"Fury" Review

The gritty World War II film "Fury" sets its sights on a poor box office.  

A few words can sum up the new Brad Pitt World War II film "Fury":  gritty, realistic, and raw.  The film is set in April of 1945.  The Allies have the Nazis on the run and as a last ditch effort to stave off defeat, Hitler has decreed "total war", demanding every man, woman, and child take up arms in defense of the homeland.  The film also sets the stage by letting the audience know that American tanks are out gunned and lack the armor that the more advanced German Panzer and Tiger tanks posess.  Enter the grizzled tank crew of Sergeant Don "Wardaddy" Collier played by Brad Pitt.  We quickly learn that this band of rag tag fighters have been together since the beginning of the war, as Sergeant Collier so eloquently stated,"I started this war killing Germans in Africa...Now I'm killing Germans in Germany."  The film also does a great job of adding details and building the characters' war backgrounds through stories and meaningful dialog between each other.  

The real strength of this film is the extreme realism of the characters, their interactions, and the major theme this film focuses on.  Where many war films paint war in a heroic, almost romantic light, this film focuses on the realities of warfare.  The exchange between tank gunner Boyd "Bible" Swan played by Shia LaBeouf and replacement driver Norman Ellison sums up the theme of the film, "Wait till you see what one man can do to another."  This theme stays evident from one scene to the next. Death is everywhere in this film, from the raw battle scenes to the German civilians that have become casualties of total war.  Director and writer David Ayer does a great job of showing us the realism of warfare.  No character is without flaws and the audience gets the feeling that by cheating death, "by the grace of God", that their grace may be running out.  

"Fury" features great acting by Pitt, LaBeouf and company, along with an excellent storyline and great war action.  This gritty and raw movie has plenty of battle action while setting the stage of this bleek war, and maintaining its overarching theme showcasing the horrors of man in war. If you are a fan of "Saving Private Ryan" or "Band of Brothers" like I am, you will enjoy the storytelling and legitimacy of this film.  Although be warned, this movie is very realistic and depicts the horrors of warfare. I give Fury 5 out of 5 stars.

Expendables 3 Review

Can the recipe for Expendables films keep churning out winner?

The third installment in the Expendables film franchise has picked up right where the first two films ended.  In Expendables 3 Stallone's mercenary leader Barney Ross continues to work odd jobs with his band of highly trained operatives. Just as in the last two films Stallone's team is made up of Jason Statham's Lee Christmas, Dolph Lundgren's Gunner Jensen, Randy Coutrue's Toll Road, and Terry Crew's character Caesar.  Joining this star studded cast again is Schwarzenegger, and Jet Li with newcomers Antonio Bandaras, Wesley Snipes, Kelsey Grammer, Mel Gibson, and Harrison Ford.  With so many stars it seems like it would be difficult to work them all in.  However each star plays an interesting character and each seems to have their moment of the film to shine.  This time around Barney Ross takes a job which gets one of his men injured.  (This should sound familiar to Expendables 2) seeking revenge against the man who injured his team member, which turned out to be a former expendable gone rouge, Ross retires his old team to protect them and then assembles a new young team to help him go on a suicide mission. That mission goes south and Ross then needs the help of his old team to help rescue the young team.  Of course, along the way is plenty of laughs and of course fights and explosions.  

Perhaps the best part of these films is that you get to see the old action heroes back in action. Every time a new character steps on the screen you find yourself wondering which big actor will be next.  I also love the fact that these aging action stars know how to make fun of themselves by using lines from their other famous films. It was great to hear Arnold's character Trench yelling over and over "Get to the choppa!"

With the success the other two films in the franchise have had it is no shocker that Stallone and company have put together another great film.  The addition of Gibson, Grammar, and Banderas was great.  You always know what to expect and what you will get with the Expendables franchise.  Big fight scenes, big explosions, huge aging action heroes, and of course comedy. With success like this I wouldn't be surprised if Stallone and company continue to churn Expendables films out as long as they like.  I can't wait to see Vin Diesel and the Rock step into this franchise one day.  I give this film 3 out of 5 stars.  If you liked the first two, you will like this one as well.  

