Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

Hard to believe we're on the fifth Mission: Impossible movie. It's harder to believe that they're any good still. What's with some of these action series getting better with each sequel? This shouldn't be happening.

Anyway, so what's Rogue Nation about? You know, typical spy crap. Some underground organization wants to do something, and it's up to the other underground organization to stop them. At least it's a little more grounded in that the villain's goal seems somewhat realistic and don't involve some crazy weapon of mass destruction thingy. There is a device everyone is after, but they practically call it a MacGuffin, as if to throw their hands up admit that it's meaningless. It's also nice when the villain is someone that the hero actively admits he's overmatched by. Raises the stakes a little bit.

The action scenes were solid, if a bit uninspired. It's entertaining, but nothing you haven't experienced before. However, there's a motorcycle chase that might be the best I've ever seen in terms of point-of-view and sense of speed. It appears Cruise did most of his stunts again and you have to applaud the guy for the dedication and willingness to put himself at risk. You know that airplane scene that you seen in all the commercials and trailers? That's the opening scene! It's not even relevant to the plot. Just some cool shit to start the movie with.

Rogue Nation brings back the primary cast from the Ghost Protocol (and other MI films), with the exception of Paula Patton, so there's continuity as far as that goes. You won't miss Paula Patton though, as the one thing most people will come away with is how badass Rebecca Ferguson is. A lot of people, myself included, praised Ghost Protocol for Patton's character being more than just window dressing, but Ferguson's blows her out of the water and it's not even close. She's tough, cunning and sexy. Other spy/action films should take note. Tom Cruise, is well, Tom Cruise. What else can you say about him at this point? Simon Pegg provides the comedy relief and I enjoyed that Rogue Nation had a sense of humor and it was peppered by funny moments.

Oh, and can Christopher McQuarrie just write or direct everything that Tom Cruise is in at this point? Yes, please!

While it's not quite as fun as Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation is still a solid entry in the series and holds up with the best of them. It feels like this has been kind of a weak Summer for action, so Rogue Nation was the nice kick-in-the-pants, adrenaline boost I've been looking for. Definitely worth checking out on the big screen.

4 (out of 5) Death Stars

Aloha (2015)

Have you ever fallen asleep during a movie, just for like 15 minutes, and then wake up and wonder if you've missed something significant? That's how a good portion of Aloha felt like. Hell, the first 15 minutes of the movie I was wondering if maybe I had missed something. Was I late to the movie?

I can see why Aloha has been getting beat up by the critics. It's so scattered and disjointed. Most of the movie I'm trying to tie things together that the movie should be doing. I have no problem with having to figure things out on your own, but this was a case where it was just too distracting. It felt like large chunks of the movie and character interaction was missing. Left on the editing floor perhaps?

It's also super melodramatic, which is magnified by the fact that you don't have a deep understanding of all the character relationships. It's all forced and felt rushed. It's like when they bring out your entree at that same time as your salad and appetizers. Don't force feed me everything at once.

This also had the distinction of have a fantastic cast, but somehow nearly everyone (except maybe for Rachel McAdams) felt miscast. It's a shame because I felt like the actors were trying, but the direction, or the script, or the editing really let them down. On the other hand, can you imagine Emma Stone or Rachel McAdams instead of Renee Zellweger in Jerry Maguire?

I will admit that I kind of liked the ending. It was surprisingly emotional, but in a better movie where I was more invested, it would have affected me more. I also really liked the music, but that doesn't give the story a pass.

Aloha is one of those films that feels a lot longer than it actually is. I thought I'd been watching the film for well over two hours by the time it was all over (it's a hour and 45 minutes).

It's not the kind of bad where you feel insulted or anything like that, it just doesn't work as well as you'd like. This is a rental. Maybe if we get a director's cut it might flow a little better, so hopefully we'll get something like that. Otherwise, watch The Descendants instead. It's a better movie set in Hawaii.

2 (out of 5) Death Stars

Blue Jasmine (2013)

I've often said that a simple story can work when done well.  Plots don't get much simpler than Blue Jasmine, the latest from Woody Allen.  After her life falls apart, Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) moves in with her adopted sister in San Francisco while she tries to pull it back together.  It's not really any more complex than that.  Blue Jasmine is character study at best.

