Barely Lethal - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

Barely Lethal  

Director: Kyle Newman

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Sophie Turner, Samuel L. Jackson, Rachael Harris, Thomas Mann, Toby Sebastian, Dove Cameron, and Jessica Alba

The assassin film gets a teen high school comedy spin in Kyle Newman’s “Barely Lethal”. Not as lonely as Saoirse Ronan’s teenage Hanna in the 2011 film or as deadly as Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow from “The Avengers”, Hailee Steinfeld’s character, known simply as #83, is inquisitive and eager to experience the teenage life taken from her. With the aggressiveness and bloodiness dialed way back when compared to other films like it, “Barely Lethal” takes a soft-hearted comedic approach and offers a subdued action film that feels harmlessly overly familiar, while unfortunately also maintaining an anticipation for potential inventiveness that never arrives.

#83 (Hailee Steinfeld) is a teenage special ops agent who has been trained in the deadly arts of assassination since she was a child. Told to hold no remorse and never become attached, #83 does the bidding of her boss Hardman (Samuel L. Jackson). However, this lethal young woman yearns for a normal teenage life, which leads her to faking her own death and assuming the alias of Megan and the identity of a foreign exchange student from Canada. To her surprise, and against the best intelligence on teenage culture she amassed from magazines and movies, the life of a teenager proves harder than the deadly threats she encounters as an assassin.

“Barely Lethal” displays potential throughout, combining the action of hand-to-hand and tactical combat with the modern teen comedy features like high school cliques, joking jocks and mean girls, and the sarcastic and quipping banter that has come to define these films throughout different decades. In a great scene #83 researchers teenage life through film, watching movies like “Clueless”, “Bring It On”, and “Mean Girls” and reading teen fashion magazines to prepare the navigation of adolescent life. Unfortunately the unique qualities that are present here don’t persist; instead it comes and goes with the filler being the monotonous and predictable aspects of average teen comedies seen before.

With a good cast that is squandered, Dove Cameron and Thomas Mann are best in supporting roles. Cameron is particularly good with her quick witted and wisecracking comments. Mann plays the role of audio-video nerd and overlooked good-guy effectively. Hailee Steinfeld is a great actress, though here she is unfortunately poorly composed. The potential to develop her identity into something unique is instead wasted by a formulaic reproduction. And Samuel L. Jackson again plays the leader of a unique group of individuals, in basically the same uniform as Nick Fury from "The Avengers" minus the eye patch.

While the title will possibly raise more eyebrows than interest in the film, “Barely Lethal” displays an early potential that suggests a movement towards interesting places but instead falters with tedious clichés that follow familiar and typical paths.

Monte’s Rating / 2.00 out of 5.00

Barely Lethal - Movie Review by Eric Forthun

Barely Lethal  

Starring Hailee Steinfeld, Sophie Turner, Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Alba, and Thomas Mann

Directed by Kyle Newman

Rated PG-13

Run Time: 96 minutes

Genre: Action/Comedy

Opens May 29th

By Eric Forthun of Cinematic Shadows

The high school genre has increasingly worn its welcome in film, with many modern entries attempting to both subvert and pay respect to the tropes of the genre. Unfortunately, Barely Lethal does much of the same, aiming to take down the familiarity of the genre by infusing it with espionage and action but never establishes its own identity. There's an eclectic cast here, led by Hailee Steinfeld, Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Alba, Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner, and up-and-comer Thomas Mann, who stars in June's fantastic Sundance hit Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Either that sounds like the cast of the weirdest romantic comedy ever made, or the least menacing group of action stars ever assembled. Suffice to say it's a mixture of both, as the film focuses on a group of kick-ass teenage girls who have been trained since their childhood in the arts of fighting. When thrown into a high school setting, the film should prove ripe for riffs, where it admittedly hits the mark on a few stellar scenes. Most of the film is flat, though, despite the promise behind the screen from director Kyle Newman.

The film focuses on Megan Walsh (Hailee Steinfeld), a teenage special ops agent who was raised without parents under the guidance of her operations mentor, Hardman (Samuel L. Jackson). When she is handed a mission involving Victoria Knox (Jessica Alba), a hard-nosed assassin who always seems to evade their special ops unit, Megan is presumably killed in the line of battle after she falls hundreds of feet from a suspended rope into a body of water. She fakes her death, however, in order to live a real teenage life. She discovers how the media represents teenage culture through watching films like Mean Girls, Clueless, and Bring It On, while reading magazines like Cosmopolitan. She poses as a foreign exchange student and enters the Larson family, headed by an understanding mom (Rachael Harris) and another teenager, Liz (Dove Cameron). Megan crushes on a boy at school, Cash (Toby Sebastian), who leads a popular band, while befriending a timid boy named Roger (Thomas Mann), who clearly crushes on her despite remaining friends. Megan must combat her past coming back to her, particularly as a fellow agent, Heather (Sophie Turner), discovers her undercover.

A few scenes pop when the script advances into some delightfully subversive territory. One of the best scenes in the film involves a gossip session between Megan and Liz that follows the "traditional" teenage girl conversation about losing your virginity, only that it's about Megan waiting for the right person to be her first kill. It mostly works, but would spring even more if it stood alongside similar scenes in the film. Most of the story's structure, though, despite feeling like something original, is actually the clichéd high school story infused with little moments that tell you this is an espionage thriller. The same formulated emotions occur, the familiar loud arguments happen, and the characters end up in the same situations that they always do. The performance from Steinfeld in the lead is quite good, and Mann is simply phenomenal. He's such a talent, and his work in June's Dying Girl is equally sublime. The film surrounding their performances, even with Jackson and Alba committing to their contrived roles, is simply unexciting and too familiar. Newman needs to take chances as a director, because his voice is apparent behind the camera. He just needs to work with more exciting and adventurous ideas.

San Andreas - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

San Andreas         

Director: Brad Peyton

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Paul Giamatti, Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Art Parkinson, Ioan Gruffudd, Archie Panjabi, and Will Yun Lee

114 Minutes

Rated PG-13

I remember in grade school when my science teacher talked about how a big enough earthquake would eventually drop California into the Pacific Ocean. Call in the summer blockbuster movie makers to make this story a realization through the extravagance of special effects.  We’ve seen New York flood and freeze over in “The Day After Tomorrow”, we’ve seen a dormant volcano spew lava over the streets of Los Angeles in “Volcano”, we’ve even already seen an earthquake destroy most of Los Angeles in 1974’s “Earthquake”, it was only a matter of time before the natural disaster would return to the big screen. This time the film adds exceptional special effects to make the collapsing Golden Gate Bridge and crumbing Los Angeles skyline feel as realistic as possible. For those that have seen the movie trailer, you know what you are getting into and why you are going. It’s not for science factual filmmaking or in depth narrative structure.  It’s for the rumbling and tumbling visual stimulation of the disaster film; everything else is merely an afterthought..

Ray (Dwayne Johnson) is a rescue helicopter pilot in California. Fresh off a rescue that saved the life of a young woman, Ray is eager to help his daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario) move back to college. Unfortunately an earthquake forces Ray back to work and sends Blake to San Francisco with her mother’s (Carla Gugino) new boyfriend (Ioan Gruffudd). A seismologist (Paul Giamatti) at CalTech discovers that a program he has been researching can predict earthquakes, however not before one destroys the Hoover Dam. Los Angeles is the next target, but it’s an appetizer for the main course of San Francisco. This leads Ray and his wife to venture across California to save their daughter.

“San Andreas” is directed by Brad Peyton, who last helmed “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island”, and stars the frequently reliable Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Johnson has a screen presence reminiscent of the larger-than-life action stars of the 80’s and a sense of humor, humility, and hubris that brands his characters; this quality has saved many of his films. However, in a film stuffed with this much visual flair as “San Andreas”, Johnson is surrendered to playing the heroic role from the back seat, yelling cautionary warnings and motivational one-liners amidst falling debris and shaking camera work. Though he is given the opportunity to rip the door off an SUV in one early scene.

