Veronica Mars Review

Old friends, case ends---Kristen Bell as a former detective who must prove her ex-boyfriend (Jason Dohring) innocent of a murder in Veronica Mars
                                         Although I never excessively watched the show, I could tell that I was lucky to have seen a handful of episodes of the semi-acclaimed show of the same name in which the new crime comedy Veronica Mars is based on. This is not the type of based on a TV show film that will make any new fans. However, for people who love the show, deemed marshmallows and for people such as myself who have moderately enjoyed it from time to time...the film serves its purpose as an entertaining, funny comedy as well as an interesting crime mystery. With its fun (albeit far fetched) cameos from just about every character in the show (including but not limited to Max Greenfield, Ken Marino, Ryan Hansen, Krysten Ritter and Sam Huntington) as well as new faces such as Jerry O'Connell as an incompetent cop and Gaby Hoffman as an obsessed fan of the victim, this show will work for just about anyone who watched the show and said "well, that was entertaining."
 
                                          The film follows Veronica (Kristen Bell), nine years out of detective work when she gets a call from ex-boyfriend Logan (Jason Dohring.) Logan has been accused of murdering his pop star girlfriend and must get Veronica's help to prove his innocence. All the while, Veronica attempts to patch things up with dad Keith (Enrico Colantoni) and catches up with old friends Wallace (Percy Daggs III) and Cindy (Tina Majorino) who help her with the solving of the case.

                                           This is the type of film that serves its purpose and gets out before it's too late. It's fun while it lasts and doesn't overstay its welcome. However, even as I walked out of the theater, nothing particularly stuck out to me about it. It's entertaining and that's all it really needs to be but, as I sit here typing this review only a few days later, the film has almost evaporated from my mind. There is actually one and only one standout here and her name is Kristen Bell. As the title character, Bell brings a complete and utter charm to the role with her sassy remarks and snappy banter with others that will make the audience remember why the show was so enjoyable.

                                           As far as mysteries go, this one is fairly intriguing. It doesn't really let the audience know what's going on until the reveal happens. This is a film that works in spite of its forgettable nature not only because of its light touch and pleasurable sense of humor but because the audience gets to play detective along with Veronica. The film throws so many curveballs and red herrings at both Veronica and the audience that no one really knows who the who-dun-it in question is.

                                           While this may not be the best film of its kind, Veronica Mars ranks among one of the better television to film adaptations. While that may not be a hard feat, I'm still recommending the picture for its entertainment value and nostalgic factor. This is to say, if you've watched the show and liked it...you'll have a ball watching the film version. If you've never seen the show, on the other hand, watch some episodes and then see the film when you're done. It will be extremely advantageous for you.
(3 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for sexuality including references, drug content, violence and some strong language)

Enemy Review

Looks like trouble---Jake Gyllenhaal as a wimpy college professor who spots his doppleganger in a tough actor in Enemy
                                  The newest film from Denis Villeneuve, director of last year's Prisoners and 2010's Incendies is a gem of a thriller called Enemy. It feels as if David Cronenberg, David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock all got together and made one Frankenstein's monster of a film. In other words...it's phenomenal. This is by far the most intense film in recent memory. It is a film where you can literally not take your eyes off the screen because you're so intrigued to find out what happens next and what the entire premise means. Let me say that this is not a film that will be to everyone's liking. It is a grimy looking picture that is creepy in a way that is both extremely subtle and completely unsettling. Also...the ending, while being incredibly freaky, does not actually provide any answers to the mysteries that Villeneuve and screenwriter Javier Gullon put forward. I, for one, loved the ending not only because I enjoyed having to interpret what it could possibly mean but because I appreciate that there are still directors and screenwriters who have enough guts to alienate most of their audience at the last second.

                                  Based on Jose Saramago's novel "The Double," the film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Adam, a socially awkward, isolated college professor whose co-worker recommends a film. Adam watches the film and soon becomes obsessed with an actor in the film who looks shockingly like him. That guy ends up being an overly confident, low level actor named Anthony. Going beyond this plot point would be given way too much away. This is the type of film that is reliant on the premise being seemingly limited and thus shocking the audience at what it brings to the table.

