Review: Now You See Me

The last movie that I saw featuring a magician as the protagonist was The Incredible Burt Wonderstone; a comedy that wasn’t funny and wasn’t a whole lot of fun.  Now You See Me is a whole lot better.  It’s not an apples to apples to comparison because while the former set up as a schlocky joke fest, the latter is a caper film wrapped up in deception and misdirection.  Still, Now You See Me is a fun fast-paced film that combines deception and good comedic relief with grand chase scenes to ensure that the tone of the rapidly paced film remains light. 

The plot of this movies features a strong ensemble cast in Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, and Dave Franco portraying a quartet of magicians who have been brought together to perform the ultimate set of illusions; illusions that seemingly involve the robbery of institutions.  Mark Ruffalo and Melanie Laurent portray two agent charged with bringing the quartet to justice.  Along the way, they repeated find themselves butting heads with Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) – a former magician who makes a living revealing the secrets of his peers.

As you can see from the synopsis, there is a lot going on in this movie; a series of threads that comprise this narrative.  A lot of credit has to go to director Louis Leterrier for bringing these threads together in a way to tell a comprehensive story.  At no point does the movie feel like it’s gone askew or sacrificed pacing to flesh out one of these plot lines, so kudos to him for maintaining that balance.  Likewise, a lot of credit has to go to writer Ed Solomon (writer and inspiration for Chuck DeNomoles from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey) for crafting a fun narrative.  I have no doubt that upon closer inspection, the plot has many holes, but like a magician Solomon’s script utilizes some slight of hand and misdirection to entertain.

Ultimately, the biggest strength of this movie though has to be the ensemble cast.  It’s a group of actors who for the most part are very accomplished and are clearly having fun with what the source material.  Here is how each fared:

Jesse Eisenberg as J. Daniel Atlas is the defacto lead of the film, though it never truly feels that way.  Eisenberg sticks to his usual twitchy performance with staccato delivery but it works as a control-freak-of-a-magician.  Say what you want about his range, but Eisenberg has the smug, holier-than-thou act down to a science and that lends a serious layer of credibility to his character.  What makes his performance pop is the complimentary work of Woody Harrelson as mentalist Merrit McKinny.  Harrelson is flip, sarcastic, and sleezey – the comic relief to Eisenberg’s OCD vibe.  Harrelson always shines in this capacity, as the wildcard supporting player, and his work here is no exception.

Rounding out the criminal quartet are Isla Fisher and Dave Franco.  I like Fisher a lot as an actress, but liked her a bit less in this film.  Of the entire cast, her turn was the least believable.  It doesn’t mean that she was terrible as she did share strong chemistry with Eisenberg and Harrelson, but there are distinct points in the movie where her scenes fewl lacking.  As for Franco, he is satisfactory and nothing more.  He’s looks and feels like a junior version of his brother and I suspect that his casting was more a stunt to broaden the target audience than anything else.

As for the cops’ side of the equations, I really enjoyed the performance of Melanie Laurent.  She is tasked with the most difficult role; that of an Interpol agent who is a believer in magic and mystic myth.  It’s not an easy line to toe for a movie that attempts steep itself in realism, but she does it with a nice touch.  It helps that she shares good chemistry with Mark Ruffalo as FBI agent Dlyan Rhodes.  While it wasn’t one of my favorite Ruffalo performances, he does a good job of pulling off the embattled agent vibe.  He is grizzled, angry, and obsessed, which is precisely what the script calls for.  While his work falls apart a bit for me at the end, Ruffalo does enough good in this movie to keep the proverbial line moving.

As for the rest of the cast, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman could go back and forth reading entries from WebMD and make it entertaining without breaking a sweat and that’s what it feels like they are doing in this film.  Are they giving it their all?  Probably not.  But are they entertaining?  Yes.  Also lending a hand in the narrative are Common and Michael Kelly as FBI Agents.  Their respective performances certainly won’t make their highlight reels, but in very limited screen time they do a nice job of making the film that much better.

Despite all the platitudes, I don’t think it is a perfect film, and I’m sure that people with too much time on their hands could probably go in and pick at some plot holes and logic leaps.  Still, the film is fast, fun, and entertaining.  That’s a good trifecta of qualities for any movie to have.  I would not run out and purchase the DVD because it will not hold up for multiple viewings, but I would definitely recommend this as a rental.  Not every film has to change your life, tell an epic story based on historical events, or set up a franchise.  Some can just provide you with amusement for two hours of your life and Now You See Me is precisely that kind of movie.

Standout Performance:  Woody Harrelson.  Good actor with great comedic timing and it shows well in this movie.

Read More

Review: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

When Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was first released I didn’t make the connection that it was a sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth.  Brendan Fraser and pretty much everyone else from the first film were not brought back for the second installment save for Josh Hutcherson.  Before the release of The Hunger Games, I could not have picked Hutcherson out of a police line up, so his reprising the role of Sean Anderson did nothing to aid me in making a connection between the films.  I’m not exactly sure when I did finally figure it out, but now having seen the movie I wonder if any of that really matters, because it’s not a terribly good flick. 

The plot of the movie follows Hutcherson’s Sean and his stepfather Hank (played by Dwayne Johnson) as they trace a mysterious  radio signal to a mythical mysterious island born from the pages of classic adventure novels.  Along for the ride is a tour guide and his tween daughter who join Hutcherson and Johnson in their search to find Sean’s grandfather as well as a way to return home.

The best way I can describe this movie is that it is to action/adventure movies what Coors Light is to beer – very very soft.  It plays like it is geared to a younger audience that probably could care less about volcanic explosions and aerial chases.  Director Brad Peyton's film clearly panders to tween viewers by delivering  large doses of cotton candy puppy dog romance through Hutcherson and Vanessa Hudgen’s Kailani, while intermittently flashing shots of Dwayne Johnson flexing his pecs to appease all the mom's in the viewing audience.  Regardless, I am clearly not in the target demographic for this film.

With that in mind, here are the four observations I came away from the film with:

Michael Caine is a great actor.  He could read the pages of the dictionary and make it seem compelling and emotive.  On the other hand, Josh Hutcherson – he of Hunger Games and general Hollywood douchebaggery fame – is the polar opposite.  Not only can he not act, but if you could somehow quantify charisma, his score would rate just barely above that of a med school cadaver. 

As for Hutcherson’s paramour in the movie, Vanessa Hudgens, I feel like this may be the first time I have really seen her try to act as I don’t remember her saying anything of consequence in Sucker Punch.  Her performance makes me wonder why in the past she registered on anyone's radar in any way . My guess is that she may have dropped out of the same school of acting as Hutcherson.  On the bright side, neither of the two were able to upstage the  other on screen since neither know a thing about acting.

And, say what you will about Dwayne Johnson but the guy is fun to watch (even when the movie he is in absolutely stinks).  On the one hand he can play the imposing larger than life action star – the kind that doesn’t exist anymore (unless you acknowledge the cast of The Expendables which features a slew of them though long past their prime).  And on the other hand, he can be the egotistical guy in a family-friendly movie, who doesn’t quite get “it” but deep inside has a big heart and will eventually win you over with both his 1000 watt smile as well as his guitar and vocals.  Seriously, Johnson plays the guitar and sings a song in almost all his PG movies (it must be in his contract).  Hey may not be a great actor, but he is definitely a very good entertainer. 

My last thought on this film is that just because a movie is geared towards a younger audience, that shouldn't make it acceptable to have huge plot holes and to demand huge logic leaps.  Putting out a product with these kinds of issues is either born from a general disrespect for the fan base or just plain laziness.  Either way, it’s irresponsible.  In the case of this movie some of the plot issues are so egregious that a nine year old could pick it apart.

What this all means for Journey 2 is that the movie is not very good, but how bad it is really depends on the eye of the beholder.  If you’re over the age of twenty, this movie is a definite no.  No matter how much you love dHunger Games (and I guess Josh Hutcherson by extension), or how attractive you think Vanessa Hudgens and/or Dwayne Johnson are, there’s absolutely no reason for you to watch this film.  If the movie is to be viewed by someone under the age of fifteen then some entertainment value should be found.  And as for someone between those two age groups, it’s a crapshoot.  Proceed at your own risk.

Standout Performance: Dwayne Johnson gets the nod in this film because he carries most of the action sequences and the bulk of the comedic relief as well to the point where at times it almost feels like a one-man show.

Read More

Review: The Dark Knight Rises (With Spoilers)

My review of The Dark Knight Rises in no way panders to that segment of comic book fans who have far too much invested in and an odd sense of entitlement over iconic superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Spiderman, et al.  Those fans are nearly impossible to please unless filmmakers deliver the exact film that these zealots have envisioned in their minds’ eyes.  Most often this does not happen and those individuals are left to rant and rave across message boards about how director X,Y, or Z epically failed to remain true to original cannon.  But no matter what BatFan5789 posts online or John Doe at the local comic shop tells you, the truth is that while the general structure of origins may exist, there truly is no one right version to any of these heroes.  Over the last seventy plus years since Batman’s first appearance, the character has been brought to life in many different incarnations with each storyteller lending their own respective creative nuances to the character.  So in considering the final chapter of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, it is not about whether he got things right in this movie, but really about whether you enjoyed the final chapter to his version of that story

The short answer for me is that I did.

I am not a Nolan apologist though I am a huge fan of most of his work.  I did not walk out of the The Dark Knight thinking it was on par with The Godfather Part II, but I thought it was a very entertaining movie.  So I did not go into The Dark Knight Rises expecting a movie that would redefine the genre and sweep the Academy Awards.  And while the movie is not perfect, it is an incredibly well shot and extremely entertaining story that finds Bruce Wayne a recluse 8 years after his last appearance as Batman.  Gotham is enjoying prosperity in his absence under the watchful eye of Commisioner Gordon and the false memory of Harvey Dent.  But a new threat is rising up that threatens the city’s newfound prosperity that requires the return of Batman.

So what doesn't work in this movie is that it falls victim to the “3rd Leg of a Trilogy” syndrome.  So often it seems that directors feel compelled to stuff as much as possible into the last leg of a three-part story even to the point that film’s plot seems metaphorically to be bursting at the seems (i.e. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Spider-Man 3, et al).  In a lot of ways, I think this is born from the creative team’s desire to leave its loyal fan base completely satisfied.  What happens though is that the bloated plot begins to feel loose, the focus drifts, and the pacing gets thrown off.  The Dark Knight Rises suffers this a bit during its transition into the third act, but at the same time I cannot fully complain as I could not think of a set of details that I would absolutely have wanted removed from the film.  Still, it did make the film feel less lean and less nimble than its predecessor. 

As for what works, there are many things.  As you watch the film unfold, Nolan’s cinematic style is operating at its best and this is evident by the cuts between scenes, the attention to detail, and the devotion to character development.  Nolan has a distinct way of telling stories and as you watch the frames unfold, you know that you are watching a master at work.  The brilliance of this particular story is that while on the one hand you are watching the last chapter of Bruce Wayne’s Batman, at the same time you are unknowingly witnessing the origin story of John Blake.  And as much as this is a Chris Nolan/Christian Bale movie, it is almost equally a Chris Nolan/Joseph Gordon-Levitt film.

Speaking of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, he stands out from the cast by delivering the strongest performance of all.  As detective John Blake, Gordon-Levitt's presence in the movie is very much like the young and up and coming star on a basketball team of aging veterans, who injects youthful exuberance into the proceedings.  Gordon-Levitt has shown himself in the past to be a performer with great range, and in this film it seems as though he has elevated his game to a new level.  There is an interesting mix of anger, defiance, faith, and hope in his performance that makes it fitting that he is the last person you see on screen in the movie.

The second standout performance in the movie is delivered by Anne Hathaway.  It is no easy task to portray a character that has to be alluring and at the same time a legitimate physical threat, but she does so with flying colors while exuding the moral ambiguity that defines the character of Selina Kyle.  We have seen curious portrayals of Catwoman (Michelle Pfeifer) and we have seen what it looks like when the performance goes terribly awry (Halle Berry), and in understanding how difficult it could have been to make this character fit properly into Nolan’s Gotham City makes Hathaway’s perforamce all the more admirable.  She truly delivers some of the best scenes of her career.

The third standout performance belongs to Tom Hardy.  He has already established himself as a dynamic actor with his performances in Bronson, Warrior, and of course Inception and his work in this film is another notch in the belt.  It is no easy feat to deliver a compelling performance onscreen with much of your face concealed, but Hardy expertly leverages posture and other forms of non-verbal communication to bring the menacing character Bane to life.  His physical transformation into this bruiser is admirable.  Over the course of the film he allows the layers of his character to peel away culminating with a single touch of his mask from Miranda Tate.  It is a masterful performance.

It feels funny to have gone this far into the review without discussing the man beneath the cowl, but Christian Bale is solid as Bruce Wayne.  He slips into the character the way most of us slip into an old pair of sweat pants from college.  It is not an exceptional performance, but it is a very good one.  The same can be said for Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman – the men who have played the heart and moral compass for Bale’s Batman.  The three very accomplished actors finish the trilogy as they started – expertly applying their craft in a way that elevates the movie from a very good movie to a great one.  In a lot of ways, they represent the viewers in the film, watching the exploits of Wayne/Batman and emoting in the ways that we the fans react.  As for Marion Cotillard, hers was the performance amongst the principle cast that left me a bit underwhelmed.  This is partly due to the fact that she has set the bar so high in some of her other performances (Inception, Midnight in Paris), but also because of the nature of her role and the various other mechanisms that exist in this film.  She is not bad.  She just is not great. 

I have already been asked a number of times how I feel this movie stacks up to The Avengers.  It is not a surprise question because of the proximity of their respective releases and their shared genre but it is not an apples to apples comparison.  The Avengers is an incredibly fun movie that celebrates all that is good about the comic book genre while also acting as a groundbreaking venture combining a number of franchises under one umbrella.  Nolan’s Batman trilogy has always been an attempt to ground a comic book character in the “real” world by telling a narrative that demands to be viewed (and not disregarded) as something more than a genre film.  However if I had to make a choice, I think I prefer The Dark Knight Rises ever-so-slightly over the The Avengers.

The best compliment I can pay a movie is to say that while leaving the theater, I found myself wishing it did not come to an end, and that's how I felt as Joseph Gordon-Levitt stood on that platform as the screen drew to black.  The third act of the movie is amazing and the last ten minutes of the film are the best ten minutes I have seen on the big screen all year.  It truly is a fitting end to one story and a fantastic beginning to another.  We know that there are no more sequels no matter how the movie may leave one asking for more.  But then the point of Nolan's movie has always been (As Bale's Wayne eloquently reminds us) that anyone can be the person behind the mask because the Batman is more than just a man – he is an ideal.  For Nolan, his story to tell was Bruce Wayne's participation in this enduring ideal and thus, the story will live on in whim and imagination...or at least until 2016 when WB reboots the franchise.  My guess here is that if you read this review, you have probably seen the movie, and if so my advice is to see it again.  I guarantee that you will see something you missed the first time and that it will make you love the movie a little bit more.

Standout Performance: To the director Christopher Nolan for having a vision and seeing it all the way through with each film surpassing its predecessor.

Read More