Moviefone Editorial

Category: Reviews

  • ‘The Perfect Guy’ Is a Perfect End-of-the-Summer Thriller

    the perfect guy review“The Perfect Guy” is the end-of-summer, edge-of-your-seat thriller that had grown men in the theater screaming and cowering in their seats. Starring Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy, and Morris Chesnut, the all-star cast didn’t save the “drama for yo mama” — they brought it to the screen!

    We’ve all heard stories about bad break-ups, but damn. This movie takes it to the next two levels. Lathan, not new to the game, who’s starred in “Love & Basketball” and “The Best Man,” plays a nice, sweet, highly successful working woman who breaks up with her live-in boyfriend and starts dating a new guy, which turns out to be a big mistake. The new guy turns out to be a violent, psycho stalker who makes her life a living hell once she decides to dump him and get back with her ex.

    Ealy is an acting veteran who’s starred in movies like “Barbershop,” “Barbershop 2,” ‘”2 Fast 2 Furious,” “Think Like a Man,” “For Colored Girls,” and, my personal favorite sci-fi police drama, “Almost Human.” In “The Perfect Guy,” he plays the psycho, stalker ex boyfriend of Lathan, and, of course, he is the “nicest guy” in the beginning then flips and starts hiding under beds, stealing cats, causing car wrecks, and a lot worst. One minute he is flashing that Hollywood smile and the next he’s as mad as Cujo.

    Chesnut is one of my favorite actors from way back in the “Boyz n the Hood” days. He also starred in “The Best Man,” “The Best Man Holiday,” and “Not Easily Broken.” In “The Perfect Guy,” Chesnut plays Lathan’s boyfriend and goes to battle trying to keep her safe from Ealy’s psycho stalker.

    “The Perfect Guy” is a top-notch thriller that doesn’t rely on blood and guts you see in most scary movies nowadays, which made me like it even more. The diverse movie crowd was into the whole movie, and even gave a round of applause when it was over. This is one of the best thrillers of the year — so go see it!

    Wendell Escott is a student at El Camino Community College and a contributor to Moviefone’s Campus Beat. Are you a current college student with a love for all things movies and TV? Contribute to Campus Beat!
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  • Psychological Thriller ‘The Gift’ Shows Karma Is Alive and Kickin’

    the gift 2015 reviewSPOILERS AHEAD! Don’t read this unless you want the twist revealed.

    “The Gift,” a mystery-thriller released August 7, stars Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, and Joel Edgerton, who also steps in as first-time director. No blood and guts in this flick, one of the many positives about the movie, which kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I watched it.

    Jason Bateman plays a successful family man who moves to California with his wife, played by Rebecca Hall, after landing a new job there. Everything seems fine, life is great — and getting better! — until an old high-school acquaintance shows up. Unbeknownst to us, Bateman was a bully in high school and spread a nasty rumor he made up that caused Edgerton to suffer mental and physical abuse at the hands of his own father; 25 years later Edgerton comes for payback.

    What I really liked about this psychological thriller is the karma aspect of it. Bateman, as an adult, was a successful salesman with a beautiful wife who made moves up the corporate ladder, but, 25 years ago in high school, he was a bully who put his victim through hell. Instead of peace in their new home, Edgerton is popping up un-announced several times, causing Bateman’s wife extreme anxiety and sleepless nights. Things really start to unravel for the couple as Bateman’s wife learns of his past horrible deeds and starts to question who she married. Bateman’s new friends find out how low he’ll go to get what he wants. He loses his job and has to question the paternity of his new child. Karma at its best!

    “The Gift” is a great psychological thriller and mystery movie that, in my opinion, should be watched by high school and adult bullies alike. It really shows how a person’s actions, and how we treat others — even as kids — can have lasting and sometimes devastating effects on others; even to the point where they carry that hurt around and seek revenge years later.

    Bullying is a real problem in middle school and high school, and “The Gift” puts a nasty little spin on how karma loves to visit when you least expect it. Nice job, Edgerton. Me likey.

    Wendell Escott is a student at El Camino Community College and a contributor to Moviefone’s Campus Beat. Are you a current college student with a love for all things movies and TV? Contribute to Campus Beat!

  • ‘Tomorrowland’ Family Review: 5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know

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    “Tomorrowland” is Disney‘s new sci-fi adventure starring George Clooney and Britt Robertson. Like the land it’s named after in the Disney theme parks, the movie is a tribute to the future and how special individuals who are engineers, makers, inventors (or “imagineers” as Disney dubs them) make a difference not just in the present but in the future as well. Although director Brad Bird has been praised for his ability to shoot action sequences and handle the spectacular future landscapes, the movie is generating mixed reviews, so it’s not a universally praised release. The movie does feature some frightening deaths and scenes of violence, but it also espouses so many positive messages, it’s hard to find fault with taking a curious kid to see it.

    Here are five questions to consider before heading out with your kids to see “Tomorrowland.”

    1. Do you love Disney?
    In case the title doesn’t make it obvious, “Tomorrowland” is definitely a Disney love-fest with references to many of the Studio’s properties, whether it’s literally one of the lands at Disneyland / Disney World to rides, like “It’s a Small World” to movies with Disney associations like the “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” franchises. The Carousel of Progress ride and its accompanying song, “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” is also featured, since it was genuinely part of the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. There’s more too, but the point is that the movie is a big exercise in synergy for Disney, and that’s great for Disney fans but won’t work for parents who don’t care for consumerism or the legendary Studio’s theme parks.