Don't get me wrong, the story's not quite that thin.  Through various flashbacks, we learn that Jasmine was married to a wealthy businessman, Hal (Alec Baldwin), in New York.  Unfortunately, his shady business deals caught up with him and they lost everything.  He was also having a series of affairs, and you see there was a part of Jasmine that was willingly ignorant about these things.  Why rock the boat, right?  Isn't there a saying about bliss and ignorance?  They taste good cold or on toast or something like that?  With her world crashing down around her, Jasmine has a nervous breakdown.  Now she's prone to talking to herself, or anyone that will listen to her prattle on about how great her life was/is.  On various medications and never without a vodka martini, there are moments where she looks truly disheveled.

Also through these flashbacks you see that Jasmine doesn't have much of a relationship with her sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins), and her ex-husband (Andrew Dice Clay) is quick to point out that Jasmine wanted nothing to do with her when she had everything.  If you're going to do flashbacks, this is how you do it.  You're never confused about what part of Jasmine's life you're watching or where they are.  The various establishing shots, changes in lighting, subtle dialog queues, and even Jasmine's appearance make this clear without every being explicitly told.  No "six months ago" needs to be displayed on the screen.

Jasmine tries getting a job and going back to school, but her adjustment has been anything but smooth.  She doesn't get along with Ginger's new fiance, Chili (Bobby Cannavale), either, and her moving in has caused a strain on her sister's relationship.  Things finally start to look up when Jasmine meets Dwight (Peter Sarsgaard), a wealthy diplomat who has his sights set on political office.  Even Ginger takes on a lover (Louis C.K.) as Jasmine pushes her to to do better than someone like Chili.

In a lot of ways Blue Jasmine reminded me of Young Adult.  Both feature an unlikeable sociopath as its main character.  They're full of crap, medicated and completely self absorbed in their own fantasy world.  Hell, "Jasmine" isn't even her original name, but changed it because she liked the way it sounded.  What are you, some kind of diva?  Despite that you don't have much of a reason to like Jasmine, and she doesn't show much in the way of growth, you still find a sliver of sympathy for them.  Bad things happen to her, some deserved and some undeserved.  Whether or not you think Jasmine was a willing accomplice, or could have done something about some of these events, it's still a lot for one person to deal with in a short period of time.  When things start to improve for Jasmine, I actually wanted it all to work out for her even though I couldn't condone her methods.

Also like Young Adult, it's carried by a great performance that keeps you interested in the journey.  Watching a film about a broken person isn't always a picnic, but when it features such a strong lead performance, you can't help but find it interesting.  Cate Blanchett was simply amazing!  She's so believable as a drunk that it wouldn't surprise me to learn that she drank or medicated herself while filming.  It's hard to fake that even if you have experience with it.  I still thought she managed to have a sexy quality about her, but that might just be cause I have a thing for Blanchett.  While this is one of Woody Allens strongest films in years, I don't know if it works as well without Blanchett.  I've heard a lot of Oscar buzz already around her performance, and I wouldn't be surprised at all see her win it this year.

It's not completely a one-woman show though.  The supporting performances are very good, too.  Perhaps the biggest surprise is Andrew Dice Clay, who's been showing lately that there's more to him than just his comedy act.  Alec Baldwin is as solid as he always is.  Another standout was Bobby Cannavale, who continues to be one of my favorite, lesser known actors.  I also felt sympathy for Ginger due to Sally Hawkins performance.  Peter Sarsgaard is good in his small role, along with Louis C.K., who plays slightly against type.

This is a much darker installment from Woody Allen's when compared to the lighter tones of something like Midnight in Paris or To Rome with Love.  That's not to say there aren't laughs to be had in Blue Jasmine, but don't go in expecting a laugh riot.  Much of the humor comes from uncomfortable situations or sometimes outright laughing at the characters, but I didn't think it was necessarily mean spirited.

Blue Jasmine is another great entry in Woody Allen's catalog.  While light on story, it's an interesting character study about a totally dysfunctional person, but still watchable because of a fantastic performance from Cate Blanchett.  I hope she has her dresses picked out, cause she's gonna be pretty busy at all the award shows.

