‘Life Itself’ Review (dir. Steve James)

Posted on August 6, 2014 by leonth3duke

“We all are born with a certain package. We are who we are: where we were born, who we were born as, how we were raised. We’re kind of stuck inside that person, and the purpose of civilization and growth is to be able to reach out and empathize a little bit with other people. And for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. It lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations, dreams and fears. It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us.” – Roger Ebert

I’ve enjoyed film for pretty much all my life, but I didn’t truly come to appreciate and love it as an art form – as something more than simply entertainment – until my first year of college (I know, how cliché). I didn’t just come to love watching film, but (as you can obviously see as I write this) I came to love reviewing and discussing the medium with others as well. The first critic who introduced me to film criticism was Roger Ebert. His reviews were the first to really click with me. It wasn’t because I always agreed with him (because I definitely didn’t); but it was because I truly, truly admired his love of film. It was a contagious sort of love, a passion I never knew could be had for motion pictures. Following his example I too began writing about films and discussing them on forums and blogs. These discussions opened up the door really, and I charged head first, exploring the medium more deeply than I ever imagined I could.

It became a journey that I can honestly say made me the person I am today. Film was, and always will be, what I turn too when I am happy, bored and most importantly when I am sad. The best example I have of this was when my grandfather passed away years ago. It was a special sort of hurt, and no discussions with family or friends could do much to quell that pain. I remember sitting down the night it happened, alone in my dark room, and deciding to watch ‘Amelie’. It is a film I adored, one of the few films that truly moved me with every viewing. When it ended, as it had done many times before, I had a huge smile on my face. It did it again. Film did it again; it was once again one of the few things in my life that could heal, or overshadow, any hurt I happened to be feeling. I don’t think I would have known about or adored ‘Amelie’ if not for the journey my love for film had created – a love that wouldn’t have blossomed without the analysis and discussions I had about them – discussions I would never have started if I hadn’t read Roger’s reviews religiously and decided to start writing some myself.

That is why I was deeply saddened when Roger Ebert passed away. He is one of those rare people for me who although I never actually met or spoke with him, he still managed to have a profound effect on my life. An effect that still moves me, as I learned today as I finally watched ‘Life Itself’. I shamefully had put it off for far too long, partly because I think I knew the sort of emotional response I would have towards it. But as the quote I began this posts says, film helps us “identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us”, and it was about time I took a look at the journey that was the life of Roger Ebert.

And boy, was it rough. It did bring me to the verge of tears, as I expected, but I loved every minute of it. ‘Life Itself’ is an honest and in depth portrait of a man who wasn’t without his faults. But no matter what battles he encountered – either with alcohol, his colleagues, or cancer – he still faced everyday ready for what came next. He had a passion for life that was reflected in his passion for film – or maybe the other way around. This for me is what shined through the documentary, handled with such care and attention by Steve James. It is an affectionate tribute to a man who moved so many, generating the very same empathy that Ebert himself loved about film, and for that I think it deserves two big thumbs up.

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More of my nonsense on Twitter.

‘Interstellar’ Trailer #3

Posted on July 30, 2014 by leonth3duke

(Trailer pulled from the official website where it can also be accessed with code: 7201969)

‘Interstellar’, directed by Christopher Nolan (‘Inception’, ‘The Dark Knight’), stars Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Casey Affleck, Michael Caine and many others. It is set in a not so distant future in which resources on earth are running low and a group of astronauts/explorers blast off to utilize “wormholes” to find habitable and resource rich planets outside of our solar system. The music is by Nolan’s go-to composer Hans Zimmer, and the cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema (‘Her’, ‘Let The Right One In’).

I personally love astronomy and astrophysics. I love space, and have a mild obsession with Saturn. So when I say I am excited for ‘Interstellar’ it isn’t just because I am a fan of Nolan, or I am wrapped up in the wave of hype that tends to surround his films. I have a genuine personal interest in the science and themes involved here and so my expectations for this, even with all the confidence I have in its (amazing) cast and crew, are probably higher than any other release in 2014. Luckily the first full length trailer was beautifully made and was exactly what I wanted to see; and now this new trailer (which showed at Comic-Con) expands on the first, offering us even more of a glimpse as to what we are to expect…and boy oh boy does it look amazing. It has a genuine ‘Inception’ meets ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ tone and look to it; and I can not wait to see those visuals in IMAX. Sadly it doesn’t hit theaters until November 6th…but until then I’ll be sitting here, with the trailer on loop *cries*.

