The initial notion of an updated "remake" of the 1980's ultraviolent, ultra campy "Robocop" comes off as sacrilege to those of us who hold it in high regard. Having pretty much emptied the closet on horror/slasher remakes from the 70's, early 80's movie studios have their cash grabbing hands set on seminal classics from the 80's/early 90's that hold a special place in film nerds hearts and still hold up incredibly well on DVD/Blu Ray. The original "Robocop" was released in 1987 and directed by Paul Verhoeven who has also seen another of his signature films from this era, "Total Recall" receive the remake treatment recently. The original was at the forefront of the late 80's surge in violence in film and with a straight to the point title like "Robocop" you knew exactly what you were getting, which was a low budget, campy, over the top multi-genre film that spawned a franchise of its own and countless rip offs. The 2014 comes with a lot of pre release buzz, most notably about the change in Robocop's signature silver suit and the change from the hard R rating the original carried to the more monetarily friendly PG-13 rating and 100 million dollar budget featuring state of the art special effects. It was with great caution that I entered the theater to see the new "Robocop", was this going to be yet another Hollywood cash grab that taints everything that I loved about the original or could this be a new vision for a new century?
The essential storyline from the original is still in tact, Detroit police officer Alex Murphy played by Joel Kinnaman from TV's "The Killing" is critically injured while on duty and is transformed by mega corporation OmniCorp into the first human/robot police officer known of course as "Robocop". The story takes place in the year 2028, its a period where machine justice or more commonly known as drone warfare are taking over. With the American public's support waning its decided that this hybrid is the best way to get the support needed to pass legislation to take this new action to full force and make the public less "robophobic". The premise is topical and relevant in today's world with drone warfare still in its infancy stages but the prologue setting up Robocop actually taking action does drag a little.
If the original "Robocop" did not exist this version would be a perfectly above average movie and the advancement in special effects actually does hold it above the original in that regard. Kinnaman's scenes as a human are perfectly fine and once he is actually "Robocop" he does make his own mark in the shoes owned by the original "Robocop" Peter Weller. The PG-13 rating does contradict the originals take on violence by making this an essentially bloodless movie but features countless amounts of guns and weaponry and acts of violence, its a contradiction that is frustrating in that it shows the truth of crime without the harsh realities of the consequence. The story of "Robocop" trying to keep what is left of his human side while still being an effective police officer and family man works for the most part and there are odes to the original in the opening musical score and flashes of the beloved original "Robocop" suit.
The best thing about the new version is the cast which features a surprising array of actors who are having a great deal of fun with the material. Michael Keaton plays the head of OmniCorp and his role shows that he is on the cusp of taking the Alec Baldwin route of switching from one time leading man to great character actor. Gary Oldman plays the scientist who is the Dr. Frankenstein to Robocop and while it isn't apparent if he is actually aware that he is acting a Robocop movie he still is Gary Oldman and delivers a convincing performance. Samuel L. Jackson (not Laurence Fishburne) appears in an extended cameo as a TV show host in the vein of Bill O'Reilly or Rachel Maddow, he does what Samuel L. Jackson does best: yell and use (bleeped) profanity. The special effects are an update and do enhance the overall story and the filmmakers do the correct thing in keeping the CGI fight scenes down to a couple training scenes in the beginning but even those make it seem like you are watching a video game as opposed to a movie. The relationship between Robocop and his wife and young son is an interesting storyline that is kind of thrown to the background when I would of liked to have seen more and then kind of comes back in the end to really no avail.
My overall opinion coming out of the new "Robocop" is indifference. There is nothing necessarily wrong with the new version and if you aren't familiar with the originals I applaud you to go see it, its a fun ride with topical undertones. As was the case with "The Lego Movie" it is known that you can take a known, beloved commodity and make a good, original movie from it. The Robocop's of cinema past should though be held in a higher regard then just having a "we can make it better" mentality. While overall indifferent if they should make a "Robocop 2" I will purchase a ticket, if with maybe a little less apprehension-just a little.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
The Lego Movie
We are barely into the new movie season and "The Lego Movie" has come out of nowhere to become one of the most imaginative, witty, surreal and utterly enjoyable movie experience I've had in some time. It's rare for a movie to completely surprise me but "The Lego Movie" does this without even stopping to catch its breath. It's both great for the kids with its bright colors and fantastic animation as well as adults with its witty, irreverent, semi politically/socially charged storyline and inside jokes throughout.
