Movie Review: Blair Witch

I'm not a horror guy. That's actually been used as a point of criticism for me and my taste of movies. But it is true; I don't get into every horror movie out there. I do, however, consider myself a movie guy; I've seen thousands of films, studied most of them and try to look at each of them as critically and openly as I can. That said, it's time for me to take a look at the new Blair Witch.

(Also, spoilers ahead. While I don't give away any plot details, I may reference some specific events that some may like to discover for themselves. Just...consider yourself warned.)

Filmed under the code title The Woods, Blair Witch is a true sequel to the smash 1999 indie film, The Blair Witch Project. It follows James, a college student/paramedic, as he travels into the the woods in search of his sister, Heather, the main character from BWP. His journey is also the subject of his friend Lisa's film project, which summarily adds Blair Witch to the pile of recent "lega-sequels", movies that connect to a popular film franchise but act more as a reboot than a sequel (see also: Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World). Blair Witch is also filmed in the same found-footage style that Blair Witch Project popularized right before the turn of the century. 

I do have to say that I liked how director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett tie the latest film to the original. The hook of a brother searching for his missing sister was at least believable. It also added something fresh to the script, instead of simply completely rehashing the plot of the first film. Instead, they only partially rehashed it. 

That said, they took quite a few loyalties with the way the movie was filmed. The Blair Witch Project was unique in the sense that it was filmed with two cameras: a black-and-white film camera and a color DV. However, the cast of Blair Witch seem to have every sort of micro-digital camcorder under the sun at their disposal, as well as three extra people to help film (James' lifelong friend, Peter, and his girlfriend, Ashley, accompany them into the woods, as well as local backwater couple, Lane and Talia). So while the cast of BWP were limited in the footage that they could take, BW is able to get every angle possible, including aerials from a goddamn drone.

So, in essence, Blair Witch was shot as if it were a big budget film yet it still suffers from a lack of continuity. During a pivotal scene in which James attempts to calm Lisa, they stare into each other's eyes...by looking directly at the camera. Each of them are wearing ear-mounted micro-cameras, meaning if their faces were inches away from each other as they appear to be, their gazes should be right or left of center. Instead, they stare directly at the audience as they mug for the camera. For whose benefit is that? Was Wingard trying to show a sincere exchange between two characters or is he trying to get the audience to connect with the characters? If the latter, it failed miserably.

Another quibble I have happens at the end of the movie between the same characters wearing the same ear-mounted cameras. In the pouring rain, in which we get full, clear shots of both of them while Lisa's ears are completely shrouded in her hair. Am I being pedantic when I point this out? Perhaps, but these are details that shouldn't slip through the cracks in a Hollywood-backed film with a $5 million budget. Just call me picky.

But let me get to an actual critique of the movie itself. While BWP played with the fears of nature and the unknown, allowing audience's minds to run wild with their own explanation of events, Blair Witch hits almost every possible phobia it can. Fear of eternal darkness? Check. Fear of bugs? Check. Claustrophobia and fear of being buried alive? Check and check. Even voodoo gets a nod (though I have to admit I did appreciate the way that was handled). On top of that, it relies heavily on horror movie tropes; characters act as you'd expect them to in any other slasher-horror film. Even the aforementioned camera drone became a plot device when the time came for it. It was clear that the filmmakers held strongly to the cinematic ideal of Chekov's Gun, using items they've introduced as a way to keep the plot moving.

The only problem is they're making a horror movie that supposedly grounded in reality and that's not how reality works.

Yes, I understand that it's a movie and that movies aren't real. However, the success of the Blair Witch Project was mostly due to the viral marketing that surrounded it. The supplemental websites that spouted "newspaper" articles about the disappearance of the college kids supported the belief that the film was a true documentary. All of that helped to launch BWP to the success it attained. And not once did the movie feel like it needed to utilize every object shown on screen. (Could you imagine what they'd have done with that bag of Utz potato chips?) 

And this was one of the major pratfalls of Blair Witch; it relied on formula, whether it was the horror movie tropes or common filmmaking beliefs. In general, I'm OK with formulaic. There's a reason a formula becomes a formula; because they tend to work. But when you hitch a wagon to a movie like The Blair Witch Project and create a sequel that boils down to "if BWP were a slasher flick", then of course you're going to alienate some fans.

But that doesn't mean I'd consider Blair Witch to be a bad movie. While it does falter in many places, it was genuinely creepy. Early on, the movie relies on jump-scares, probably as a way to acclimate the audience to what's to come. (Not at all a defense; Wingard get points deducted for taking the lazy-man's way of getting a reaction.) But after we get past those, there was a definite aura of freakishness throughout the film that had my anxiety on high-alert. Even the moments that were telegraphed in large, neon letters managed to keep my pulse racing. 

Despite the few slips and falls Blair Witch takes as a whole, it is a scary film, in and of itself. I would think higher of the film if it remained The Woods and didn't continue the sage of The Blair Witch Project. But even BWP was slightly polarizing back in 1999; you either loved the movie for what it was or you hated it for what it wasn't. There were very few in-between opinions of that film. And I feel that that's what makes Blair Witch important. Finally, after 17 years, the people who hated The Blair Witch Project because it wasn't more visceral have a movie that appeals to them better. And I'm OK with that. I may be in the camp that loved The Blair Witch Project but I also enjoyed Blair Witch.

