Theater Review: Now You See Me

I put up a small poll on my Facebook page to see what film I was seeing when I was able to get out of work early one night. The choices were Now You See Me and This is the End.

With an overwhelming, and somewhat surprising, difference in the outcome - Now You See Me won pretty easily.

So, off I went. And by the time I was seeing it, I was one of the few people in the theater - which I love.

Now You See Me is pretty much right up my alley, so I was happy to see it. I am a huge fan of films like Ocean's Eleven that have heists committed, and then give you how its done and the reason behind the heist itself. In this film, though, instead of costumes and disguises - magic is used and everyone know who is committing the crimes, but just can't seem to prove that they are.

The film stars an unlikely quartet as the Four Horsemen. Jesse Eisenberg plays J. Daniel Atlas, and is probably the most talented magician of the bunch - and he plays a little different than his usual quirky roles he has played in the past in say Social Network. He is actually sort of playing a stud - which was nice to see him play something different, and I came away liking him a little bit more.

Isla Fisher plays Henley Reeves, Atlas' former assistant who has now branched out on her own and is now more of an escape artist, ala Harry Houdini. She is also very talented, and I think we need more of her in films. Woody Harrelson plays Merritt McKinney, who is more of a mentalist than a magician. Harrelson has become one of my favorite actors over the years, he always seems to do an amazing job.

The surprise of the movie - Dave Franco. Franco plays Jack Wilder, a street magician who uses slight of hand to pretty much rob those around him. Franco sort of sticks out as not really belonging in this group of actors - sure maybe his brother James would fit in, but Dave? But, honestly, he was a standout to me. He was probably my favorite person in the movie.

So, the Four Horsemae are brought together by a bunch of Tarot cards and an unknown benefactor. They join forces to put on a handful of shows, which are sponsored by an insurance tycoon Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine).

Their show, though, doesn't just entertain the audience - it makes them wealthy. By robbing from a bank and showering the money out into the audience. But, how did they do it?

With more shows in the future, the authorities believe this will continue and FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent) are put on the case to figure out how it was done so they can pin it on the Four Horsemen.

They also bring in Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a former magician who now makes money revealing the secrets of other magicians' tricks. It's Bradley that Rhodes and Dray are hoping can figure out how the robberies are taking place.

I cam away really loving this movie. It had a lot of what I love, a great heist, great execution, action and a lot of comedy. Though, some forced love occurred as well - something that always seems to happen in these films. There was no real reason for it, but it didn't take away from anything.

The acting was top-notch, Caine, Freeman and Ruffalo are all outstanding actors. The lowest tiered actor was Franco, and as I said before, he stoodout to me in this film.

There are some twists and turns as well, some of which I figured out during, but it didn't take away from the overall movie. Looking forward to seeing it again.

Grade: 

Theater Review: The Avengers

Not only was I able to get out and see a brand, spanking new movie, but I was able to see it on opening weekend. And, I am actually going to post something on it the very same day I watched it.

I know, alert the newspapers.

Now, this is one of the films this summer that everyone and their brother is going to see. So I will not bore you with a running plot, and I really hate doing that for new movies anyway.

The Avengers has been a film that has been in the eyes of the movie studios since they even thought up Iron Man a few years back. This is where they wanted to end up, and thanks to the films leading up to it (the Iron Man series, Thor and Captain America) and their success, it has gained a huge following.

People were going to come out and see it. That was pretty much a given, and judging by the near record breaking numbers at the time of this post, the people did come out. But, would the film itself actually pan out?

The issues that have plagued many comic book film adaptations in the past is that once they get rolling, they feel they can do no wrong - so they introduce more and more characters, in most of these films those characters are usually the villains. The original Spiderman trilogy (and maybe to a lesser extent the first Batman) slammed us with far too many villains in one film - and it suffered because of it.

So, with all of these heroes coming together for one gigantic film, would it work? Or, would there just be too much going on that the story suffered?

In this instance, and I know that due to its success (and hell even the film itself) that there will be at least a sequel and possibly more, but for this film it worked tremendously.