The basic story that "Lego" tells is of the main character Emmet Brickowski's unflappable desire to be exactly the same as everyone else in his metropolitan Lego world that he lives in. This Lego world is ruled by "President Business" voiced by Will Ferrel and he has laid out instructions that all the inhabitants live their lives by. Everything from how to exercise in the morning and what TV shows to watch is covered in this manual, think of it like "1984" for tykes. Emmet happens to stubble upon a missing "piece" of Lego lore that proclaims him "the special" and the savior that can overthrow President Business and return the Lego world to prosperity and most importantly individuality. The themes about individuality is really what should resonate with the kids in the audience, the adults will recognize the comparisons to today's world of the NSA and other hot topic political issues that comes off so crisp and funny that it wont matter what side of the aisle you personally sit on. In his quest to truly become "the special" Emmet befriends other master builders such as Wyldstyle, voiced by Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect), a 1960's spaceman named Benny voice by Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), a Lego prophet voiced by the voices of all voices Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption), a unicorn/kitten mix aptly named Unikitty voiced by Alison Brie (Mad Men) and the stealer of the show Batman in all his dark grizzled glory voiced by Will Arnett (Arrested Development). Other recognizable characters such as Superman, Abraham Lincoln and William Shakespeare also appear in Lego mini figure form.
This film is a mix of computer generated animation such as what you see in Pixar movies and stop motion effects as what is seen in movies like "Coraline" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas". The execution is so slick and concise that Lego's look like actual Legos which is much more impressive than how it reads. multiple scenes feature massive set designs including metropolitan cities, large scale car chases with explosions and scenes underwater and in the cloud. All used with Legos. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have a great eye for animation having used it for "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" as well as incorporated it in their live action venture "21 Jump Street". Their visual eye is definitely one to watch as "The Lego Movie" hovers on game changing territory.
The standard "kids movie" has taken a different form as of late. Gone are the days of studios releasing fodder just so mom and dad can get the kids out of the house for a bit. It's still early in the year but I'd be hard pressed to predict that any actual adult comedy released this year will make me laugh as loud and consistently over "The Lego Movie"-especially in the first 40 minutes. Fan's of the actual Lego toys themselves will also have moments to cheer for during the movie as well as fanboys and girls of a certain movie franchise that takes place in a galaxy far far away...
The best way to sum up "The Lego Movie" is that "Everything is Awesome", the adult in me enjoyed it as much as the 10 year old in me would, if not more. Its hard pressed to find a movie that the whole family can go see, mark "The Lego Movie" as the exception to the rule.
The basic story that "Lego" tells is of the main character Emmet Brickowski's unflappable desire to be exactly the same as everyone else in his metropolitan Lego world that he lives in. This Lego world is ruled by "President Business" voiced by Will Ferrel and he has laid out instructions that all the inhabitants live their lives by. Everything from how to exercise in the morning and what TV shows to watch is covered in this manual, think of it like "1984" for tykes. Emmet happens to stubble upon a missing "piece" of Lego lore that proclaims him "the special" and the savior that can overthrow President Business and return the Lego world to prosperity and most importantly individuality. The themes about individuality is really what should resonate with the kids in the audience, the adults will recognize the comparisons to today's world of the NSA and other hot topic political issues that comes off so crisp and funny that it wont matter what side of the aisle you personally sit on. In his quest to truly become "the special" Emmet befriends other master builders such as Wyldstyle, voiced by Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect), a 1960's spaceman named Benny voice by Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), a Lego prophet voiced by the voices of all voices Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption), a unicorn/kitten mix aptly named Unikitty voiced by Alison Brie (Mad Men) and the stealer of the show Batman in all his dark grizzled glory voiced by Will Arnett (Arrested Development). Other recognizable characters such as Superman, Abraham Lincoln and William Shakespeare also appear in Lego mini figure form.