    2. How easily does your kid get scared?
    There isn’t a lot of violence at the beginning of the movie, but once the creepy robot soldiers get involved, there are several shooting sprees that are particularly scary, because the futuristic guns dematerialize people, leaving only a pile of dust (similar to the deaths in the far more terrifying “War of the Worlds”). Kids need to be old enough to be prepared for the kind of violence that leaves various passersby and a few prominent characters dead.

    3. How much questionable content is there?
    Besides the violence, the movie is fairly devoid of language (just a “piss” here and a “What the ___” or “Son of a …” that trails away there), and it’s definitely free of sex. However, as some critics have pointed out, the love Frank feels for Athena is completely appropriate — in the flashbacks — but Frank is no longer an 11 or 12 year old but is in fact George Clooney (Athena is an AI), their relationship may skirt the edge of creepy for some viewers. But most kids may not pick up on that, and really Athena isn’t even human. Still, we had to mention it.

    4. Who will enjoy the movie most?
    The ideal audience is older elementary-aged kids, tweens, and young teens who love Disney, sci-fi adventures, and the themes of innovation and futurism. Budding engineers and makers will particularly dig the “Dreamers need to stick together” message. Although little kids will be dazzled by the spectacle of the visuals, they may be frightened by the unexpected intensity of the violence.

    5. What are critics saying about “Tomorrowland”?
    The Disney adventure gets mixed reviews, with a (rotten) 54 percent at Rotten Tomatoes and a mixed score of 60 at Metacritic. Amy Nicholson of The Village Voice raves: “Bird layers on plenty of dazzle… But his heart is what keeps the story motoring and the ending is perfectly engineered, including a coda that encourages all of us to try harder. ” Ty Burr of The Boston Globe summed up his mixed feelings as “The thing barely makes a lick of sense. Rapturous on a scene-by-scene basis and nearly incoherent when taken as a whole, the movie is idealistic and deranged, inspirational and very, very conflicted.” Joe Williams of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wasn’t impressed: “Disney’s gimmick of naming movies for its theme-park attractions crashes and burns in ‘Tomorrowland,’ a here-and-now caper that will confuse children, bore adults and offend anyone who’s ever taken a science class.”

    “Tomorrowland” is in theaters now.tomorrowland review

  • ‘Pitch Perfect’ 2 Family Review: 5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know

    pitch perfect 2 family reviewThe Barden Bellas are back, folks, and this time they’ve been the reigning U.S. a cappella champions for three years running. But after one big rip in Fat Amy’s costume, the winning team turns into an epic a cappella fail. In this sequel to 2012’s sleeper hit, Beca (Anna Kendrick), Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), Chloe (Brittany Snow) and co. return to redeem their Bellas from being the shame of American a cappella by competing in the world a cappella competition against the German international champions. While not considered as fabulous as the original, the sequel is still funny enough to compel even third and fourth graders to see it (in case you’re wondering, for the most part, that’s a bit young for the humor).

    Here are five issues to keep in mind before heading off to see the Bellas return to glory in “Pitch Perfect 2.”

    1. Did your kid see the original?
    While it’s not a requirement to see “Pitch Perfect” to understand what’s going on; there are some jokes and even character relationships that won’t be quite as funny or memorable without having seen the original. Plus, the original serves a baseline for whether this movie is appropriate for your kid; if you weren’t comfortable with your child seeing the first film three years ago, then revisit it before heading out to see part 2.

    2. Are you OK with slightly raunchy humor?
    While some of the jokes may go over younger viewers’ heads, there are many references to an embarrassing moment in the Bellas’ opening a cappella performance: Fat Amy’s costume splits and she ends up with her genitalia in full view of the President and First Lady of the United States at the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts. The mishap is called “Muffgate,” and that’s just the opening gag. Going from there, expect several more jokes about Fat Amy’s private parts as well as ongoing references to sex, women’s bodies, sexual confusion, etc.

    3. Do you worry about sex/language?
    There are several sexual jokes in the movie, but there aren’t any actual sex scenes, although it’s clear people are having sex, especially Fat Amy and her “friend with benefits,” Bumper. Parents might find it troubling how he asks her if she’s coming over that night to hook up, and she answers by saying “No” and then winking, repeatedly. In another scene they dramatically confess their love for each other and start making out — tongues out and rolling around on the ground — but that’s as far as the sex goes. As for the language, there are a few words thrown around like “bitch[es],” “ass,” “s—t,” “dick,” and the like, but the language isn’t that frequent.

    4. Who will enjoy the movie most?
    Definitely anyone who saw and loved the first “Pitch Perfect” will want to see the original Bellas reprise their roles once more. Despite the PG-13 rating and occasionally explicit scatological and sex jokes, “Pitch Perfect” has a huge following among tween girls. I saw a few girls as young as 7 or 8 at the 10 p.m. screening I attended, so be prepared for your kids (especially girls) to hear about the movie — even if you don’t plan to let them see it. Most likely, girls 10-15 will be the most interested in seeing the a cappella comedy.