4 (out of 5) Death Stars

Rise of the Guardians (2012) - Movie Review

I never knew Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were such bad asses.

We meet Jack Frost (voice by Chris Pine) as he tells us how he got his name and power.  He's been alive for hundreds of years, but feels a little empty because nobody can see him or believes he exists.  The only joy he seems to get out of life is using his powers to mess with everyone (he actually comes off as kind of a jerk at first) or create a snow day for the kids in town.

At the North Pole, Santa Claus finds that Pitch Black, a.k.a. The Boogeyman, has returned.  Pitch's plan is to bring back fear to the children of the world.  Santa rallies the other Guardians of legend, the Sandman, the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) and the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) to stop Pitch.  However, the Man in the Moon tells the Guardians that he's picked Jack Frost to be their newest member.

One of the things I liked about Guardians is that it didn't follow into the familiar troupe of the reluctant hero. Sure, Jack's a little resistant about joining the Guardians at first, but joins the action almost immediately once he realizes how serious the threat is.  They don't have to twist his arm to join their cause, and that was a refreshing change.  His primary dilemma throughout the story is finding out what his purpose is and what it will take for people to believe in him.

I've heard more than a few people compare this to Avengers, and I didn't draw that comparison until I heard that.  It's totally true though.  You're watching a movie about a bunch of super-powered mythical figures throw down against a common threat.  On that level, I thought the action parts of the film were very entertaining.  When there's action in the movie, it doesn't feel too cartoon-ish.

The overall story felt a little thin to me though.  There isn't a ton of depth, and the story is pretty fundamental.  It's not a bad story at all, but it's message and humor is definitely geared towards kids.  There are a few clever things they do, and there are some twists to the familiar mythology that I really appreciated.  However, it was lacking that something extra to put this in that upper tier of animated stories.

The animation is fantastic though.  The character design was great, and each even had their own realm that had it's own life and uniqueness about it.  One of the cooler characters was the Sandman.  He has no spoken dialog in the film and communicates through 'thought bubbles' and facial expressions.  It was really interesting and effective. I did see this in 3D, and while it didn't detract from the film, I didn't think it added too much to it either.  Overall, it's colorful and gorgeous. Even if the story doesn't totally work for you, the animation and visuals will keep you interested.

Matching the animation was the great voice work.  I mention this a lot when reviewing animated films, while the voices might be familiar, they aren't distracting or take you out of the story.  You have familiar voices like Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Chris Pine, and all their voices fit their characters nicely.  I was really impressed with Jude Law's voice acting for Pitch Black.  His voice fit the character perfectly, and he wasn't over-the-top with his delivery. Equally impressive was Alec Baldwin as Santa.  He plays Santa with a Russian accent, so I had no clue it was even him until the credits rolled.

This was Peter Ramsey's feature directorial debut, and I thought it was a great first effort.  From his IMDB page, his background as a illustrator and artist really lent itself to the visuals and action here.  Guillermo del Toro was an executive producer on this, and you can see his influence on the visuals as well.  This was based on William Joyce's The Guardians of Childhood book series.  As it's a book series, I've already heard there are potentially going to be some sequels and I have to say that I'm really looking forward to what they do next.  There are a lot of different areas and characters they can bring into the series and I think that'll be a lot of fun to see.  I only wish David Lindsay-Abaire's script had just a little more edge and wit to it.  That was the only real weakness of the film for me, and the thing that prevented it from being great.

Rise of the Guardians is a great family-friendly, holiday movie.  The story and message are great for the kids, and the top-notch animation will provide entertainment for those not that into the story. This is another movie that I think your kids will want to watch over and over once it comes out on DVD and I think it will help keep their belief alive in things like the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. Totally worth a matinee.

3.5 (out of 5) Death Stars

To Rome with Love (2012) - Movie Review

Has it always been a theme in Woody Allen films that regardless of whether or not a character is in a relationship, they'll sleep with pretty much anyone they are currently in the room with?  I've noticed this in some of his recent films and it's been bugging me.  Not everyone sleeps around.  Some people still believe in things like monogamy or being faithful.  Anyway...

