The Walk (2015)

Do you ever get that weird feeling that goes right down to your bones when looking down at heights? It doesn't even matter if it's a picture or a video game, it's some automatic thing that you're just wired with. If you get that feeling, then be warned that a good 40 minutes of The Walk will do that to you.

The Walk is an interesting story about a real event, but it's unusually, and sometimes unnecessarily narrated by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, playing Philippe Petit, the man that actually walked a tightrope between the Twin Towers. It constantly breaks up the story and is an example of the movie telling you rather than showing you. This is especially unusual since The Walk hangs so much on the visual aspect of it. It's also a little weird to see so much narration to a story that's already has an Oscar winning documentary about it. If you want to know how Petit really felt about his walk, just watch Man on Wire on Netflix. It kind of makes the whole movie feel like overkill, only existing to show you how good the CG is.

The cast is good though, and I enjoyed Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance. I didn't even find his accent annoying, and after a while I forgot I was watching JGL. He's done a pretty good job of doing roles that are different from film to film, rather than playing the same character over and over. The characters take a backseat to the real star of the film, the computer generated Twin Towers. It's done so well and they are shot so lovingly that much of The Walk feels like a tribute to them. Even the way Petit speaks about them seems like he's in love with them.

The final act of The Walk is what you're really waiting for, and it's a doozy. The effects and cinematography are both excellent. It's one of the few times where seeing something in IMAX 3D really felt worth it, as it adds that extra depth to the experience.

I found this to be an interesting contrast to what I saw in Everest. In Everest, I didn't have much sympathy for the characters, and thought what they were doing was nuts. I also thought Petit was nuts, but super ballsy, and oddly poetic. Perhaps it's because Petit considered himself an artist, and I connected with that on some level.

The Walk is a mixed bag of uneven drama, but great, thrilling visuals. I do think it's worth seeing on IMAX if available to you though. Also, if you haven't seen it yet, I'd really recommend you watch Man on Wire, which is a really great documentary about the real event.

3 (out of 5) Death Stars

Self/less (2015)

Imagine a bit of a blend of The Sixth Day and The Island. That might not inspire confidence, and unfortunately this is a good example of an interesting idea and a cool setup, but then terribly executed.

Without going into it too much, the basic premise is that someone figured out how to transfer a mind into a new body, but it's only available to the ultra rich. Ben Kingsley plays a dying billionaire who takes advantage of this. He wakes up in Ryan Reynolds body and begins his 'new' life. Guess what? Things don't go as smoothly as advertised and then Reynolds runs around trying to figure out the truth behind it all.

At this point, Self/less abandons its premise and turns into a predictable action thriller. It's extremely disappointing in that the very sales pitch they give Kingsley's character is what would've someone like Einstein or Steve Jobs been able to do with another lifetime or two. However, the first thing they make Kingsley do is make is death public, so when he wakes up in Reynold's body, he has a completely different identity. It's not like he can continue his legacy, so what's the point of the sales pitch if you can't pick up exactly where you left off? He's allowed to set aside money, so it's not like he's broke, but as far as his business and relationships go, he's starting over from scratch. Imagine telling Steve Jobs he gets another lifetime, but he has to start another company or try to get a job at Apple and then have to work his way back up to the top. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If he had really planned ahead, he would have arranged to have his new identity named his successor, but Self/less doesn't do that.

After getting his new body, Self/less initially plays out more like an early retirement (that was even his new body's backstory). He doesn't try to start another business. Instead he plays basketball, bangs a bunch of chicks, and eats peanut butter (his previous body was allergic). I get taking advantage of your youth again, but this doesn't seem like someone truly taking advantage of this new life and maxing out your potential. Seems like you'd get bored pretty quickly.

Another huge disappointment was to learn this was directed by Tarsem Singh. If you aren't familiar with his work, his previous films have all had a very striking visual style. Even if you didn't care for the story, at least you'd get something out of the look of the film. There's none of that here in Self/less, which makes me wonder why he was even involved in the project. It's too straightforward for him.

Outside of Natalie Martinez, I didn't get anything out of any of the performances. It's not that anyone is bad, but she's the only person you connect with on any level.

It's not completely terrible, but not really worth recommending. You might catch this on cable one day and not think it was that bad, but that's about the highest praise I can give it.

1.5 (out of 5) Death Stars

Ender's Game (2013)

I could have used a little more Death Blossom.