    5. What are critics saying about “Pitch Perfect 2”?
    Critics have generally enjoyed the second “Pitch Perfect” movie, but the sequel isn’t as universally beloved as the original. Entertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblatt raved “PP2 sometimes feels less like a movie than a two-hour episode of Glee ghostwritten by Amy Schumer; jokes fly like they’re being shot from T-shirt guns at a gonzo pep rally, and not all of them stick the landing.” USA Today’s Claudia Puig sums up the consensus: “While just a jot less fun than its predecessor, ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ is a worthy sequel in tone, even if the story feels padded with a few too many montages.” Meanwhile, The Playlist’s Rodrigo Perez wasn’t impressed: “Perhaps due to its rote, by-the-numbers story, all of the original film’s less tangible, hard-to-bottle qualities are absent: its delightfulness, its playfulness, and its natural charisma.”
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  • ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Review

    Joss Whedon returns to write and direct another massive Marvel spectacle with “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the sequel to “The Avengers,” the third highest-grossing movie of all time. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Dr. Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk), Black Widow, and Hawkeye are back together again after their showdown with Loki in New York City, and this time they face an even bigger, globally minded villain: Ultron — and two freaky, fiery, fast twins. The guys (and Natasha) love their witty banter and competitive spirit, but they’re not just sitting around eating shawarma and telling jokes. They’re busy trying to keep Ultron from causing an extinction-level catastrophe.

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    Here are five issues to keep in mind before heading off to see the latest installment in the “Avengers” franchise.

    1. What’s your kid’s Marvel IQ?
    Has your kid seen the other Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, like the first “Avengers,” “Iron Man,” “Thor,” “Captain America,” and their sequels? Do they know the basic origin stories of each of the Avengers and how they’re connected to S.H.I.E.L.D. and characters like the Black Widow and Hawkeye? If the answer is no, you may want to watch those movies at home first and then head out to see the superheroes reunite in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

    2. How does your kid handle violence in movies?
    All superhero movies contain elements of danger and violence; otherwise there’d be no reason for the superheroes to exist in the first place. And the violence in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is definitely no exception: there is macro violence that kills scores of people (explosions, train derailments, and a mass catastrophe that could potentially wipe out an entire city with worldwide consequences), and up close and personal violence that includes secondary characters being killed and our beloved Avengers bruised, battered, and bloody.

    3. Do you worry about sex/language?
    There’s no need to worry about sex or language in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” While two Avengers flirt and eventually kiss, and a married couple shares a few hello and goodbye embraces, there’s little romance, but most of “the ladies” (Jane, Pepper) are absent. Eyecandy, yes — the broad-shouldered Avengers walk around shirtless and Black Widow wears a cleavage-baring costume — but no sex. As for language, there’s the occasional “sh-t,” “ass,” or “damn,” but with straight-edge Captain America admonishing Tony for his “language,” this is one of the cleanest PG-13 scripts around.

    4. Who will enjoy the movie most?
    Clearly anyone — child or adult — who is a fan of Marvel-based movies is the prime audience, and if you know and love the comics, even better. In fact, prepare to wear (or see) plenty of Avengers T-shirts or full-on costumes if you’re going opening night. While I saw kids as young as 3 or 4 at the movie’s press screening, it’s not meant for kids younger than tweens; not only is it a loud and violent movie, but it’s two-and-a-half hours long!

    5. What are critics saying about “Avengers: Age of Ultron”?
    Critics have generally enjoyed or even loved the movie, but the sequel isn’t generating the sort of unanimously positive response that the first “Avengers” received. Richard Roeper raved “‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ is a sometimes daffy, occasionally baffling, surprisingly touching and even romantic adventure with one kinetic thrill after another. It earns a place of high ranking in the Marvel Universe,” whereas A.A. Dowd of “The A.V. Club” had a few issues: “There’s so much ground to cover here — so many introductions to make, so much story to churn through, so many gargantuan set pieces to mount — that the movie never really finds room to breathe.” “The New Yorker” critic Anthony Lane, however, was unimpressed: “First, you try to understand what the hell is going on. Then you slowly realize that you will never understand what is going on. And, last, you wind up with the distinct impression that, if there was anything to understand, it wasn’t worth the sweat.”

    “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is in theaters everywhere May 1st.

  • SXSW 2015: Ranking All 21 Movies We Saw at This Year’s Festival

    sxsw 2015 moviesSouth by Southwest (SXSW) is the best week of the year for film fanatics. Period. It’s in a wonderful place (Austin, Texas), sweetened by a lovely atmosphere that mixes the highbrow appreciation of erudite film nerds with the go-for-broke excitement of genre enthusiasts. There’s nothing quite like it in the world of film festivals — the vibe at SXSW isn’t something that’s easily replicated or translated; it just is.

    We were on hand to take it all in and report back. Our interviews from the festival will be coming soon, along with the films that they accompany. But we also wanted to rank every film that we saw, in order of best to worst. This year’s crop was pretty wonderful, even those in the back half of the list are still pretty great. (There were a couple of stinkers, but that happens at every festival.)

    So sit back and relax, while we take you on a tour of the greatest film festival on Earth. Apologies for its tardiness; the queso-and-BBQ detox took longer than expected.