While the script offers a few moments for the characters to grow, a glossed over storyline about a broken family dealing with the loss of their daughter offers a small glimmer of character development, most of the performances are reactionary or physical. These narrative moments are simply bridges to connect the demonstrations of destruction. While the film attempts to establish some sort of relationship between the viewer and characters, one that makes the viewer care about the spotlighted people in danger, the short interactions don’t allow proper time to establish a connection when all around them are millions of people perishing.

“San Andreas” is a spectacle of visual indulgence, an overload of devastation that somewhat lessens the impact and interest of the scenes. It’s a film that doesn’t waste time with an overwhelming plot, there is barely one here, or characters that do more than direct the film from one bang and boom scene to another. Instead “San Andreas” is comfortable with the simplistic quality associated with disaster film entertainment, which it achieves quite well, but unfortunately this alone is not enough.

Monte’s Rating

2.50 out of 5.00

Don't Think I've Forgotten - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll Director: John Pirozzi

105 Minutes

Director John Pirozzi composes an enlightening and passionate documentary about the musical explosion in Cambodia during the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. Ultimately the beautiful and artistic musical art made from these forgotten musicians, at least from a Western perspective, encounters a tragic end. Though the history of this time is brought back to stirring life through the eyes and ears of the people that heard and saw these musicians in Cambodia during these uplifting and tumultuous times. Assisted by archival footage and the striking music made during the time, “Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten” is an exceptional documentary of rediscovered music and the influential musicians that created it.

Music is a universal language, a combination of rhythms and melodies that speak a common language of emotion. The music throughout Pirozzi’s soundtrack is a reflection of the changing Cambodian culture, one that found Western influences combined with the traditional aspects of song and lyric that distinguished Cambodian popular music. There were the ballads of crooners and divas, the go-go style, girl groups, and numerous rock n’ roll forms; music in Cambodia was a product of the world’s popular music while also being distinctively individual. Hearing the music produced by these artists, Sinn Sisamouth with his jazz styled crooning and Ros Serey Sothea the soulful songstress, it wouldn’t be surprising today to see some crossover with their own hit songs. Unfortunately many of these talented careers would never come to full fruition because of the aggressive appropriation of power from Prince Sihanouk, a supporter of the arts who played a crucial role in Cambodia’s independence. The Khmer Rogue in 1975 would further harm Cambodia’s thriving culture by decimating the population of thinkers, artists, and supporters of Western methods.

“When two big elephants fight, who suffers? It’s the grass that takes the hit”. This comment is telling of the changing political and social atmosphere, the shifting and hostile takeover of leadership, and the effect of the Vietnam war at the borders of Cambodia. Massive powers pushing and colliding into one another, with the neutral country of Cambodia trying to avoid the conflict of the world but also the people cultivating a culture of change in the region. These relatively small forces are matched against larger more powerful forces, and the damage to Cambodia was devastating.

“Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten” is a film about music and musicians during a period of history in Cambodia, but it’s also much more. At the core is a documentary that displays the power of music, the power that provides hope and motivates change. It evoked an emotion for these Cambodian artists to explore creativity and express the feelings, positive or negative, happy or sad, public or personal, that they wanted to share with the world. What happens to Cambodia is not a mystery, and while history has proven brutal and unforgiving for the people and musicians on display in this film their story and music should not remain a mystery.

Monte’s Rating / 4.00 out of 5.00

Slow West - Movie Review by Michael Clawson

Slow West  

Starring Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Mendelsohn, Rory McCann, and Brooke Williams

Directed by John Maclean

Rated R

Run Time: 84 minutes

Genre: Western

by Michael Clawson of Terminal Volume

A teenager stumbles into a cluster of trees as he walks his horse through clouds of acrid smoke. He comes into a clearing where he discovers the source, a smoldering Indian encampment. Burned teepees are scorched and ruined, their bones still upright and revealing their triangular corpses. The scene is played in black and greys, with an immense feeling of dread that looms over the wayward boy lost in nature’s wrath. The sequence was likely shot on a soundstage, but it feels like a Caravaggio painting come to life in the West.

I’ve never quite seen anything like this before, which further proves the resilience of Hollywood’s oldest genre, the western.

Slow West is an intense burn of a cowboy picture. It comes together like an epic romance: a lovelorn teen, Jay Cavendish (The Road’s Kodi Smit-McPhee), journeys to America’s Western frontier to find his sweetheart, Rose. Rooted in romance and the Old West, the film is more an absurdist road adventure and surreal fantasy: In an early scene, Jay looks up over the frontier, aims his revolver at the stars and watches as they light up like a shooting gallery. This scene leads into the burning of the Indian village, which is so hauntingly beautiful that it seems plucked from another movie in another genre. Jay quickly meets Silas Selleck (Michael Fassbender), a bounty hunter with a secret in his pocket: a wanted poster with Rose’s picture on it. Silas agrees to help Jay find Rose, even though his intentions are deadly and selfish. What transpires on their journey is a magnificent set of adventures, the likes of which have never before been seen in a western. You’ll know you’re very far away from John Wayne and Clint Eastwood when Jay meets a trio of Congolese singers on the road. Who are these men, and where did they come from? Slow West doesn’t elaborate, just presents images and shambles onward toward Rose’s doom. Much of the film can be broken up into episodes, including one where Jay and Silas are stalked by the film’s villain, a fellow bounty hunter. I kept thinking I knew where this scene would go, and the Slow West goes far and wide to prove you can’t predict anything in this strange western universe. The confrontation, or lack thereof, ends when the creek they’re camped next to floods, washing their weapons away and leaving them with soaked clothes. They ride away in their longjohns with their clothing tied to clotheslines stretched between their horses. Another episode takes place with a traveling preacher, who imparts one last piece of advice on a slip of paper that reads “West” with an arrow pointing. If only Jay had picked up the paper before the breeze, which forever scrambles the arrow’s intended direction. In another scene, Jay and Silas are caught up in a store robbery that goes wrong in every conceivable way. And then they step outside and it gets even worse.

Slow West is written and directed by John Maclean, whose debut here as an innovative force is about as fine as debuts come. Maclean’s biggest film credit before this was in High Fidelity, in which his band at the time, the Beta Band, has a song featured in a key sequence. How he got here to Slow West, and why — and what took so long — are questions almost as fascinating as the film itself. Almost.

It’s written perfectly, with balance for the deceptively complex narrative and the intriguing characters; the performances are spot-on, with Smit-McPhee and Fassbender making an unlikely but likable pairing; and the visuals are poetic and serve the film’s larger theme that man is not nearly as cruel as nature. Consider these three shots: a tree that has fallen on a lumberjack, his axe-wielding skeleton splayed out beneath the trunk. Ants crawling on and in the barrel of a gun. And, in one of the final shots of the film, jump cuts to each and every person killed since the beginning of the movie.

Death comes for everyone, but in Slow West it lingers, and chokes, and it does not come quickly.

Slow West - Movie Review by Eric Forthun

Slow West  

Starring Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Mendelsohn, Rory McCann, and Brooke Williams

Directed by John Maclean

Rated R

Run Time: 84 minutes

Genre: Western

Opens May 22nd

By Eric Forthun of Cinematic Shadows

Slow West’s revisionist Western narrative is bogged down by a confused, unbalanced tone wavering between slapstick comedy and romantic melodrama. The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival from writer-director John Maclean, a first-time feature filmmaker with a knack for establishing a visual landscape. Yet his emphasis on eye-popping splendor steers the tale away from the necessarily established characters and motivations. Outside of a desire for love, the lead played by Kodi Smit-McPhee is a shell of a protagonist, with Michael Fassbender’s rogue bounty hunter acting circles around the inexperienced actor. The highlight of the film is its bouts of comedy, whether that be an encounter with Native Americans that feels like a Marx Brothers sketch or a gag involving salt on someone’s wound that has to be one of the funniest scenes in any film from the festival. Maclean’s desire, though, for a heartfelt story leads to an unfulfilling resolution that doesn’t particularly care for sending off its protagonist with grace. Rather, Slow West devolves into familiar tropes that hinder the audience’s connection to the characters, leaving the film as an emotional mess with gorgeous cinematography and a terrific ensemble.