Captain America: When we last left Steve Rogers (Chris Evens) at the conclusion of Captain America he had just fond out that he had been woken up from a freeze and it was no longer World War II. Since then it sounds as if he has not really adjusted to the new world he is forced to live in, is not sleeping and is spending most of his time in the gym. Rogers is the military man of the group, and does most everything by the book. So his pairing in this group is difficult at first, but when given the opportunity to lead his instincts take over and the rest of the group falls in line.

Iron Man: At the conclusion of Iron Man 2, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has been reestablished as the CEO of Stark Industries after Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) relinquished it back to him. Since then it appears that Stark and Potts have continued their romantic interlude, and Stark is surprised when Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) pops up to bring him back into the Avenger Initiative, since Stark was thought to be too narcissistic to be able to join. Of course, Stark believes he is the leader of the group and clashes with most of his fellow members, especially Rogers. But, when the time comes for battle Stark may just prove that he can put other people before himself.

Thor: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is still struggling with the fact that his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is attacking the world that he loves and protects in Earth. It appears that Loki is not just looking for a kingdom to rule, but revenge on his brother for growing up in his shadow and taking over Asgard, even though he thought it rightfully belonged to him. Thor struggles with the fact that he is part of a group that may eventually kill his brother, even though he believes it should be him to take him back to Asgard.

Hulk: Not really sure which Hulk this one comes from, but I am guessing it was Edward Norton's version. Here, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) has 'quarantined' himself off in Cambodia. He is tracked down to help with the initiative, and to find a way to locate the Tesseract, which Loki has stolen. Banner is a genius, but we all know that behind him The Hulk is always lurking to come out. So, the others must be careful not to get a reaction out of him and accidentally unleash the beast.

S.H.I.E.L.D.: We have slowly been introduced to a number of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents throughout the other films. Agent Coulson, for one, has been in most of the films leading up to this one. He has even sort of become a friend to some of the heroes, especially Stark and Potts. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is the head of the program and despite the Avengers Initiative being terminated, brings it back when Loki lands on Earth. Agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johannson), aka Black Widow, was introduced in Iron Man 2 so we get a bit of what she is capable of. Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), aka Hawkeye, has a tiny role in Thor but he was a bit of a mystery and quite possibly the person we knew the least about. Finally, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) is introduced in this film and appears to be third in control behind Fury and Coulson.

That is a lot of characters, and thankfully they were weaved together expertly. Each one was able to have his own moments in the film, but no one character truly overshadowed the other. One would think that with the success of Iron Man and the clout of Downey, Jr. that this could have become another Iron Man film, but that didn't happen which is why it worked so well.

It also looked amazing. Plus, we all expect the great action scenes and there were a ton of great ones. The film was not lacking in action. But, what was unexpected was the amount of comedy that was sprinkled throughout the movie. There were many times in my theater where people were literally laughing out loud.

I have to say, I have loved Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, and I still do. But, I really enjoyed Hawkeye in this film - and I FINALLY loved The Hulk.

In the previous installments, The Hulk was just way too large, in my opinion. Here, we understand that he is big, strong and mean, but he was only a few feet taller than the other characters, which was perfect. In the others, he was about the size of a house. Far too big. And, in this film, he was given some great things to do - which gives me hope that with the proper person The Hulk may just have a good solo movie in him. One can only hope.

Finally, being able to bring the amount of characters from different movies that were written and directed by different people and have it all come together like this was just masterfully crafted. Each character has so much behind them and each film has so much going on in it, and all of that is on full display here. It was just a great meshing, which honestly really surprised me.

It was all I could hope and more. I was already looking forward to seeing it again when I walked out. And for that to happen means it was an outstanding film. Do yourself a favor and go check it out. But, who am I kidding? I am sure you already have.

Grade:

13/50x2: The Kids Are All Right

The first time I saw Mark Ruffalo in a film, at least I think it was the first time, was in the Big-like film 13 Going on 30. I can't recall ever seeing him again, but he reminded me of someone (someone that escapes me now).