This film is a mix of computer generated animation such as what you see in Pixar movies and stop motion effects as what is seen in movies like "Coraline" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas". The execution is so slick and concise that Lego's look like actual Legos which is much more impressive than how it reads. multiple scenes feature massive set designs including metropolitan cities, large scale car chases with explosions and scenes underwater and in the cloud. All used with Legos. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have a great eye for animation having used it for "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" as well as incorporated it in their live action venture "21 Jump Street". Their visual eye is definitely one to watch as "The Lego Movie" hovers on game changing territory.
The standard "kids movie" has taken a different form as of late. Gone are the days of studios releasing fodder just so mom and dad can get the kids out of the house for a bit. It's still early in the year but I'd be hard pressed to predict that any actual adult comedy released this year will make me laugh as loud and consistently over "The Lego Movie"-especially in the first 40 minutes. Fan's of the actual Lego toys themselves will also have moments to cheer for during the movie as well as fanboys and girls of a certain movie franchise that takes place in a galaxy far far away...
The best way to sum up "The Lego Movie" is that "Everything is Awesome", the adult in me enjoyed it as much as the 10 year old in me would, if not more. Its hard pressed to find a movie that the whole family can go see, mark "The Lego Movie" as the exception to the rule.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Lone Survivor
"Lone Survivor" hits you in the head from almost the beginning in the true, harrowing story of a team of Navy SEALS sent on a mission to locate and kill a high ranking member of the Taliban which goes every which way but right. The movie gets to this set up very quickly and what results is two hours of heart wrenching action and emotion that puts you in the middle of what these true heroes are plighted with on a regular basis.
The movie is based on the memoir by SEAL member Marcus Luttrell, the "Lone Survivor" of this mission played here by Mark Wahlberg. Though Luttrell would be best described as the main character the movie is an ensemble piece with notable co-stars such as Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Taylor Kitsch and Eric Bana. There is not a lot of character development here other than some brief dialogues about home, girlfriends and wives, this is the movies major flaw but it does make up for it in part with the harrowing action and raw emotion that comes from this true story. This appears to be director Peter Berg's main intention as he succeeds in showing the heroism at close range and you come out of the theater understanding the importance that these individuals take on while we the common public live our lives. Wahlberg has always been a dependable actor but due to his popularity in throw away action movies and comedies doesn't get nearly enough opportunities to show his dramatic range. While not a showy performance his role in "Lone Survivor" ranks up there along with his supporting role in "The Departed" and his breakout role in "Boogie Nights".
There is no political agenda in "Lone Survivor", which normally I would say is a good thing but since there is so little character development it at times feels like you are watching just one long battle scene. It is not till close to the end of the movie when Luttrell is rescued by an Afghani villager that the real emotion starts to set in. Director Berg made an impressive movie a few years back "Friday Night Lights" but since has kind of settled into Michael Bay territory with movies such as "Hancock" and "Battleship" that are much more style than substance. I realize that to stay true to fact you can't have long periods of dialogue during the intense battle scenes but I feel its almost necessary to keep the attention of the moviegoer. Berg does deserve credit as this movie is the most accessible to the public as it is about a period in American history that for multiple reasons a lot of us would like to forget. From a technical aspect the battle scenes are nothing short of exhilarating, Berg uses the recently popular "shaky cam" effect to put you on the side of the mountain where the battle takes place but doesn't overuse it to where nausea could take place. The smaller moments, though few they are take precedent over the gunfire and incoherent yelling and the relationship that starts between Luttrell and his Afghani rescuer really add to the overall effect the movie puts on you and is unbelievable, if it weren't true.
I came away from "Lone Survivor" with a much greater appreciation and understanding to what thousands of men and women do for me and our country every day. Just the knowing that this is a unbelievable, true story adds to the emotion that is felt throughout, especially during the end credits when pictures of the real men are shown. The violence is real and no holds barred but isn't excessive or glamorized in any way, shape or form-its necessary. I think true stories such as this do need a platform as no matter what your own opinions are you cannot do anything but admire and respect those that do make the ultimate sacrifice for us.
