Monsters University

 

Expectations:
Monsters Inc., which was released back in 2001 (when I was 11 years old), has a special place in many hearts of folks my age. While I'm not a huge, huge fan of Monsters Inc., I do remember watching the movie in the theater, and my love of films from my childhood has grown over the years, so I was looking forward to the prequel. However, the biggest problem that I thought may come with Monsters University is that the folks my age have very little interest in children's cartoons, on account of being in our 20s. For Pixar, releasing a prequel or sequel to a 12 year old film could have turned out to be a very bad idea. Fortunately, that was not the case, as Monster University has now remained at the top of the box office for two straight weekends. As for the concept behind the prequel, I was really very excited to see how Pixar did college. The worst part about "college comedies" tends to be the fact that they are rarely similar to the actual collegiate experience. In this case, actuality was not a huge concern, considering the film stars MONSTERS...

Plot:
The entire focus of Monsters University was on the infamous Mike Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal). Of course we learn the backstory of how he became friends with his partner, Sulley (voiced by John Goodman), but the plot was mostly "Mike vs. the world" or "Mike vs. wherever the monsters actually reside." While this theme was nice in the beginning, it got old after a while. Also, I was not pleased with the way they handled the "college life" of Mike and Sulley. Sure, Pixar has to keep it PG, but they could have at least thrown a joke in, here or there. But, it is what it is. My favorite thing about the film was the lack of any sort of romantic/love element, which I sort of expected with the collegiate theme for some reason. Pixar does a great job of keeping unnecessary romance out of the way, and I love it when a movie lacks a love story, because it is so rare.

Characters:
It's really hard to critique characters in a sequel or prequel, because most people already have their mind made up regarding who they like or dislike. But, if you think of Monsters University as its own film, it is easy to find some highs and lows character-wise.

Negatives:
While Mike is my favorite Monster, by far, Sulley is also quite likeable. However, in Monsters University, I did not think they really did a good job of building up the character that we have all come to love. You may disagree, but, in comparison to Mike (who was the focus of the film), Sulley just fell into the background and became unimportant. Randall Boggs (voiced by Steve Buscemi), who was the villain in Monsters Inc., was another character that I did not think was built up in the best of ways. Randall should have switched roles with Monsters University's obvious villain, Johnny Worthington (voiced by Nathan Fillion).

Positives:
As I said before, Mike is my favorite Monsters character, and that opinion was greatly strengthened with this film, as he was the only character who I thought was "prequelized" in a good way. While he was the focus of an unsatisfying plot, his character was great. The only other character that I loved was Art (voiced by Charlie Day), who was absolutely hilarious and stupid. He was basically a stoner stuck in a PG movie.

Conclusion:
Under normal circumstances, Monsters University would be a very satisfying animated film, but, when you are dealing with a prequel to a historically praised animated film, you expect greatness. Unfortunately, I wouldn't categorize Monsters University as "greatness." I don't want to discourage people from watching, especially if you loved Monsters Inc., but it just wasn't as great as what we have come to expect from the Pixar crew. The least satisfying thing about Monsters University was the lack of college humor, which I was really looking forward to. Sure, they used fraternities and sororities and admission issues, but they were not used in a funny way, for the most part. I give Monsters University 2.92 out of 5 stars, and I hope that Pixar soon gets its act straight.

This is the End

Expectations:
Aside from Elysium, which comes out in August, there is no summer movie that I was looking forward to more than This is the End. The idea of an entire comedy in which the actors play themselves is just fantastic. Add to that the overused theme of 2013 (the end of the world), and you have me hooked. Jonah Hill and Seth Rogan have each graced my Above Average Awards over the past two years, and, when you team them up with the rest of the crazy gang that this film contains, hilarity is sure to ensue... Right? I certainly hoped so. Most people were pumped for Man of Steel this week, but I couldn't wait for This is the End.

Plot:
As expected, the plot surrounding This is the End was completely over the top and hilariously ridiculous. But, it was just right! Throughout the film, I was wondering when I was going to stop laughing and when the plot was going to take a stupid turn, but it never did. Although he did a great job acting in This is the End, Seth Rogen did an even better job creating this story and directing the film, alongside Evan Goldberg. I really felt like these guys would be just as hilarious if they were hanging out with me during an actual apocalypse. The scene in which we are introduced to some version of these actors own selves was absolutely hilarious, and I loved the use of the various comedic actors who weren't present for the entire film. This is the End was a typical apocalypse film with added hilarity and a ridiculously funny conclusion.

