with his second entry belonging to one of the most beloved sci-fi franchises of all-time?

     Star Trek Into Darkness opens with the crew of the USS Enterprise on a mission to the planet Nibiru in order to observe a primitive civilization. When the life of First Officer Spock (Zachary Quinto) becomes jeopardized, Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) violates the Prime Directive by exposing the ship to the civilization. This results in Captain Kirk's demotion, with the Enterprise's command being turned over to Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood).

      The demotion turns out to be short-lived though following a bombing in London. At Starfleet Command, they discover the bombing was caused by former Starfleet Agent Commander John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). Following another terrorist attack by Harrison, Starfleet Command finds outs Harrison has fled to the Klingon homeworld of Kronos. Captain Kirk, now reinstated, has been given orders by Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller) to take his crew of the Enterprise to Kronos in order to track Harrison down and kill him. They also ordered to be as discreet as possible as to not bring about all out war against the Klingon race.

      2009's Star Trek was a huge hit both critically and financially and one I really enjoyed. While I don't consider myself a "Trekker", I still love the Star Trek films as well as the original television series, and what made J. J. Abram's first entry in this series so effective was that it was neither a sequel or a remake. Much like Christopher Nolan's Batman series in relation to Tim Burton's and the original television series, J. J. Abram's Star Trek was a new and different take on the iconic film and television series dating back almost fifty years. Like its predecessor, Star Trek Into Darkness delivers once again. Obviously, the visuals and special effects are eye-popping. You'd expect nothing less from not only a Star Trek entry, but a J. J. Abrams film in general. The casting is spot-on. Chris Pine is once again solid as Captain Kirk, playing him with a "to hell with authority" maverick sensibility we all know Kirk to have. Zachary Quinto is particularly strong as Spock, adding a little bit more of an emotional touch this time around to the normally emotionless Vulcan known for dictating his decision making to what can only be "logical". John Cho as Sulu, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Bruce Greenwood as Admiral Pike, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, and Karl Urban as Bones all turn in solid supporting work. Simon Pegg as Chief Engineer Scotty is so perfectly cast it's sick in the role once owned by the late James Doohan, and Peter Weller (that's right, Robo-Cop) also shows up in a small yet dependable role. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the villain in an eloquent style that at times may seem over the top, but that's not to say he isn't an effective Star Trek baddie. Despite, this film - like it's 2009 predecessor - being what you could consider a reboot, director J. J. Abrams (a die-hard Star Trek fan himself) still shows an immense respect to the original series offering us a number of nods to the Star Trek films of the past.

      While not perfect, this is still an entertaining thrill ride that in no way disappoints. The action sequences are exhilarating. The visuals are mind blowing. The performances are great, and J. J. Abrams shows once again why he's become such a staple within the sci-fi genre. Plus, midway through the film, there is a twist (that I will not give away in the slightest) that got quite a few people in the theater to gasp a little. I give Star Trek Into Darkness a B+ (★★★½).

REVIEWS COMING LATER NEXT WEEK...

What the Hell Were They Thinking?!

Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

Peeples

Epic

Fast & Furious 6

The Hangover Part III

Sightseers

Cast of Characters:

Tina - Alice Lowe

Chris - Steve Oram

Director - Ben Wheatley

Screenplay - Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, & Amy Jump

Not Rated

      When it comes to dry, black comedies, no one does it better than the Brits. Whether it's parodies such as Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, In Bruges, Death At a Funeral, or all the way back to the Kings of British dry comedies, Monty Python, the British have always had a way of combining oddball humor with sharp, witty dialogue down to a perfection. In the late spring of 2012, the newest British black comedy, Sightseers, opened at the Cannes Film Festival. A year later, it has now opened up in a limited release.

      Tina (Alice Lowe) and Chris (Steve Oram) are a thirty-something year old couple from England going on their first holiday (Brit speak for vacation) together. Tina's live a bit of a sheltered life, living with her passive-aggressive mother who thinks nothing of Chris. Chris is an aspiring writer wanting to take Tina away for a bit to visit certain sites around the British Isles (the Crich Tramway Museum, the Ribblehead Viaduct, the Keswick Pencil Museum, etc.) with his Abbey Oxford Caravan.