The movie is based on the memoir by SEAL member Marcus Luttrell, the "Lone Survivor" of this mission played here by Mark Wahlberg. Though Luttrell would be best described as the main character the movie is an ensemble piece with notable co-stars such as Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Taylor Kitsch and Eric Bana. There is not a lot of character development here other than some brief dialogues about home, girlfriends and wives, this is the movies major flaw but it does make up for it in part with the harrowing action and raw emotion that comes from this true story. This appears to be director Peter Berg's main intention as he succeeds in showing the heroism at close range and you come out of the theater understanding the importance that these individuals take on while we the common public live our lives. Wahlberg has always been a dependable actor but due to his popularity in throw away action movies and comedies doesn't get nearly enough opportunities to show his dramatic range. While not a showy performance his role in "Lone Survivor" ranks up there along with his supporting role in "The Departed" and his breakout role in "Boogie Nights".
There is no political agenda in "Lone Survivor", which normally I would say is a good thing but since there is so little character development it at times feels like you are watching just one long battle scene. It is not till close to the end of the movie when Luttrell is rescued by an Afghani villager that the real emotion starts to set in. Director Berg made an impressive movie a few years back "Friday Night Lights" but since has kind of settled into Michael Bay territory with movies such as "Hancock" and "Battleship" that are much more style than substance. I realize that to stay true to fact you can't have long periods of dialogue during the intense battle scenes but I feel its almost necessary to keep the attention of the moviegoer. Berg does deserve credit as this movie is the most accessible to the public as it is about a period in American history that for multiple reasons a lot of us would like to forget. From a technical aspect the battle scenes are nothing short of exhilarating, Berg uses the recently popular "shaky cam" effect to put you on the side of the mountain where the battle takes place but doesn't overuse it to where nausea could take place. The smaller moments, though few they are take precedent over the gunfire and incoherent yelling and the relationship that starts between Luttrell and his Afghani rescuer really add to the overall effect the movie puts on you and is unbelievable, if it weren't true.
I came away from "Lone Survivor" with a much greater appreciation and understanding to what thousands of men and women do for me and our country every day. Just the knowing that this is a unbelievable, true story adds to the emotion that is felt throughout, especially during the end credits when pictures of the real men are shown. The violence is real and no holds barred but isn't excessive or glamorized in any way, shape or form-its necessary. I think true stories such as this do need a platform as no matter what your own opinions are you cannot do anything but admire and respect those that do make the ultimate sacrifice for us.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
The Wolf of Wall Street
"The Wolf of Wall Street" could easily be the most polarizing movie to come out of mainstream Hollywood in quite some time. The movie is the newest collaboration between heralded, legendary director Martin Scorsese and his new, frequent muse Leonardo DiCaprio. Much has been made of the excessive, graphic nature of the movie including sex, drug use and the apparent new record of number of uses of "The F word" at 506 times during its 3 hour running time. The movie does boast all of these things and at times all 3 are going on at the same time. It sometimes goes off into random places and comes back without any explanation as to where it went, its probably about 20 minutes too long because of this but in all it is a chaotic cluster-f*** masterpiece and is my choice for the best film of the year.
The film is based on real life former Wall Street stockbroker Jordan Belfort's memoir of the same name. The film has hints of other movies from this same arena such as "Wall Street" and "Boiler Room" along with Scorsese classics such as "Goodfellas" and "After Hours". This is the 5th collaboration between Scorsese and star DiCaprio and with maybe the exception of the Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator" is their best collaboration as "Wolf of Wall Street" swims gloriously on DiCaprio's shoulders as his performance is a cross between Gordon Gekko from "Wall Street" and Travis Bickle from "Taxi Driver". The characters in "WOWS" are not redeemable in any way but you can't help but seemingly root for Belfort in his odyssey to simply make as much money as possible and live to the fullest excess of life. Jonah Hill is the closest thing to the second lead in the picture which is full of small but effective supporting roles including director/actor/"meathead" Rob Reiner as Belfort's father, the absolutely gorgeous newcomer Margo Robbie as Belfort's 2nd wife Naomi and Matthew McConaughey in a can't miss semi cameo as Belfort's first boss on Wall Street Mark Hanna. His scene with DiCaprio in which he explains the in's and out's of Wall Street is alone worth the price of admission.