                                   For anyone who doesn't already think that Gyllenhaal is a terrific actor, you'l be proven wrong here. It's always hard to play two different people with completely contradicting personalities. Here, however, the events that take place in the film make having to pull it off that much harder. Gyllenhaal masters both characters with pitch perfect accuracy and shows just how versatile he is. His performance also significantly adds to the level of creepiness at hand. He's so convincing in both personalities that he gives the audience a fear of what one might end up doing and vice versa. Other performers such as Melanie Laurent and Sarah Godan as Adam's girlfriend and Anthony's pregnant wife, respectively and Isabella Rossellini as the mother of one of them add a lot to the film even when not given much to do. This is Gyllenhaal's film all the way, however.

                                   Not only does this film prove Gyllenhaal as one of the best actors working today but it also proves Villeneuve as one of the best directors out there (if Prisoners and/or Incendies didn't already prove that to people.) Enemy is a breathtakingly great film that should be dug out by anyone who wants to see an effectively creepy thriller that's not afraid to get down and dirty.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for some strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language)

The Grand Budapest Hotel Review

Be our guest----Tony Revolori as lobby boy Zero and Ralph Fiennes as Zero's boss, M. Gustave in The Grand Budapest Hotel
                                Although I can see why many people could never get into his films, Wes Anderson has been a filmmaker whose films I have passionately followed for over a decade now. Ever since I saw Rushmore 12 years ago, I knew that Anderson was going to be a filmmaker I was going to have a permanent love for. He didn't prove me wrong once I then watched Bottle Rocket and The Royal Tenenbaums. Then I saw a masterpiece of a comedy called The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, which to this day I say is the most underrated film I have ever seen. That was when I knew Anderson was a genius. His newest comedy, The Grand Budapest Hotel does not demolish his streak of greatness and in fact, adds a lot to it. This is the most Wes Anderson-y film that Anderson has ever done. However, it is also a quirky, infectious comedy with more laughs in its hour and 40 minute run time than the last five comedies I saw in theaters had combined.

                                   The film stars Ralph Fiennes as M. Gustave, the owner of a hotel called The Grand Budapest who has made it a habit to sleep with older women who are guests at his hotel. In fact, a lot of the most honored guests are old ladies who come just to see Gustave. Gustave hires a new, enthusiastic lobby boy named Zero (newcomer Tony Revolori) who falls for Agatha (Saoirse Ronan) and runs away with Gustave when he is accused of murdering one of the guests. Meanwhile, the police and their chief (Edward Norton) as well as the dead woman's son (Adrien Brody) and his psychotic, overly violent friend (Willem Dafoe) are on a wild goose chase to catch Gustave. This is all being told to a struggling author (Jude Law) by an older Zero (F Murray Abraham) after the fall of The Grand Budapest.

                                     This is an extremely energetic film with a wonderfully wacky look to it. There are so many colorful pieces and original set designs that it's hard not to marvel at the pure visual nature of the film. The production of the film is so great, in fact, that it looks as if it took years to pull of yet it works seamlessly into the film. The laughs come a mile a minute in many different and original forms. Arguably the greatest comedic element of the film is the way in which Fiennes plays Gustave as a snooty rich man who lives in a high class world and yet will hurl a raunchy insult toward someone at any second. Revolori gets added to the list of little to no experience actors who prove to be a natural presence on screen. Revolori is so natural, in fact, that it makes me question how this is only his second feature film role (he was also in 2009's disappointing sports drama The Perfect Game.) The rest of the cast does fantastically as well. Everyone from Ronan to Norton to Brody to Dafoe to Bill Murray to Jeff Goldblum to Harvey Kietel to Mathieu Amalric to so many others give it their complete and total all and make this film a true success.

                                       Anderson proves once again why he is the king of quirky comedies. The Grand Budapest Hotel is hysterical and absolutely delightful, often in very subtle and clever ways and the film gives off an enormous energy that will prove hard for anyone to resist. If this were a lesser filmmaker and cast, this probably would have been a production that ended up failing miserably. As executed, however, this is the second genuinely great film of 2014 (I didn't forget The Lego Movie) and makes me think if there is going to be a better film this year...it's going to be a long while before that film arrives.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language, some sexual content and violence)

Son Of God Review

Lord almighty----Diogo Morgado as Jesus Christ from being labeled a prophet to being crucified in the religious epic Son Of God 

                                               I would like to preface this review by telling anyone who is reading this that I am an agnostic. I have never believed in organized religion or religion in general and the existence of God and Jesus simply don't matter to me. If you haven't already closed this review in anger and still want to hear what I have to say about the film despite my beliefs, here is my actual review of the film.