The film centers on Jay Cavendish (Smit-McPhee), a 16-year old traveler who searches for the love of his life after she mysteriously disappears. The journey takes him across the 19th-century American frontier, a landscape marked by the mindset of Manifest Destiny while coping with its treatment of Native Americans in the previous decades. On his journey, Jay encounters Silas Selleck (Fassbender), a rogue traveler that eerily mirrors Clint Eastwood’s early work. Their first run-in involves murder, so naturally their path will be blood-soaked and vile. Silas is seeking out a bounty for a man and a woman that are on the run, leading to the search involving Jay looking for his love while Silas wants the money from his dangerous mission. There’s a highly engaging moment in a local store that builds tension masterfully and firmly establishes the tone as dreary and ruthless. The journey, though, devolves into more comedy than expected, leading to a serious identity crisis in the second act of the film.

Maclean is a talent behind the screen that will work with more phenomenal actors and improve his craft. But Slow West is a tonal mess that never meshes coherently with its uniquely identifiable Western landscape. Take, for instance, a scene where Jay and Silas encounter Native Americans; the scene starts with terrifying action, and then aims for laughs, before settling on a light dramatic note. It’s frustrating as a viewer because there is only a vague semblance of what Maclean wants to establish with his work. Fassbender is always terrific on screen and doesn’t disappoint here; his Silas is a cold man with a heart hidden very deep inside. Ben Mendelsohn also delivers a satisfying, scenery-chewing turn where he constantly wears a fur coat so, naturally, he’s our bad guy. Potential brims from the surface of practically every scene, so it’s unfortunate that the minimalist Western approach makes the narrative fluffy and shallow. Slow West’s true takeaway is its lush, portrait-like cinematography, a reminder that the film knows the essence of a Western but cannot seem to formulate

I'll See You in My Dreams - Movie Review by Eric Forthun

I'll See You in My Dreams  

Starring Blythe Danner, Martin Starr, Sam Elliott, Rhea Perlman, June Squibb, and Malin Akerman

Directed by Brett Haley

Rated PG-13

Run Time: 96 minutes

Genre: Drama/Comedy

Opens May 22nd

By Eric Forthun of Cinematic Shadows

Tenderness and compassion are rare elements in the modern film industry. Yet I'll See You in My Dreams prides itself on its old-fashioned emotions and of-a-certain-age lead characters. That could have led to a refreshing if contrived narrative, but Brett Haley's film emerges as a strong example of living both old and young in a modern age, as the world moves far too quickly with scarcely any attempt at warning or preparing oneself for what's to come. Blythe Danner, seen in an abundance of supporting roles over the past decade, finally receives a much-deserved lead as a widow quietly struggling with the loneliness that pervades old age. Her performance will stand as one of the year's finest by a leading female. While the story itself seems to move through familiar motions and touch upon familiar feelings, the characters that inhabit the film are simply raw and surreal; it's uncanny how they resemble both the moods and embodiments of their respective age groups. Those characterizations, and the remarkable complexity of the romances at the center of the film, make for an ostensibly recognizable but wholly unique tale.

The story opens with Carol Petersen (Blythe Danner) coping with the sickness of her old golden retriever. When her dear friend passes away, her loneliness begins to build. She's been a widow for the past twenty years and, while she has her own interests, the days grow longer and more monotonous with age. She often visits her friends that live in a retirement community, a place where they feel happy but Carol cannot see herself living. Those friends include the oblivious Georgina (June Squibb) and the rambunctious Sally (Rhea Perlman), both of whom appear content with their life choices but discontent with Carol's seeming sadness. Sure enough, Carol meets two men that begin to change her life: Lloyd (Martin Starr), a recent graduate with a college degree in Poetry that has been working as a pool cleaner for the last few months, and Bill (Sam Elliott), an old gentleman who hangs out at the retirement community with a penchant for fishing and holding a cigar in his mouth. These men not only change her everyday actions, but also how she wants to reform herself in the waning years of her life.

The film's realization of characters and their realization of each other is profoundly moving. One of the most affecting scenes in the film is when Carol and Lloyd visit a karaoke bar, where they talk over drinks about why the bar is not very busy even though it's fairly late at night. Lloyd explains that young people go out very late nowadays, even though it's a weekday; the reason, of course, is that they don't really have jobs anymore, not like they used to. While this aside is treated as a joke, it's a harsh embodiment of modern youth culture and the perpetual struggle to find jobs post-graduation. The scene also allows Lloyd to discover Carol's talents as a singer, a nice touch for a woman that clearly did not pursue her dreams when she chose to make a living. Danner's performance makes the film excel when it should remain contrived, and the script is only a shred away from insincerity. But everything rings true. I'll See You in My Dreams mines strong performances from its supporting players and develops them well, and it's a film so unlike anything else in the marketplace right now. No explosions, no "big" moments or reveals. Just characters talking affectionately about life. It's remarkable.

Tomorrowland - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

Tomorrowland  

Director: Brad Bird

Starring: George Clooney, Brittany Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Hugh Laurie, and Kathryn Hahn

117 Minutes

Rated PG

Walt Disney Pictures

A young boy brings an invention, a rocket pack made from household materials, to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. After a failed demonstration he is given a souvenir pin by a young girl that serves as an invitation to a technologically advanced world known as Tomorrowland. Walt Disney’s affinity for technology and the wide possibilities of advancement that could exist for the future are on full display in director Brad Bird’s “Tomorrowland”. Bird has demonstrated a talent for portraying the conflict that exists between imagination and conformity through his films and the theme continues here if a little more heavy handed than in past films. Bird is a great director, bringing a childlike sense of wonder with nostalgic settings, futuristic cities, and characters whose dreams hold no limitations. “Tomorrowland” has all the exciting flash and flair of action and adventure seen throughout Bird’s film catalog but unfortunately stumbles as a script that unevenly focuses on cautionary ideas of humanities contribution to self-destruction and the hopeful possibilities of unrestrained imagination.

Casey (Britt Robertson) has an exceptionally mind, one that is utilized to break into NASA’s launch facility at Cape Canaveral in an attempt to delay demolition. Casey is caught by authorities and sent to jail. Upon release she finds a souvenir pin for Tomorrowland in her belongings. The moment she touches the pin she is whisked to a world of wonder, a place where she believes anything is possible. Unfortunately there is a mysterious group on the hunt for perspective Tomorrowland candidates but a young girl named Athena (Raffey Cassidy) offers Casey information and protection. Athena sends Casey to a man named Frank (George Clooney), a former member of Tomorrowland, to assist her in saving the world.

Frank, a jaded inventor, makes a statement about how the future looked different when he was a kid. This statement made early in the film is immediately followed by interruptions from an optimistic young person. “Tomorrowland” uses this contrasting feature quite often throughout the film, displaying the cautious, analytical, and sometimes-negative attitudes lamented with age against the hopeful, encouraging, and sometimes-naive sentiments of youth. When this works the film builds a wonderful dichotomy of age, societal perspectives, and technological awareness. When this doesn’t work, more often than expected, is when the film languishes in its own self-aware and indulgent need to finger point and chastise. Though the opinions are necessary and very truthful here, it doesn’t work when the film breaks the pace to indulge with long-winded monologues or extended visions of humanity’s destruction.

The film evokes some early Spielberg-ish qualities; young people tasked with responsibility in an adult world against the backdrop of American nostalgia and futuristic concepts. And the creations found in Tomorrowland, jet packs, a maze of slender skyscrapers, and a hovering monorail, are just a few of the well composed designs.