      Following a tragic accident, Tina and Chris's finds their own dream vacation shaken up, yet they insist on not letting that event get in the way of their vacation. However, after a few more irritating incidents, something within Chris snaps, revealing a side of him Tina would've never expected.

      Opening at Cannes in May of 2012, then in the UK around November of the same year, Sightseers finally was released by IFC Films in the U.S. this year in May. While it is only in limited release, if it does happen to be playing at theater near you, I can't recommend this film enough as I laughed non-stop from beginning to end. This film is witty, sharp, hysterically funny, violent, crazy, and absurd all rolled into one, and my crazy, demented self loved every second of it. Director Ben Wheatley along with writers/co-stars Alice Lowe and Steve Oram (who also received additional material from Amy Jump) do an impeccable job establishing a darkly funny and uneasy tone through the couple's twisted intimacy. Committing their maddening acts of violence and then reacting with such proper politeness (would expect anything else from Brits?) adds much more to the humor. There's a particularly funny moment between the two when Tina realizes what her boyfriend's capable of and she ultimately rationalizes it as eliminating carbon footprints (fewer people = fewer emissions). Who knew serial killers had such an eco-friendly conscience?

      Director Ben Wheatley has now made three feature length films, and up until this film, I had yet to hear of him. Having now seen Sightseers, I'm definitely interested in seeing his two past movies, Kill List and Down Terrace from a couple years back. Granted, I'm sure there will be a number of moviegoers that find the extremely dark humor a bit of a turnoff, but this is by far one of the funnier comedies I've seen in some time. The writing is as sharp and clever as I've seen yet this year, both Lowe and Oram turn in two pitch-perfect, deadpan performances, and the final moment of the movie had me nearly spitting my drink out from laughter. Just a side note about the rating. Despite not being rated, this is obviously a film with R-rated material, so keep that in mind for those of you with reservations. I give Sightseers an A (★★★★).

Mud

Cast of Characters:
Mud - Matthew McConaughey
Ellis - Tye Sheridan
Tom Blankenship - Sam Shepard
Galen - Michael Shannon
King - Joe Don Baker
Senior - Ray McKinnon
Mary Lee - Sarah Paulson
Carver - Paul Sparks
Neckbone - Jacob Lofland
Juniper - Reese Witherspoon

Director - Jeff Nichols
Screenplay - Jeff Nichols
Rated PG-13 for some violence, sexual reference, language, thematic elements and smoking

      Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award nominee Sam Shepard and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon star in the character driven southern drama, Mud. It’s been receiving rave reviews from everyone else. That being said, what’s my take on it?

      Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and “Neckbone” (Jacob Lofland) are your typical young, teenage, southern boys. They love to fish as well as go on adventures in Ellis’s motorboat, an everyday escape from the personal struggles his family is going through. His parents are on the verge of a divorce which would mean the deconstruction of their old river houseboat due to recently passed laws. One particular day, Ellis and Neckbone head out to a small, nearby island in search of a boat stuck in a tree. They find the boat as well as some fresh food inside it, meaning someone is recently occupying it. They head back to their boat to find the same boot prints that they found by the boat in the tree. That’s when they meet Mud (Matthew McConaughey). Mud has been looking to reunite with his old girlfriend Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) for some time now, but being that he is a fugitive wanted for an act of murder he sees as justified, it’s close to impossible for him to reunite out in public with her.

      The boys take a liking to Mud and vice versa, and Ellis manages to do what he can by bringing Mud food. In exchange, Mud promises to give the boys the boat in the tree. However, that promise falls flat when the police ramp up their search for Mud. Things grow more dangerous when the brother of the man Mud murdered, Carver (Paul Sparks), is in town to put a hit on Mud. Mud needs the boat, and asks the boys for help. In return for the help, which includes finding spare parts for the defunct boat, Neckbone wants Mud’s .45 pistol, a deal they both agree on. They also seek out the help of Tom Blankenship (Sam Shepard), an old father figure to Mud that lives across the river from Ellis. Tom at first wants nothing to do with Mud’s situation. In his mind, he can’t bring himself to help a fugitive wanting to reunite with a woman he feels has only brought Mud trouble.