                                                Despite my beliefs, I was oddly looking forward to Son Of God. Just from the trailer, it looked well made and fairly interesting from a filmmaking perspective. Now that I've seen it in its entirety, I can say I was partially right. This is a very cool looking film with a poor man's Lawrence Of Arabia visual style to it. Despite I used poor man's in that sentence...the fact that a modern day film I see would even get mentioned in the same sentence as Lawrence Of Arabia especially when referring to visual style is a huge compliment to the film. However, therein lies a lot of the problem I had with this film. This is a great looking film in which, as a non-believer, I didn't care about the subject matter at all. This means that I could very easily look at the film from a filmmaker's perspective but all chance to look at the film from a story perspective is thrown completely out the window for me.

                                                  Son Of God could easily be chalked up as The Mild Passion Of The Christ. This is a significantly less gory recreation of the crucification of Jesus and that part only takes up about twenty minutes of the film. This is also a sugar coated recreation of what Jesus went through while The Passion Of The Christ showed that Mel Gibson obviously was very enthusiastic about Jesus but wasn't afraid to get down and dirty in showing his pain and suffering.  However, this is miles above  Gibson's film in grand filmmaking. There are numerous shots from co-writer and director Christopher Spencer that simply must be seen on the big screen to be believed. In fact, this is the type of film that I would say benefits greatly from watching it in a theater. Also, lead actor Diogo Morgado is really good at portraying Jesus. He brings a charisma that is perfect for playing an all powerful prophet but he never gets too much into the Jesus schtick. 

                                                   I admit that as I sit here typing this review, I can't say what I'm saying is particularly intelligent nor will it likely carry any weight. As I mentioned, I was just too simply not wrapped up in the subject matter to look at the film from many angles.  This is the most unsubtle history lesson of a film that I have seen in quite some time. The filmmakers don't try to pretend that this is not simply going to be a sunday school quiz guide for a lot of young boys and girls. Also, since this film is based on a popular mini series "The Bible," I can't imagine this strays that far from the material in the mini series. However, I would recommend this film on the basis that it benefits largely from a big screen due to its epic story look and that Morgado is excellent in the lead role.

(3 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for intense and bloody depiction of The Crucifixion and for some sequences of violence)

Non Stop Review

Plane and simple----Liam Neeson as a US air marshall who must stop a mysterious hijacker on a flight to London in Non Stop
                               Ever since 2008's Taken, Liam Neeson has made an incredible comeback as a shoot first and ask questions later action star. I have absolutely no problem with this because I have always found Neeson to be a terrific, charismatic, versatile actor. The newest action flick starring Neeson and directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who also directed Neeson in 2011's Unknown is a Ten Little Indians-style, airplane set mystery called Non Stop. This is more of the same thing that Neeson has being doing for the past six years and that's nothing to complain about.

                                 The film stars Neeson as US air marshall Bill Marks, a man with an alcohol problem and more than a few other demons. While doing his job on a flight to London, Bill gets mysterious text messages from an unknown person who threatens to kill someone on the plane every 20 minutes unless 150 million dollars gets delivered to an off shore account. However, the account number is in Bill's name and thus makes everyone on the plan turn against him.

                                 This is not a great film and it is quite possibly the most implausible action film ever made but it's also an incredible blast and a refreshing change of pace from the garbage that 2014 has brought thus far (barring The Lego Movie.) Neeson is once again extremely charming as the man who must prove to the passengers he's been framed and brings a level of believability to the performance that only he could. The film is campy and stupid but is also consistently entertaining even as it flies off the rails in a muddled final act. The strong point of this film is that director Collet-Serra and screenwriters John W. Richardson, Chris Roach and Ryan Engle are completely aware that the film is making everyone in the audience question who the killer is and how they're possibly getting away with it.

                                  Supporting performances from Julianne Moore, Corey Stoll, Scoot McNairy and Nate Parker spice up the film and make it seem not as completely ludicrous as it actually is. However, the reveal of who did it and their motivation is not only laughable but feels too forced for the film's good. It's as if Richardson, Roach and Engle couldn't think up an adequate explanation so they just decided to throw in the dumbest, most unintentionally funny reason possible.

                                   The reveal, however, is not enough to prevent me from somewhat endorsing Non-Stop, especially in the doldrums of film that 2014 has brought so far. I can't say this is a great or even very good film but I can say that thanks to Neeson and crew, the film works on its own stupid, unbelievable merits.
(2 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some language, sensuality and drug references)