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Comic-Con Trailer!

Posted on July 27, 2014 by leonth3duke

Above is the new trailer for ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ which finds George Miller returning to “reboot” the ‘Mad Max’ trilogy he wrote and directed almost three decades ago. The film stars Tom Hardy as Max (previously played by Mel Gibson), and the most recent official synopsis is below:

Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa (Charlize Theron). They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe, from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.

This thing has been in production since forever and so I for one am SO excited that it is finally here. The ‘Mad Max’ trilogy is my second favorite action franchise behind ‘Lethal Weapon’. The footage has a very visceral high octane tone and the plot and destruction seems on par with ‘The Road Warrior’. The best part of it all of course are the practical effects. Last I heard there were a couple hundred cars and bikes created and destroyed during the films lengthy production, and there is very little CGI (compared at least to most blockbusters).

Pretty safe to say that this is near the top of my most anticipated films of 2015 list. Screw all that DC and Marvel nonsense…GIVE ME ‘FURY ROAD’!

‘Lucy’ Review (dir. Luc Besson)

Posted on July 26, 2014 by leonth3duke

You should probably be forewarned – ‘Lucy’ is nothing like the film the marketing would make you believe. It requires one to go in with an open mind…just also be prepared for that mind to be set of fire and stomped into a mush…for better or worse.

The film stars Scarlett Johansson as Lucy, a young American student in Taiwan, who is kidnapped and forced to be a drug mule. The drug she must transport is a new one named CPH4, derived from the chemicals that a mother’s body sends its developing baby, which is surgically placed into her lower abdomen. During the transport she is beaten, causing the bag holding it to puncture, and the drug to be released into her system. The drug begins to change her at a cellular level giving her access to more of her brains potential.

I think it needs to be said that the film is not trying to say we only use 10% of the physical brain (which is the debunked myth) but rather that we only utilize 10% of its potential. Think of it not as an engine only using 10% of its parts, but rather an engine that uses 100% of its parts but only outputs 10% of the power it should and can produce. Then think of the drug, like a more powerful engine fuel, allowing the brain to generate 100% power.

As her knowledge and cerebral capacity grows the film takes some really weird turns as it plays around with the idea of what exactly the human mind could achieve once its full potential is unlocked. Could we control all the cells in our body? Could we control others? Could we feel and manipulate matter and energy? Once you can control both, can you then control time? She begins to be able to see through people, enter their memories, see the energy output of cells, change her hair color, control radio waves…and a whole lot of other crazy stuff. To better understand what is happening to her, and to help pass on the knowledge she is beginning to learn, she sets out to meet a professor who studied and theorized the very changes she is undergoing.

During all this Lucy is also being hunted by the gangsters who want their drug back. This is where the film is arguably at its worst. It leads to some ridiculous shoot outs – and one somewhat out of the blue car chase – which don’t really add much to the overall film. They do create a slight feeling of suspense, but once you get into the scientific and philosophical areas that ‘Lucy’ ventures into, then all the cliché action movie stuff just seems to get in the way.

Luckily none of that really matters as the film’s end approaches and it goes straight past ludicrous speed right into plaid as Lucy, now able to control time, cycles through the history of the earth, right past its creation all the way up to the big bang and beyond. To what end? Perhaps it is to better understand the universe or maybe it is just because she (and Luc Besson) can…there is a lot here that will make you scratch your head. The film definitely tries to be a lot smarter than it is and is built on theories based on theories based on pipe dreams. Still, it never gets any more ridiculous than most superhero-esque films.