Characters:
With a plot that was expected to be way over the top, I was counting on the greatness of This is the End's comedic actors to carry the film. When the plot turned out to be good, it was an amazing added bonus to have such a great cast as well. There were really very few negatives, as far as casting and characters are concerned, but here we go...

Negatives:
If you know me well, you know my feelings toward Emma Watson. She is one of God's great creations, and I think most would agree. However, her role in This is the End just didn't fit. Every single male character in the film had done some sort of extremely comedic acting at some point in their careers, but the female characters, regardless of their insignificance, were just not funny. Mindy Kaling fit in with the guys, but Rihanna and Emma Watson did not. I would have rather seen Sarah Silverman or Emma Stone show up and provide some laughs. Sure, the focus of the film was on the male characters, which was great, but, it wouldn't have hurt anything to have an actress stick around for more than five minutes.

Positives:
Where do I start?... The entire male ensemble was absolutely great, as these guys just fit together so well, providing laugh after laugh. Jonah Hill lead the way, in my opinion, as he played a very unrealistic and hilarious version of himself, who was very gentle and kind and wanted everyone to love him. Hill has quickly become one of my favorite actors, and I expect him to continue his greatness in the future. Danny McBride, who I usually don't care for, also did a fantastic job in This is the End. He stuck around for just the right amount of time to avoid being annoying, and he cracked me up. Next, Craig Robinson, who I loved in The Office, was a nice addition to Seth Rogen's comedic crew, who usually stick together. Hopefully we will see Robinson in future films with Rogen and crew, as he now has his freedom from The Office. Finally, the character that everyone is talking about........Michael Cera. I'm sure you've seen him in the trailers, but I will avoid ruining anything about his role in the film. Just let me be the 10,000th person to say that he was hilarious.

Conclusion:
This is the End blew my expectations out of the water in a very, very good way! As I said, those expectations were very high, so I am super-pleased with what Rogen and crew were able to accomplish. The only real negative that I found with This is the End is that there was very little room left for a sequel. I didn't realize how funny all of these actors could be, but they were funny enough to entice me to the theater to watch their film twice in one week, so kudos to them. If you like any of the actors in the film, go watch This is the End! If you enjoy laughter of any kind, go watch This is the End! If you have any free time over the next few weeks, go watch This is the End! You will not regret it! So, there it is... Go watch This is the End! I give This is the End 4.45 out of 5 stars. Go watch it!

Man of Steel

 

Expectations:
Admittedly, I know very little about Superman, as a comic character. As a kid, I did watch Lois and Clark with Dean Cain and, growing up, I watched a few seasons of Smallville. However, I don't think I have ever seen an entire Superman movie, and, honestly, I'm not a huge fan of the immortal super hero. The invincibility of Superman has always kept me from really caring what happened to him, because you know he is going to kick butt and survive (same goes for you, Wolverine!). Nevertheless, as an average movie viewer, just like you, my mind is quite vulnerable when it comes to good ad campaigns for films. In my opinion, even with the unnecessary Chrysler and Marines commercials, Man of Steel was advertised quite well, and I really loved the vague teasers that were first released last summer. Not only were the teasers intriguing, but I loved the darkness that felt similar to The Dark Knight trilogy. As I've confessed to you many times before, Christopher Nolan is one of my filmmaking heroes. Anything with the Nolan name attached to it will rob me of $8 and hopefully blow me away. So, with Nolan producing Man of Steel, my expectations and excitement skyrocketed. Even though he lacked the cajones to actually kill Batman in The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan knows what he's doing, and Zack Snyder has plenty of experience, although I hate 300.

Plot:
Going in, I was really thinking that I would get 20-30 minutes of Clark Kent's childhood, but, instead, there was a really long birth scene, which led straight to Henry Cavill as grown-up Clark Kent. Initially, I was disappointed about the lack of childhood, mostly because I wanted more Kevin Costner, who plays Clark's earth dad. However, in the end, as I was enduring the ten billion fight scenes, I was thankful that Kent's childhood did not linger on. Surprisingly, the biggest problem I had with the film was the fight scenes. The visual aspects of the flying and punching was really cool, but the results of one punch may send someone flying through ten buildings, while the next only sends them into the next room. The inconsistencies were quite annoying. Also, each of the ten billion big fight scenes felt like "the big one," which left me a bit disappointed when the final fight scene actually came. At that point, I was just ready for the fighting to end. But, I did enjoy watching the character grow, as the film moved along, mostly because Clark Kent was actually a really good guy with a great head on his shoulders. It was not the usual "I don't really know how to be a super hero" storyline.