But then again, I'm not a horror guy.

Movie Review: Suicide Squad

Despite the popularity of the MCU, being a fan of comic book and super hero movies can be rough at times; for every Captain America: The Winter Soldier, there's a Fantastic Four or Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. And even the first few films in the DC Cinematic Universe were shaky, with the less that broad accepting of Man of Steel and damn near universal panning of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Which is why I was looking forward to Suicide Squad, the latest offering in the DCCU.

Barely "super" and not necessarily "heroes", the Suicide Squad focuses on a team of bad guys slapped together by a covert government organization in order to provide protection against over-powered threats while offering the most deniability should events turn south. The movie boasts major star power and fan-favorite characters like Harley Quinn (hell, even Batman makes an appearance). But does that mean the movie is any good? (Warning: slight spoilers ahead.)

Whether it's good or not, this poster is goddamn perfect.

Shockingly, one of my favorite parts of Suicide Squad was Will Smith's Deadshot. Since I don't know much about the character (besides what I've seen on Arrow), I really wasn't all that interested in him, but being that they cast Smith in the role I figured he'd be an important part of the film. As the movie progressed Deadshot became the emotional center of the team; grounding Harley and making her see reason, pushing Diablo (Jay Hernandez) to his limits and getting him into the fray. But I loved the way he and Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman) played off of each other. They each oozed a distrust of the other but there was a mutual respect just beneath the surface. Two sides of the same coin, almost. I liked how their relationship unfolded throughout the film and really hope to have a Deadshot/Rick Flagg buddy movie at some point in the future.

You can practically hear "I'm too old for this shit".

Viola Davis was wonderful as Amanda Waller. Cold, calculating and unflinching, Davis had a great screen presence and held her own. I really can't say enough good things about her and the gravitas she brought to the role.

She gives no fucks, especially about my opinion.

Jared Leto was a great Joker. Instead of trying to ape the performances of Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger, he clearly went in his own direction, taking the vision that David Ayers had for the character and putting his own spin on it. However, I can understand it fans of other versions of the character may not like this one. Instead of the over-the-top criminal mastermind that the Joker is portrayed as in the comics, Leto's Joker is more like a twisted mob boss. A godfather of sorts. But there were times that he didn't feel like the Joker but more like a silver-teethed Scarface. They did manage to work in a few Joker-esque flourishes, though, like dressing his henchmen up in weird costumes (and kudos for the cheap Batman mask on that one dude) and the baby clothes laid out on the floor with the collection of knives was creepy as hell.

Double kudos to the homage to this Alex Ross painting.

The worst part about Joker was that he seemed to be shoehorned in. His story wasn't tied to the Squad's; he was the subplot happening congruently to the main story. His plot made a ton of sense, though, given his connection to Harley Quinn. However, most of his scenes slowed the movie down. It became jarring, especially when you wanted to see what happens to the Squad next. That said, I cannot wait to see Leto's Joker in his next outing. Fingers crossed for a Joker/Harley film.

I would have loved a "Mad Love" movie but that's not likely.

It wasn't just the Joker that slowed the movie down. Most of the character's stories are told in flashbacks, especially in the beginning when Amanda Waller introduced the team. After the action kicked in, however, they held to this trope and the pacing suffered because of it. When Katana (Karen Fukuhara) was introduced, we saw a quick scene of her past, giving us a glimpse at her fighting skill. Even later, Flagg took a moment to expound on Katana and what she can do, which seemed like a more logical place to put her flashback. Also, Harley stopped in the middle of the movie to think back on a pivotal moment for her and the Joker, however, this scene didn't add any emotional weight to their relationship or further reveal her character; it was just there.

Good actress. Good character. Majorly underutilized.

And yes, we are going to talk about Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. It was fantastic. She managed to balance the crazy with the heart, giving Harley the depth that the character needs. The film expands on her origin a bit; she's still Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who falls in love with the Joker, but they push it slightly. Again, it was a logical choice that helps to cement the change for the audience so it shouldn't be too hard to swallow by hardcore fans. But going back to Robbie's portrayal, she seems to channel Arleen Sorkin in the way she handles the character. Robbie gives Harley a harsh accent, something akin to the stereotypical New Jersey accent, which makes sense considering Suicide Squad confirms that Gotham is in NJ (represent, son!).She gets the crazy down pat, oozing psychosis from her eyes, but she can also be compassionate. Harley Quinn was one of the biggest, fan-favorite characters in the movie and it's good to see that at least Margot Robbie legitimized that favoritism.

Audiences were concerned about Suicide Squad with the news it had gone back to reshoots a few months before its release. Word was the studios wanted to enhance the levity after critics panned Batman vs Superman for its bleakness. That was probably a wise decision and one that paid off. The movie had quite a few funny bits, quick one-liners that drew some chuckles. But these reshoots are probably the reason the film stumbled in pats. There was a sense on incongruity between scenes and even though it was fairly easy to get back on track, the film suffered slightly for it.