The thing that drives it all ( and really keeps it all together) is Scarlet Johansson’s performance. She once again proves to me that she is one of the most interesting actors working right now. She has chosen so many diverse roles in recent years; and as weird as it may sound there are few actors working right now who can express so much through being so completely expressionless in the way she can. She brought more life and emotion to a computer A.I. than most actors did in live action roles last year; and here, as in ‘Under the Skin’, there is quite a lot going on behind her seemingly blank stare.

Her co-star Morgan Freeman sadly does little more than offer exposition. He plays a professor who studies neuroscience and evolution and spends most of the film explaining how and why particular things are happening to Lucy. Freeman seems to be the go to for this sort of role. But that voice really is the only thing that can make this sort of pseudoscience seem convincing.

I have to say it truly is amazing that the film works at all. ‘Lucy’ manages to be just as dumb at times as it is smart. But I was able to overlook the silliness of much of it simply for the fact that the film does attempt to ask some interesting questions, even if they don’t make much sense. From start to finish the film travels down such a fun and exciting tongue in cheek rabbit hole of explosions and trippy visuals and I loved every minute of it. It gets so crazy that at one point Benjamin Franklin’s head literally explodes. It is a mishmash of so many ideas and themes, done with such excitement and ambition, that it is hard to hate any of it. As some critics have mentioned, it really is a Besson action film smashed together with ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and parts of ‘The Tree of Life’. Even better is that ‘Lucy’ has a fast enough pace and short enough running time to never leave you bored. It is entertainment, definitely not at its best, but surely at its purest and I highly recommend it.

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More of my nonsense on Twitter.

‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ (dir. Matt Reeves)

Posted on July 11, 2014 by leonth3duke

(Poster by Matt Ferguson)

When ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ came out, I wasn’t excited; I didn’t even see it in theaters. I am a fan of the original franchise (one and three mainly), and still had the bad taste of the terrible Burton remake in my mouth. So the idea of a prequel/reboot was one of the last things I wanted at the time. Still, I gave it a chance when it was released on home video, and it blew me away. I, like so many, was surprised by just how good it was. So good in fact, that I desperately wanted a sequel. Luckily the film was a success (both financially and critically) and that inevitable, albeit desired, sequel was made. Having now just seen it, the question now becomes whether it lives up to both that first film and the enormous expectations I had built up between films (especially more recently with the “prequel” shorts). The answer, thank god, is a resounding “Hell yes!”

It was so good in fact that I’d go so far as to say that this franchise has become my favorite since Nolan’s ‘Batman’ films. This is why the easiest way for me to describe how this compares to the first film is to say that ‘Dawn’ is to ‘Rise’ as ‘The Dark Knight’ was to ‘Batman Begins’. ‘Rise’, like ‘Begins’, was an exceptional origins tale; but it was a story that felt rushed or overshadowed in place for the development and establishment of only the central character. ‘Rise’ still had an emotional resonance, and the final twenty minutes are incredibly thrilling, but it ultimately felt incomplete. With ‘Dawn’, like with ‘The Dark Knight’, the film makers were free to use what was already established with their new hero to tell a much more complete, more complex and emotional story on a much grander scale.

‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ takes place ten years after the events of the first film. The world has been devastated by the Simian Flu. Humans have spent the last decade fighting the virus and themselves. They live in a post-apocalyptic world, struggling to survive, but are making progress. Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his troop on the other hand have built themselves a community, a tranquil home in the Muir Woods that is thriving according to their needs. That peace is interrupted when a group of humans enter their territory. They are led by Malcolm (Jason Clarke), who is trying to find and fix a hydroelectric plant that could help bring power back to San Francisco. The actions of one in that group lead Caesar and his family to have little trust in their intentions, but allows them to proceed because they are clearly desperate. Caesar is one of the few apes that has seen the good in human’s and also knows cooperation could keep the peace.

As the bond between human and ape grows there is still one among Caesar’s troop that does not believe that peace is possible. That ape is Koba (Toby Kebbell), who was beaten, tortured and used for medical testing his entire life. Koba’s distrust only grows when he learns that the humans, led by a man named Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), have access to military stock piles and are willing to take control of the area surrounding the dam by force if it were to become necessary. Thinking Caesar is weak and too loyal to humans, Koba decides to take it upon himself to protect the apes, and his actions set off a chain of events that could only lead to only one thing…war.