      There’s no question Matthew McConaughey is a gifted actor. Unfortunately, more often than not, he has been cast in one too many chick flicks not worth your time let alone your money. Every now and then, though, he pulls out a gem of a performance. Here he gives what I believe to be a performance that’s nothing short of Oscar worthy. Perfectly cast as the title character, McConaughey, with greasy hair and dirt stained face, is both charming, quirky, crazy, yet most importantly empathetic. Despite the “fugitive from the law” storyline being no doubt a large part of the film, this is not your typical fugitive vs. the law showdown type of movie. This mostly focuses on the relationship between Mud and the two young teens (newcomers Sheridan and Lofland), both of which are genuinely terrific. Lofland, in particular, immediately struck up River Phoenix from Stand By Me comparisons. Character actor Sam Shepard gives a great supporting role as the man Mud looks up to most. While never a Reese Witherspoon fan myself, she still gives one of her best performances to date, and proves that her Oscar winning turn as June Carter in 2005's excellent Walk the Line was definitely not a fluke. There’s also small yet dependable supporting work from Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, and Michael Shannon - writer/director Jeff Nichols “go-to guy”. Overall, there’s a sweetness to this film that never comes close to running the risk of being emotionally manipulative or sentimentally sappy. Young and impressionable, Ellis personally experiences moment after moment that give him every right to believe love ain’t worth it and that it will only break you. It’s the grimy fugitive Mud though - of all people - that gets him to believe that in spite of inevitable moments that bring you down in life, love is still worth fighting for.

      Writer/director Jeff Nichols shows how much of an underrated talent he is, following both equally strong Shotgun Stories and Take Shelter with another character driven drama that’s part fugitive on the run and part coming-of-age tale. The characters are richly written and the story keeps you engaged from being to end. Never settling for unnecessary over-the-top moments, there’s a quiet tone throughout the film (similar to 2010's excellent Winter’s Bone) and the showdown happens at just the right moment and never runs further than it needs to be. Add to that David Wingo’s haunting, “southern swamp” score and Adam Stone’s exquisite cinematography that at times is downright beautifully hypnotic, this is an excellent film and one of the year’s best. With last year’s Killer Joe and Bernie, this film, as well as the upcoming Dallas Buyer’s Club, Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and next year’s Interstellar from Christopher Nolan, McConaughey’s proving he’s capable of more than being the guy that falls for Kate Hudson in just another dumb chick flick. Whether or not he's trying to shed his chick flick image, this is the McConaughey I love to see. I’ve waited all year to say this and it doesn’t come easy. I give Mud an A+ (★★★★).

Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

      Busy week, readers. I'll have four movie reviews up later in the week, but tonight we have my video pick. This week's pick is one of the most underrated comedies ever, and despite starring two of the most recognizable talents in film, still flew under the radar.

      Captain Ron tells the story of Martin Harvey (Martin Short), who upon learning that his recently deceased uncle has bequeathed him a sailing yacht once owned by - of all people - the late Clark Gable, decides to take his family on a vacation to the island of Ste. Pomme de Terre so he can retrieve the boat. When they reach the island, they find out the boat is actually in terrible condition. Upon hearing this, the yacht broker decides to not hire an experienced captain to help navigate the Harvey family back to the states. Instead, he goes local, hiring Captain Ron Rico (Kurt Russell). Despite Captain Ron's quirky behavior, Martin, needing to get back the U.S. so he can sell the boat, settles for his services.

      This is one of those movies that you don't expect much from until you actually watch it. The plot is as simple as they come, but that's not the film's strength anyway. The film's strength lies solely in the comic back and forth between Kurt Russell and Martin Short, who are both hilarious together. Credit should also go to casting directors Mary Gail Artz and Barbara Cohen for casting both Russell and Short in their respective roles. It would've been so expected and easy just to cast Kurt Russell as the straight man and Martin Short - who even prior to this film was no stranger to quirky roles - as the crazy, yet well meaning, Captain Ron. It really is a shame this film flew under the radar as much as it did when it first came out (although today it has gained somewhat of a cult-following), 'cause there really are quite a few laugh out loud moments here whether it's Ron's unorthodox ways of looking after Martin's son, Martin's diary narration or his rant on misreading Ron's warning about "gorillas" ("He could've said freedom fighters... Revolutionaries, but no he says guerrillas!"). All in all, this is a film where you simple leave your critic's brain at the door and just enjoy a good laugh with two great comic performances.