It’s unfortunate that the script doesn’t accommodate these nice touches. Brad Bird is a smart director who struggles to find the aim of the themes here. “Tomorrowland” feels in small moments like some of Bird’s better work, “Iron Giant” and “The Incredibles” come to mind, unfortunately the film lingers then lunges then lingers again.  Much like the jet packs that stream the skies of Tomorrowland in an early scene, the film maneuvers without much aim.

Monte’s Rating

3.00 out of 5.00

Tomorrowland - Movie Review by Eric Forthun

Tomorrowland  

Starring George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie, Tim McGraw, and Thomas Robinson

Directed by Brad Bird

Rated PG

Run Time: 130 minutes

Genre: Science Fiction/Adventure

Opens May 22nd

By Eric Forthun of Cinematic Shadows

Tomorrowland is admittedly ambitious and told with a sense of visual splendor in its first half, but the second half fails to fulfill the promises of its convoluted storyline. Director Brad Bird has moved his career away from animation (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille) toward action films (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol), even steering toward live-action science fiction, a genre that would assumedly fit him well. Yet the adventure here hinges on the triteness of the script, which offers many impassioned ideas that fall remarkably short of payoff in the film's final act. As a piece of Disney filmmaking, it's a genius ploy at making their theme park properties into other forms of merchandising; imagine the Tomorrowland posters and toys being sold in gift shops in Tomorrowland itself! The grating effect that the film instills in its opening moments involving a journey through Disneyland reminds the audience that, despite the film aiming for original ideas, it's still a product on the Disney assembly line. I like Brad Bird, and I like his ideas; they just don't add up to enough emotional power for the story to warrant artistic merit.

Tomorrowland is a world shrouded in secrecy, largely due to Disney's sly marketing campaign. For that reason, I won't dive into too many specifics. The film's protagonist is Casey Newton (Britt Robertson), a teenager bursting with scientific curiosity under the wing of her father, Eddie (Tim McGraw), who is a NASA engineer. Her interest in space exploration leads to her breaking into a NASA site and aiming to stop a demolition; this leads to her being discovered by a young girl that introduces her to Tomorrowland. Casey sees all of the technological advancements and the futuristic potential of the world, and becomes ravenous for an improved world. Her optimism is a rarity, as many observe, particularly noted by a former Tomorrowland enthusiast named Frank Walker (George Clooney, who effectively is not introduced until the halfway mark). As a young boy, he was not only introduced to Tomorrowland, but also gifted the opportunity to live there. The human leader of that adventure, Nix (Hugh Laurie), had a falling out with Frank that led to their embattled relationship and his future difficulty in reaching Tomorrowland. Talks regarding existentialism, the end of the world, the potential of the future, optimism vs. pessimism, and the ability of art to change the world transpire.

If that seems intentionally vague and confusing, that's largely because the film's plot remains shrouded even to the viewer until about the second act. That leads to a deliberately confusing narrative with ironically impressive ambition. Bird's vision of Tomorrowland is vibrant and feels like it's being seen through a child's eyes; that's both a testament to the kinetic filmmaking style and the desire for storytelling from the protagonist's perspective. When ideas regarding robots are introduced and other sci-fi lore come into play, the story feels less impactful and more formulaic. Its ideas and scope are eerily reminiscent to last year's sci-fi epic Interstellar, aiming to forebode about the ramifications of our actions now for its effect on the future. The most surprisingly affecting scene in the film is a monologue delivered by Hugh Laurie near the conclusion, which acts as a bit too on-the-nose but reminded me of the power of Charlie Chaplin's monologue during the finale of The Great Dictator. It's that good. But the story surrounding that moment feels like a conventional blockbuster with big action scenes just for the sake of having them. Tomorrowland has the remnants of a great story, albeit one where Disney stripped it for the marketable, sellable parts.

Good Kill - Movie Review by Eric Forthun

Good Kill  

Starring Ethan Hawke, Bruce Greenwood, Zoe Kravitz, January Jones, and Jake Abel

Directed by Andrew Niccol

Rated R

Run Time: 91 minutes

Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Opens May 22nd

By Eric Forthun of Cinematic Shadows

Good Kill is one of the first films to tackle the heated social issue of drone strikes, and it treats the subject with strong morality and biting criticism. The film stars Ethan Hawke as an embattled military pilot that has been subjected to indirectly flying drones over the Middle East in an air-conditioned office, a workplace with which he is both uncomfortable and unsettled. This dilemma feels particular to a military man, but the message behind his work is clear: drone strikes are morally unsound and often kill innocent lives. Even if an attack against terrorists saves many citizens, are the innocent ones lost considered inconsequential and treated as war casualties? It's a sad realization within Andrew Niccol's film, which evolves from a stark modern commentary into a melodramatic familial drama in its second half. That does not detract from the film's strengths, though, nor its overarching message regarding doing the right thing when a war effort seems to be aimed at the wrong ideals. It's a morally challenging and decidedly modern film.

The story focuses on Major Thomas Egan (Ethan Hawke), a family man married to a former dancer, Molly (January Jones). He used to work as a pilot for over a decade in the United States military, but was recently transferred to work as a drone pilot under the command of Lt. Colonel Jack Johns (Bruce Greenwood). Johns is a man marked by his desire to inform soldiers that flying a drone carries as much weight and responsibility as being a normal pilot, but it seems to be a message that goes over every soldier's head. Men often talk about how flying a drone feels like a video game and that civilian casualties are a necessary evil of the job, but soldiers like Thomas and Airman Vera Suarez (Zoe Kravitz) have a moral compass that steers them away from traditional gung-ho beliefs. As Thomas' family life begins to crumble as his professional life grows increasingly strained and unethical, he descends into alcoholism and struggles with himself as a whole. He hates the man he has become, and the means to which the government must go to supposedly preserve freedom.

Andrew Niccol's script is astute and keenly relevant. It holds a bite that rings true and stands as one of the most important political films of the past decade, at least in terms of the overarching message in its first half. The second half, though, while not awful, proves to be a misfire that grinds the film to a momentous halt. The familial drama that emerges, most notably the shrill nature of January Jones's character, makes for an unforgivingly sluggish third act. The film undervalues its supporting female characters until it allows Vera, playing well by Kravitz, to emerge as a potential third party in the relationship who stands as her own strong individual. Niccol's films are decidedly hit-and-miss when they come to their effectiveness; I was a fan of his most recent In Time, not necessarily as a remarkable piece of filmmaking but as a strong example of world-building and atmosphere. Here, he grounds his story in reality from the get-go, making an emphatic statement about the ever-growing military-industrial complex in the United States. He's sometimes too on-the-nose, but when he aims for subtlety, Good Kill excels as a morally divisive fable.

Mad Max: Fury Road - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

Mad Max: Fury Road  

Director: George Miller

Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Josh Helman, and Nathan Jones

120 Minutes

Rated R

“Mad Max: Fury Road” starts off going one hundred miles per hour, stops to drink a few energy drinks, and continues going even faster. Director George Miller, who directed “Mad Max”, and “Road Warrior”, and co-directed “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”, crafts one of the most visceral, frenzied, and energetic action movies of the year, if not the last few years. The beating, bursting pulse of this film is the exceptional George Miller, who without much dialog or extensive story constructs a violent dystopian world that consumes and swallows the viewer, and then promptly asks for seconds.

The location is a harsh post-apocalyptic landscape; the dust that carries in the wind devours remnants of cities long forgotten. The people are broken, ruled by merciless leaders who destroyed humanity with greed and war. Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) is a survivor and loner road warrior of few words who is haunted by visions of his deceased family. Max is captured, tortured, turned into a transfusing “blood bag” for other vicious warriors, and forced into a brutal chase lead by a tyrannical leader named Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). The task is to recovery Joe’s five wives who were stolen/saved by a tough-as-nails woman named Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron).