Teenage Mutant Ninja Tutles (2014) Review

The heroes in a half shell are back, but are they better than ever?

The newest attempt at the Ninja Turtles franchise has hit theaters with a fairly successful opening. So is this latest attempt actually worth seeing?  The movie starts out by tweaking the cannon of the turtles by altering their background story.  The turtles are still genetically altered "mutants" however rather than their creation being an accident it was intentionally done as a science project.  Fast forward 18 years or so and the highly skilled turtles, trained by the lab rat turned mutant named Splinter, voiced by Tony Shalhoub, are ready to hit the streets to defend NYC from the evil foot clan.  As our story unfolds we learn that the turtles and April O'Neal, played by Megan Fox, have a history, as she is the one who rescued them from a laboratory fire when they were baby turtles.  Eventually it is up to our heroes to save the city from a terrorist chemical attack planned by the foot clan, the TCRI corp, and the Shredder.  

I am a lifelong fan of the Ninja Turtles.  starting with the 90's series as a kid, the strange live-action movies, and now the new animated series with my daughter, the Turtles are one of my all time favorites.  When I saw the look of the new turtles and the previews for the film I had very low expectations.  Making me wonder why Nickelodeon studios would stray so far from their solid animated series currently running.  When it comes down to it, this film offered a new look and interpretation of the classic TMNT cannon.  If you are a fan and can over look the super strength, 6' size, and the weird look they gave the turtles then this can be an entertaining film.  Remember that is coming from someone who is a lifelong Turtles fan.  I was also pleasantly surprised by Megan Fox's performance.  Typically the actress bothers me, however she did a nice job in this film.  

With this film filling a little over an hour and a half it is a pretty entertaining movie if you are looking for some laughs and action.  If you are a fan of the turtles, young or old, you can enjoy this film. Just keep in mind this is not the new animated series which is very good (and raises the question why Nickelodeon didn't just use the voice actors from the series) and this is not the computer animated film called TMNT about the turtles in their 20's.  This is its own interpretation of a favorite franchise.  Be open and check your reservations at the door and you will enjoy the film.  I give this movie a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Guardians of the Galaxy Review

We finally have a true summer blockbuster!

In a summer filled with many potential blockbuster films, 2014 is going to go down as a lackluster one for Hollywood.  The box office and attendance is down through July, leaving it up to three films to deliver a true blockbuster for 2014.  The last ditch effort comes from a film industry juggernaut Marvel Studios. Marvel launched a hail Mary pass with one of their strangest comic book series to date, Guardians of the Galaxy.  

Much like Marvel's tent pole series The Avengers, Guardians brings together five heroes.  However unlike Avengers these heroes are brought together not to work together for a greater good, at least to begin with, but for personal gains.  The unlikely band of heroes learn along the way that they work well together and they even begin to care for one another, which is a long way from how they felt to begin the film.  As the action intensifies and the Guardians learn they must work together, the audience is treated to a number of fun action scenes.  From strange new worlds across the galaxy and even into space itself, the action and events of Guardians take us to a place Marvel has never brought their audiences before.  Guardians plays less like a super hero film and much more like a sci-fi shoot'em up western.  Although much of this movie will feel strange and new; the action, comedy, and characters keep the audience enthralled from beginning to end.  