Characters:
The focus of this film was on Superman close to 100% of the time, which is expected with the first film in any super hero franchise. Unfortunately, this focus takes away from the success of the villain and any other major characters in the film. Luckily, Henry Cavill was good enough to deserve 100% of the focus.

Negatives:
Let's start with the worst and work our way up... Laurence Fishburne's turn as Perry White, editor of The Daily Planet, was SOOOOO awkward and unnecessary. Will he be integral in the future films? Absolutely! Did he need to make an appearance in this film? Yes! But, that doesn't mean that we need to watch him try to pry some random coworker out of some rubble for like 20 minutes! It just frustrated me, if you couldn't tell. Next we have Lois Lane, played by Amy Adams, who didn't seem to have the spark that she really needs to have with Cavill's Superman. They randomly fell in love, as many super hero couples do, and it just didn't feel hard enough to conceive. It took poor Batman two films to get his girl, and then she quickly blew up. Finally, Christopher Meloni's Nathan Hardy was quite unnecessary as well. Sure, Superman needs to come alongside the military, but he doesn't need to become best friends with thirty different officers.

Positives:
As I've said already, Henry Cavill was great as Clark Kent/Superman, and I was pleasantly surprised. I really thought the filmmakers would go with a more well known actor, after Brandon Roth's failed attempt to revise the role in 2006, but Cavill was certainly the right choice. Kudos to whoever found him! I also enjoyed Harry Lennix's General Swanwick, who turned out to be the NECESSARY military connection that Superman needed, unlike Nathan Hardy.

Conclusion:
With the entire country's expectations as high as they were, I am very pleased that Man of Steel was able to succeed in meeting said expectations. While it didn't blow me away, it did leave me satisfied, and I never lost interest throughout the course of the film. Cavill was brilliant, and I hope he shows up in future non-Superman films. Even with the ten billion fight scenes, the focus remained on Superman, meaning that picking the right Superman was the key to making this film good enough... and it was good enough. The future of this film series could be very bright, if the action is contained a bit. If I were in charge, I would take the reigns away from Zack Snyder, but that probably won't be happening. Nevertheless, I will be watching the inevitable Man of Steel sequel/Justice League prequel, regardless of who is directing. I give Man of Steel 2.99 out of 5 stars.



The Purge

Expectations:
Coming from the folks that produced Paranormal Activity 1-78, I didn't know whether The Purge was going to focus on the dramatic side of things or the scary, jumpy side of things. If you keep up with this blog, at all, you probably have realized that I don't watch many scary movies, so I was hoping for dramatic. The entire concept surrounding the film was so, so cool, and I think cool is the perfect word (not that it would be cool in reality). Going in, I knew that I was going to hope that the film was made by more serious, dramatic filmmakers, because it really could have been great. But, making the buck is more important than making a good movie, and that's what small-budget films like The Purge are for. Here is the formula for this film:

Mediocre Box Office Success - Small Budget = Huge Success for Universal

 

Plot:
Let me start by telling you the two practical lessons that I learned from The Purge... #1-Never buy a house that could possibly contain a family member who cannot hear a loud yell inside said house, due to the distance between you and them... #2-Don't have stupid kids!... Basically, these two learning opportunities moved the plot along the entire time. It's really not that hard to stay together in one place, people! There was very little depth to plot, but I was intrigued the whole time, which is what matters the most. As is the case with most horror-like films, people did stupid stuff that made you just laugh at them the entire time. However, the film felt more dramatic than horrific. Was it an Oscar-worthy storyline? Heck no. At least it was dramatic though!

Characters:
In any film produced by the Paranormal Activity folks, you expect really bad acting and shallow characters. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I actually liked a few of the characters in The Purge. Sure, there weren't any great characters, but I'm just glad I liked at least one.

Negatives:
Lena Headey's turn as mom, Mary Sandin, was pretty much ridiculous. She did the most screaming of anyone in the film, and she was beyond annoying. Also, she lacked the ability to pull the trigger, which doesn't bode well for folks in movies where a lot of people are being killed. Daughter, Zoey Sandin, played by Adelaide Kane, was also annoying, because she was stupid. STUPID STUPID STUPID!!!