When the film ended and I walked out of the theater I felt completely satisfied with what I had just seen. My expectations for the film were already incredibly high, but I would be lying if I said this didn’t actually exceed them. What makes the film such a resounding success for me is the way in which the story puts everyone on equal grounds. There are no true villains here, and even those that assume that role do so for reasons that were easy for me to empathize with. Dreyfus may want to kill the apes, but he does so because he is a man who has lost everyone he ever loved and will do anything to protect the remaining humans that have put their trust in him. Koba, as selfish as some of his actions may be, is someone who was physically and mentally abused his entire life. His revenge might seem cruel, but one could hardly blame him for wanting it. Everyone is fighting for the survival of those that they love and the homes they established. I couldn’t help but want everyone to succeed. Unfortunately, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that the pain and damage under the surface of both man and ape make the idea of peace between the two impossible. Some differences are irreparable. There is definitely an allegory here of war that reflects current and past conflicts.

Luckily those themes of warfare, family and survival are all expressed effortlessly through the actions of its characters. It manages to be intelligent and complex without being thematically overbearing, while maintaing an intanacy. That is mainly because the film is handled with exceptional craftsmanship by Matt Reeves. The direction and cinematography, especially within Caesar’s settlement, is wonderful. It is never flashy, and is often much darker and moodier than one might expect. The editing and pacing is near perfect, which is rarely the case with these sorts of films. It only ever slows when it needs to, but the story is always moving forward. Every scene matters, even the quieter moments, for which there are many; again, something one might not expect, especially given the action heavy trailers. The score is perhaps the best Michael Giacchino has done since ‘Up’, adding to the moody atmosphere, and I LOVED his little nob to ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ in the opening sequence. Everything here is done with purpose and execution of it all is nearly flawless.

Lastly, I would be remiss to end this review without mentioning the performances, which were the soul of the film. Even with the way everything else was handled, I am not sure ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ would have worked without these specific performances. The human cast of Clarke, Oldman and Russell were all fantastic. The film’s only real flaw was that there actually wasn’t enough focus on them. I understand that the heart of the story is Caesar and his apes, but the human characters could easily have been developed more. Still, what development and emotional connection we did get was due mainly because of the actors portraying them. They make us care for these people, making the inevitable conflict even harder to bear as the film approached its climax.

The motion capture for the apes was mind blowing. Andy Serkis is in a class of his own. The visuals and animation here are some of the best I think I have seen; but it is the emotion and talent of the actors behind all that CGI that makes those ape characters feel so real. Serkis plays Caesar as someone filled with grief and the weight of the responsibility of caring for his troop bleeds through. Toby Kebbell plays Koba with a ferociousness that is equally terrifying and mesmerizing; and I also really loved Nick Thurston, who played Caesar’s eldest son Blue Eyes, and how he managed to expressed so much in just his gaze. I mentioned early in this review how this film compares on some level to ‘The Dark Knight’ for me. That film was speculated to be in the run for an Oscar nomination for Best Picture but it never happened. The backlash was so strong that some think it was the reason the Academy increased the number of films that could be nominated. I truly hope that Serkis will receive some form of recognition for his work here; and if not, I hope all of us praising him so greatly now will be vocal enough when the time come that maybe the Academy will make another change to who and what it nominates.

I am not sure where I would place this film among others I have seen in 2014 but I know I’d put it somewhere near the top. This isn’t just another intelligent summer blockbuster; it is really an exceptionally crafted epic, a thrilling action-drama with an emotional and thematic resonance that future films should make a note of. And, as I felt when I first watched ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’, I eagerly await the next installment – which will thankfully be directed again by Matt Reeves.

‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ Prequel Shorts

Posted on July 4, 2014 by leonth3duke

(Above is an exclusive poster found on Collider.com)

I am having a hard time remembering the last time I made a post like this that wasn’t a review, so I think you can use this article as a measure of just how excited I am for ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’. I, like a lot of people, was completely surprised by how good ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ was. It rejuvenated a franchise (one I really enjoy) that was most recently tarnished by a really, really bad remake. It was so good that a sequel was not only inevitable, but desired.