What the Hell Were They Thinking?!

      Hello, readers. I decided to create a new segment of which its inspiration came after borrowing a movie from a friend of mine. He's an avid collector of horror movies and that's including as he puts it "the really crappy ones". So I took this certain film home and gave it a watch. That's when I thought, you know, I do a weekly segment on movies I own that I recommend for viewing. If I have a segment on films that are worth watching, why not have a segment on the exact opposite? I'm not talking about movies that are just bad. You don't waste your time with a movie that's just bad. I'm talking about movies that are so bad, it's comparable to driving by a bloody car wreck. You know you can't help but look. So from here on, every Monday, I'll devote a segment to those films that have straight to DVD and into the Wal-Mart checkout lanes down to a perfection in "What the Hell Were They Thinking?!"

      Mothman begins in Point Pleasant, West Virginia (the origin of the "Mothman" urban legend), with a group of teenage friends at a swimming party. The group pulls a prank on one of the friends that accidentally kills him. Naturally, the group makes the most rational choice by smashing his face in with a rock to leave him unidentifiable and then dumping him in the river. After all, when you can't come up with any good ideas of your own, why not rip off another shitty horror film in I Know What You Did Last Summer? Anyway, ten years go by and one out of the group, Katherine Grant (Jewel Staite), has moved on from the incident and Point Pleasant and now resides as a journalist in Washington, D.C. That means one thing, and one thing only. Her editor, in a nice touch of fresh originality from the writers, is coincidentally wanting a piece on the Mothman and who better to do a story on Mothman than someone who came out of Point Pleasant, Katherine? Of course, she doesn't wanna go back at first, but as we all know, emotional scarring from traumatic events in our lives is overrated anyway. So she heads back home and reconnects with some friends, and then the Mothman shows up every now and then. In a surprising twist, the friends start to die one by one. Then we get the token wise, old guy that comes along and warns the youngsters about the urban legend. Of course, he's blind too - as well as an ornery son of a bitch - 'cause those type of characters absolutely have to have some sort of physical handicap and I guess the writers felt it'd be too cliche to have him in a wheelchair and you most definitely don't wanna be cliche. That's for those shoddily written piles of crap inferior filmmakers pass off as films.

      This makes the Richard Gere 2002 film, The Mothman Prophecies - as flawed as it was - appear comparable to The Exorcist. You catch the Industrial Light & Magic worthy special effects in the clip I played? You know, the one with the other token character - the typical smart ass that probably wouldn't shoot his mouth off as much if Mothman yanked that shotgun out of his hand and crammed it up his ass sideways? I don't even think effects like those could appear first rate to an LSD junkie. Hell, I could pull off better work on Windows Movie Maker. I've also seen more moving performance work from kindergarteners in school program plays. While watching this movie, I saw Jewel Staite and thought, boy, does she look familiar. That's when I remembered. There was a show a while back, I believe I was in Jr. High at the time, called Flash Forward on the Disney Channel. It starred both her and an unknown at the time named Ben Foster. Foster's career really took a turn for the worse as he ended up starring in such critically acclaimed drivel as Alpha Dog, Hostage, The Punisher, Rampart, and The Messenger - which in particular really stunk its way to a career performance from Foster as well as two Oscar nominations. His co-star, Jewel Staite, gets Mothman. This truly is a horrendous piece of garbage, but one - mind you - that's so superbly bad you almost have to wonder if that was the filmmakers' intention. Who are we kidding? I don't think they intended shit. The movie just sucks. That being said, with movies like this, they're so bad, you really have to watch it once just to see how bad it is. It's just like the car crash scenario I brought up earlier, except here you won't get angry looks from those actually helping the victims wondering to themselves, "Who's the morbid dickhead just standing there looking?" I'm not sure if Redbox has it available. Judging from a lot of its content, this is almost too perfect for Netflix Instant Queue. If you don't have Netflix, you may get lucky at your nearby Family Video. Flicks like these are destined for the "Two for a Buck!" section. Of course, priced any higher, and the video joint is - well, pardon my French - clearly fucking you over. If you really hit the Mega Millions Jackpot, you run across it on TV for free since it was made by the SyFy Channel... Who knew?