Scorsese, going into his 4th decade of making movies looks to be as fresh as ever. All the normal Scorseseism's are here and it still comes off as if it were directed by a hot young upstart. The soundtrack is also a big plus here even without the inclusion of the Scorsese house band "The Rolling Stones". A lot has been made of the glamorizing the films appears to have towards sex, drugs and the faceless victims of the never-ending fraud/manipulation that goes on throughout. The movie is definitely not for the faint of heart but you should know that going in. From all accounts this is how these people acted during the early 90's and if you have any sense you realize the downfall that is coming to each of them and realistically does not glamorize them. The drug use is furious and throughout the picture but one scene in particular involving Quaaludes at a country club is one of the more powerful "drugs are bad" messages I've seen on film, again all the excessiveness and glamour is followed with consequence. Actress Robbie might be criticized as being just a stunning face on screen, which for the most part she is but towards the end she emulates other strong female performances in Scorsese films including Sharon Stone in Casino and Lorraine Bracco in "Goodfellas".
Much like last years "Argo" and "Zero Dark Thirty", "The Wolf of Wall Street" and another potential Oscar contender "American Hustle" are great companion pieces to each other. Both being period pieces of the not too distant past and showcases greed/corruption all while pursuing the American dream. DiCaprio's performance is the major standout between the two, "American Hustle" as a whole is the best acted film of the year, DiCaprio hands down gives the best individual performance of the year and is in thanks in part to Scorsese continuing to show why he is the best, most consistent director of the last 40 years. I'd say that there is no middle ground when it comes to "Wolf of Wall Street", you will either think it should be collecting Razzie's instead of Oscars or is the masterpiece that I say it is.
The film is based on real life former Wall Street stockbroker Jordan Belfort's memoir of the same name. The film has hints of other movies from this same arena such as "Wall Street" and "Boiler Room" along with Scorsese classics such as "Goodfellas" and "After Hours". This is the 5th collaboration between Scorsese and star DiCaprio and with maybe the exception of the Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator" is their best collaboration as "Wolf of Wall Street" swims gloriously on DiCaprio's shoulders as his performance is a cross between Gordon Gekko from "Wall Street" and Travis Bickle from "Taxi Driver". The characters in "WOWS" are not redeemable in any way but you can't help but seemingly root for Belfort in his odyssey to simply make as much money as possible and live to the fullest excess of life. Jonah Hill is the closest thing to the second lead in the picture which is full of small but effective supporting roles including director/actor/"meathead" Rob Reiner as Belfort's father, the absolutely gorgeous newcomer Margo Robbie as Belfort's 2nd wife Naomi and Matthew McConaughey in a can't miss semi cameo as Belfort's first boss on Wall Street Mark Hanna. His scene with DiCaprio in which he explains the in's and out's of Wall Street is alone worth the price of admission.
Scorsese, going into his 4th decade of making movies looks to be as fresh as ever. All the normal Scorseseism's are here and it still comes off as if it were directed by a hot young upstart. The soundtrack is also a big plus here even without the inclusion of the Scorsese house band "The Rolling Stones". A lot has been made of the glamorizing the films appears to have towards sex, drugs and the faceless victims of the never-ending fraud/manipulation that goes on throughout. The movie is definitely not for the faint of heart but you should know that going in. From all accounts this is how these people acted during the early 90's and if you have any sense you realize the downfall that is coming to each of them and realistically does not glamorize them. The drug use is furious and throughout the picture but one scene in particular involving Quaaludes at a country club is one of the more powerful "drugs are bad" messages I've seen on film, again all the excessiveness and glamour is followed with consequence. Actress Robbie might be criticized as being just a stunning face on screen, which for the most part she is but towards the end she emulates other strong female performances in Scorsese films including Sharon Stone in Casino and Lorraine Bracco in "Goodfellas".
Much like last years "Argo" and "Zero Dark Thirty", "The Wolf of Wall Street" and another potential Oscar contender "American Hustle" are great companion pieces to each other. Both being period pieces of the not too distant past and showcases greed/corruption all while pursuing the American dream. DiCaprio's performance is the major standout between the two, "American Hustle" as a whole is the best acted film of the year, DiCaprio hands down gives the best individual performance of the year and is in thanks in part to Scorsese continuing to show why he is the best, most consistent director of the last 40 years. I'd say that there is no middle ground when it comes to "Wolf of Wall Street", you will either think it should be collecting Razzie's instead of Oscars or is the masterpiece that I say it is.
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