    1. “Ex Machina“
    Sporting the queasy eeriness and social consciousness of a top tier episode of “The Outer Limits,” Alex Garland’s “Ex Machina” is a science fiction masterpiece and one hell of a ride. Domhnall Gleeson plays Caleb, an office drone who is recruited by his reclusive boss, a genius billionaire named Nathan (Oscar Isaac). What is advertised as a week with his enigmatic hero instead becomes much more bizarre when Caleb is asked to beta test Nathan’s newest technological breakthrough: a lifelike robot he calls Ava (Alicia Vikander). Things, of course, go horribly wrong. Featuring chilly production design and a nifty electronic score by Geoff Barrow (from UK trip hop group Portishead), “Ex Machina” seduces you with its sleekness and intellectualism. But there are surprises to be had here, as well. It’s not all existential conundrums and scary robot shenanigans; there’s heart and humor and (yes) humanity. The results are nothing short of unforgettable.

    2. “Furious 7“
    One of the biggest surprises of the festival was the inclusion of franchise sequel “Furious 7” into an already-packed line-up of buzzy indies and big time Hollywood features. But it ended up being one of the most welcome surprises for another reason: it was pretty amazing and unexpectedly emotional (the send-off for Paul Walker was beautiful and touching). The series has always been good about grafting other genres onto its underground street-racing framework, and this movie is a revenge picture, with the brother of the previous baddie (Jason Statham) tracking down our rowdy racers one-by-one. Throw in an insanely convoluted narrative that involves some kind of magical program called the God’s Eye (because of surveillance) and Kurt Russell, issuing his bad-ass mystique while essentially collecting a paycheck, and “Furious 7” make take the cake as the crown jewel of the entire franchise. A big shout-out to Vin Diesel for taking the lead memorably and director James Wan for somehow managing to pull it all off.

    3. “All Things Must Pass“
    Talk about unexpectedly emotional: Colin Hanks’s documentary chronicling the rise and fall of Tower Records is the kind of thing that should be more interesting from a cultural perspective but ends up being deeply moving and quite sad. Part of what makes “All Things Must Pass” so compelling is the fact that the founder, Russ Solomon, was such a character. He dreamed of a record store where you could get anything and then he made that dream come true. But overextending the brand and the development of digital forms of music delivery ultimately doomed Tower Records. What “All Things Must Pass” does, brilliantly, is present the death of Tower Records as not just the sad story of ambition outweighing practicality, but a major cultural and social blow to the United States. The movie’s silver lining coda (hey, there are Tower Records shops in Japan!) doesn’t make the longing any less powerful.

    4. “Trainwreck“
    As a director, comedy kingpin Judd Apatow is admittedly hit-or-miss. And his decision to direct someone else’s screenplay, especially one from the relatively unproven Amy Schumer, was something of a surprise. But it ended up being the best thing that he could have possibly done, because “Trainwreck” is a quietly affecting triumph and probably the best thing Apatow has ever directed. Schumer plays the titular trainwreck, a young professional in New York City who has a hard time maintaining a committed relationship, drinks too much, and is generally a mess. She’s a writer for a glossy magazine and is assigned a profile of a prominent sports doctor (played by Bill Hader); they fall in love and she starts to re-evaluate her entire life. That sounds really pat and cheesy; it’s not. It’s naughty and whip-smart and keenly observant. And the supporting cast, which includes everyone from LeBron James to Tilda Swinton, is ridiculously on point. When this movie opens in mid-July everyone will be talking about. And for good reason: It’s amazing.

    5. “Hello, My Name Is Doris”
    It’s seemingly impossible for actresses not named Meryl Streep to get great roles if they’re past the age of 40, but Sally Field might have been given the role of her career in this charming independent comedy. “Hello, My Name is Doris” stars Field as a woman who works at a catalogue and who falls in love with a much younger man who has just come to the company (Max Greenfield, from “New Girl”). While this sounds like a one-joke movie, and a potentially mean one at that, director Michael Showalter (from “Wet Hot American Summer”) directs the movie with grace and tenderness, keeping a close eye on emotional realness and sensitivity. If Alexander Payne had directed this movie, it would already be garnering Oscar talk for Field. As it stands, it still might.

    6. “The Nightmare”
    With “Room 237,” director Rodney Asher turned conspiracy theories about Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” into a diabolical descent into madness. His follow-up, “The Nightmare,” is more outwardly scary, tackling the subject of sleep paralysis and night terrors into the stuff of sleepless nights and cowering under the covers. Asher uses horrifying reenactments and the testimony of those affected by this strange anomaly, instead of talking-head interviews with doctors or those who have studied the phenomenon, which gives the entire movie a more personal, profound dimension. (Like “Room 237,” it also has a metatextual component, since this condition was the basis for “Nightmare on Elm Street.”) Oh, and did I mention that it was scarier than any actual horror movie that screened at SXSW this year? Because it was. Asher is one of the premier documentarians working today, able to meld pop culture and genuine psychological insight with entertaining alertness.

    7. “Night Owls”
    I was lucky enough to watch “Night Owls” as it moved through production, as its writer-director Charles Hood is a close friend of mine. But nothing could prepare me for what it was like seeing the film on the big screen, on the first night of the festival, with a packed audience. I was taken aback and deeply moved. “Night Owls” is the tale of a one-night stand that goes disastrously wrong (to say anything more would be to give away the movie’s many canny twists and turns). While it would probably be wrong of me to “review” the movie any more, it goes without saying that it’s anchored by a pair of star-making performances (from Adam Pally and Rosa Salazar) and that you should expect big things from Hood and his close-knit team of creative collaborators.

