47 Ronin

1.5 Stars (out of four)

Okay.  In the interest of full disclosure, it has long been my opinion that Keanu Reeves has been the near-fatal element to every movie in which he has starred.  Don't believe me?  Judge by the evidence: Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Matrix (all three), The Day The Earth Stood Still, Speed, The Devil's Advocate, Something's Gotta Give...the list goes on and on.  All potentially great movies that are sabotaged by his dazed expression and dull personality.  Karma must be real because outside of his good looks, there is no conceivable reason why this guy should be in any film where he doesn't play a dazed and dull individual (Parenthood, Bill and Ted's, Point Break).  This guy has hit the sweet spot between the genetic lottery and karmic destiny, because he has been in (and almost ruined) an incredible amount of great flicks.  As a testament to their greatness, they are good despite him (see aforementioned list).  That said, I can honestly say 47 Ronin is neither great with or without him.  It is just...there.

The plot, such as it is, is easily summed up.  Our man Keanu plays Kai, a half-breed raised by demons from childhood in ancient Japan who teach him to fight.  He is adopted by the Asano clan who at first try to kill him.  By being a half-breed and being raised by demons, this essentially makes Kai the red-headed stepchild of the Asano clan.  He is an outcast in Japan's intolerant society and is treated with at the very least, with contempt.  He brings shame to the clan when, during a tournament before the shogun, the Asano clan's champion is bewitched just before he is to fight the warring Kira clan's champion and cannot fight.  Kai puts on the armor and fights instead until the deception is revealed.  Kai is then horrifically beaten.  That same night, the witch working for the Kira clan bewitches the Asano clan's master who attempts to kill Lord Kira while he is a guest.  Kai's master is forced to commit seppuku, ritual suicide, and all the Asano clan's samurai become ronin, disgraced and outcasts.  The rest of the movie is the 47 ronin taking back their master's honor by exacting vengeance on the Kira clan.  At the end, they are also forced to commit seppuku.  The end.

Now, why Universal decided to open a movie in Japan depicting one of their most cherished legends done with an American actor in the lead, with all the actors speaking English, and a story that resembles the original in name only, and expect a hit is beyond me.  That would be like the Japanese making a story about Pearl Harbor depicting the heroism of their pilots against the barbaric Americans and expecting it to be a hit in America.  It was a flop there.  This should have been Universal's first clue to how bad the movie is.  The problem with this movie is that it is not really exciting (I found myself dozing in parts), and that it is a by-the-numbers actioneer with no real inspiration.  Keanu, for once, cannot be held responsible for damaging this film.  It was damaged right out of the gate.  That said, there are some incredible visuals that really do dazzle.  All in all, it is a substandard action flick that you should see only if there is nothing else to see.  And unfortunately for 47 Ronin, there is a lot of good stuff out there right now.

Grudge Match

3.5 Stars (out of four)

So, Grudge Match was a real surprise.  I went in expecting a funny little comedy and came out getting not only that, but a picture with a lot of heart.  Where did that come from?  This was certainly not what I was expecting, and I was pleasantly surprised.  I think when people see Sylvester Stallone doing another boxing movie, they just roll their eyes, even with knowing that it's a comedy.  But I have found that in the last ten years or so, Sly has really upped his game and given us movies we didn't really expect would be any good.  From Rocky Balboa to Rambo to The Expendibles to this, I have been wooed back to his side, redeeming a horrible decade of such fare as Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Tango & Cash, Judge Dredd and Oscar.

Grudge Match starts with a great rivalries in sports, where two great boxers, Henry 'Razor' Sharp (Stallone), and Billy 'Kid' McDonnen (Robert DeNiro) fought two unforgettable boxing matches with each winning one.  On the eve of a third match, Razor suddenly and inexplicably retires.  Since then, Razor has been eking out a living working in a Pittsburg steel mill.  Kid ended up being rich and famous and now owns a car dealership and a bar.  A young, Don King-esque promoter named Dante Slate, Jr. (Kevin Hart, hilariously stealing every scene), comes up to him with a proposition, to do motion-capture for a new boxing video game. Considering Dante's father stole most of Razor's fortune with shady deals and also that Razor and Kid deeply hate each other, he is less than enthused to do it.  However, financial problems force him to take the job with the precondition that Kid will not be there.  Through a scheduling mixup, Kid shows up and a real fight breaks out.  The fight is filmed and posted on the Web where it instantly goes viral, fueling national speculation that a new fight is a possibility.  The fight eventually happens and the grudge match is on.

There is a lot of interesting plots going on with this film that raise it above a lesser comedies about boxing like The Great White Hype.  It has all the boxing conventions: two bitter rivals, the grizzled trainer (Alan Arkin, as funny as ever), the old flame (Kim Basinger), the unctuous promoter, training montages, internal questioning, and the final fight.  As I stated before though, it also has a lot of heart.  Razor must reconcile with a former flame.  The womanizing Kid meets a son, and grandson, he never knew he had and must come to grips about his own selfishness.  Dante is working to get himself out from under his father's conniving shadow to make a name for himself separate from his dad's shady ways.  And finally, it deals with letting the past go, no matter how painful, in order to move on with the future.  Stallone has long been a conservative voice in Hollywood, and it is no surprise he decided to do this film, considering the old-fashioned messages.  But it is a treat to see these two actors who have both played iconic boxing roles, to step into the ring once more.  Even more interesting, they play the same type of characters as their previous movies.  Stallone playing the good, heart of gold Rocky and DeNiro playing the bad, hateful Jake LaMotta.  It is fun to watch and I must say, do not let your preconceptions fool you.  This is a very good movie and worth a watch to anyone.  Also, stick around when the credits begin to roll for a great, final stinger that will make you leave laughing.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

2 Stars (out of four)

So I went into Anchorman 2 with a great deal of trepidation.  Would this be the sublimely funny film that Anchorman not only failed to be, but stubbornly refused to be, or would it be another missed, hack opportunity?  It turns out I should not have worried, because it missed the boat again, despite having a wealth of great material from which to work.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues picks up where Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy left off.  The 70's is behind Ron Burgundy (Will Farrell), God's gift to the evening news and well-coifed hair, and his lovely and sexy wife and co-anchor, Veronica Corningstone (played by Christina Applegate).  They're the hottest evening anchor team until Ron is fired by their boss and is unceremoniously cast into the street after splitting with Veronica.  He then has to scratch out a living drunkenly announcing SeaWorld attractions and sexually harassing the female trainers.  One day, a producer shows up and offers him an opportunity of a lifetime, to be one of the anchors on an all-new, 24-hour news channel.  Ron immediately takes the job and gets his old news team, Champ, Brian and Brick, back together to make the journey back East to New York.  Despite a rough start, Ron unexpectedly becomes the hottest anchor at the channel until an accident leaves him blind, rendering him unable to read the news.  Veronica nurses him back to health and he learns that family life is better than being an anchor.  The end.

Whew!  A lot occurs, but nothing really happens.  Like its predecessor, Anchorman 2 is a huge missed opportunity to make a truly sublime comedic movie.  When, exactly, did comedies become inane 3 Stooges slapstick ripoffs?  When did Hollywood stop making intelligent comedies for adults and decided to go with simple dick and fart jokes that aren't funny to someone over 14?  Anchorman's idiotic excess was most dramatically shown in a 2:03 pan flute sequence that only felt like it was 15 minutes long,  There was so much to work with in the original: the late 70's, sexual attitudes in and out of work, the growing role of women in the workplace, the clothes, disco, hair; oh, I could go on and on.  And to be fair, there are moments that are reminiscent of much better satirical movies like Network and Broadcast News where echoes a great comedy seep through.  Anchorman 2, does try to be better than its precursor.  It speaks to the retardation of real news and it's surrender to news entertainment, race relations, the changing role of the family unit; but it does them all clumsily.  That said, there are some side-splittingly funny sequences that made me laugh out loud.  My favorites are a dinner conversation and a slow-motion car wreck (you'll know it when you see it).  Unfortunately, the car wreck is a metaphor for the whole film.  This movie was so incredibly disappointing; but, when it's funny, boy is it ever funny.

Saving Mr. Banks

3 Stars (out of four)

Saving Mr. Banks originally looked like it would be a fun romp that would be Exhibit A for why one should never involve a writer in the moviemaking process. Writers are nothing but problems as they tend to be emotionally attached to the material.  The trailers promise a fun look at the moviemaking process with a  difficult collaborator.  The trailers also hint at something deeper, but they are a little vague, and this criminally undersells what is a very good film.

The movie is about the making of Mary Poppins.  It tells the story about the difficult relationship that Walt Disney (played by Tom Hanks) had with author P.L. Travers (amazingly portrayed by Emma Thompson.  This is probably one of her best performances to date.)  .  Because of a promise he made to his daughters, he tried for 18 years to get P.L. Travers to sell him the rights to make a movie version of her series of books about our favorite nanny from England.  Because of financial troubles, Travers finally relents and tries to work with Disney's screenwriters and songwriters to make the film.  Disney give her unprecedented control over how her creation would be portrayed onscreen.  She is given final say in both the screen as well as all aspects of production.  She is constantly worried that Disney will turn Mary Poppins into a syrupy musical devoid of any substance.  She constantly criticizes every aspect of the production and generally makes herself as much as a nuisance as possible.  As the movie progresses, we get parallel storylines with what is happening in Hollywood and Travers' life growing up with her alcoholic father.  We find that she wrote the book as an homage to her father, and that despite the series being very whimsical, there is much deeper and personal meanings to her, and this is why she is pushing back so hard.

The reason to see this movie is not really for the story, although it is quite entertaining.  The real reason to see this movie is to see Emma Thompson's performance.  I am going to make another early Oscar call and say that she will get Best Actress for 2013 for this performance.  I have rarely seen such a nuanced performance from anyone.  The reason I gave this 3 stars is that the Travers' motivations are a little vague.  Some of the vagueness may have been a victim of post-production cuts, but it matters little because Thompson gives so much into this performance.  This a good movie for adults, but is not really a family flick.  If you are thinking that it is going to be a backstory on how Mary Poppins came to be, you will be disappointed.  Although that is a very important part of the movie, it is not the most compelling part.  The compelling story is what happened with Travers and her father and how she has internalized the sadness, anger and guilt over the years through her character.

American Hustle

Three stars (out of four)

American Hustle is one of those films you don't want to think about too much, but rather sit back and enjoy.  It is fun, funny and brisk, but does not make a lot of sense.   It's worth it because it is just so much fun to watch.  It reminds me of a lot of the old Rat Pack films like the original Ocean's Eleven, where plot a coherency take a back seat to fun.  That is the attitude you should come into American Hustle.

The film makes no pretensions right from the start.  There have been a lot of "based on a true story" films lately.  Hustle opens with, "Some of these events actually happened."  With that intro, the tone of the film is already set.  This is a comedy, despite some very unpleasant characters and situations, of low level con artists on either side of the law in the late 1970s.  It starts with Christian Bale's character, Irving Rosenfeld, a small-time con man who meets up with Amy Adams' character, Sydney Prossner.  Both had horrible backgrounds and find themselves as two peas in a pod.  Together, they begin a con partnership swindling people for $5 thousand a piece in fraudulent investment schemes.  They are caught by Bradley Cooper's sleazy and ambitious FBI special agent Richie DiMaso.  He forces Irving and Sydney to participate in high-level corruption stings to entrap local politicians.  They reluctantly agree.  While Sydney and Irving honestly love each other, Irving is trapped in a loveless marriage with his passive-aggressive wife Rosalyn, played by at turns wickedly vicious or emotionally naïve by Jennifer Lawrence.  This takes place during the ABSCAM scandals of the 70's, and as the fish get bigger and bigger in the stings, DiMaso keeps pushing Irving and Sydney to bigger and more dangerous situations.  He strongly hints he will never let them out as long they are helping his career.  At a point where Irving is taken by mobsters in a car with a bag over his head, he formulates a con that will get him and Sydney out of the tangled web then find themselves entrapped.  The rest of the film deals with the unravelling of the con, ala The Sting.

The movie is quite good, very entertaining fare.  It is comedy in some of its blackest form at times.  While these are all unlikable characters, the movie's deft script and direction makes you empathize with them despite yourself.  It is obvious the incredibly talented cast is having the time of their lives and it shows with the intensity of each performance.  There is not a dud in the bunch, with Jennifer Lawrence's being a standout.  There are a few problems, though.  First, the movie is a tad overlong.  At times, it takes way too long to get to the point.  Second, the final con is very confusing.  I am unclear as to whether this is because of post production cuts or whether the screenwriters were being a little too clever for their own good.  I suspect it was because of the former.  As the reveal unfolds, some of the moves don't make a lot of sense or just happen because the script says so.  Finally, as great as her performance is, Jennifer Lawrence's part seems padded, almost as if the producers said, "we got last year's Best Actress winner here, let's use her as much as possible."  There are a lot of times her character is not necessary to what we are seeing.  As much fun as it is to see her sink her teeth into a meaty role, there seems to be a lot of unnecessary appearances from her.  But that said, the movie is funny, taut and just a joy to watch.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

3 Stars (out of four)

I need to preface this review with a disclaimer.  I have read The Hobbit and enjoyed it.  However, I read it later in life.  I was introduced to the story when I was 8 living in Spain when I saw the cartoon for the first time.  It caught my imagination and I loved it, but I don't have the emotion attachment that a LOT of people have toward the Lord of the Rings books.  So, for me, I really don't care whether or not the movie follows the book exactly.  There has been a lot of ballyhoo over the additions that Peter Jackson has added to these three new movies.  I do not find it sacrilegious like others.  That said, I liked the new movie.  It has redeemed itself from the first Hobbit film.  The first was long, plodding, and not a lot really happens.  A few have made a very astute observation that the new movies basically look and feel like the old ones.  This one, however, is taut, fun and really zips along.  However, it is a tad long, a bit of a butt buster.

So, The Desolation of Smaug starts exactly where An Unexpected Journey left off.  It throws us right into the action where Azog the Defiler is chasing our company of dwarves and hobbit.  Without giving too much away, we meet the wood elves of Mirkwood (where in a shameless pandering to the female demographic, Legolas shows up again for some reason.  None of this is in the book.) where Thorin tries to enlist the aid of the elves to take back the Lonely Mountain.  The elves refuse and the dwarves go on their way.  Azog continues to chase the dwarves, where they end up in Laketown, near the Lonely Mountain.  After some more talking, the dwarves end up in the Lonely Mountain and Bilbo finally meets the dragon Smaug.  The movie ends up with Smaug leaving the mountain to raze Laketown.  So that's it in a nutshell.

The movie is fun, moves quickly from scene to scene until Laketown.  However, I was in this movie for Smaug.  The two images I had taken from the cartoon when I was eight was Smaug and Gollum.  Gollum doesn't disappoint, but Smaug was a real barnburner.  The scenes with him are great and worth the wait.  I loved every second he was on the screen.  The other aspect I loved about this particular movie was many of the action scenes were filmed from a very unique perspective that upped the excitement quotient for me.  One of the biggest action set pieces in this movie is the dwarves escaping from the orcs under Azog while they are riding barrels in a rapid river.  Most of the action is filmed from the barrels, which, for me, was a lot of fun.  My two complaints about the film are that it is a tad too long.  I was looking at my watch near the end, despite this being a very fast moving film.  The other is the shameless pandering to some audience.  Now, I understand the art of adaptation necessarily means things will be cut or condensed, but when there is outright invention of new characters or plotlines that have no point or purpose, I draw the line.  Liv Tyler's female elf in Lord of the Rings was a necessary addition to make a more coherent storyline.  But the addition of Legolas and the invention of a new female elf with some kind of weird three-way unrequited relationship with Legolas and one of the dwarves for no particular purpose is where I begin to tune out.  Anyway, purists will absolutely hate the film.  Otherwise, it is a lot of fun and I think you should go see it.

The Book Thief

3.5 Stars (out of four)

The Book Thief was one of those movies I wasn't sure about when I first saw the previews.  It looked a lot like many of the other World War 2 movies where brave people protected persecuted Jewish people.  There have been great films like The Hiding Place, The Pianist, the amazing Polish film In Darkness, they all have simultaneous uplifting and depressing commentaries on the nature and perseverance of the human spirit.  So I was wondering what The Book Thief would offer that was different than what we had seen before.  While all of these movies touch on it, The Book Thief hits me where I live.  It focuses on the everyday humanity of people, the little things that pull us together and make unbreakable bonds in family, friends and community, especially in horrible times like wars where there is so much loss.  The tragedy can seem arbitrary and cruel, and that is when our humanity is more important than ever to keep and nurture.

The movie starts with Liesel, in an amazing and scene-stealing performance by 13- year-old Sophie Nélisse, a German girl who, because of her mother's communist leanings, is taken away from her mother and given to a childless German family who want to adopt.  The couple are Hans and Rosa Hubermann (played by Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson).  Hans is a kindly man whom Liesel takes to immediately.  Rosa is a stern, almost comical stereotype of the German house Frau.  At first the movie starts near the very beginning of the war when Germany was just beginning as a nazi state.  As the movie progresses, we then see the gradual and sinister creep of nazi-party ideology and lifestyle over several years and how it took over the lives of ordinary Germans.  We find very early on that Liesel is illiterate, so Hans teaches her to read from a gravedigger manual she stole earlier.  Later, at a nazi book-burning rally, she takes a charred copy of H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man and starts reading that.  She is seen by the town's burgermeister's wife who lost a son in World War I, who takes pity on Liesel.  She lets her read books from her large personal library.  Late one night, a young man near death bangs on the Hubermanns' door.  He is the son of a war buddy who once saved Hans' life.  They take him in and hide him for several years.  Liesel begins to steal/borrow books from the burgermeister's library to read to him as he recovers his health.  As time moves on, we see the soft side of everyone, including Rosa.  As Liesel reads more and talks with their houseguest, it opens inside her a gift for storytelling to describe all the awful things that surround her.  MINOR SPOILER ALERT!!!  The story is narrated by Death, and how the Hubermanns' touched him, hinting at the fate of some or many in the story.  Without giving much more away, Liesel's storytelling becomes a source of inspiration and strength for many.

What is interesting about this film is that its storytelling device is the same as To Kill A Mockingbird, that is, the telling of horrific truths about life through the eyes of a child, in this case, Liesel.  This immediately grabbed my attention and was adroitly used throughout the whole film.  As I said before, this is a story about humanity and people caught up in events bigger than they.  The movie makes the point that not all Germans were nazis, and when they weren't, it had some major consequences in their lives.  Interestingly, the only die-hard Nazi we see with any regularity is the town bully who becomes a willing participant with the Hitler Youth.  But the ongoing theme throughout the film is that not everything is as it seems at first glance.  It also points out that life is quite often not fair and we have to make do with the hand we are dealt.  That is where others come in.  It is by helping one another that lifts us up and ennobles us, especially since we could die at any moment, as Death's narration reminds us.  The movie admonishes us to look out for one another and not be so drawn into ourselves.  It is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.  Overall, a fantastic movie.