Given the cast of this size, though, not everyone is going to be given much screen time, notably Killer Croc and Captain Boomerang. Croc made a good fit for the team; a part of Batman's Rogue's Gallery, he is one of the highest profile characters in the film. Even the casting of Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (of Oz and Lost fame) only further legitimized it. But while he did play an important part to the plot, his role on-screen was limited to heavily-synthesized one-liners in a bad Louisiana accent. That said, I would love to see him return in a future Batman movie where he can really stretch his muscles, both literally and figuratively.

He looked cool, too.

And Captain Boomerang... I'm a fan of Jai Courtney despite most people's opinions of him. And he did a great job with the part. But unfortunately Courtney wasn't given much to work with. Boomerang seemed to be the loose cannon on a team of loose cannons so he didn't really stick out all that well. He played well within the confines of the team and helped to move the plot along, but the character could have been removed without much detriment to the main story. Most likely Suicide Squad was only used as a vehicle to introduce the character to modern audiences so he can pop up in a future film (a theory supported by the character's flashback).

Finally, the main villain. Unsurprisingly, the "villain" of the story turns out to be a character that's linked to the Squad. (PS, here's where the spoilers come up.) The Enchantress, an millennia-old mystical being played by Cara Delevingne, turns on humanity for no longer worshiping her and summons her brother to help destroy them. It's a logical twist given the history of the character and it offers a true threat for a team that's composed of a guy who can't miss whatever he's shooting at, a human crocodile and a dude that can make and control fire. The only problem with the antagonist is that there's very little depth. They manage to create an emotional attachment through Rick Flagg and his love for June Moone and that's all well and good. But at the end of it, the climax was just another ho-hum action sequence filled with slow motion and CGI. It was a little bit of a let down even though it managed to stay true to the plot.

But Cara Delevingne did great with the part.

In fact, the most disappointing part of the movie wasn't even the movie itself. It was the lack of free giveaway posters at the AMC Theater I went to. As you probably know. AMC was giving away posters to people who bought a ticket to the IMAX 3D showings. I went to a 10:30 AM show on Saturday morning, basically right in the middle of the opening weekend, and they had no posters left. Usually they keep those freebie giveaways under lock and key; they had stacks of the tattoos for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles well into the following week and I still had to ask to get them. But by Saturday, they were all out of the Suicide Squad posters. Which leads me to believe that either the movie did that good in the one location (which is not very likely) or that the employees just left the posters on the counter and patrons took stacks of them to flip on eBay (more likely). Either way, I'm both disappointed and annoyed that I could get a Harley Quinn poster.

I'm still annoyed the next day.

Was Suicide Squad a perfect movie? Nope. But was it a great movie? Hell, I'm gonna say "nope" here, too. But it was a fun movie full of vibrant characters, tight action sequence and spot-on humor. The characterization alone makes the film worthwhile and not to mention to doors it will open up to future installments. I don't think it deserved the overly harsh criticism it's been getting, nor do I think that a petition to shut down Rotten Tomatoes was necessary. The movie stands by its own merits and is probably the best movie in the DC Cinematic Universe so far.

Movie Review: Ghostbusters

It's been about a week since I viewed the new Ghostbusters movie and I've been on the fence about writing up my thoughts on the film. On the one hand, I feel I have a strong understanding of movies, have written numerous movie reviews here on the blog as well as for other sites, and have an opinion, which is at least worth something. On the other hand, given the way I extol the Ghostbusters franchise and that I've been a champion for the all-woman lineup since it was announced, any plaudits I give it will be seen as biased. But, well, here we are.

Warning: Spoilers ahead so if you haven't seen it yet and plan to, proceed with caution.

The newest Ghostbusters centers on Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), a quantum physicist at Columbia University. She's on the precipice of securing her career when it comes to light that she's a co-author of a wildly unfounded book on parapsychology, "Ghost From Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal". She goes to her old friend and colleague, Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), to demand that she take down the book when she gets sucked into an actual ghost sighting. Her reaction to the phenomenon gets her fired from the university, leaving her to join Yates and Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) in creating a paranormal investigation business.

One of my biggest fears going in was that the humor wouldn't resonate with me. I hadn't seen much of Paul Feig's filmography and while I thought Bridesmaids was OK, I couldn't stand The Heat. On top of that, the only actor in Ghostbusters that I had any passing knowledge of was Melissa McCarthy (well, and Chris Hemsworth but I wasn't too focused on him). And even the trailers left much to be desired; though they didn't deserve the vitriol they received, the jokes they showed were luke warm at best.

But as everything unfolded on screen you see how it all works. There were a few rocky starts at the beginning with a couple of punchlines landing awkwardly, but as the movie progressed it started to gel. Even the "ho-hum" jokes from the trailer were funny in context. It has been a long time since I laughed so hard in a movie theater and I'm grateful for Ghostbusters for helping me do so.

What Ghostbusters gets right is the tone. While I hate to compare it to the 1984 classic, it is of course going to become inevitable so let's just go ahead and do that. Feig's Ghostbusters does not have the same tone as Reitman's, but that's not at all a criticism. The new Ghostbusters manages to find its own tone and stick with it. It doesn't try to emulate the magic of Aykroyd and Ramis's script, or the flawless dry humor of Bill Murray. Instead, Feig plays to the strengths of his four leading ladies (and one blonde beefcake) and amplifies their comedic talents. He finds a good balance between comedy and action and maintains that balance throughout most of the film. Granted, the humor took a back seat during the CG-filled finale but overall it still managed to fit some funny bits in there.