    8. “7 Days in Hell”
    Almost everyone slept on “7 Days in Hell”: it premiered during a weird time slot on the first night of the festival and only ran an hour-long, but it was one of the biggest highlights of the entire week for me — a gut-busting, all killer, no filler comedic delight. Told in the straightforward style of an HBO sports documentary, it recounts the fateful tennis match between a pair of weirdos (Kit Harrington and Andy Samberg) as they played a single match for seven days. That’s all you need to know. Either you’re in or you’re out. And you should most definitely be in. Sporting a supporting cast that includes Lena Dunham, Will Forte, Fred Armisen, and Michael Sheen, this low-budget triumph was filmed in 4 days. And there isn’t a single laugh left on the floor. At the conclusion of the screening, my side ached from laughing so hard. This is extremely raunchy, wonderfully weird stuff; a treasure.

    9. “Best of Enemies”
    Already a smash at Sundance, this documentary, chronicling the sparring of William Buckley and Gore Vidal during the 1968 Democratic and Republican is wily and smart, the tale of how the actual debate that the two engaged in has, decades later, become the backbone of most political coverage (in an insanely watered-down, dumb-ass form). Few documentaries at SXSW were this alive. This could been a potentially dry account, but it’s really not. It’s a scream. And should wind up as one of the breakout documentary sensations of 2015.

    10. “Raiders!“
    When “Raiders of the Lost Ark” first premiered, a group of 11-year-olds got together and decided to recreate it shot for shot. It consumed their entire childhood and remained uncompleted… until now. Thirty years after the fact, the childhood friends band together to recreate one crucial scene — one involving Indy fighting a Nazi bully near a flying wing while Marion is trapped inside. This documentary charts the original recreation and how it went from underground oddity to beloved cult artifact, as well as the filming of the new scene (costing thousands of dollars and entirely crowd-funded). The filmmaking is occasionally flabby, but it’s still shockingly inspirational. If you’ve ever dreamed (and dreamed big), this is a documentary that will probably affect you greatly. I know that’s what happened to me.

    11. “Tab Hunter Confidential“
    Tab Hunter, for those who remember, was a teen heartthrob, best-selling singer and all-American darling, who, all the while, was concealing his homosexuality from his employers and the media alike. What makes “Tab Hunter Confidential” such a thrilling documentary is hearing Hunter speak, in his own words, about the pain he endured, his various relationships (including a tempestuous romantic entanglement with Anthony Perkins) and how his secret was concealed by the powerful studio system. (When he left his lucrative Warner Bros. contract, his protective shield from the press also went away.) Maybe most tellingly, it seems like it was his Eisenhower-era handsomeness that made him irrelevant, not his hidden identity. With wonderful interviews and incredible archival footage, “Tab Hunter Confidential” sings.

    12. “The Road Warrior“
    Last year, Warner Bros brought the original “Godzilla” to SXSW and augmented the screening with new footage of the then-quite-secret “Godzilla” reboot. This year, the studio did the same thing, except this time screening “The Road Warrior” (in 35 mm, no less, making it the only screening of the entire festival projected on film) alongside scenes from this summer’s “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The “Road Warrior” screening was phenomenal — the print was beautiful and director George Miller was on hand for a lively introduction and post-screening Q&A. But the main draw was the movie itself, which holds up incredibly well and is as undeniably influential today as it was when it was first released. Oh, and the new footage was breathtaking. “Mad Max: Fury Road” might be the summer movie to beat.

    13. “Spy“
    Unexpectedly funny and involving, Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids,” “The Heat”) takes on the spy genre and casts Melissa McCarthy as an unlikely secret agent. The cast (which includes Rose Byrne, Jason Statham and Jude Law) is hilarious, and Feig takes the material incredibly seriously (from the opening, James Bond-ian title sequence through a number of high octane action setpieces), which in turn makes the comedy even funnier. McCarthy, as always, is terrific; this incredibly well for Feig and McCarthy’s upcoming “Ghostbusters” reboot. After tackling the spy genre, it’s hard to not get excited about his take on the horror comedy. Who ya gonna call?

    14. “The Look of Silence”
    If you saw 2013’s devastating “The Act of Killing,” this is director Joshua Oppenheimer’s companion film, in which one of the victims of the genocide chronicled in the original film uses Oppenheimer’s interviews to discover who murdered their family. The filmmaking is impeccable but it’s such a bummer that it’s hard to even recommend.

    15. “Pod”
    A micro-budget horror movie that is sometimes outrageously scary, it concerns a war vet who encounters something otherworldly at his remote cabin and his brother and ex-girlfriend who investigate what’s gone wrong. Thankfully, this is not a found-footage movie, and the filmmakers build tension until its almost unbearable. Expect “Pod” to become a cult favorite in some circles, and big things to come from its creative principles. Even if this one doesn’t totally stick the landing, their effort is commendable.

    16. “Creative Control”
    Part of the high-concept, low-budget wave that seems to be sweeping through American independent cinema, “Creative Control” takes place in a futuristic Brooklyn, where a young advertising wonk is placed in charge of marketing a futuristic piece of hardware (think Google Glass except even creepier). The movie looks beautiful, shot in chilly black-and-white, and there are some occasionally interesting thematic investigations, but it fails to make an emotional connection or engage with the creepy, De Palma-by-way-of-“Primer” concept.

    17. “Ava’s Possessions”
    This has a nifty concept (a woman attends a self-help group following her demonic possession, uncovering the source of the demon and her family’s involvement along the way) but the movie is unfocused and the lead actress borderline catatonic. The movie does have some bright spots (notably Adrian Correia’s “Streets of Fire”-style, neon-drenched cinematography and the boppy score by Sean Lennon) but is something of a slog otherwise. A shame, too, given how wonderful it could have been.

    18. “Manglehorn”
    The third part of filmmaker David Gordon Green’s loose “Austin trilogy,” “Manglehorn” stars Al Pacino as a key-maker in Texas who loves his cat and wants to romance the beautiful woman who works at his bank (Holly Hunter, woefully underused). And that’s about it. The fact that the movie virtually has no plot would have been OK if there were something else interesting going on here. But there’s not. It’s deathly dull and even Pacino, who was expected to get something of a career bump thanks to his collaboration with Green (as Nic Cage did, slightly, with “Joe”), fails to impress. This is the weakest movie that Green has ever made, and yes I’m including “The Sitter” in that assessment.

    19. “Unfriended“
    This is a horror movie, produced by “Paranormal Activity” mastermind Jason Blum, in which the ghost of a girl who was bullied to death menacingly stalks five friends, all via social media. This is admittedly a cool concept, made all the cooler by how faithfully the movie recreates the desktop interface of one of the kid’s (with Facebook, Instagram, Gchat, etc). But dramatically the movie leaves something to be desired, and its aesthetic fidelity can’t cover up a weak story, unlikable characters, and questionable motivation. Oh well. Someone will crack the social media horror movie. One day…

    20. “7 Chinese Brothers”
    Jason Schwartzman is one of the more charming actors on the planet. But “7 Chinese Brothers,” which someone told me is based on an old proverb or something (this is never explained or alluded to in the actual movie), really puts that to the test. A plotless muddle of indie movie clichés and supposedly funny “jokes,” this was a movie that I contemplated leaving about 15 minutes in. I kept “giving it 5 more minutes” until it was over. I regretted that decision. Schwartzman’s real-life dog Arrow, though, is pretty darn cute.

    21. “Get Hard“
    Racist, homophobic and (worst of all) criminally unfunny, “Get Hard” was hoping for a splashy debut in Austin. Instead, it was met with general indifference, if not outright hostility (the post-screening Q&A got pretty, er, heated), and went on to get handily trumped at the box office by “Home,” one of the lesser DreamWorks Animation pictures of the past few years (which is really saying something). How two people as funny as Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart could collaborate on something this noxiously toxic is still something I haven’t figured out.
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  • ‘Focus’ Movie Review: A Pretty-as-a-Picture Crime Caper

    Will Smith and Margot Robbie in “Wait, what is ‘Focus‘ again?” This is a question that is usually fired back at me, over the past few weeks, when people ask me what I’ve seen recently and really liked.

    Lately, when I run down the movies I’ve seen recently, “Focus” is always one of those movies I mention, because I really, really liked it. But then, without fail, the person I am talking to asks what “Focus” is. And then I have to explain it to them. This probably has to do with the film’s nebulous title and equally nebulous ad campaign, which isn’t exactly explanatory (or particularly evocative or moody). So let me tell you just what “Focus” is, exactly. And when I explain what it is, you’ll probably be shocked you haven’t heard more about it.

    So “Focus” is a romantic crime caper starring Will Smith, who until very recently was largely considered one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and Margot Robbie, who, with primo roles in upcoming movies like “Tarzan” and the DC Comics adaptation “Suicide Squad” (where she’ll play the villainous Harley Quinn), is poised to become one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Smith is the wary architect of large scale heists, Robbie is his fiery apprentice. Together, sparks fly.

    If you think that, based on the aforementioned premise, it sounds like a movie that would have probably gotten a green light in the ’90s, you’re probably right. It would sit comfortably in a double feature alongside John McTiernan’s brilliant “Thomas Crown Affair” remake or Steven Soderbergh’s equally brilliant Elmore Leonard adaptation “Out of Sight.” It shares the same jazzy DNA as those movies (not to mention a half-dozen David Mamet movies), as well as their restrictive R-rating (yes there’s cursing and sex and it’s a delight). There are double-crosses and twists galore and you’ll find yourself smiling wildly while clutching your armrests because of all the suspense.

    It’s great to see Smith having fun again, although his exacting performance sometimes borders on brittle. Robbie, on the other hand, is in superstar mode. She’s so charming and loose and luminous that you almost have to put on sunglasses while you watch her. As the novice criminal, she’s eager and as hilarious as she was in Scorsese’s “Wolf of Wall Street.” She is the real deal. And she always does a great job to lighten up the material when Smith threatens to bog it down. (It’s weird writing about Smith in this way, considering he used to be emblematic of unflappably buoyant cool.) The movie is sexy and fun and a lot of that rests on Robbie’s shoulders and she handles it gamely.

    The movie, too, is pretty incredible for a couple of stylistic tics. The first is that, instead of a typical three-act structure, it’s built around two acts (and two giant heists that take place three years apart). The only other movie that has successfully been structured like this (to my understanding) was Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket,” and, quite surprisingly, it works wonderfully here. Even if you aren’t familiar with the three-act structure, the movie feels decidedly different. And it looks decidedly different, too. This is the other really cool flourish of the movie — it was shot with spherical anamorphic lenses but instead of the typical 2.35:1 aspect ratio (the one that looks like a thinner band), it’s been opened up to a boxier 1.77:1. So it’s literally a round image in a square frame. And it looks absolutely stunning. Even on these technical and narrative levels, “Focus” is something of a must-see.

    “Focus” was written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who wrote “Bad Santa” and directed “Crazy Stupid Love” (one of the better romantic comedies in recent memory), and these guys know how to make a big, slick movie that actually moves. “Focus” never gets bogged down in the mechanics of crime or feels like it lets expositional dialogue get in the way of character development or the chemistry between the two characters. It’s snappy and vivid and gorgeously shot, a pretty-as-a-picture crime caper comedy that feels very much like a throwback but never dusty or out of sync with contemporary styles or concerns. It’s very sexy and occasionally quite rude and violent and like something you’d probably watch again, to catch all the things you missed the first time. The ad materials weren’t very clear, but really this is what “Focus” is. Any more questions?
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  • Oscar-Winning ‘Ida’ Brings Old Beauty to the Present Day

    ida 2013Best Foreign Language Film is one of the more underrated categories presented at the Academy Awards. Some films within this category truly shine, yet they are blacklisted by many people as being foreign and, therefore, unwatchable. “Ida” tackles foreign topics, literally and figuratively, with grace, and it somehow is related to today’s world. While “Ida” is immensely popular within its target market, most of the general public has not seen or even heard of it. Its ability to tackle such relatable issues contributed to its win at the Academy Awards.

    Filmed in black and white, “Ida” follows the eponymous nun-in-training, played by Agata Trzebuchowska. While she is content to remain at the convent until she takes her vows and officially becomes a nun, Ida is sent into the real world to meet her last living relative. During her stay with her Aunt Wanda, played beautifully by Agata Kulesza, the duo goes on a journey to trace the origins of Ida’s parents. Aunt Wanda introduces Ida to a more wild life, and even introduces her to the revelation that her parents had been Jewish. This revelation disrupts everything Ida had ever learned and forces the pair to investigate the death of Ida’s parents during Nazi occupation. Considering the setting of 1960, Poland still retains marks of the war, and this shows through the prejudice held by certain townspeople met along the way.

    Initially, Ida remains stiff and chaste, but from the beginning there is a twinkle in her eye. Throughout the film, this twinkle expands and creates a lifetime of memories within the numbered days of the visit. Ida’s aunt is a fun-loving judge who spends her evenings drinking with men while Ida reads her bible. Immediately, they clash as the modern world of the ’60s meets the dated world Ida knows.

    Wanda and Ida represent sin vs. purity through their actions and their dress. Ida wears the light-colored clothes given to her in the convent, whereas Aunt Wanda wears exclusively dark clothing. Makeup design represents this relationship as well, with Ida’s bare face. Towards the film’s finale, when Ida removes her habit, her clothing is dark. The impurity of the outside world influences Ida’s decisions and behavior. Their language is indicative of the difference. Ida exposes her thoughts through glances and facial expressions, whereas Wanda vocalizes her desires and anger.

    These issues are still present today, where the older, more conservative generation constantly clashes with the more liberal millennials. Despite its 1960 setting, Ida remains relevant to current issues we face on an everyday basis. As young people, we constantly struggle with what is expected of us, and Ida understands this more than anyone.

    Brooke Schmidt is a student at The College of New Jersey and a contributor to Moviefone’s Campus Beat.
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  • ‘Obvious Child’ or ‘The Most Underrated Film of 2014’

    Obvious Child Jenny Slate UnderratedWhile she did not win the award, last week Jenny Slate was nominated for Best Actress at the Indie Spirit Awards. She was nominated for the film “Obvious Child,” a film most people haven’t even heard about. Jenny Slate stars in the Gillian Robespierre directed film about a woman who gets pregnant off a one-night stand and then decides to have an abortion. Instead of fixating on her decision, Slate’s character revels in life, love, friendship, and an amazing support system. Never before has such a grim topic been tackled with such grace and hilarity.

    As Slate’s Donna goes through the abortion process, she ends up falling in love with the unfortunate Baby Daddy. While she doesn’t tell him at first that she is pregnant, a remarkable thing happens after she finally does tell him: He stays by her side! Ryan (Paul Briganti) doesn’t shirk away from his responsibility. He ends up accompanying Donna to the Clinic to have her procedure, and it’s such a heartfelt and beautiful moment. He appears on her sidewalk holding flowers as though he is about to pick her up for a date, not take her to get an abortion.

    In today’s age, where abortion is such a real issue and such events are not uncommon, “Obvious Child” is the type of movie we need. We don’t need another Nicholas Sparks film where unrealistically gorgeous people fall for each other in increasingly more melodramatic ways with an overwhelming amount of obstacles between them. Real issues need to be at the forefront of films that are meant for the public, and it’s a shame more people haven’t seen this film. As audience members, we need relatable scenarios that showcase what it means to be alive and to deal with real issues.

    Sure, the topics are extremely relevant, but what makes this film truly shine is the incomparable Jenny Slate. She infuses the film with humor and honesty, emphasizing the already beautiful script by Gillian Robespierre. To echo Cate Blanchett’s quote at last year’s Oscars, “Perhaps those of us in the industry who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films, with females at the center, are niche experiences, they are not. Audiences want to see them.”

    Brooke Schmidt is a student at The College of New Jersey and a contributor to Moviefone’s Campus Beat.
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  • ‘Jupiter Ascending’ Review

    This happens when a film is discussed openly without anyone having firsthand knowledge of (or even having seen) it, and it becomes something of a self-fulfilling prophecy when said movie come out and underperforms, thanks in large part to countless write-ups lacking reliable sources and built on foundations of hearsay and conjecture.

    Most of the time, these movies are rediscovered years later because, as it turns out, they weren’t that bad after all. Right now, swarms of ill will seem to be circling “Jupiter Ascending,” which opens Friday, due largely to a shift in its release date, from a coveted summer-of-2014 slot to a desolate winter 2015 position. Now that it’s finally here, though, reviewers are sharpening their knives in anticipation. I am here to say that those knives are not necessary; “Jupiter Ascending” is actually a delightful space epic, full of devilishly clever action set pieces, rococo production design, some surprisingly touching moments, and niftily over-the-top performances.

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    One of the most marvelous things about “Jupiter Ascending” is just how bizarre it is. The movie details the adventures of young Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), an illegal alien living in Chicago who makes a living scrubbing people’s toilets. Elsewhere, in some far-flung corner of the universe, a royal dynasty is squabbling over who owns Earth, a planet rich in an essential ingredient utilized for outer space commerce. Soon it’s discovered that Jupiter is a “recurrent,” a genetic double for a once vaulted high queen (and rightful owner of the planet).

    Soon, everybody is after her, including a half-wolf bounty hunter named Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), a space police force, this crazy dinosaur guy, and all those squabbling royals (led by Eddie Redmayne). This is fairly standard science-fiction stuff, but the way that the Wachowskis (“The Matrix,” “Bound,” “Cloud Atlas”) pull it off is absolutely, 100% theirs.

    When Jupiter initially encounters some outer-space visitors, she is in a women’s health clinic having her eggs harvested so she can buy a telescope that reminds her of her murdered father (yes, there is a lengthy flashback to Soviet Russia, why wouldn’t there be?), there is a whole section of the movie devoted to Jupiter obtaining her queenly status through bureaucratic paperwork (complete with a cameo from “Brazil” director Terry Gilliam), and, oh yeah, did you read that part about the crazy dinosaur guy?

    At its best, “Jupiter Ascending” is wonderfully, breathlessly alive. There are moments of genuine, awe-inspiring beauty and it’s full of the beautiful world-building that made “The Matrix” films so transformative. The Wachowskis are incredibly earnest filmmakers, sometimes to a fault, and they believe in what they’re doing so completely.

    It’s infectious and so completely at odds with the cold cynicism of most Hollywood productions and adds to the buoyantly fun, Saturday-afternoon serial feeling of the film, reminiscent of everything from “Flash Gordon” to “Star Wars.” You can tell that they’ve lovingly pored over every frame.

    That’s not to say that the movie is perfect; there’s way too much jargon and exposition, delivered in a way that is much harsher than anything in “The Matrix” films. Sometimes certain visual aspects look so similar that it’s hard to tell them apart (spaceships, dinosaur men). And, occasionally, the film can get lost in the specifics of its loopy screenplay. But these are minor faults and didn’t, for an instant, take me away from having a blast.

    For all of the screenplay’s detail and complexity, the movie’s best, most profound moments are also its simplest. There’s a moment when, back on Earth, Jupiter is surrounded by a swarm of bees that respond to her in an elegant way, like Jupiter is conducting a symphony.

    Another moment juxtaposes a lavishly over-the-top wedding (with Kunis wearing one of the all-time most amazing cinematic wedding dresses) with an outer-space firefight. And then there’s the Chicago chase, involving several spaceships and large sections of Chicago getting blown to smithereens. That chase feels new and revolutionary, like the first time you saw the “bullet time” effect in “The Matrix,” and the wizards responsible for it (Double Negative) should be paid a huge compliment for their tireless, hard work. When the studio announced that the scheduling shift was due to the complex nature of the visual effects, you can understand why.

    And this, of course, makes the fact that the critical community is already starting to pile on top of the film even more depressing. Recently, Lana Wachowski, one half of the directing duo, stated that when something is weird or different or off-center on television, it’s celebrated for breaking from the proven formula.

    But when that is attempted in movies, it’s condemned. And that’s true, especially for the Wachowskis, who continually try to reinvent and top themselves, while working in a kind of social consciousness and thematic resonance, sometimes to disastrous financial results. And it’s a shame to think of a movie so full of stunning images and crazy ideas and barbed wit suffering because it’s hard to pin down on a tonal level, or because critics and journalists have somehow poisoned the well due to a smattering of half-whispered intelligence.

    “Jupiter Ascending” doesn’t deserve to be dismissed; it’s a genuine thrill, full of all sorts of things that you’ve never seen before and made by two uncompromisingly brilliant filmmakers who continue to push the boundaries of mainstream movies. Expand your universe, indeed.

    “Jupiter Ascending” is in theaters Friday, February 6.