George Miller builds an immersive world here, one that doesn’t depend on detailed scenes of exposition or complex character developments. Instead the director utilizes subtle expressions, purposeful gestures, and crafty camera pans and cuts to drive the story forward; a look or movement into a certain direction is sometimes all the story needs to communicate danger, approval, or uncertainty. Whether the smirk and thumbs up from Max during a tense moment on a speeding tanker or Furiosa’s long gaze into a desolate horizon, the audience understands everything that is being said without words. This type of storytelling has the potential to go terribly wrong, especially with the vast amounts of action being thrown at the screen, however in the brilliant hands of George Miller the film feels more suited for the art house than the grindhouse. It’s a visionary director bringing the world of his mind onto the silver screen, a seemingly uncompromised film of near flawless execution.

The film takes a linear path, one clear direction of mayhem in flame throwing, gas guzzling beautifully designed vehicles; one even having the towering amps of a heavy metal concert with a guitar wielding animal attached to the roof. The movement of the story is secondary, it’s very easy to recognize where the group will end up, but the decisions of characters push the film forward, bringing to light themes associated with revenge, reward, and rebellion.

The cast is outstanding as well. Tom Hardy speaks volumes with his subdued actions but, as the film displays during a scene between the two actors, Hardy sits passenger seat to Charlize Theron’s stunning Imperator Furiosa. Theron matches Hardy’s screen presence, even at times shadowing every other actor on the screen. Bringing back Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played Toecutter in 1979’s “Mad Max”, was also a nice touch for fans. Nicholas Hoult is good as a crazed “wardog” of Immortan Joe’s army. Hoult’s wild-eyed portrayal fits the characters kamikaze-like devotion to the rewards of the afterlife.

It’s interesting that a film like this exists in the current summer box office scramble. “Mad Max: Fury Road” is a hardened, no-holds-barred genre film from the creative mind of George Miller, who exhibits that after thirty years of waiting, the dust that settled on the “Mad Max” franchise was only waiting to be furiously blown off again.

Monte’s Rating

4.50 out of 5.00

Mad Max: Fury Road - Movie Review by Eric Forthun

Mad Max: Fury Road  

Starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Zoe Kravitz, and Nicholas Hoult

Directed by George Miller

Rated R

Run Time: 120 minutes

Genre: Action-Adventure

Opens May 15th

By Eric Forthun of Cinematic Shadows

Imagine a beautifully composed and intimate film, telling a story of a world destroyed by men with a pervasive allegory for social class and female empowerment. If I told you that this same film includes a mutant playing a flamethrower guitar as his fellow henchmen drive across the deserts of the world, you'd probably be taken aback. But that aptly describes Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller's tremendously exciting action film that probably contains the greatest action scenes I've ever encountered. That may sound like hyperbole, but I'm being frank. They're simply that great. The story comes thirty years after the last installment in the Mad Max franchise but feels like its own self-contained narrative, picking up with the titular Max and his adventures with Furiosa, a brazenly great action character played by Charlize Theron. George Miller's vision of this dystopia is brilliantly rendered and mostly feels like a moving portrait, composed of eye-opening moments that are enhanced by the film's rapid-fire, relentless editing. Fury Road culminates into a brilliant action film, marked by deeply rooted passion and commitment from everyone involved.

The story follows Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), a man of action and decidedly few words. He is haunted by the death of his wife and daughter, which consume him every waking moment. When he is captured by Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played the original villain in 1979's Mad Max), Max must find a way to escape from the grasps of the self-proclaimed leader running the fabled city of Citadel. Joe rules over people by controlling their water and oil, two of the most valuable resources in the post-apocalyptic landscape. He's also held back by a breathing machine and a rather grotesque body that seems to have been morphed by nuclear war; suffice to say, he's a big ball of ugly. Nonetheless, Joe sends out his lead officer, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), to the nearby Fueltown in order to carry a recent shipment, but she takes her war rig off of the beaten path and goes on a life-altering detour. This leads to a savage race that, along with Max's escape, involves the search for a better land amidst a world marked by chaos, car chases, cannibals, and crow people. If that doesn't pique your interest, then maybe this isn't the film for you.

The primary driving force of the film, outside of the absolutely bonkers car chases, is Furiosa's desire to preserve five women that are being held captive as Joe's many wives. He aims to impregnate them on the off-chance that he will find the perfect human specimen to raise, killing the children that do not come out as expected. These women are played by the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (famous from Transformers: Dark of the Moon), Zoe Kravitz (who is on a tear over the next month, with a strong supporting role in the compelling Good Kill and a role in the great Dope), and Riley Keough (a grandchild of Elvis Presley). These women are decidedly strong and can stand on their own, while acting as Joe's crutch because he doesn't want to kill his valuable property. The longer that Furiosa holds onto them, the longer she has a bargaining tool and time to find a means of finally escaping his cruel grasp. Theron's role is fantastic and suits her demeanor perfectly; it's a role that reminds me of Sigourney Weaver's defining Ripley in Alien. She's a better shot than almost every man in the film, and the overarching feminist pull that latches onto the weak-minded men proves to be a worthwhile twist in the testosterone-fueled action genre.

And that action. Oh boy, that action. It's remarkably insane, fueled by fire, blood, and fuel. But most importantly, it's given context and moves as fluidly as water in a river. Most of the film has to be fluid because it remains, effectively, one long car chase. While that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen on paper, it becomes a tour-de-force of emotional impact and narrative substance. However conventional the story elements may seem, they become enhanced by their action groundings and the amazing set pieces that Miller and company have composed. Junkie XL's music sets the tone masterfully, moving between high-octane metal and symphonic ballads without a missed beat, and the aggressive editing from Jason Ballantine and Margaret Sixel makes the film simultaneously intimate and overwhelming. Even John Seale's cinematography, which feels both picturesque and like a twelve-year old boy's wet dream, owes a lot to the likes of Lawrence of Arabia, a piece of high praise but one that works due to their use of desert heat and terrain to great cinematic advantage. Mad Max: Fury Road is an absolute blast of a motion picture, marked by strong performances, immaculate direction, and an overwhelmingly ambitious vision of a dystopia.

Pitch Perfect 2 - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

Pitch Perfect 2  

Director: Elizabeth Banks

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine, Ben Platt, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, and Anna Camp

115 Minutes

Rated PG-13

The excellent acapella songs and bonding solidarity of the underdog Barden Bellas was the heart and soul of “Pitch Perfect”. The sequel, with actress Elizabeth Banks taking over directing duties, continues those elements but amps up the stakes and silliness as most sequels of successful films are always guilty of doing. The music is fantastic again, with a wealth of musical material taking unique shape through the voices of talented singers. While the humor doesn’t always connect as easily as the first film and aspects of the narrative stumble when aiming to one-up the situations of the first film, “Pitch Perfect 2” still has head nodding musical arrangements and continues the spirited and comical aspects to make it an enjoyable and worthy sequel.

The Barden Bellas are the acapella national champions, repeating a few more times since the first. During a concert where the President and First Lady are in attendance, a wardrobe malfunction sends the Bellas into a tailspin of negativity in the international spotlight. Suspended from competing in the national competition, the Bellas decide to prove their worth in the acapella ranks again by competing in the world championships. But the end of college life and the beginning of real world responsibilities proves to derail the ambitions of the team.

The usual turns, and sometimes flaws, of sequels are present throughout “Pitch Perfect 2”. Everything needs to be bigger, which the script and characters prove here. The screenplay is crammed with moving parts. Beca (Anna Kendrick) is interning at a music studio and is worried about finding validity as more than just an acapella performer. A new singer named Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) auditions for the Bellas and garners her own side story, Fat Amy is given a love story angle, and a rivalry is introduced between a dominating German team. This all happens amidst numerous musical numbers. So it doesn’t surprise that some characters are given the back seat and some scenes come out of nowhere for no particular purpose. However, this isn’t always a bad thing because the added scenes are welcome additions and are usually assisted with great music. Also, any opportunity for Rebel Wilson to steal a scene with comedy is always appreciated. It helps that the focus of the film never strays to far from what makes it so good, which is the acapella performance and the friendship and goals that keep these young ladies strong.