Presented without comment.

Ghostbusters sees a ton of celebrity cameos. Nearly the full cast from 1984 graces the screen, with the only holdout being Rick Moranis. While most of the cameos were a fun treat, like Bill Murray as the spectral skeptic or Ernie Hudson as Patty Tolan's (Leslie Jones) mortician uncle, the real disappointment was Dan Aykroyd's crabby cabbie. He spits his lines like he's had a stroke and delivers one of the most half-hearted nods to his original film possible. Don't get me wrong; I respect the hell out of Aykroyd and all the work he did to make this movie a reality, but his cameo made me cringe. I am willing to overlook it, though, based on the classy way they worked a Harold Ramis cameo into the film.


It's not all sunshine and ectoplasm, though. One of the movie's biggest flaws was the editing. Time seems to flow rather abruptly, both from scene to scene as well as overall. While it's evident that they cut a lot of unnecessary scenes to keep the pace of the film moving, in some instances it became jarring. There are things that progressed so quickly that it just felt like it defied logic. Two examples are the numerous ghost-busting inventions Holtzmann creates and how quickly they outfit the hearse as a functioning Ecto-1. I mean, I understand the need to skip over that stuff but it  interrupted the flow.

I also had some problems with the plot, mostly with the main antagonist, Rowan. While I felt that Neil Casey did well with the character, I don't think he was given much to work with. Rowan starts out as an awkward human who makes everyone around him uncomfortable and wants to bring about the end of humanity. It's a decent enough plot but doesn't ring with the same paranormal vibe that I'd come to expect from a Ghostbusters movie. Everything works, it all fits together fine enough, but just feels flat, not to mention a bit cliche given the whole "revenge for bullying" angle.

Though he is really creepy.

Want to talk about the other performances? Sure, let's do that.

Without mincing words, Leslie Jones was hilarious. She seemed to have the most fun with the script and delivered many of the film's best lines. I'd actually be curious to know how much of what she said was scripted and what was improvised because her character just felt so real and vivid. She also played an important part in keeping the rest of the team grounded. As the only non-scientist of the group, her inclusion kept them from going off on techno-babble tangents and made sure their explanations were to the point and in layman's terms so that the audience could follow along.

Melissa McCarthy's Abby is the heart of the team. As one of the largest named stars, McCarthy has a fair share of screen time. Her humor is strong and the script really plays to one of her strengths: physical comedy. Many of her scenes rely on her getting tossed around, like in the proton pack testing scene, which McCarthy plays with aplomb. Unfortunately, I found her to be the weakest of the group but even that isn't much of a criticism of her, just a validation of the strength of the rest of the team.

I was actually fairly surprised by Kristin Wiig. As I haven't seen many of her movies, I wasn't familiar with her brand of comedy but she turned out to be one of my favorites. She mostly plays the straight (wo)man to everyone else but the times that she does stand out, such as her awkward flirting with receptionist Kevin, she manages to steal the scene.

Everyone seems to have fallen in love with Kate McKinnon's Holtzmann, and rightfully so. Holtzmann oozed personality, all thanks to a masterfully nuanced performance. Her odd mannerisms and awkward affectation made her memorable. She does have a few stilted one-liners but most of her humor is solid.

But the biggest surprise was Chris Hemsworth. As a big time action star/demi-god, audiences don't necessarily think of him as a comedic actor. His timing was impeccable, his delivery superb and he displayed a knack for dry humor that seemed almost supernatural. He remained deadpan throughout the entirety of the film and offered some of the movie's biggest laughs. With how excited I was to see a team of women Ghostbusters, I was disappointed that the man outshone them, but delighted that the movie was as fun as it was.

Since I've rambled on much more than I intended, here's a quick Lightning Round.

• There were two Chekov's Gun type solutions in the film, which I didn't quite care for but they worked and that's all that matters.
• I liked the nods to two hit horror movies (The Exorcist and Poltergeist), both of which fit the theme of the movie.
• There was a lot of dancing in it, even with the big Hemsworth dance number cut from the end. I'm not sure why. There just was.
• I loved the PKE meter. It reminded me of the one from The Real Ghostbusters.
• While I found the CG to be outstanding, my favorite effect was Gertrude Aldridge, which was done using practical effects. The way the blue glow reflected off her face was creepy as hell. Even the slime-spewing moment startled me despite the fact that I knew it was coming. 
• I was floored by the final action sequence. Though so much more dynamic than anything in the original films, it had a great flow, coherent action and awesome CGI.

And that's pretty much all I have. So was Ghostbusters a perfect film? No, not at all but it did have many genuinely funny moments and a great cast portraying lively characters. Wrap that up in a blanket of well directed action and you have the makings of a good summer movie. If pressed for a numerical rating, I'd give it a 7 out of 10 (on the PKE meter). Not quite burying the needle but it's a fun, energetic movie with a ton of laughs and a lot of heart.

Movie Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Back in 2014, I walked out of the theater after watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles disappointed and disgusted. After that abomination of a film, I swore off future installments of the series, refusing to give them any more of my money.