Positives:
Quality father-figure, James Sandin, played by Ethan Hawke, actually made some logical decisions, and he was a pretty good dad, which is not expected from a film like The Purge. He really didn't have a weakness, so kudos to him. My favorite character, by far, was Rhys Wakefield's "Polite Stranger," who freaked me out a bit. He wasn't scary, but he did make me uncomfortable, so I can't imagine how the Sandins felt! I hope he shows up in future films in the same type of roles.

Conclusion:
Surprisingly enough, I liked it. Although the progression of the story ended up going well over the top, the concept was simply cool enough to be believable and intriguing. Maybe they should have set it a bit further into the future, but I understand their technological budget limitations. Kudos to the folks at Blumhouse for keeping me entertained and succeeding, yet again, with a low budget film. We are sure to get a sequel to The Purge, so be sure you check this one out at some point. I only wish that the idea behind this film would have been incorporated into a deeper, darker drama. It would be really cool to see the politics behind the creation of The Purge (the event, not the film). Nevertheless, it worked out. I give The Purge 2.65 out of 5 stars.

Now You See Me

 

 

Expectations:

One of my favorite movies of all time, The Prestige, does something with magic that totally blows me away each and every time that I watch. The entire film, you think that the magic is the focus, but, in the end, you realize it is nothing but a front. After watching the trailers for Now You See Me, I was fairly certain that this film would lack the depth and the Nolan that made The Prestige so great. However, while watching and allowing the film to do its own thing, I was able to avoid comparing Now You See Me to The Prestige. My expectations were not extremely high, but I do like Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson, so I figured there was a little hope that the twists and turns coupled with good acting could "magically" impress...

 

Plot:

Most summer blockbusters feature great visuals and action scenes, and, with most films like Now You See Me, that's about all they have going for them. Unfortunately for Now You See Me, the visuals and action scenes really never materialized in any way. They would randomly swoosh around the focal point, in the midst of a long, awkward pause, but it just never really worked. Maybe I just got spoiled watching Star Trek twice... who knows? Anyway, contrary to my expectations, Now You See Me actually allowed the plot to carry the film, and, when included, the magic was quite impressive (even though most of it was unbelievable). Sure, the big plot-twist finale was predictable, but there were actually a lot of minor details that were included, adding a bit of depth to the plot.

 

Characters:

We've all seen Harrelson and Eisenberg in Zombieland. We've all seen Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine in The Dark Knight trilogy. Aside from those two combos, this cast felt completely random to me. I never felt, in any way, that the four magicians (Harrelson, Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco) fit together. Before being grouped together by some mystery man, each magician had their own act, and it should have just stayed that way.

 

Negatives:

21 Jump Street was my favorite comedy of 2013, but Dave Franco is my new favorite actor to hate! He is so freakin annoying! Many people have the same opinion about his brother, James, but I really don't mind James. He can act! Dave just whines and talks funny... nothing more. On the other hand, I love both Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, but they just didn't really bring it in Now You See Me. I can't put my finger on the problem with either one, but they didn't fit.

 

Positives:

Mark Ruffalo is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, yet, after his turn as The Hulk in The Avengers, I think he will soon be getting the credit he deserves. Kudos to Ruffalo for sticking with it for so long and picking some roles that suit him well. I remember first seeing him in 13 Going on 30, which I'm sure he now regrets.

 

Conclusion:

While Now You See Me wasn't an amazing film, it was able to satisfy (maybe exceed) my expectations. Was it as good as The Prestige? Heck no! However, the depth of the twists and turns are sure to thrill the average viewer, and the magic tricks will impress anyone, regardless of their believability. The last five minutes of the film were great. You just had to get there. Unfortunately, whoever was in charge of casting should probably perform some sort of disappearing act. Aside from Franco, I like all of the actors, but they did not fit in any way. According to the box office results and the critics, I made the right decision by choosing Now You See Me over After Earth... Sorry, Will Smith! I give Now You See Me 2.54 out of 5 stars.

Great Expectations: June 2013

 

 

The world of laughter has had no help from the film industry over the past year and a half, and, after the flop that was The Hangover Part III, the world of movies really needs a good laugh. Fear not! June is here to save the day! This month, there will be so many comedies that we won't even know what to do with ourselves. Let's just hope that at least one of them is pretty good. If not, the future looks quite dim. Here are a few of those comedies that will be coming your way this month (and Superman)...

 

 

The Internship

June 7

 

 

This is the End

June 12

 

 

Man of Steel

June 14

 

 

Monsters University

June 21