There are a few unexpected surprises that compliment the story, one being the addition of comedian Keegan-Michael Key, of television sketch comedy show “Key and Peele”, who plays an arrogant record producer. There are also a few that don’t compliment. The international competition angle lacks creativity, with the Germans getting the only foreign spotlight. And, some of the deliberate stereotyping of characters, one of the Bellas specifically, is rarely humorous.

“Pitch Perfect 2” succumbs to some of the pitfalls associated with sequels, but for the most part director Elizabeth Banks maneuvers through or past many of them. Even though the film is busy and sometimes disorganized, the playfulness is always elevated and the result is a purely entertaining acapella experience.

Monte’s Rating

3.50 out of 5.00

Pitch Perfect 2 - Movie Review by Eric Forthun

Pitch Perfect 2  

Starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Banks, Skylar Astin, and Anna Camp

Directed by Elizabeth Banks

Rated PG-13

Run Time: 115 minutes

Genre: Musical/Comedy

Opens May 15th

By Eric Forthun of Cinematic Shadows

Pitch Perfect 2 is an underwhelming, phoned-in attempt at amplifying the successful parts of the 2012 original. As a rule of thumb for sequels, going bigger almost always never equates to being better, particularly with a story as niche and relatively well-explored as Pitch Perfect. In the sequel, there are more songs, more characters, and more racist and homophobic jokes than almost any other female-driven comedy that I can remember. What's perhaps saddest about the attempt at capitalizing on the worldwide appeal of music and, more specifically, a cappella, is the tone-deaf nature of almost every moment in the film not involving musical numbers. The jokes that shine are the ones involving Rebel Wilson's Fat Amy, a character that speaks the truth candidly, without regret. It's a refreshing voice of reason in a film when many characters do not make sense, both intentionally and for the sake of propelling the story forward. The film oddly misses many of the notes that made the first film a success, growing into an overlong, tonally flat experience.

The Barden Bellas are back, with their leader Beca (Anna Kendrick) guiding the team through three straight national a cappella championships. After a disastrous concert in front of President Barack Obama where Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) shows more skin than expected, the Bellas must recover after they are stripped of their national honors and tour. Returning members like Chloe (Brittany Snow), though, want to find a loophole to ensure they can still compete. Sure enough, no American team ever enters the world competition, because "everyone hates us," as the returning a cappella commentators played by John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks so eloquently say. The Bellas, then, begin preparing for their new journey while adding some new blood to their bunch of females, most notably with Emily (Hailee Steinfeld), a "legacy" because her mother was part of the Bellas thirty years ago. If this seems like an artificial concept, even Beca addresses that by saying that she didn't know a "legacy" was a thing. Nonetheless, the group goes through growing pains after Fat Amy's escapade onstage in addition to Beca's side adventures at a recording company, headed by an eccentric mogul (Keegan-Michael Key).

Where the first Pitch Perfect had a strong sense of self and narrative drive, the sequel lollygags without ever finding a sense of concise purpose. Some may not see that as a failure or be bothered by its wanderings, but it becomes readily apparent after the film's first half hour. Most of the characters that defined the first film, in particular Skylar Astin's boyfriend character to Beca, are pushed to the sidelines in favor of driving the overall story. Yet those sorts of supporting characters come into play frequently and mostly repeat what have been established in previous scenes with the leads, making for a film that grinds to a halt every ten minutes or so. The musical numbers are exciting and the mash-ups will sell plenty of copies on iTunes; even the addition of an original song, which everyone revels at during the film, will also prove to be a hot commodity that Universal can launch worldwide. This accentuates how the film feels so mechanical and insincere, like a copy of the previous entry when it stood just fine on its own. Now that the film has explored worldwide competitions, I don't see how anything else can be explored in this world.

The most frustrating element, though, is its loss of humor. Where once the film made a mockery of a cappella, it now makes fun of minorities and gays. How intelligent! Instead of making fun of characters and their eccentricities like Fat Amy and her bold-faced demeanor, the film opts for making non-descript jokes about a Guatemalan member of the Bellas who apparently got kidnapped, almost sold by her brother, and forced to eat barbaric foods on her journey to the United States. Because remember, the plight of the immigrant is a joke as old as the sea. Not only are those moments hopelessly flat and painful, but the commentators that dominate the narration of the events (including remarks from first-time director Elizabeth Banks, who does her best with admittedly tired work) only revolve around homophobia and cultural insensitivity. While that could play as satirical if taken in the context of American exceptionalism, it instead is played for laughs because racism is apparently hysterical. I must've missed the memo. Pitch Perfect 2 sadly becomes defined by its shortcomings, even as it does confirm that Rebel Wilson excels when given proper source material. I can't wait for the inevitable spin-off Pitch Imperfect: The Fat Amy Story.

Far from the Madding Crowd - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

Far From The Madding Crowd  

Director: Thomas Vinterberg Starring: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge, Michael Sheen, Juno Temple, and Jessica Barden PG-13 119 Minutes

Thomas Hardy crafted the literary classic “Far From The Madding Crowd” in 1874. The first film version of the novel was brought to the screen by director John Schlesinger in 1967 and starred Julie Christie as the strong willed and passionate picture of feminine independence, Bathsheba Everdene. Updated again by director Thomas Vinterberg, who last helmed the exceptional film “The Hunt”, and Hardy’s story of a restricted world and the decisions and complications of life and love comes to adoring life behind the exceptionally skills of actress Carey Mulligan and a director who understands how to balance superficial romanticism, period charm, and melodrama into a film that is far more interesting than it might look.

Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) is a poised, proper, and determined woman who wants to live a life under on her own free willed guidance. Society in Victorian England however has other impressions of how a woman should be, which is basically living a life without much personal freedom while being forced into the established structures of societal expectation and formal customs. Bathsheba’s life begins to change after an inheritance comes her way, however not before she meets a farmer named Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts) who has an unquestionable passion for her. Bathsheba comes to be the owner of her own farm. Mr. Oak comes to work for her, a wealthy farm owner is in want of a wife, and a soldier mourning lost love stumbles upon her property; these men further complicate the life Bathsheba is trying to forge for herself.

Bathsheba Everdene is a picture of confidence and power at a time when woman where restricted to lives established and influenced by the decisions of men. Bathsheba is a female character that admires love but not at the expense of the responsibilities and ambitions that drive her pursuit of personal control.  Her direct and impatient nature is somewhat quieted by her kind and honorable character. She is unique and the men who meet her clearly find these attributes attractive. Vinterberg builds on these characteristics throughout, turning Bathsheba into an enigma of sorts when she is proposed with offers from the opposite sex. It’s surprisingly charming and comedic considering the source material. In many ways it becomes similar to the best-composed romantic comedies today, offering a laid-back and enjoyable quality. Whether in scenes where Bathsheba shrewdly thwarts the propositions of her male suitors, some directly asking for her hand in marriage, or in scenes where she struggles with the indecisions of which man she should choose. This prospect of choice is one the narrative utilizes cleverly, trudging Bathsheba through bad choices and restarting the spinning wheel of choice for another path. While this works for most of the film, there are moments when it undermines the keen sensibilities established to the character in the beginning.

The pleasing aesthetic, costumes and sets, and the beautiful photography, the glow of fading sunsets and vibrant landscapes, fill every frame. The cast is great, especially Carey Mulligan who makes Bathsheba strong, thoughtful, and enchanting. Matthias Schoenaerts established Mr. Oak as a deeply passionate character in the unwavering pursuit of love. Thomas Vinterberg and screenwriter David Nicholls turn what could have been a tedious period drama into a buoyant romantic comedy that will undeniably garner its fair share of final act swoons for Bathsheba and the choice in love she ultimately makes.