Throughout Ender's Game I was reminded of The Last Starfighter, a favorite film of mine when I was a kid.  It's interesting to note that the original book was released a year after The Last Starfighter.  I'm not saying Ender's Game ripped off The Last Starfighter, but I wonder how much inspiration was drawn from it, or was it all just a coincidence.  The Last Starfighter could use an update, so even if Ender's Game had been a direct rip-off, it wouldn't have bugged me that much.

I haven't read Ender's Game.  Hell, I was only vaguely aware of its existence the first time I saw the trailer, so if you're looking for a comparison of the book to film adaptation, you'll need to look elsewhere.  I've also heard people say it was unfilmable, which didn't seem like that case while watching.   Maybe at the time of writing it was.  Modern technology sure seems to be making a lot of these supposed unfilmable movies a reality lately.

In the future, Earth is attacked by an alien race known as the Formics.  They were beaten back, but humanity has been preparing for their return ever since.  Children a trained at a young age to find the best candidate to lead the fleet.  Why children?  They learn and adapt quicker, are more adept at thinking outside the box, and let's face it, they are better at playing video games.  Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is recognized early by Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) as the strongest candidate.  He's put through a series of simulations and games to test his strategy and leadership abilities.  He quickly rises through the ranks and eventually gains the respect of his peers.  With the next battle likely determining the fate of the human race, will Ender be ready in time and handle the responsibility and pressure being put upon him?

At it's heart, Ender's Game feels like one of those classic stories of a child being told there's greatness within him and slowly gaining the confidence to realize that potential.  The kid in me found it easy to identify with and go along for ride.  While PG-13, I thought about how much my 8-year-old nephew would have enjoyed it, and I do think it's suitable for kids in that age range.  It helps that a lot of what's effective about Ender's Game is seeing how Ender deals with the consequences of his actions.  Not being familiar with the story, I was a little surprised with how it played out and thought it was a nice twist.  I've heard from some that the book is smarter, but when isn't that the case?  I also thought there was a nice message about standing up to bullies.  Bullies should also be on notice, as you never know when the guy you're picking on knows all your weaknesses and is ready to mop the floor with you.

Although considering the fact that the boy that saves the day was the best at games and video game simulations, you might want to avoid giving your kids the ammo that allowing them to play more video games may mean the difference between life and death in the future.  I do think it's interesting that book was written back in 1985, and had a pretty forward thinking view regarding the adaptability of children and how it relates to playing video games.  Maybe I'm reading a bit too much into that though.

The timeline felt a little rushed with how quickly Ender was progressing through the ranks.  It seemed like just a day or two would go by before he was being promoted again.  I remember at one point seeing a readout saying they had 20-something days before the next attack, but it wasn't quite clear to me.  Did only just a few weeks transpire or did this take place over a few months?  If it was a really short period of time, it might have helped to have some kind of throwaway line about accelerated learning technology or something.  However, there are a few scenes involving space travel where you can see they were in stasis, which would imply that more time was elapsing, so it felt like a few steps were being skipped in the transitions that might have explained it better.  Having said all that, I felt Ender's Game was paced well and wouldn't have minded if it was a few minutes longer.  I thought Gavin Hood did a good job with the material.  I can't comment on how faithful this is to the book, but after watching X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I'm just happy this wasn't a train wreck.  It certainly seems to lend weight to the belief that X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a case of massive studio interference.

I enjoyed the special effects and the overall look of Ender's Game.  It felt sufficiently futuristic without having technology that seemed impossible or way too ahead of its time.  I really liked the design of the Formics ships and worlds.  It had a very organic, alien look, and I was reminded of the Yuuzhan Vong from the Star Wars Expanded Universe.  Thankfully it's not in 3D, so you won't have to contend with that.  I did see it in IMAX, and while I always enjoy the format, you don't need to wait for IMAX as it's not that big of a deal.

I also enjoyed the performances.  The film is anchored by Asa Butterfield's sympathetic portrayal of Ender.  Let's face it, had they cast the wrong kid, or you don't buy into his performance, then the whole film kind of falls apart.  Butterfield's had a pretty strong start to his career and I think we can expect to see a lot more from him.  After a disappointing performance in the recent Romeo and Juliet, Hailee Steinfeld bounces back with a stronger performance here, and I thought she good chemistry with Butterfield.  It was fun to see Moises Arias' antagonistic turn as Bonzo, whom I totally thought they were calling "Bonesaw".  Wouldn't that be such a natural nickname for someone named Bonzo though?  Ben Kingsley and Viola Davis are also very good in their limited roles, but I'm convinced neither actor is capable of delivering a bad performance.  Finally, I was happy to see Harrison Ford not mailing it in for a change.  This is the most invested I've seen him in a long time, and you get the feeling he must have really cared about the story.