Since then, Ruffalo has become a pretty well-known actor, who seems to be in quite a few films each year - and will soon be stepping into the role of the Hulk in this year's The Avengers.

I have really enjoyed watching him become such a good actor, and so I definitely found it necessary to check out the well-received The Kids Are All Right.

In the film, Nicole (Annette Benning) and Jules Allgood (Julianne Moore) are a married, lesbian couple who have two children, Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson).

In order for this lesbian couple to have children, they went went to a 'bank'. Nicole carried one of the children, and the next go around Jules was the mother.

As the children have become older, they begin to get curious as to who may be their real father. As they do some digging they find that Paul (Ruffalo) is the father of both of them.

Paul is a bit 'out there' in life, I would say a bit of a hippie, but when he meets the children they all get along and Paul is excited about possibly being a part of their lives.

The entrance of Paul into the family really turns them upside down, as they begin to realize some of the things that have been going on in their lives - mostly with Nic and Jules.

Nic has been the main provider of the family as a OB/GYN and is also the discipline of the family. Jules is much more laid back and has gone through business after business - now trying her hand at landscaping - and feels unappreciated by Nic.

So with the entrance of Paul and these feelings coming to the surface, would it bring the family closer together or split them apart?

An amazingly well acted film. I have only seen Wasikowska in two films now, but I really think she is an up-and-coming actress. I have come to either love or loathe Moore in films, and here I thought she was amazing. And, I may be wrong, but this may also be the second time I have seen Benning in a film - and again she was a lot like her character in American Beauty. But, that works for her.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and it is great to show that there is not much difference between a gay/lesbian household compared to a straight household. Both have difficulties and both worry about their children. Hopefully films like these allow those who feel strongly against same-sex households to change their tune - but of course it is tough to change bigotry.

Grade:

6/50x2: Shutter Island

Hanks/Howard; Depp/Burton; DiCarprio/Scorsese.

Some actors and directors just seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. Leonardo DiCarprio seems to have found his in Martin Scorsese.

DiCaprio stars as Teddy Daniels in Shutter Island, a private detective who has been asked to look into a missing inmate at Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane. Daniels is introduced to his new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) as the two of them prepare to look for Rachel Solando.

Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) is the 'wardon' of the hospital, and Daniels uncovers that he and his partner, Dr. Naehring (Max Von Sydow), appear to be holding back a lot of information.

Also located on this island somewhere is arsonist Laeddis (Elias Koteas), who Daniels believes killed his wife, Dolores (Michelle Williams).

Located on the island is a mysterious lighthouse, where Daniels is given the impression that at this lighthouse lobotomies are performed on the patients at the hospital.

So many odd things happen during this film, but all are tied together in the end.

I love these type of movies - the type that keeps you invested, feeling that everything that you are seeing and everything that is said is important to the conclusion of the film.

I am not going to say anything else, just in case someone hasn't seen it, or no how it ends.

DiCaprio continues to impress me as an actor - I just wish he would let loose every so often and perhaps do a comedy. He is well-respected as an actor already - why not just have fun sometimes? He seems so serious all of the time with his charities and causes - crack a smile, buddy.

(NOTE: This was so hard to review. I can't really explain many of the details of the film - it just needs to be seen. So, this is a little shorter than usual.)

Grade:

49/50: Where the Wild Things Are

Wow, I am so torn on this one.

I am a huge fan of the source material - which isn't much - and the film itself looked amazing, but there was just something missing.

When I was younger Where the Wild Things Are was one of my, if not my, favorite book. And now that I have my own child, I was so excited to start reading it to him as well.

So, when the movie was announced I was so excited. But, how would they turn a 10-sentence book, beloved by children into a full-length feature film?

Well, again I am torn.

I sort of liked it, but then again I didn't. I felt bored throughout most of the film, which to me is a huge negative. I am pretty lenient on many films because there is usually something that can hold my attention - but I just didn't have that here.