Monte’s Rating 4.00 out of 5.00

Far from the Madding Crowd - Movie Review by Eric Forthun

Far From the Madding Crowd  

Starring Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Juno Temple, and Tom Sturidge

Directed by Thomas Vinterberg

Rated PG-13

Run Time: 119 minutes

Genre: Romance

Opens May 8th

By Eric Forthun of Cinematic Shadows

Thomas Vinterberg’s Far From the Madding Crowd is a worthwhile, surprisingly feminist adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s 1874 novel. The director follows up his brilliant 2012 film, The Hunt, with a story far less morbid and far more classical. Relying on stunning visual landscapes and a strong female protagonist, Madding Crowd shows the independence one woman feels in the world and her ambivalence toward men, even as many potential suitors surround her at every moment. Carey Mulligan, a fine actress that has excelled in films like Never Let Me Go and An Education, commands every moment and creates a stirringly realized figure. She’s a woman that runs her own farm and cannot stand the idea of being owned by a man through marriage; when love interests played by Matthias Schoenaerts and Michael Sheen enter the fray, she fights relentlessly to stand on her own. It’s a shockingly relevant story despite being a 141-year old adaptation, making the film sing more than other old English adaptations and strike a poignancy that rings true despite narrative question marks in its second half.

The story follows Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan), a headstrong, independent woman in Victorian England in 1870. After her uncle dies and gifts her a farm in rural England, she moves there in hopes of building the farm up to its acclaimed stature many years earlier. In the process, she attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer captivated by her deliberate perseverance; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a handsome and reckless Sergeant that abandons his fiancée, Fanny (Juno Temple), when she mistakenly visits the wrong church on their wedding day; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a prosperous and mature bachelor who owns a farm next door. Bathsheba, despite not wanting to be tied to any man or have her independence squandered, cannot deny the passionate feelings she has for some of the men, particularly those that care for her deeply without ever saying so. As the relationships move in and out of Bathsheba’s life and she realizes her farm’s declining potential, her options grow limited and she must decide on what is best for her future, both romantically and financially.

The performances and Vinterberg’s direction are sublime. Mulligan in particular carries the timeless feel needed to communicate the thematic messages within the old-fashioned landscape. Her and Schoenaerts, both playing characters that are ideologically compatible but independently minded, work together marvelously on screen; the dialogue and romantic tension are palpable in every frame. David Nicholls’ adapted screenplay is full of fluffy lines that float through the air across the actors’ faces, lingering during scenes long after they are spoken. It’s quite powerful. The narrative begins to meander a bit near its conclusion, particularly as Frank is villainized and grows increasingly one-dimensional despite supposed justification for his actions. How every romance is settled, while making sense in the context of the narrative, feels decidedly simplistic in its ideas, which is striking considering how modernized the film feels emotionally. A strange complaint for a film set in 1870, I know. Another note is Charlotte Bruus Christensen, the cinematographer here who also worked on The Hunt; her work is absorbing and challenging, focusing on intimacy and grace. Far From the Madding Crowd is a departure of sorts for Vinterberg, yet that proves to be a capable challenge for him.

Kung Fu Killer - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

Kung Fu Killer  

Director: Teddy Chen

Starring: Donnie Yen, Charlie Yeung, Baoqiang Wang, and Bing Bai

100 Minutes

From Amplify Releasing

“Iron Monkey”, “Enter the Dragon”, “Born Invincible”, “Five Element Ninjas”, “Fist of Legend” and “Once Upon a Time in China II”, these are six of my favorite martial arts movies. What do two of these films have in common? They star Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen. Director Teddy Chen clearly wants to pay homage to martial arts films of the past, for instance Shaw Brothers films, and he succeeds in making an action packed film that honors the past that influences it.

Hahou Mo (Donnie Yen) is a martial arts instructor/master who helps train the police force in Hong Kong. Hahou is imprisoned after a duel where he accidentally killed someone. A few years pass and a killer named Fung Yu-Sau (Baoqiang Wang) begins to target martial arts masters, challenging them in their respective style in a battle to the death. Using techniques like grappling, boxing, and weapon work to name a few, Fung attracts the attention of Hahou who finds the particulars of the killings familiar. Hahou contacts a police detective (Charlie Yeung) and agrees to help find Fung in exchange for his freedom.

Chen understands the nature of martial arts films, which is ultimately the origin leading to the duel. Here, Fung is motivated by the death of his wife and his determination to be the best by beating the best. The narrative doesn’t hide the mystery of the killer, we know Fung and understand early his purpose for fighting. Where the mystery exists is with the intentions of Hahou. Why did he kill someone? What side is he on? These questions are easily answered but they help in building the anticipation of what is unquestionably coming, an epic freeway confrontation between Hahou and Fung.

The film is ultimately a vehicle for Donnie Yen, who has an undeniable presence and still has the physical chops to command the action sequences in the film, one in which he also serves as fight choreographer. Surprisingly Yen is nearly upstaged by Baoqiang Wang who had nice turns in “A Touch of Sin” and “Lost in Thailand” and here plays the unhinged Fung with ferocity.

The production level is high with numerous locations showcasing the many modern and traditional aspects associated with Hong Kong. The action scenes are impressive, with chase scenes that weave in and out of locations with a mix of handheld and stationary camera work. This camera work offers a nice balance during fight scenes to display both the quickness and power of the martial arts technique. The fight scenes are meticulously paced, one fight happening acrobatically on the top of a large sculpture. The film operates the best of realistic and gravity defying combat to make the fight scenes energetic and distinct.

The film ends with a nice homage to the many actors and crew members that have given their skilled talents to the art of martial arts filmmaking. While the film may not reach the realms of some of the classic kung fu films, the ambition and passion from the team offer a first-rate effort.

Monte’s Rating

3.50 out of 5.00

The D Train - Movie Review by Eric Forthun

The D Train  

Starring Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, and Russell Posner

Directed by Andrew Mogel, Jarrad Paul

Rated R

Run Time: 97 minutes

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Opens May 8th

By Eric Forthun of Cinematic Shadows

The D Train is fueled by its affable nature and surprisingly impactful emotional weight, even if its story remains too whimsical and light to elevate much further. Still, Jack Black and James Marsden excel as the two leads, providing a twist on the buddy friendship comedy and turning their characters into sharp realizations of introspective men. Black has been struggling to find his comedic identity lately, excelling in films like Bernie and borderline embarrassing himself with cameos in films like Sex Tape. This, however, is the type of role in which he thrives, as he is allowed to play a man with many unlikable qualities yet a generally amicable personality. It always feels like he's boiling underneath his smiling surface. Marsden, who always seems to fill the role of smarmy business man or kind-hearted nerd, plays the washed-up celebrity of sorts, a role that feels tailor-made for his abilities. The roles are perfectly placed, but the writing is lacking when it needs to hit the hardest. Instead of becoming an acutely observant comedy, it settles for a chuckle-worthy, good-hearted sense of self.

The film focuses on Dan Landsman (Jack Black), the head of a high school reunion committee that takes his work a bit too seriously. He's an uptight family man that cannot seem to make friends or crack a solid joke; he often sees his committee colleagues going out to drinks after he asks them if they'd like to do so. His life is boring and, perhaps more gravely, he is boring. His work outside of the committee is even more bland, as his boss, Bill Shurmur (Jeffrey Tambor), lives in the Stone Age in regards to technology. Yet Dan finds an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and realize himself after his shortcomings in high school and present day. He sees his old drama "buddy," Oliver Lawless (James Marsden), starring in a Banana Boat commercial that feels straight out of Baywatch. If he can get this supposed star to show up at the reunion, maybe that'll convince everyone else to come, and the get-together will be a smash hit. But Dan has to travel to Los Angeles to convince Oliver that it's worthwhile, and the two party hard and rekindle their "friendship," as Dan sees it, even when a wild night complicates things between the two of them.