Ender's Game is a fun adventure that'll appeal to the kid in you.  It's well-acted, has great effects, and the whole family can enjoy together.  It's not a game changer, or something that's gonna make you want to throw out your copy of The Last Starfighter, but there's definitely enough entertainment value that makes it worth a watch.  I recommend a matinee.

3.5 (out of 5) Death Stars

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Given the choice, I would definitely rather be Tony Stark than Bruce Wayne...

So, it's finally here.  The conclusion to the first Iron Man trilogy, and the beginning of Marvel: Phase 2.  Right off, I can tell you that Iron Man 3 is definitely a step up from Iron Man 2, so if you're like me and was disappointed in IM2 (and thought it suffered from sequelitis), then you're going to enjoy IM3 a whole lot more.

Iron Man 3 is loosely based on the "Extremis" story arc from the Iron Man comics.  I can't claim I'm super well versed in the Iron Man comics, so I can't comment on how faithful it is to them.  I am a little more familiar with the Mandarin though, so I was initially a little concerned about his choice as the main villain for IM3 and casting Sir Ben Kingsley to play him.  I'm a huge fan of Kingsley, so it's not an issue of ability, but in the comics, the Mandarin was of Chinese descent, where Kingsley isn't to my knowledge.  I just didn't think the character was going to translate particularly well on screen.  Comic book purists may be a little upset with how his arc plays out, but I think that that not only did Kingsley do a great job, they actually did a pretty clever twist the character that made it work.  This is one instance where I don't mind that the movie took some liberty with a known comic character.

In the film, the Mandarin is a terrorist that has the world on edge with a series of bombings and menacing threats.  Little is known about him, or where he even is.  Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), on the other hand, isn't too concerned with this yet.  He's been dealing with severe anxiety issues since the events of The Avengers, and can barely sleep.  The only way he can deal with everything is to constantly tinker and build more Iron Man suits.  He's still with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who's continuing to run Stark Industries.  Some old associates, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), approach Stark Industries about working with them on their Extremis project, an experimental treatment that has a variety of uses.  Meanwhile, Rhodey (Don Cheadle) has been rebranded as Iron Patriot (complete with new paint job) and is tasked with finding the Mandarin.  However, when the Mandarin finally hits Stark close to home, Stark threatens revenge on the Mandarin.

There are issues I had here and there, but in the interest of keeping things spoiler-free, I'll hold back on any specific criticism.  A friend and I were discussing IM3 right after seeing it, and we both felt that many of our complaints were nitpicks.  I think you'll understand what I'm talking about when you see the film.  I'll just say this, if I can accept the premise that a super-genius is flying around in a self-made, robotic suit, with a glowing power source implanted in his chest, then I can accept some of the things that bothered me a little in IM3.  They even made a joke about this in the film saying something along the lines of 'everything changed once the big guy with the hammer landed.'  So yeah, in a universe that has Hulk and Thor, I can look past some stuff.  It's the whole Flying Snowman thing.

The one complaint I can talk about is the ending.  Don't get me wrong, it's action packed and a blast to watch for sure, but there's such an orgy of Iron Man suits that at times you really can't tell who is fighting whom.  There's just a little too much going on, but this is just the kind of stuff that will likely get multiple viewings out of fans, and people breaking down these scenes in slow motion in order to catch everything.  I'll admit that I'm going to be one of these people.  Do you see what I'm saying about the complaint being a bit of a nitpick?  I'm complaining that that super entertaining and explosive conclusion had too much going on.

There are several entertaining action scenes in the film, and despite being over two hours, the film is briskly paced and there's never a dull moment.

As you'd hope, the effects are great!  I love these small, independent films that do what they can with a modest budget.  I saw this on IMAX 3D, and maybe I sat too close to the screen, but I could barely even tell the film was in 3D.  It's still worth seeing in a premium format for the overall look of the film and the sound, but I didn't anything out of the 3D.

Besides the action sequences, another strength is the humor.  As I hoped with bringing in Shane Black, his pairing with RDJ would net us some great, Lethal Weapon-like dialog, and that's exactly what we got.  It's a little mean-spirited at times, but that's part of Tony Stark's character.  It's definitely a contrast from Iron Man 2, where I felt everyone was just smarmy and snarky.  This time it's pretty much contained to Stark, and the overall level of the dialog in an improvement across the board.  Shane Black, along with co-writer Drew Pearce, really know how to write snappy, witty dialog, and Black knows how to get the best out of everyone.  There honestly isn't a weak link in the entire cast, and the chemistry is great with everyone.