Spoilers ahead...

To Rome with Love is the latest Woody Allen joint.  Rather than a central story, you get several short stories told in a very choppy style.  At the beginning, it's natural to assume that all these stories will come together at the end, and you'll get some kind of satisfying payoff, but neither happen.  They are completely independent of one another, so the storytelling is very disjointed.  It doesn't help that some are in English and some are subtitled, so you're constantly having to switch how you're viewing the movie.  Also, the stories are of varying levels of quality, so some you have no interest in.  Just when you get invested in one story, it switches to another you don't care about.

One vignette features Roberto Benigni, a man who wakes up one morning and is suddenly famous.  Nobody knows what for, but he is followed everywhere by the media, reporting on every detail of his life.  This could have been a funny commentary about the nature of celebrity, but it's really not fleshed out.  It's played more for a gag than anything.

Penélope Cruz is featured in another as a prostitute, Anna, that meets up with Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi).  It appears to be a case of mistaken identity, as Anna is really intended for someone else, but Antonio goes along with it anyway.  Their entire plot could have been removed, as you don't really care about his character at all.  The resolution to their story is one of the things that bugged me the most with regards to sleeping around.  Antonio finally sleeps with Anna, and then you recall that he's married.  Meanwhile, his wife, Milly (Alessandra Mastronardi), had a short story involving her sleeping with some celebrity, but interrupted in their hotel room by a robber.  However, she ends up just sleeping with the robber.  What the hell!?  Maybe because of all the jumping around with the stories, or maybe this was when I stepped out to use the bathroom, but I don't remember that they established that Antonio and Milly were married, so this was a surprise to me.  Either way, I though their whole story was very clumsy and hard to believe.  I will say that for the short time she had in the movie, Alessandra Mastronardi just lights up the screen.

One of the longer stories is of Jack (Jesse Eisenberg) being met on the street by John (Alec Baldwin).  In one of the more fantastical elements of the film, you realize that John is not actually there and appears to be the older version of Jack visiting his younger self.  As first, you think John just may be a figment of Jack's imagination, as he appears randomly and has conversations that nobody seems to notice, but then other characters interact with John.  So it's very unclear as to what John is.  It's also unclear if he's trying to prevent Jack from making the same mistake or just revisiting a part of his life.  Another thing that took me out story was that if John was, in fact, interacting with the younger version of himself, why didn't they cast an actor that looked the part or acted in any way like him?  It didn't fit at all.

Also, once again, we have a story about cheating.  Jack's in a stable, happy relationship with Sally (Greta Gerwig), but is tempted by a visiting friend, Monica (Ellen Page).  I thought Ellen Page was totally miscast here.  She's supposed to be this sexually open woman that Jack is just drawn to, and her character is described explicitly as being sexy, but that was the last thing I thought of when watching her performance.  While you can be sexy without being a bombshell, Page still looks like a child, and no point did I find her seductive in any way.

Woody Allen seems to have saved the best story for himself.  Allen plays Jerry, a retired music producer that travels to Rome with his wife (Judy Davis) to meet the family of Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti), the man his daughter (Alison Pill) plans on marrying.  He finds that Michelangelo's father (played by real life opera singer, Fabio Armiliato), has an amazing singing voice, but can only sing when in the shower.  This leads to Jerry pushing Michelangelo's father to pursue singing and looks for creative ways to get him on stage.  This story ended up being the most interesting and the only one that felt complete.

After last year's Midnight in Paris, I think many might have heightened expectations going into To Rome with Love, but this doesn't have the same charm or humor of Paris.  Rome has too many undeveloped stories, characters and ideas.  Many of the jokes felt stale.  Despite that Paris is essentially a fantasy movie, its characters and situations felt more realistic than Rome's.

I know it sounds like I hated To Rome with Love, but I actually didn't.  It's the very definition of a mixed bag.  Some of it works, some of it didn't.  It's a bit of a mess, but a watchable one.  It suffers from a lack of focus and too many undeveloped stories.  Rome is a disappointing follow up to Midnight in Paris, but that's a tough act to follow, even for Woody Allen.  Save it for rental.

2.5 (out of 5) Death Stars