First, the positives. The 'Wild Things' looked amazing. And they didn't look fake at all - I was so pleasantly surprised. (Its great to see how far we have come, just finished TMNT the movie and the lips were so off when talking, but not in this film).

The second was the voice talent - most notably James Gandolfini as Carol (his voice to me was almost sounding like Bruce Willis, I kept thinking it was him).

Finally, the expanded story needed names, voices, backgrounds, personalities and even genders for the 'Wild Things' something that the filmmakers and writers did somewhat well. And you know what? The actual story/meaning of the film was great - but getting there was just so boring to me.

The bad was the story line on the actual island. A lot supposed to be going on, but just didn't work for me.

Two decent actors were way underused - Catherine Keener, who played the mother, and Mark Ruffalo, as her boyfriend. Ruffalo had like half a line the entire film, way underused. Why even get him?

And to me, as a fan of the book, Max (Max Records) seemed a bit too old for me. As those who have read the book know, the story goes that Max is a bit too rambunctious one night and is sent to bed without dinner. His imagination brings him to this island and he becomes the king of the 'Wild Things'. It's here that he starts to realize just how difficult it is to put up with characters that are well - just like him. And he returns home to his bedroom - his food was on his table, still hot.

Here, Max actually leaves the house - and goes missing. So, I am sort of lost on where exactly he was the entire time.

I give this a little higher grade than I probably should because the movie itself looked amazing - and the overall meaning of the film was great. Getting there was just way too yawnish.

Grade:

48/50: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I knew this movie was a bit of a mind bending film. Something that you would need to pay close attention to, however, I still decided to watch it pretty late. It was pretty much the only time I could watch it.

That being said, it was still a very interesting film.

It just goes to prove (like I said in my review of Reign Over Me with Adam Sandler) that some of these comedic performers can actually act.

So, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which was said in a perfect way during the film, a quote from Alexander Pope) stars Jim Carrey stars as Joel Barish, a pretty dull person that seems pretty dull to the world.

As the movie opens you see Barish eyeing a certain young lady, Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) who is waiting for a train. She is the total opposite of Barish's introvert as her extrovert personality is the perfect ying to Barish's yang.

They have a pretty amazing time together as we see, over a few day or weeks (I am not sure of the time table that is shown), but the next thing you see is Barish in his car crying his eyes out. But, what happened?

Well, we find out that they have broken up, and Barish is having a difficult time getting over her. He runs into Kruczynski at her job at a library and tries to speak to her - but something is different, she appears to have no idea who he is.

Staying with his friends, Carrie (Jane Adams) and Rob (David Cross), Barish finds a card that simply reads (paraphrasing here) that Clementine has had Joel Barish erased from her memory and to not mention him in front of her.

Well, Barish decides to see what is up and has a meeting setup with the doctor that did the procedure, Dr. Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson). Wilkinson explains the procedure and Barish, although pissed that Clementine did it, decides to erase her as well.

This is sort of fun in a way. A new way of showing a back story, as Stan (Mark Ruffalo) comes into Barish's house to erase Clementine from his memory during his sleep. We go through a ton of Barish's memories of his time with Clementine - not really in order, but enough that we see their true feelings for each other and some of the reasons for their breakup.

During this time, Barish is re-living these memories as well. And midway through realizes he doesn't want to let go of Clementine - but what can he do about it now?

At first I was very confused - which may have been because I watched it so late and was tired - but as the movie went on I really started to enjoy it more. And things started to become more and more clear to me as it rolled on.

Some great performances in this film from some great actors. Carrey was amazing out of his normal comedic roles. Ruffalo, though a small role, continues to impress. Kirsten Dunst plays Mary a receptionist in the doctors office, who plays an important role that I will not identify here.

Finally, we have Elijah Wood, who plays Patrick. A leech who also works in the doctors office and I despised in this role - who also plays an important role that I cannot reveal here for those who have not seen it.

It started off a little odd for me, but like I said, I really came around. It looked amazing and the acting was spectacular in all roles.

Grade: