The Hangover Part II would not be one of those hangovers you brag about the next day. Using the same ingredients with limited “X” factors, “Part II” stirs up a familiar and predictable drink. Despite the familiar and comfy cast of characters, what once got America punch-drunk in 2009 will leave very few buzzed the second time around.
The trailers playing ahead of the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides offer an inkling of who this franchise’s main audience now is: Zookeeper, Mr. Popper’s Penguins and The Muppets. Given the adventure, the tension and the boldness of the rum-drinking, shaggy-haired Captain Jack Sparrow, one would assume the high jinks of this growing series would take the higher ground of kid-friendly fare. That would be wrong.
We all know that in 2012 we will be getting the ultimate superhero film, The Avengers, being set up by Marvel Studios. But the key words are “set up,” and that started with Iron Man in 2008 and continues with another on of the studio’s properties, Thor, which again makes for another entertaining superhero film.
In 970 A.D. there was epic war between the Asgardians lead by Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and the Frost Giants, a species that wanted to conquer Earth. Years later, Odin makes his son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) his heir, but a group of Frost Giants attempt to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters. Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), faults Thor with the crime and his companions to go to war against the Frost Giants despite their father’s orders. As punishment, Thor is banished to Earth with his powers and hammer, Mjolnir, taken away from him
In theory, Fast Five should have worked. A series that reaches its fifth entry needs to reinvent itself to keep people interested. Here, the filmmakers have disposed of much of the pointless street racing in favor of a heist-film formula. It’s not a bad idea, but the problem is in the execution. After the explosive and exciting set-up, we’re forced to endure nearly 90 minutes of talky exposition and planning. And as a fan of this series, that’s the absolute last thing I want to see Paul Walker and Vin Diesel doing.
The superhero film craze has led to a lot of ordinary main characters taking justice into their own hands. In that sense, nothing will strike you as original about Super, the latest film from James Gunn (Slither) and one made on a shoestring budget. Rainn Wilson stars as Frank, a man who loses his cool when a drug kingpin (Kevin Bacon) steals away his wife (Liv Tyler). After having a vision in which his brain is quite literally “touched by the finger of God,” Frank decides to create his own superhero, the Crimson Bolt, a force against all that is evil in the world, or at least the small town he lives in.
Rio is a pure formula picture with many familiar elements such as when Blu’s taken from the wild as a chick, the animosity between Blu and Jewel that has an obvious trajectory, the story of the evil Nigel having a tragic past and being rejected, etc., but formula does not have to be bad and when it’s done right it can easily lead to an enjoyable film for all the family.
Hanna is a 1 hour and 51 minute thrill ride featuring adept acting, fast pacing, and a pitch perfect film score to back it up. Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is a special teenager with extraordinary strength, stamina and intelligence thanks to her father Erik Heller (Eric Bana), who raised her to be the ultimate assassin. He sends his daughter on a mission for the first time to kill a ruthless intelligence operative Marissa Viegler (Cate Blanchett) but has to go run across Europe. Alone, Hanna starts to explore her own existence and humanity.
Trains, brains and alternate realities comprise Source Code, the sophomore feature from Duncan Jones, director of 2009’s intellectual sci-fi dish Moon starring Sam Rockwell. Jones coaches a similarly terrific actor in Jake Gyllenhaal to another commanding yet heart-filled leading performance. The difference is that Moon was contemplative and brooding; Source Code moves at thrill-a-minute pace. Both, however, possess that same cerebral quality that wins audiences over.
Made in Dagenham is everything you would want from this type of comedy: funny, smart, dramatic, tragic and with a good amount of politics and history to boot. Calendar Girls director Nigel Cole has avoided the trap of letting one element overshadowing the rest of the film, which is now on DVD and Blu-ray.
Inception gave us a dream within a dream; Sucker Punch is a fantasy within a fantasy. Zack Snyder has created another visual stunner, but it won’t be hailed in years to come as among the best of his filmography. The tagline for Sucker Punch is “You will be unprepared.” You’re darn right! The story waxes so thin it could be a New York Style pizza; the characters are given no depth and are treated as expendable. The dialogue and deliveries are as hokey as a Nickelodeon show and all this from the director of one of my favorite action films, 300. Sucker Punch is entertaining, but the narrative is poorly conceived and the execution is basically thrown in the fire by the third act. It’s weak.