Trance

Cast of Characters:
Simon - James McAvoy
Franck - Vincent Cassel
Elizabeth - Rosario Dawson

Director - Danny Boyle
Screenplay - Joe Ahearne & John Hodge
Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence, some grizzly images and language

      From Shallow Grave to Trainspotting to the Academy Award winning Slumdog Millionaire, Oscar winning director Danny Boyle has proven himself to be one of the most unique and engaging filmmakers of his era. His new film for 2013, Trance, is now open.

      Simon (James McAvoy) is an assistant auctioneer at a London auction house. On the day they are auctioning off their most valuable item - Francisco Goya's masterpiece "Witches in the Air" - the place is robbed at gunpoint. Simon takes the painting and heads to the basement vault to protect the item, but is soon intercepted by lead robber Franck (Vincent Cassel). Franck knocks Simon unconscious and takes the painting. To his surprise though, he finds out - once opening the case - that the painting is gone.

      Franck needs Simon's help to relocate the painting, but being knocked out caused Simon to lose the memory of where he hid the painting and why he hid it. Franck eventually tries to use hypnosis to bring the location out of Simon. Simon chooses hypnotist Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) to help him.

      This is a film filled with twists and turns throughout. It's sharp, at times funny, but most importantly, it's very entertaining. Although there are really no standout performances, the three leads (McAvoy, Cassel, and Dawson) are all solid in their roles. The writing at times may seem a bit thin, but the twists and turns within the story make up for it. I know there will be quite a few viewers frustrated by the non-stop twist after twist, yet as convoluted as the plot may be, I believe it was writers Joe Ahearne and John Hodge's full intention, as if to give us the same "What the hell?" mind trip experience that McAvoy's Simon is going through. The real gem of this film though is none other than Danny Boyle's direction. Despite, winning a Best Director Oscar in 2009 for Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle is still for some reason an underrated director in comparison to the other greats. His style though is one of the most brilliantly unique ever, and it's clearly evident here. The frantic pacing, manic energy, and vibrant color keep you engaged with eyes glued to the screen as each twist unfolds before you.

      While not a masterpiece like Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, or 127 Hours, this is still by far and away, better than A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach. The ending may have been a tiny bit too sentimental in contrast to the overall vibe of the film, but thanks to Boyle's stylishly effective vision, along with three solid performances, it's still one wild, entertaining ride with a final shot that leaves it up to the viewer to decide what happens. I give Trance a B+ (★★★½).

REVIEWS COMING LATER NEXT WEEK...

What the Hell Were They Thinking?!

Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

Mud

Sightseers

Star Trek Into Darkness    

The Big Wedding

Cast of Characters:
Don Griffin - Robert De Niro
Lyla Griffin - Katherine Heigl
Ellie Griffin - Diane Keaton
Missy O’Connor - Amanda Seyfried
Jared Griffin - Topher Grace
Bebe McBride - Susan Sarandon
Father Moinighan - Robin Williams
Alejandro Griffin - Ben Barnes
Muffin - Christine Ebersole
Barry - David Rasche
Madonna Soto - Patricia Rae
Nuria - Ana Ayora

Director - Justin Zackham
Screenplay - Justin Zackham
Based on the film “Mon frere se marie” by Jean-Stephane Bron & Karine Sudan
Rated R for language, sexual content and brief nudity

      Academy Award winners Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, and Robin Williams star alongside Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried, Ben Barnes and Topher Grace in The Big Wedding, the American remake of the 2006 French film Mon frere se marie (My brother is getting married).

      Don Griffin (Robert De Niro) and his long divorced ex-wife Ellie (Diane Keaton) are preparing for the wedding of their adopted son Alejandro (Ben Barnes) to Missy O’Connor (Amanda Seyfried), the daughter of long-time friends of Don and Ellie. They also have two other children planning to attend, Lyla (Katherine Heigl), their daughter with “daddy issues” who’s having marital problems of her own and Jared (Topher Grace), a doctor pushing thirty who’s still a virgin.