Robert Downey Jr. was great as Tony Stark again.  Back when originally cast for Iron Man, I thought it was a perfect casting based on his life experiences.  It's a little interesting to note that he worked with Black on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which many feel was the movie that really got RDJ back on the path to superstardom (check KKBB out if you haven't seen it).  RDJs contract is up with IM3, so I don't know if this is the last for him and Iron Man, but I really hope it's not.  I've heard RDJ is willing to extend his contract and said he has a few more in him, so hopefully they can keep this going for at least another Avengers and IM flick.  If something doesn't happen though, then at least he's going out on a high note.

Iron Man 3 is a great addition to the Iron Man franchise and picks up from the high note left off by The Avengers.  There are lots of great action scenes, and funny dialog, so whether you're a fan of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr., or just Summer blockbusters, then you're sure to be entertained.  Don't miss this one, true believers!

4 (out of 5) Death Stars

The Dictator (2012) - Movie Review

How long until Sacha Baron Cohen has his The Love Guru or his Norbit?  Or did he already have that with Bruno?

Here's a short review for a short movie.  Yeah right, I say that all the time and it never happens.

Sacha Baron Cohen plays Admiral General Aladeen, ruler of the Republic of Wadiya.  Aladeen is a mash-up of all the worst dictators you can imagine.  He's a megalomaniac, anti-semitic (a staple of Cohen movies), kills people on a whim, and is trying to develop nuclear weapons.

He comes to New York to address the UN after they threaten military intervention in Wadiya.  Immediately after arriving, he's kidnapped, stripped down to his undies, and has his beard shaved, making him virtually unrecognizable to everyone.  As he has a double that's standing in for him, nobody believes he is who he says and cannot get back into the UN.  He's helped out in by a vegan, hippie chick, played by Anna Faris, and works with her as he plots to get back into the UN.

Rather than the improvised antics with real people we've come to know from Cohen, this is largely a scripted affair.  I would imagine we're going to see a lot more of this in future from Cohen.  Now that he's much more famous, it's going to be harder to find unwitting people he can fool dressed as a character.  Anyway, as far as the story goes, it's actually a pretty standard one that's not really breaking any new ground.  I'm kind of surprised that the story wasn't a little more inspired considering the pedigree of co-writers Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer, who are all writers for Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.  Shaffer is also the co-creator and writer of The League, another favorite show of mine.

If you like messed up, politically incorrect, or inappropriate humor, then The Dictator is for you.  As you'd expect, nothing is sacred with these guys, and nobody is left unscathed.  I laughed consistently throughout the film.  However, I didn't feel there were enough intense, laugh-out-loud moments; it's more of a consistent chuckle.  Again, with people behind this movie, I didn't think it would be so hit-or-miss and was expecting a little more bite to it. There is, however, a great speech at the end that takes a shot at our current state of affairs and is the highlight of the film.

Comparing it to Cohen's other recent films, this is better than Bruno, but not in the same league as Borat.  It's hanging around in the middle of those two films.

Director Larry Charles (Borat, Bruno) did a good job of keeping things moving along.  As I mention at the beginning, The Dictator is a short movie at just 83 minutes.  It doesn't drag or feel like it's running a gag or joke into the ground.  However, with all the cameos in the film and jokes from the trailer that didn't make it into the movie, you have to assume that this movie was edited down heavily.  I would bet there's going to be an unrated cut of this once the DVD/Blu-Ray comes out.

There are so many funny cameos in the film that you lose track of them all by the end.  The supporting cast also does a good job.  Anna Faris remains cute even when they everything they can to make her look unattractive.  She plays more of a straight role here, which is a surprise considering how funny we know she's capable of being.  John C. Reilly, who's one of my favorite actors, really isn't in it very much, despite being featured in the trailer.  It's not much more than a cameo.  Ben Kingsley plays Aladeen's right hand man, also another straight man role.  The guy that really comes out of this on a high note is Jason Mantzoukas, who some of you may recognize as 'Rafi' from The League.  He's funny in every scene he's in.

If you're a fan of Sacha Baron Cohen, or inappropriate humor in general, then I think you'll like The Dictator.  While more silly than satirical, and not as strong as Borat, it's consistently funny.  As it is a shorter movie, I can't really recommend paying full price for it, but a matinee wouldn't be stretching it too much.

3.5 (out of 5) Death Stars