Fast forward a year and the announcement that Stephen Amell had been cast as Casey Jones, I decided to lift that self-imposed ban. I would be willing to sit through a movie just to see how Amell would handle the role. But that's not to say I had any expectations of the movie as a whole.

The Nerdy Pumpkin and I finally got around to seeing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows and I really must say, it was a ridiculously fun movie.

Like, "buy a bunch of action figures", fun.

As I stated earlier, I didn't have much hope for TMNT 2, what with the shoddy track record they placed early on in the series. However, it seems like, from the beginning, the filmmakers worked hard to appeal to fans. From the aforementioned Casey Jones to the inclusion of Bebop and Rocksteady, and even going so far as to work Krang and his giant, robotic body into the mix, they pulled out all of the stops to try and bring people back into the seats. And shockingly, it works.

Out of the Shadows takes place one year after the events of the first movie. The turtles continue to live in hiding, afraid of what would happen if people discovered their existence. That kind of life takes a toll on them, and Michelangelo most especially, who longs for a life outside of the sewers.

The movie spent the first twenty minutes (or so it felt) checking in with the cast, reacquainting us with everyone. We see the turtles right out of the gate. Vernon Fenwick is the hero of New York after taking the credit for bringing the Shredder to justice. April O'Neil is doing deep-cover reporting, following Baxter Stockman, a scientist she believes works for the Shredder.

It's not until we meet Casey Jones does the movie really kick in as the Foot Clan moves to bust Shredder out of jail.

Oh, be wary, there are SPOILERS ahead so consider yourself warned.

Without exaggeration, the movie is 100% fan service. Is that a drawback? Maybe, because the fans they are catering to are fans of the early-90s animated series. Sure, they manage to sprinkle a few references to other media in there, like a Stan Lee-style cameo by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman and a jukebox playing a Vanilla Ice song, but really they're just capitalizing on the nostalgia of the original cartoon. Having Shredder, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady all provide the antagonism for the turtles is classic, and luckily for everyone director Dave Green made it work.

Unfortunately, much of the characterization is over-the-top, especially in the case of Bebop and Rocksteady. These two are played as complete nitwits, the kind of criminals that would get themselves killed in the first heist they ever took part in because they don't know their right from left. In a cartoon, it makes sense. Here, it often became just barely tolerable to borderline annoying. Did it fit with the characters, though? Yeah, pretty much.

#notallrhinos

Unlike the first movie, April O'Neil plays a much smaller part, being relegated to true supporting star, but she at least still has a role to play. Almost every scene Megan Fox is in is a scene in which April becomes necessary, and what I liked most about her was that she never played the damsel. She wasn't just some chick who got herself into trouble and needed the turtles to bail her out. If there's one positive thing the new movies do it's show April in a strong role, able to take care of herself.

Like this, but with more slapping Karai in the face with a laptop.

So what about the new characters? Stephen Amell was perfect as Casey Jones. Having the experience of playing a vigilante on Arrow, Amell has perfected the broody-yet-charismatic hero archetype. I also loved how they worked Casey into the story, giving him an updated origin. Instead of the face-less nighttime vigilante he played in the cartoon, Casey was a wannabe cop in charge of the Shredder's prison transport who gets disgraced after his breakout. His desire to clear his name sets him on the path to find a pre-rhino and -warthog Bebop and Rocksteady, and his turn as a hero is really just a moment of necessity. And again, it works out well.

Also, they gave a nice nod to the original film (the 1990 one, the one we all give a shit about) by keeping the animosity between Casey and Raphael when the pair first meet.

Unfortunately the cricket joke doesn't return.

The biggest surprise, however, was Tyler Perry as Baxter Stockman. Fans of the cartoon know Stockman as the Fly but here he plays a brilliant scientist who wants to make a name for himself in the annals of history. Perry portrays Stockman as a quiet, power hungry nerd and the quiet social awkwardness and self esteem issues Perry imbues Stockman with really drive the character's motivations so that it's not untoward that this genius of a man would align himself with a wicked cult leader like the Shredder. I'm not too much of a fan of Tyler Perry's movies but as an actor he really knows what the hell he's doing.

And looking very much like Neil Degrasse Tyson while he does it.

Rounding out the main supporting cast is Laura Linney, who plays a police chief who's name I wouldn't know if not for the help of IMDB (it's Vincent, which I assume is her last name). As a talented actress, Linney brings the necessary authority to the role. She carries herself well on screen, most notably in the interrogation room scene. Though the character doesn't really add much to the movie itself, at least Linney was able to garner more screen time that Whoopi Goldberg did in the first film (what a waste of money that casting choice was, huh) and it's really a joy to see her play off Stephen Amell the way she does (I'm a big fan of Stephen Amell, in case you couldn't tell).

Pictured: Pointless. (Also, not in this movie)

I know, I know. You're wondering about Krang. Well, he was mostly ridiculous. His first appearance on-screen did little more than set the events into motion but it felt more like an NPC in a video game giving a player their quest than it did the motivations for a major motion picture. We don't really see him again until the final scene when he faces off against the turtles for the first time but by then we really understand he's the big bad guy that everyone in Dimension X (never named in the film so don't get your hopes up) lives in fear of. Also, he's voiced by Brad Garrett of "Everybody Loves Raymond" fame and admittedly I wasn't sure if it would work out for me but in the end, Garrett did a pretty good job with it.