Luckily Fox is fulfilling that desire next week with the release of the sequel, which has received universal praise from the few reviews that have already been released. The out-pour of this praise definitely has me more excited than I was beforehand…but it is not the true source of the hype that has me ready to buy a ticket for a Thursday night showing for the first time since ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. No, the source of that hype is a series of short films that act as a bridge between ‘Rise’ and ‘Dawn’, examining (quite artistically, surprisingly) the events that occurred after the outbreak of the Simian Flu at the end of ‘Rise’. These shorts are a collaboration of 20th Century Fox and Motherboard and can be viewed below:

‘Spread of Simian Flu: Before The Dawn of the Apes (Year 1)’ (dir. Isaiah Seret)

‘Struggling to Survive: Before The Dawn of the Apes (Year 5)’ (dir. Daniel Thron)

‘Story of the Gun: Before The Dawn of the Apes (Year 10)’ (dir. “thirtytwo”)

What I love most about these is how they are so unlike most “viral” shorts. These aren’t straight forward stories like you see with the Marvel One-Shots. These are actually artistic, emotional and thought provoking films, to the point in which I saw people commenting on them being pretentious…music to my ears to be honest with you. Each explore themes of their own while also wonderfully adding to the atmosphere and mythos of the new ‘Apes’ series. Furthermore, the very fact that the studio clearly gave the writers and directors of each liberty to not “play it safe” with a piece of marketing revolving around a multi-million dollar franchise just gives me a ton of confidence in the franchise on the whole. It is this, more than the reviews, that has me excited to see ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ next week, and maybe they will do the same for you.

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Along with the prequel shorts, which are directly related to the events of the film, they also released a documentary which can be seen below. It too is incredibly well made, and is a surprisingly poignant true story of apes and human interactions during and after the events of medical testing and human warfare.

‘The Real Planet of the Apes’

Quick Reviews: ‘Ida’ (dir. Pawel Pawlikowski) & ‘We Are The Best!’ (dir. Lukas Moodysson)

Posted on June 23, 2014 by leonth3duke

“Ida”, the best looking film so far this year, is the bittersweet story of a young woman named Anna living in a convent in Poland, waiting for the day when she will take her vows. Before that can happen, a Nun asks her to visit her aunt, the only known relative she has. During that visit she learns that her parents were Jewish and died during the events of WWII. Anna wants to know where they are buried, and so goes on a road trip with her aunt to their old family home to find answers. The journey opens her eyes to the joys and also sorrows of the world as she struggles with coming to terms with the past, present and her future. She now must decide whether she should stick with her devotion to god and err on the side of tranquility and solitude; or to live the life her mother couldn’t, risking pain and loss but possibly finding love and freedom.

It is an already beautiful story made more so through gorgeous cinematography and imagery. The sort that says more in each frame than its dialogue could ever hope to say. It is also the sort of Bergman-esque, quiet and contemplative, European film that I can only imagine will be more rewarding on multiple viewings. The performances are also wonderfully reserved, especially Agata Trzebuchowska who played Anna and has possibly the most mesmerizing eyes I have ever seen. It all adds up to an incredibly rewarding experience. Go see it if you get the chance.

“We Are The Best!”, one of the best films I have seen so far this year, is a wonderful story of youth, rebellion and friendship that perfectly captures the ups and downs of adolescences.

The film revolves around three young girls in Sweden during 1982. They are fans of punk, though all their classmates make a habit of telling them it is dead. One winter, after playing around in their youth club’s rehearsal space, they decide to make their own punk band to spread their own message…mainly how much they hate sports.

Their conflicts throughout this process are rather inconsequential. One of their parents is divorced and focuses more on men than her daughter; another’s is overly religious and restrictive. They are also often picked on in school, question their looks, and have the usual boy trouble one would expect from a film about a group of thirteen-year-olds. What sets this apart from those other films is that these conflicts, as I mentioned, are shown as just minor bumps in the road for these three; it is their love of music and each other, love that could see them through anything, that shines through. Plus, it is all just a whole lot of fun.