Much of the film's tensions and conflict spring from that inciting incident, which is admittedly inventive and troublesome. The writer-directors Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel have a strong sense of narrative momentum, even as the film begins to repeat some of its core ideas near its conclusion. The conflict, however dated it may seem, actually arises from these characters and their perpetual sense of loneliness and lack of fulfillment. Black and Marsden complement each other exceptionally well, with some of the funniest moments in the movie emerging from their back-and-forth banter. The shining light of the film is Jeffrey Tambor, who plays an outdated boss with a strong sense of self that attempts to acclimate to a technologically changing world, based on the recommendations by Dan. Sure enough, things get complicated when Dan lies to his boss and the actions have serious repercussions, leading to Tambor's strong sense of understated comedy and genuine human compassion. Dan faces brutal moments of despair in the aftermath of his lying and manipulation of others; it's rare to see a comedy have a character get struck that hard. But The D Train settles for a familiarly optimistic ending and loses sight of its laughs near the conclusion, making the film a slightly affecting comedy backed by strong performances.

Maggie - Movie Review by Michael Clawson

Maggie  

Starring Abigail Breslin, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Joely Richardson

Directed by Henry Hobson

From Lionsgate

Rated PG-13

95 minutes

By Michael Clawson of Terminal Volume

The zombie is an ironic metaphor for, of all things, the zombie genre: it shambles forward, meat decaying off its bones, teeth falling from its mouth, unable to die, its only mission to consume. You can shoot it and delay its momentum, but it just keeps coming back for more.

After every iteration of zombie cross-pollination — zombie comedy (Shaun of the Dead), Zombie rom-com (Warm Bodies), zombie sci-fi (The Last Days on Mars), zombie suburban drama (Fido) — and an increasingly manipulative zombie soap opera on television (The Walking Dead), we must certainly be approaching a zombie zenith. After all, how many zombie movies, shows, comics and video games do we really need?

“One more, please,” begs Henry Hobson’s directorial debut Maggie, a largely unique zombie movie with something to say in an overplayed and babbling genre.

The film plays out in whispers, sighs and reserved mumbles. It’s quiet and contemplative, the kind of movie that doesn’t feel rushed when it looks out a window to wonder. It’s been months, or maybe years, since a zombie uprising has been quelled. Survivors are picking up the pieces and rebuilding, but infected still pop up now and again. They aren’t called zombies — no, they are carriers of a fatal disease called the necroambulist plague —  and are treated humanely, more like terminal cancer patients than a horror villain.

The bad ones, the run-of-the-mill walking dead, are killed outright, but the infected who are still conscious and articulate are granted small doses of humanity. They’re allowed to return home, be near their families, eat and drink regular food, and put their affairs in order before the virus’ two-week incubation period gives way to full-blown braaaaaaains cravings. Before patients “turn” they are encouraged to voluntarily enter a quarantine center where they will be housed and later euthanized, or a family member can end it all for them. “I would use that,” the family doctor says, pointing at a shotgun.

This is the world that we enter as we meet Wade, a father of three somewhere in the Midwest. The state of Wade’s world is explained in an overly helpful NPR story — if All Things Considered is still around, then things probably didn’t get that bad. Wade’s teen daughter, Maggie, has been bitten and he’s bringing her home to the family farm. No one is really trying to process Maggie’s fate; it all feels so raw, so they ignore it. They cook and make dinner, she uses a swingset in the yard, she goes to a party … life is mostly normal, except this bite and its putrefying aftermath that represents Maggie’s future.

I haven’t yet told you the stars of the movie, and that is intentional. Maggie is played by Abigail Breslin, the young child actress from Little Miss Sunshine and, as luck would have it, Zombieland, who is making waves now as an adult. Wade is played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in what might be the most unique role of his career. He holds a gun, but only shoots it offscreen. He’s involved in two fights, and is roundly defeated in one of them. And he doesn’t have a single one-liner. Where other movies are built around this abstract idea of AHNOLD, Maggie casts the former California governor as a regular guy doing mostly regular things. And you know what? It works. By no means is this prestige acting, but it’s a serious role that requires him to act and not stunt. I was continuously surprised by his performance and his pairing with Breslin, who also does a fine job with the minimalist material.

Maggie is original as a zombie movie and a Schwarzenegger flick, but it occasionally loses its way. There’s a bit with a roaming fox that goes on with little reward, and some of the visual payoffs look like hand-me-downs from The Walking Dead. In one of the film’s only zombie fights, Wade wanders through a deserted gas station, past a bloody mattress, through buzzing flies and into a dark hallway to use the bathroom. Of course there’s a zombie by the toilet that he has to fight off, but why didn’t he read the clues? More importantly, how did he even survive the original zombie plague with instincts like this?

These deficiencies are made up for with Hobson’s careful directing, which (mostly) avoids cheap jump scares and rapid edits for a deliberate, more cerebral story about a father and a daughter as they comprehend the limits of their love. The music is mellow and evocative, the colors are cold and desaturated, the editing is straightforward and direct, and the performances are flat but also realistic — Hobson takes into account what’s already been done in the zombie genre and goes out of his way to tell a different kind of story. And it’s pretty good.

So maybe the genre isn’t altogether dead.

Bravetown - Movie Review by Eric Forthun

Bravetown  

Starring Josh Duhamel, Lucas Till, Maria Bello, Laura Dern, and Katrina Norman

Directed by Daniel Duran

Rated R

Run Time: 112 minutes

Genre: Drama

Opens May 8th

By Eric Forthun of Cinematic Shadows

Bravetown is hopelessly derivative and narratively flat, with a general feeling that the filmmakers borrowed elements from every other starting-over-my-life drama ever made. Centering on a young DJ who overdoses on drugs and decides to reform his life by living with his father, the film attempts to modernize an overly familiar, relatively ancient story by showcasing how much the youngin's like the new music. Alas, the film attempts to utilize well-established actors but never finds a sense of self or reformed message. Rather, it weaves together jingoistic ideas about the military and paints everything as one-dimensional, including the supposedly exciting dance competition at the heart of the film's plot. That's right, this movie has dance scenes that feel straight out of Step Up. They're admittedly entertaining, but only carry the horizontal narrative so far. Daniel Duran's directorial debut is visually compelling, showing his potential behind the camera, but the script carries a stench of repetition that never lets up.

The film focuses on Josh (Lucas Till), a boy raised in a troubled home by an alcoholic mother (Maria Bello). He works as a DJ at night, indulging in ecstasy and other illicit drugs when given the chance. After an overdose puts him in the hospital, his mother sends him off to live in a rural town with his father. He's also sent to a psychiatrist, Alex (Josh Duhamel), that is supposed to help him get through his drug addiction but all they end up doing is watching soccer and eating pizza. Alex, like many in the town, used to fight in the military, and their town prides itself (as we realize very late in the film, mind you) on military pride and honor. Josh meets Kerry (Katrina Norman), a dancer at his new high school that can never seem to choose the appropriate music for their admittedly strong dancing talents. Sure enough, Josh is a DJ, so he can make them some sick beats to help win a very important competition. If this seems like a subplot that does not really pertain to the overarching story, you'd be correct. Nonetheless, a romance builds between the two while Kerry's mother (Laura Dern) cannot get over her son's death while serving his country.

It's a wonder how a film with this level of talent can be so dramatically boring. While it contains marketable stars, talented women like Dern and Bello are subjected to thankless, nagging maternal roles that feel like the most conventional trappings for middle-aged women in the film industry. It's troubling how consistently inept female roles can be in these dramas centered on teenage boys. Till, in the lead role, mostly looks depressed about his character's decisions and angsty regarding his parents' divorce. The dialogue he's given doesn't bode well either, with a particular scene feeling like nails on a chalkboard. The two love interests talk and then, out of nowhere, she starts to bother him about why he doesn't talk to his dad, and the conversation has the intelligence of a dog running around in a circle going after its tail. Bravetown simply wastes its talents on the off-chance that it will connect with military families dealing with the loss of a loved one. That's a commendable story considering its dramatic implications, yet the narrative should be less pandering and one-dimensional. It's one of the many frustrating misfires in the film, a true slog with a cloud of pretension hanging over its proceedings.