All in all, the strength of the movie lay on the cast. The cinematography, on the other hand, was shaky at best. Though there are a few truly outrageous shots, most of the movie is comprised of quick cuts, especially during the many action sequences, and gets dizzying to no end. With most of these big action movies, I go to a 3D or IMAX showing but opted instead to see TMNT 2 in 2D. I'm glad I did because if I had to deal with this frenetic mess in 3D I probably would have thrown up in my popcorn bucket.

But the real saving grace is the humor. You probably think I'm insane but hear me out. Whereas the first movie was filled with juvenile, puerile humor, the jokes in Out of the Shadows land almost every time. Maybe it's nostalgia-glasses making me more susceptible to the comedy, but I can't even remember when I laughed more often in a movie theater. So I'm definitely grateful for that.

Granted, Out of the Shadows is not a perfect film. In most people's eyes, it's not even a good film, and I won't fault them for thinking that. It is a loud, bright, obnoxious action flick that is aimed toward children and man-children alike. Much of the plot is moved forward by characters making inferred guesses at what needs to happen, not to mention how quickly they're able to fly to the Amazon rain forest and back (according to Google, a flight to Brazil from NYC is between 9 and 11 hours, yet they get there and back what seems like an afternoon). I could, of course, nitpick very many things in the movie but considering they at least tried to appeal to fans like me instead of blazing their own trail and ignore what made TMNT fun, I'd rather just sit back and enjoy the movie.

Oh, and did I mention the Technodrome? Because they put the fucking Technodrome into this thing. If that's not fan service, I don't know what is.

Movie Review: Maleficent

Since the first screens of Disney's newest movie Maleficent started hitting the internet, the movie looked like it could be something good. Angelina Jolie, as the titular character, exudes enough creepiness on a regular basis that she was a great choice for one of Disney's most infamous villains. But when I announced to the world on Twitter the morning I was to see it and found that the hashtag "#Maleficent Not Good" was pretty popular, I really couldn't understand way. It had the star power, backed by Disney and one of the most beloved stories of all times. Where had it gone wrong?

Disregarding that, the wife and I headed to the theater. As the movie began, we were treated to a fantastically imagined world full of fairies, pixies, and playful water creatures. The story quickly unveils Maleficent's past and her history with a young boy named Stefan. An orphan, Stefan yearns to earn his place into the trust of the kingdom and does so at the cost of his relationship with Maleficent.

In a nutshell, that's the part of the story we don't know, the origins of Maleficent that they didn't show in Sleeping Beauty. The majority of the film, however, focuses on the events that occur during Sleeping Beauty, just from Maleficent's perspective instead of Aurora's.

As I was watching the story unfold, I began to realize the flaw with revealing the origins of a great, evil character. (I'm gonna put a SPOILER WARNING here.) The purpose of an origin is to get a feel for what drives a character's motivations. The starting point of their path to where they eventually find themselves. In this case, we know that Maleficent is an evil witch who placed a curse of the princess to make her fall asleep forever. But what happens when we can understand why she did what she does?

That's what I considered the main drawback of the movie; we start to sympathize with Maleficent given everything she'd gone through. She placed her trust in Stefan and was betrayed by him, in a scene that makes his betrayal reminiscent of a physical sexual rape (which, I have to say, despite it being uncomfortable to watch, was played magnificently by Jolie). So to see all of this unfold, we understand why she wants revenge. Why she placed a curse of Princess Aurora, who happens to be the daughter of the newly crowned King Stefan.

As the movie continues, the audience gets the feeling that the writer and director didn't even bother to watch Sleeping Beauty and just crafted a movie around some key plot points. But the end of the film explicitly says that this is the true story, how events actually happened. And it begins to make sense. Looking at it this way, the portrayal of Maleficent as a tragic heroine who succumbed to her own dark feelings only to find redemption at the end was pulled off well. And Jolie really brought the character to life, despite a few eye-rolling bits of over-acting. She had a knack for the part and managed to embody yet another strong, female character.

Which brings about another point. Maleficent is notable in the sense that two of the movie's main characters are women, with Jolie playing opposite Elle Fanning as Aurora. One of Hollywood's biggest fallacies is that female-driven films don't do well at the box offices. Even though this has been proven false on a number of occasions (such as by the success of the Hunger Games films), to see Maleficent earn $70 million in its opening weekend should be enough to put that untruth to rest. This could open up the doors to a number of female-driven films, such as the long-awaited Wonder Woman movie.

But even Angelina's pronounced cheekbones could not out-creepy the new version of the classic Sleeping Beauty theme song, "Once Upon A Dream". A seminal Disney classic, the newest version is crooned by recent star Lana Del Rey and is one of the scariest songs ever put into a Disney movie. The song itself isn't the problem; Del Rey's rendition is. The song is produced to be quite mellow and almost atonal. Pair that with Del Rey's slow, drawn out lyrics and the song becomes almost bone-chilling. I'm not educated when it comes to making music so I can't really explain why the song gives off such a creepy vibe but it does. I'm just glad that they didn't include it at the beginning of the movie otherwise it would have set a tone that didn't jibe with the film itself. Listen and decide for yourself.