It is that wonderful and relatable portrayal of friendship and youth that fills “We Are The Best!” to the brim with warmth and heart. Honestly, if you don’t walk out of the theater with a smile on your face then I can only hope your cold icy heart sees you through the hot summer ahead!!

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So, with that said, now that June is almost over here is my list of favorite films so far in 2014 (with trailers!):

1) Boyhood

2) We Are The Best!

3) Under The Skin

4) Edge of Tomorrow

5) Ida

6) The Trip to Italy

7) The Grand Budapest Hotel

8) Enemy

‘Edge of Tomorrow’ (dir. Doug Liman)

Posted on June 3, 2014 by leonth3duke

‘Edge of Tomorrow’, the new sci-fi action blockbuster by Doug Liman (‘The Bourne Identity’, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’), mashes together the time-loop story concept with an alien invasion action flick with incredibly great results. What could have been clichéd and repetitive instead feels fresh and streamed lined in a way that I think will surprise most.

The film stars Tom Cruise as Major William Cage, a man with a very limited military background who essentially made his way through the ranks with his public relations skills. In the film’s opening we see briefly, through news clips, that the world has been invaded by an alien race known as “Mimics” who have taken control of much of Europe. They are quick and intelligent and seem to evolve to always be one step ahead of the human forces trying to keep them out of Asia, Africa and the United States.

When the UDF (United Defense Force), a joint military unit that utilizes mechanical exoskeletons to create “super soldiers”, decides to go on the offensive with a surprise assault on Mimic forces in Germany, Cage inadvertently finds himself on the front lines, and it is a slaughter. The Mimics again appear to have anticipated the surprise assault. Cage is killed quickly, but in doing so manages to take out a Mimic at the same time. Seconds after his death he awakens to find himself back on base as the whole day starts over again.

More confused and afraid than before he relives the day, dying once again…only to wake back up on base. This repeats and repeats and Cage is clueless as to why. That is until he manages to save Rita Vrataski, a special forces solider who has become the face of the UDF movement after she managed to lead their only victory.

Rita realizes what Cage is experiencing and tells him to find her the next time his day resets, which he does. She explains to him that the Mimics have the ability to control time, to reset the day to continually evolve to get the upper hand. Cage now possesses this ability, and he must use it to find the source of the Mimics power and end the invasion once and for all. In order to do so Cage must continue to live and die, repeating the day over and over again, until he is skilled enough to make his way through the Mimic forces.

What makes ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ so much more effective and so much better than many similar films is its confidence in its story right up to the very last frame. It never once sways from its initial concept or goes out of its way to manipulate the audience’s emotions. Instead, it sticks to its guns with a tone and ending that make logical sense considering the progression and emotions of the story. I think this is mainly due to the fact that everyone involved is on board. They give it there all for great laughs, kick ass action sequences, and even an emotional undertone that makes you actually want to see these characters succeed. The actors are clearly having fun, while also making sure the seriousness of the film’s themes are not lost below all the mayhem.

This makes ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ one of those rare blockbusters that have an emotional weight making it more than just eye candy. That emotion is most prominent when we see Cage bear the burden of witnessing those around him die over and over again. It weighs heavily on him, especially as he begins to realize that he might not be able to both save those he cares about and accomplish his mission to save humanity. What could have just been mindless fun instead becomes an existential tale of human perseverance, sacrifice and courage against seemingly impossible odds. Through Cage we begin to care for those around him as well. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time a film introduced a group of rather one-dimensional characters, especially a cliché band of roughneck soldiers, and by the third act I was actually caring if they lived or died.

That said, this isn’t some “downer”. There are some BIG laughs to be had. Seeing Cage early in the film being killed, in all sorts of fashions, is a blast. The action sequences are fast paced and exciting; and there are even a few scares here and there to keep it all fun and thrilling.

What’s even better is ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ doesn’t beat you over the head with these themes or emotions. They stay just below the surface and naturally flow through the story and characters. Because of this I really have to applaud Doug Liman for pulling this all off. It is no easy feat to create a time looping sci-fi alien invasion action film without being repetitive or shallow; or worse, being so convoluted that everything except the action gets lost along the way, which was my biggest worry going in.