      Of course, problems arise. With a movie like this, there has to be. Alejandro’s biological mother Madonna Soto (Patricia Rae) is coming up from Columbia to attend her son’s wedding. Madonna, a devout Catholic, is completely unaware that Don and Ellie are now divorced and Don is now living with his girlfriend Bebe McBride (Susan Sarandon). Alejandro, not a believer in organized religion, still goes out of his way to appease his mother. First, he gets a Catholic priest, Father Moinighan (Robin Williams) to officiate the wedding. The big kicker though is that he needs Don and Ellie to “play married” for his visiting mother who’s strongly against divorce. Obviously, hijinks ensue.

      If there was an award for Best Middle of the Road, Mediocre Film of the Year, The Big Wedding would win hands down. The performances are uniformly solid, which is truly surprising when you have four Academy Award winning acting veterans along with two comic presences in Katherine Heigl and Topher Grace. The performances aren’t the problem here, and I don’t think anyone would debate that. The problem is everything else. It’s just so conventional. Just look at the poster with the whole family gathered around yucking it up for the camera; how many times have we seen that? The main driving plot of De Niro and Keaton having to play married again for the visiting biological mother while Sarandon pops up here and there, and “Well, hey, who could she be?”, is so “Flintstone’s Episode - Fred having to be at both his bowling tournament and Pebble’s birthday at the same time.” Obviously, hijinks ensue. Secondly, writer/director Justin Zackham goes for cheap innuendo laughs in the typical “big family comedy” aimed at an R-rating. I have absolutely no problem with innuendo humor if it’s at least sharp, biting, and clever. Going for cheap laughs of any sort, be it innuendo or not, is not funny. There’s a reason it’s cheap. You’re trying to push a laugh without putting any effort into it. Plus, the whole subplot of Topher Grace’s Jared still being a virgin was completely superfluous. You’re gonna tell me an attractive guy pushing thirty making a doctor’s salary can’t get any? Now that is suspending disbelief.

      Granted, there is one moment where Heigl and De Niro share a serious scene where they both hit it out of the park, and the film does have its laughs. Williams in particular is nicely restrained unlike other comedy flops he has done recently, but overall it’s just average. It’s nowhere near bad, but it’s nowhere near good. The solid performances and the laughs here and there are enough to merit it a rental, I just wish Zackham spent a little bit more blood, sweat, and tears into the writing, making the humor a bit more sharp. Given the talent that he was working with, he’s without excuse here. I give The Big Wedding a C (★★½).

Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

      Hello, readers, it's time for this week's video pick. Today's pick is one of my all-time favorite movies filmed by one of the most iconic if not the iconic sibling filmmaker duo. It won two Academy Awards in 1997 for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay.

      Fargo is a story based on true events about a plan to get rich by Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) that winds up not going as he planned. A car salesman struggling financially, Jerry tries to find a way to make some good money. Bringing up a supposed real estate deal to his wealthy father-in-law Wade Gustafson (Harve Presnell) didn't work at all. Instead, Jerry meets up with two small-time criminals, Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare), who are willing to help. Jerry's plan would have Carl and Gaear kidnapping his wife and holding her hostage. After his wife is kidnapped, Jerry then will go to Wade and get him to pay a large ransom which he, in turn, will split with Carl an Gaear. At first, the two are naturally puzzled as to why he'd devise such a plan, but nevertheless, they go along with it. After a few events go awry resulting in some innocent deaths, local police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) is called to the scene and begins to investigate those who may be responsible.

      As much as I love The English Patient, this film here deserved to win Best Picture (the Coen brothers were vindicated eleven years later with No Country For Old Men). I don't even know where to begin here: the excellent performances, flawless direction, first-rate cinematography, or the brilliant writing. I could go on and on about the dialogue. It's films like these - along with Tarantino's - that I think would be essential for those in any sort of screenwriting class. The dialogue is dark, vulgar, funny, and incredible rich. Then again, isn't that what the Coens do best? I mean, close your eyes and just listen to that scene I have up above. Just amazing. The performances are phenomenal. McDormand shows just how deserving of Best Actress she really was just with the accent of hers alone. The great character actor William H. Macy (who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor that year as well) gives a terrifically conflicted performance of a man struggling to hide the guilt that clearly eats at him, and both Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare are excellent as the two crooks. There are at least a dozen moments within the film that will have your eyes glued to the screen leading to the one of the most disgustingly picturesque climaxes in film ever. Perfectly crafted by the Coen brothers and exquisitely photographed by cinematographer Roger Deakins, Fargo is a crime-story masterpiece, an instant classic, and a film you will never forget.