Though I was expecting Maleficent to be a decent but wholly forgettable film along the same vein as Snow White and the Huntsman, I was very pleased with the final product. Jolie's take on the evil witch and Elle Fanning's turn as the innocent princess proved to be a pretty powerful combination. Add to that the latest reimagining of "true love" and you have a film that you're not embarrassed to let your little girl watch. If Disney can continue to make movies along this caliber, the movie theater would be a much better place.

Movie Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past

It's been a long time since I've been as excited for a movie like I've been for X-Men: Days of Future Past. Which is saying something considering all of the movies I've looked forward to in the past few years, like Amazing Spider-Man 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and basically anything with the "Marvel" stamp on it. Maybe X-Men: Days of Future Past really hit me because it was based on one of the most memorable comic book stories of all time? Or just because it's a new X-Men movie and I'm a sucker for the mutants. Either way, I found myself ridiculously happier as May 23rd drew closer. Despite my excitement, I had to wait two addition days before seeing it, opting for a Sunday morning viewing as opposed to Friday night. And with the exception of the movie watching experience (I'll get into that later), the movie was everything I wanted it to be.

As I mention, "Days of Future Past" ranks as one of the greatest storylines in comic books, up there with "The Dark Knight Returns". Written by Chris Claremont in 1981, it was the first story that showed the bleak future that mutant-kind faces, all because of a few bad choices by a few bad people. The film adaptation differs greatly from the comic story but that doesn't make it bad. In fact, the updates managed to give the movie far more depth than the comic book. After all, "Days of Future Past" only spanned two issues while the film had a strong run time of 131 minutes.

The highlights of the movie were, without a doubt, the performances of James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence. As Professor X and Mystique, their friendship spanned the previous film X-Men: First Class, and we've seen how Mystique had begun to fall away from Xavier's ideology. In Days of Future Past, Mystique all but goes off the deep end for the sake on mutant-kind. Xavier is forced to come to terms with it and tries to reel her back in. The emotion the pair put into their scenes really adds a feeling of credence to the scenes, even more so than the chemistry McAvoy and Michael Fassbender (Magneto) had in First Class.

Also great was Nicholas Hoult. As Hank McCoy, he at first seems to be relegated to Xavier's handmaiden during a rough patch in his life. However, we see the Beast come to the surface many times over the course of the movie and he adds a great deal of fun to it. It's also nice to see the interactions he has with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) as comic fans are well aware of the friendship the two have.

X-Men: Days of Future Past gives audiences a plethora of brand new mutants. During the future scenes, we see and almost entirely new team of X-Men including Bishop, Sunfire, and Warpath. Though this team does little for the plot of the film, they are awesome to watch on screen. But the one I was looking forward to the most is Blink, the mutant teleporter who became famous during the "Age of Apocalypse". As one of my favorite X-Men, I've been psyched to see her in action ever since she was revealed to be in it. Her powers made for some cool visuals, opening up portals in midair to allow Warpath various vantages from which to attack. Here's hoping the filmmakers decide to introduce her into the true film cannon, maybe during 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, which somehow would seem fitting.

But let's not forget the biggest surprise of the entire movie: Quicksilver. Quicksilver, played by Evan Peters, was widely criticized for his look since the reveal on the Empire Magazine cover, reviled by many of the comic book purists out there. He plays a pivotal part in the movie but sadly, doesn't get a lot of screen time, but that's OK as what time he does have, he really makes the movie a lot of fun. Director Bryan Singer manages to dive into Quicksilver's powers and crafted an in-depth scene that shows audiences what it would be like to have super speed. Hopefully, the success of Quicksilver will mean that we get to see more of him down the road, maybe even alongside his sister, Scarlet Witch. (Not likely, considering their inclusion in Avengers: Age of Ultron but one can hope.)

Strangely, the lowest point of the film was the "villain", Bolivar Trask, played by the talented Peter Dinklage. I didn't find anything particularly bad about how Dinklage portrayed Trask, the inventor of the mutant-hunting Sentinels. In fact, I felt Trask was remarkably underused. He was less of a character and more of a plot-point, used just as an excuse to bring the dystopian, mutant-hating future to fruition. It made sense, in the end, to have Trask be the catalyst as opposed to Senator Kelly, as was the case in the comic story, since it gave them a way to explain the entire Sentinel program without adding an extra 40 minutes to the run time.

Even though I had fun during X-Men: Days of Future Past, I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I should have. This I attribute to the rude asshole sitting behind me talking throughout the entire movie. This guy just would not shut up, feeling the need to dazzle his friend with comic book knowledge, like saying "Bishop" every time he was on screen. He also apparently knew that Quicksilver is Magneto's son in the comics. How do I know that? because when Quicksilver was asking Magneto how he ended up in prison, this guy kept saying "What did you do, Dad? What did you do, Dad?" And the most annoying part was how many times he said "Shut it down" during Quicksilver's iconic scene. It wasn't just Quicksilver that this guy was fascinated with; he also felt the need to laugh during the most poignant scenes in the movie.