Guardians takes the same format that Marvel Studios has been so successful with in their past franchise films. Take larger than life characters, give them a nice back story, develop these characters on screen, and then bring those characters together to save the world.  The same equation pays off here in Guardians of the Galaxy.  It helps that Marvel always finds and casts great actors for their roles.  In Guardians we see good performances from a number of well known stars.  Chris Pratt plays the lead as Peter Quill a.k.a. Starlord, a human who was abducted from Earth (or Terra as they call it) when he was just a boy.  Gamora a genetically altered assassin played by Zoe Saldana adds some brains and muscle to the team, and former WWE wrestler Dave Bautista brings the pain and a number of hilarious scenes as Drax the Destroyer.  Perhaps the most notable performance of the film actually comes from a star we never even see.  Bradley Cooper voices the genetically altered raccoon Rocket.  Cooper, whose voice is hardly recognizable, is great at providing not only some nice comedic scenes, but also some character depth with his heartfelt performance.  Marvel packs in action and stars, but they are very adept at developing their characters.  With small tidbits unveiled throughout the film, the audience learns background about each of these characters and also begins to identify with them, something that many films this summer have had difficulty doing.  

Guardians of the Galaxy may not be the greatest Marvel film of all time, it may not even be the best of the year.  However this movie asks it's viewers to buckle up and come along on a crazy ride through the galaxy at hyper speed.  Guardians delivers an great action hero film combined with a hilarious comedy, that even finds time to make fun of hero films, all while including an amazing soundtrack.  I give Guardians of the Galaxy a 4 out of 5 stars and would definitely check this one out in theaters.  Go see this one, don't be left in the dark when Guardians 2 comes out in 2017.  

Hercules (2014) Review

Can the Demigod fight his way to the top of this summer's lackluster box office?

The legend of Hercules is an amazing Ancient Greek myth about a child born from Zeus, King of the gods, and a mortal woman.  Knowing that this film had plenty of mythological "cannon" to draw from and such a legendary character excited me quite a bit.  Unfortunately the "cannon" they chose to pull from for this film was a Hercules comic book rather than the stories of Ancient Greece.  Rather than playing up the son-of-a-god angle they chose to stray away from the mythology and use a more historical lens to examine the possibilities of a man named Hercules who did great things, but whose feats were exaggerated by storytellers.  

The film starts with a narrator guiding us through the life of Hercules, son of Zeus, hated by Hera because of her husband's infidelity, and grew up to be an amazing warrior.  Such an amazing warrior he was sent on 12 labors by the gods.  Included in these 12 labors were the battles with mythical beasts like the Lernean hydra, Erymanthian boar, and Nemean lion. Although these scenes make great moments in the beginning of the film, the rest of the movie takes place after Herc's 12 labors when he and his small band of warriors have become mercenaries traveling Greece as hired muscle.  The group of warriors fighting with  Herc are also interesting elite fighters, however we never get a good sense of who they really are other than a few hints and campfire stories about them.  After a successful campaign of ridding a city-state of pirates, Hercules and his men are called upon to help save a kingdom known as Thrace from an evil warlord.  

Although I really wanted to like this film quite a bit, I found it falling a bit short.  The lack of character development is tough.  The warriors that surround Hercules are all interesting characters, but we never learn much about them.  Ian McShane plays a soothsayer and warrior named Amphiaraus who Hercules has befriended.  It's a great character and McShane does a nice job, however we know very little of his character.  Other notable performances come from John Hurt as Lord Cotys, the leader of Thrace, Rufus Sewell playing another warrior with Herc named Autolycus, and of course Dwayne "the rock" Johnson as Hercules.  The Rock actually does a great job playing Herc.  I typically enjoy the Rock's films, especially when he is kicking butt, and this film does not disappoint with the butt kicking.  The fight scenes were done well and were fun to watch.  Ultimately though I believe the film falls victim to its lack of myth.  Throughout the entire film they push the fact that Hercules and his band of warriors are perpetuating the legend of Hercules.  That there is no such thing as a demigod, and that Hercules is just a great man.  I like the attempt to make it more historically based, as if he was just a great man and not a god, but I came to this movie to see a full on demigod battle mythical beasts and the gods themselves.  Outside of the first 10 minutes of the film, that wish falls short.  

If you are looking for a great film based in Ancient Greece, watch Troy.  If you want a good movie based on a comic book in Ancient Greece, watch one of the 300 films.  If you want decent action and like to see The Rock kick butt, then this is the film for you.  I give this movie 2.5 stars out of 5.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Review

Can apes rein over humans at the box office?