Iron Man 3

Cast of Characters:
Tony Stark/Iron Man - Robert Downey, Jr.
Virginia “Pepper” Potts - Gwyneth Paltrow
Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes/Iron Patriot - Don Cheadle
Aldrich Killian - Guy Pearce
Dr. Maya Hansen - Rebecca Hall
Ellen Brandt - Stephanie Szostak
Eric Savin - James Badge Dale
Happy Hogan - Jon Favreau
The Mandarin - Ben Kingsley

Director - Shane Black
Screenplay - Drew Pearce & Shane Black
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content

      After the long wait, one of the most anticipated films of the year, Iron Man 3, is finally here! Being one of the most successful comic book film adaptation series out of the lot, you always run the risk of going in with high expectations. That being said, does the third entry in the series starring Academy Award nominees Robert Downey, Jr., Don Cheadle and Academy Award winners Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Kingsley meet those expectations?

      The film opens on a flashback sequence set during New Years Eve party in 1999. Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) meets Dr. Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), a scientist who created an experimental regenerative treatment called Extremis. They both are approached by Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), a crippled scientist who offers them positions at his company, Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM). Stark appears interested, but only leads Killian on, leaving him hanging at the party.

      Flash forward to present day, following the events that took place in The Avengers. Tony Stark's now suffering from anxiety attacks that are directly related to that Chitauri invasion in New York. Because of this, he's unable to sleep, and focuses all his time and energy building more Iron Man suits leaving him exhausted. This comes at much displeasure and concern from both his girlfriend "Pepper" Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and friend Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle). Tony's situation becomes even more complicated after a series of bombings around the world orchestrated by an international terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley).

      I left the plot summary relatively short for the sake of avoiding spoilers. High expectations can often lead to disappointment. Not the case here. Iron Man has been one of my favorite superhero adaptations, and one of the more consistently good series along with Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Robert Downey, Jr. actually plays Tony Stark more than he does Iron Man throughout the entire film, and the result is a performance that's nothing short of brilliant reaching Award worthy levels at times. Being that this is a comic book film, we gotta mention the villains. The great Ben Kingsley practically steals the show from Downey, Jr. here. There's one scene stealing moment in particular involving the two that I'm not even gonna bring up due to spoilers. Guy Pearce gives an equally strong villainous performance along with Kingsley as the charming yet sinister scientist with a chip on his shoulder against Stark. Plus, it's always great to see two actors like Pearce and Kingsley, both known for doing more dramatic work, dive right into these comic book villain roles and go all out with it. Don Cheadle and Gwyneth Paltrow both reprise their roles as Stark's sidekick and girlfriend respectively and both turn in terrific work. Co-writer/director Shane Black (taking over after Jon Favreau directed the first two) is no stranger to action films with a touch of comedy having written the first two Lethal Weapon films (two of the best action-comedies ever), and the criminally underrated Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (also starring Robert Downey, Jr.), of which was his directorial debut. Black strings together some impressive action sequences decorated with some dazzling special effects. Along with co-writer Drew Pearce, the writing is - like the past two Iron Man films - filled with humor that is sharp and clever. There's even a great buddy-action segment mid-way through the film between Stark and a kid he meets that wants to help him.

      The summer blockbuster season is now here, and Iron Man 3 will go down as one of the best to come out of it this year. With uniformly terrific performances, action packed direction from Black, first rate special effects, great humor, and two intriguing villains, this is an excellent action film that can stand alone as its own film as well as fit in just nicely within the Marvel film series. See it. Hell, see it twice! Also, be sure to wait 'til the end credits for an additional scene. I give Iron Man 3 an A (★★★★).

REVIEWS COMING LATER NEXT WEEK...

Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week

The Big Wedding
Trance