I also have to applaud its two stars. Tom Cruise is great as Major Cage, and this is easily my favorite film and performance of his since ‘Minority Report’. He gets a bad rap for his personal life, but at the end of the day he is still an actor with great talent and star power. He does a fantastic job here in showing the development – verbally, emotionally and physically – of Cage as he goes from a cowardly officer, visibly weighed down by the suit and scared of a pin drop in the films opening – to the courageous, skilled and determined soldier in the third act who is the world’s only hope.

That being said, the real star of the film, as far as I am concerned, was Emily Blunt who plays the kickass Rita Vrataski, aka The Angel of Verdun, aka The Full Metal Bitch! …and boy does she do those nicknames justice! (see below) Her goal is to win no matter the costs, because she has gone through hell and back and it has taken its toll, and Blunt expresses this effortlessly. Even better is the fact that she isn’t just a female companion for our hero to swoon over.

At this point it is probably clear that I enjoyed ‘Edge of Tomorrow’, but “enjoyed” would be an understatement. I LOVED it. This is easily my favorite blockbuster so far this summer, and quite possibly my favorite one in the last few years. We have been swamped by so many sequels and remakes that it is truly a joy to watch something that feels so fresh. It is the sort of film I can see myself watching again and again and again. So, if you are in the mood for an entertaining and creative sci-fi flick, with action, laughs, a few scares and an emotional weight behind it all, then this is a must see.

‘Godzilla’ (dir. Garth Edwards)

Posted on May 16, 2014 by leonth3duke

I haven’t released a review in a while but I wanted to get my feelings out on ‘Godzilla’ because I am sure they won’t be shared by others on this site. I won’t go into much detail plot wise, I’ll leave that for either you to see or others to write about. So let me jump right into this…

The biggest failure by those involved with ‘Godzilla’ was thinking that its story and characters were strong enough to support a slow build up to the eventual reveal of the monster we all came to see; and I say this as someone who has absolutely no problem with slow burning narratives. The film spends more than an hour focusing on characters that it ultimately has little to no interest in beyond how they might, but inevitably don’t, manipulate the emotions of those watching . Do we really care about the engineer (Bryan Cranston) whose wife dies five minutes in even though we only see them together for about two minutes? Or the straight faced, incredibly dull soldier (Aaron Taylor Johnson), who after being fourteen months away from his wife and son has apparently no trouble leaving them again after only a few hours to go to Japan? Or maybe we are supposed to care about the cliched wife character, who has no development what so ever and whose only reason for existing is giving our dull male hero a reason to get home? The answer is we should care…but are not given enough to actually bother doing so.

Some might read that and say “Who cares about the human characters! Its a damn monster movie!” This may be true for similar films, but most of the monsters in those are featured prominently throughout the story. Take ‘Pacific Rim’ for example (yes, I am going to be one of those to draw a comparison). The characters in that film are not the most developed lot, but at least Del Toro and those involved understood this. So, he gives us scene after scene of robot vs. Kaiju goodness to keep us entertained while the story unfolded. We don’t get that with ‘Godzilla’. To make matters worse, once Godzilla does appear, the film becomes a major cock tease, with more than one occasion in which Godzilla shows up, allowing the audience a moment to gasp and move to the edges of their seats, only for it to cut back to those boring underdeveloped characters that NO ONE came to see.

Even more baffling is that the film doesn’t even try to apply a varnish of political or moral themes to give the story any weight to make up for the massive emotional hole left by its characters. There are two very short moments with Ken Watanbe (who I believe the film should have been focused around) where he mentions the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and then the arrogance of man, as if the actions of the characters might in some way reflect decisions once made in the past and how futile they may be…but like with Godzilla, whenever his character has a moment to add anything to the narrative, it cuts away. Which is disappointing. There is so much potential here that is completely wasted, just like its cast.