The latest installment of the Planet of the Apes franchise has hit theaters with a nice media push and the weight of an industry on its shoulders.  Many in Hollywood feel that this is one of the last major films of the summer that could save an abysmal year at the box office.  with sales down from last year, will this film give Hollywood the boost they hope for? Probably not! 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes place 10 years after the events from Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  Through a media montage at the beginning of the film we learn that the human population has been nearly annihilated from a virus known as the Simian flu.  We then meet back up with Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, as he and his fellow "smart apes" have created a civilization in the forests outside of San Francisco.  Perhaps the best thing about this film is seeing the early human-like civilization that these apes have created. Eventually we learn that the small survivor population in San Fran is nearly out of fuel and will need to venture into the forest putting them at odds with the apes.  

With a film like this it would be easy to make humans the protagonists and show the apes in a bad light.  However director Matt Reeves is able to develop the apes and the main character apes into a heart warming group.  He is able to show us not only their brutal side, but the emotional family side as well.  In a film nearly devoid of major actors with the exception of a like able Keri Russell and an under utilized Gary Oldman, developing the non-human characters becomes all the more important.  I guarantee you will find yourself saying, "hail Caesar" by the end.

The question remains, can this film be Hollywood's blockbuster savior this summer?  I do not believe it can.  This is a good film, but it doesn't measure up to the Dark Knight or Avenger films which are the most recent major blockbusters. It may not be the box office savior, but it is a good film.  I give this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars.  Definitely worth your money to see in the theater if you are a fan of the first film.  

Transformers: Age of Extinction Review

Transformers: Age of Extinction Review

Can the newest Transformers movie revitalize an old and tired franchise?  

Growing up in the 1980s and 90s meant that you probably at some point played with and watched Transformers.  When I first heard that the Transformers were finally coming to the big screen and with the same voice that Optimus Prime had on the old cartoon, I was very excited.  Fast forward 7 years and four films later and my love for the once nostalgic toy and show from my childhood has dwindled.  

Age of Extinction starts out as all three previous films do, we see a sinister threat to Earth  building, and then meet our human co-stars.  The new human co-stars are a small bright spot in this film.  Replacing Shia LaBeouf's whinny & annoying character Sam Whitwicky is Mark Wahlberg playing broke inventor Cade Yeager, who is struggling to make ends meet and take care of his 17 year old daughter.  While doing his best "American Pickers" impression, Cade comes across a peculiar old big rig, purchases the broken down heap, and eventually discovers that this is no rust bucket, it is Optimus Prime in disguise.  This is when the real fun starts as we learn the U.S. government is involved in hunting down both Autobots and Decepticons with help from a mysterious third party. 

The film delivers everything we have come to expect from a Michael Bay & Transformers film, and that's exactly the problem with this movie.  Huge over the top explosions, ridiculous fight scenes where giant robots somehow manage to fight but yet not kill their human co-stars, no character development, poor story-telling, and poor acting.  Perhaps the last problem being a bit of a surprise.  With a fairly star-studded cast including Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, and voice actors Peter Cullen, John Goodman, and Ken Watanabe you would think the acting should be pretty good.  However Bay finds a way to tell us a story with zero room for human actors and even though the film runs nearly 3 hours, zero room for character development.

Ultimately, I will always be a fan of the Transformers, and there were a few small spots in this movie that I really liked.  However the storyline and franchise is just old and broken down much like Optimus Prime when this film begins.  Michael Bay had created a Transformers trilogy that started pretty good in 2007, broke down and was awful in the second film in 2009, and in what we thought was the franchise finale in 2011, ended nicely.  In Transformers: Age of Extinction we get more of the same which leaves the fans and movie-goers wanting more.  I give this film a 1.5 out of 5 stars.  Unless you are a huge fan of Transformers, I would save your money and wait for this film to hit TV or Blu-Ray.