Wolverine: I need you to promise me that you will put the X-Men together:
Xavier: I promise.
Douchebag Behind Me: Ha ha ha ha!

I just don't get it. Not to mention the fact that he left before the end of the credits. I mean, who does that in a Marvel movie?

Anyway, despite the interruptions, I really loved X-Men: Days of Future Past, enough to say that it's probably the best in the series. For a movie series that suffered from a lot of continuity problems, Singer and company took the opportunity to fix a few of them, as well as fixing a few of the poor mistakes made by past directors. And even though it had a multitude of mutants, Days of Future Past didn't bog itself down in bad storytelling like X-Men: The Last Stand did. It managed to remain focused on its purpose and follow it through, resulting in one of, if not, the best movies of 2014.

Side note: my wife loved this movie so much that she wants to do a movie marathon when it comes out on 3D BluRay. Win-win for this guy!

Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

All last week, reviews for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 have been trickling in at a steady pace. Just off the bat, the movie is notable as it kicks off the summer movie season, an event that has generally been held by a Marvel-themed character for the last few years. Despite that, most of the early reviews have been lukewarm at best, disastrous at worst. The tone of these reviews had gotten me a little nervous for the fate of the movie, which I took to heart as Spider-Man is pretty much my favorite super hero and I hold a lot of love for the first Amazing Spider-Man. Some reviewers were even going so far as to call it "the Batman & Robin of the Spider-Man movies". (Not to mention this review in particular from someone who seems to hate comic books, movies, and life in general. How does one get to be so miserable?)

After getting the chance to see ASM2, I must say that whomever compared this movie to Batman & Robin is clearly a moron. Or just unnecessarily hating on Amazing Spider-Man 2 for some reason. The only comparisons that can be made between the two films is the inclusion of three of the hero's Rogues Gallery; Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Bane in the Batman case, Electro, Green Goblin, and the Rhino in Spidey's.

For starters, my favorite part about Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the character arcs that each of the villains went through. To a lesser extent with the Rhino, each of them has a satisfying introduction and an understandable breaking point. Both Electro and Green Goblin (who is never actually referred to by that name) have had everything taken away from them and both felt spurned by Spider-Man after reaching out to him for help. Clearly, Spider-Man draws both of their rage. It's a simplistic way to work them into the Spidey villain-hood but it was effective.


What's great about ASM2 is that it makes Peter Parker as important to the movie as Spider-Man. Equal time, if not more, is given to Peter's life: his relationship with Gwen Stacy, with Aunt May, and with his parents. Peter and Spider-Man are both still haunted by the ghost of Captain Stacy, who gave his life to help Spider-Man in the first film. Breaking his promise to Captain Stacy, Peter has continued to date Gwen and his guilt manifests itself in visions of Captain Stacy everywhere. I loved how director Marc Webb handled this aspect of their relationship as it was a visual reminder of why Peter is so indecisive about being with Gwen, which mirrored the Peter/Mary Jane relationship of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films. However, in Raimi's version, Peter just couldn't seem to make up his mind without the psychological reminders of why.

But my favorite part of the movie was Peter's parents. Hinted at in the first film, this one delves into the project that Richard Parker was working on when he was forced to leave Peter with his brother and disappear. Peter's interest in finding out what happened to his parents leads to an amazing (no pun intended [OK, well, maybe a little]) scene with Aunt May, pouring out her heart to Peter and venting her anger at Richard for what he did to his son. It's a really touching scene, one that elevates Aunt May from "doting aunt with a heart problem" to "loving guardian, care-giver, and surrogate mother". One aspect of the Peter Parker character is his devotion to Aunt May (even going so far as to make a deal with the devil to save her life in the comic storyline "One More Day"), and this scene perfectly illustrates the believability of that relationship.

The film makes so many good choices with its story and characters but that doesn't mean it's perfect. Like anything else, it had its flaws, like the Rhino. For the most part, I was pleased with how the Rhino was worked into the movie but I didn't care for the suit itself. From the early trailers I thought that it would be a decent take on the character but seeing it in full glory was less than stellar. Also, the design for the Green Goblin left much to be desired. Dane Dehaan did a great job with Harry and his emotional breakdown which carried over well to the Goblin, but the look of the Goblin was just... It wasn't good. Another thing that bothered me was the setting. The entirety of the film takes place just after Peter and Gwen graduate from high school. In New York, schools get out in late May to mid-June, so just before the summer. Meanwhile, every scene features Peter and Gwen in full jackets, with Peter often wearing his wool skullcap. That's a bit of a nitpick, I'll admit, but it was pretty distracting.

Though The Amazing Spider-Man 2 worked pretty much by the numbers, it was an excessively fun ride. The CGI was on-point and the 3D was very impressive. The story took a few turns that I wasn't expecting and the film offered quite a few guest stars that any fan of the comic would appreciate. It was apparent that Sony was setting up their spin-off films to rival the continuity Marvel established in their films but most of them felt natural enough. There was a bit of shoehorning and I lost count of how many times they said the word "venom" but I'm willing to overlook that. At the end of it, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a well-crafted film with great emotional impact and offers 130 minutes of fun, which is more than I can ask for.