I said before the film was released that I had little interest in seeing this because I had no faith that Garth Edwards, whose only other feature was an indie monster flick, had the directing chops to tackle a film of this scale, with this many characters over such a long running time. For me, those reservations ended up being completely warranted. That isn’t to say the film is a total disaster. Once Godzilla gets the screen time he deserves, the result is a very exciting and visually well-constructed Kaiju battle. It also contains a killer score by Alexandre Desplat. But in a world where summers, including this one, are filled with more entertaining and competent blockbusters, this falls way short of being worth the price of admission in my book.

And thus concludes perhaps the most negative review I have posted, on this site at least…felt sort of good.

LeonTh3Duke’s Favorite Films of 2013

Posted on January 18, 2014 by leonth3duke

I have to say, this might be the earliest I have ever posted one of these lists. For once I saw everything I wanted to see before the Oscars; and although I haven’t written as many reviews this year, I have loved A TON of what was released. For me, 2013 was one of the better years for film in a while. Which of course makes creating a list such as this so damn hard. But here goes…

…oh, and I should note, this list is ordered according to which films were my favorite/least favorite, not necessarily the best/worst; yes there is a difference if you ask me.

Least Favorite Films of 2013:

5 – “Star Trek Into Darkness” (dir. J.J. Abrams)

4 – “Don Jon” (dir. Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

3 – “This Is The End” (dir. Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen)

2 – “Mama” (dir. Andre Muschietti)

1 – “A Good Day To Die Hard” [Just so happens to be my least favorite AND the worst.] (dir. Satan… Hitler?…no wait, John Moore)

Favorite Films of 2013:

25 – “Prince Avalanche” (dir. David Gordon Green)

24 – “Drug War” (dir. Johnnie To)

23 – “The Wolverine” (dir. James Mangold)

22 – “Upstream Color” (dir. Shane Carruth)

21 – “The Wolf Wall Street” (dir. Martin Scorsese)

20 – “Enough Said” (dir. Nicole Holofcener)

19 – “Frozen” (dir. Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee)

18 – “The World’s End” (dir. Edgar Wright)

17 – “Dallas Buyers Club” (dir. Jean-Marc Vallee)

16 – “Blue Is The Warmest Color” (dir. Adbellatif Kechiche)

15 – “An Adventure In Space and Time” (dir. Terry McDonough)

14 – “Stories We Tell” (dir. Sarah Polley)

13 – “Much Ado About Nothing” (dir. Joss Whedon)

12 – “Blue Jasmine” (dir. Woody Allen)

11 – “Mud” (dir. Jeff Nichols)

10 – “Frances Ha” (dir. Noah Baumbach)

9 – “12 Years A Slave” (dir. Steve McQueen)

8 – “Short Term 12” (dir. Destin Cretton)

7 – “Inside Llewyn Davis” (dir. Ethan & Joel Coen)

6 – “Museum Hours” (dir. Jem Cohen)

5 – “Stoker” (dir. Chan-wook Park)

4 – “The Act of Killing” [The BEST of 2013 and possibly beyond.] (dir. Joshua Oppenheimer)

3 – “Before Midnight” (dir. Richard Linklater)

2 – “Her” (dir. Spike Jonze)

1 – “Gravity” (dir. Alfonso Cauron)

These last three were honestly neck and neck and neck, and it wasn’t until I was ready to post this list that I bumped “Gravity” up to the top spot, replacing “Her”. As I mentioned above, this was such a great year for film and my favorite could change anytime in the future depending on when you asked me; but at this very moment I have to give it to “Gravity”.

(Some of My…) Favorite Performances of 2013 [No Specific Order]:

– Brie Larson (“Short Term 12”)

– Sandra Bullock (“Gravity”)

– Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club” & “Mud”)

– Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson & Amy Adams (“Her”)

(Some of My…) Favorite Filmmakers and Writers of 2013 [No Specific Order]:

– Filmmaker: Joshua Oppenheimer (“The Act of Killing”)

– Writers: Richard Linklater, Julie Deply & Ethan Hawke (“Before Midnight”)

Favorite Score of 2013 (Ran a Half Marathon To This Sucker):

– Steven Price (“Gravity”)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrUq5PC0Ngk