Category: Entertainment (Page 56 of 277)

Blu Tuesday: Pan and Dragon Blade

December 22, 2015 / Jason Zingale

Every Tuesday, I review the newest Blu-ray releases and let you know whether they’re worth buying, renting or skipping, along with a breakdown of the included extras. If you see something you like, click on the cover art to purchase the Blu-ray from Amazon, and be sure to share each week’s column on Facebook and Twitter with your friends.

“Pan”

WHAT: 12-year-old orphan Peter (Levi Miller) is kidnapped and taken to the magical world of Neverland to work as a slave for the pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman). When he manages to escape with the help of fellow captive James Hook (Garrett Hedlund), Peter embarks on an adventure to uncover the secret of his true identity.

WHY: Director Joe Wright has made some great films over the past decade, but “Pan” is definitely not one of them. In fact, it’s so different from a majority of his work that it’s hard to believe he’s even responsible for this piece of family-friendly garbage. Following in the footsteps of movies like “Dracula Untold” and “Snow White and the Huntsman,” “Pan” is yet another unnecessary origin story filled with an insufferable amount of foreshadowing and self-aware winking at the audience. The cast at least seems to be having fun playing in Wright’s imaginative world of flying pirate ships and exotic creatures (no one more so than a gothic, mustache-twirling Hugh Jackman), but the movie is all over place, including one truly bizarre sequence where Blackbeard and his crew sing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for no reason whatsoever. Wright deserves credit for taking such a terrible script and turning it into something visually interesting, but sadly, that’s about all “Pan” has to offer.

EXTRAS: In addition to an audio commentary by director Joe Wright, there’s a trio of featurettes that cover the casting of the title role, the character of Blackbeard and connecting the story to J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan.”

FINAL VERDICT: SKIP

“Dragon Blade”

WHAT: When corrupt Roman leader Tiberius (Adrien Brody) travels to China with his large army to seize control of the Silk Road trading route, peacekeeping warrior Huo An (Jackie Chan) and defected Roman general Lucius (John Cusack) must combine their forces to stop him.

WHY: Just when you thought John Cusack’s fall from grace couldn’t get any more embarrassing, the actor sells out completely by starring in this atrocious historical epic from director Daniel Lee. Though the movie features a few decent action sequences, they’re overshadowed by a terrible script that plays fast and loose with the real-life events that supposedly inspired the story, as well as some amateurish performances including one of the worst child actors ever recorded. Cusack and co-star Adrien Brody are either huge Jackie Chan fans or they really needed the money, because it’s difficult to imagine any other explanation for their involvement. Cusack has the look of someone just trying to earn his paycheck by keeping his head down and delivering his lines, but Brody takes a different approach, hamming it up as the mustache-twirling villain to the point that he’s actually entertaining in a so-bad-it’s-good kind of way. “Dragon Blade” is hardly the best worst movie of the year, but it’s certainly up there.

EXTRAS: There’s a behind-the-scenes look at making the movie, extended interviews with the cast and crew, and some music videos featuring Jackie Chan.

FINAL VERDICT: SKIP

Entertainment, Movies

Blu Tuesday new Blu-ray

Movie Review: “Sisters”

December 17, 2015 / David Medsker

Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Ike Barinholtz, Maya Rudolph, James Brolin, Dianne Wiest, Bobby Moynihan, John Cena

Jason Moore

For two actresses with such undeniable chemistry, it’s downright criminal that it’s been seven years since “Saturday Night Live” alumni Tina Fey and Amy Poehler last made a film. That film, 2008’s “Baby Mama,” was cute, but it was also terribly safe. Their new film “Sisters,” meanwhile, is quite possibly the most profane female-driven movie ever made, an apology of sorts for “Baby Mama.” The story also allows Poehler and Fey the ability to play themselves as well as each other, like a raunch-com version of “Face/Off.” As ridiculous as that sounds, it works incredibly well.

Kate Ellis (Fey) is in a bad way. Living on a near-stranger’s couch, her own daughter Haley (Madison Davenport) doesn’t even want to spend time with her. Kate’s saintly sister Maura (Poehler) is divorced, and basically hiding from the world. Kate and Maura’s parents (James Brolin and Dianne Weist) tell Maura that they’re selling the Orlando home they grew up in, and Kate and Maura decide to throw one last party, only Maura guilts wild child Kate to be the designated sober house mommy after Maura meets cute with new neighbor James (Ike Barinholtz). When they get to the house, they discover that it’s already been sold to an insufferable young couple (though they haven’t moved in), but that only strengthens their resolve to throw the party. The party begins as a wake (literally) but turns into a rager, and as it continues into the night, new information comes to light that causes Kate and Maura to rethink both the party and each other.

It was very smart to have Fey and Poehler go against type here. Think of Fey in “Mean Girls” as the straight-laced Precalculus teacher, and then think of Poehler as the “cool mom,” who lets her pre-tween daughter watch “Girls Gone Wild.” The script here is not exactly flipped, but it is mixed up. Maura is impossibly sensible, and until now has never let loose once in her life. Kate is a hothead who always has a reason for why she’s never to blame. In a nutshell, both women made it impossible for anyone to typecast them from here on.

Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Movies

Amy Poehler Tina Fey

Movie Review: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

December 17, 2015 / Jack Giroux

Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis

J.J. Abrams

Resurrect a beloved name and attempt to relaunch a franchise? No sweat. Extreme pressure was riding on co-writer/director J.J. Abrams’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Expectations are more than high for the film, and while this sequel doesn’t quite recapture the glory of the old days, if often comes very close.

“The Force Awakens” is both a retread and a callback to “A New Hope.” Rey (Daisey Ridley) follows in the footsteps of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill): she’s an orphaned scavenger on a desert planet, Jakku, and she’s torn between her home and exploring the galaxy. Her life changes when she meets the adorable BB-8, a droid hiding a secret for the best damn Resistance pilot in the sky, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). A conflicted Stormtrooper named Finn (John Boyega) crosses paths with both Poe and Rey, but most of “The Force Awakens” is about those two, as well as the pair of recognizable faces they team up with along the way: Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew).

Even before Han and Chewie appear – and what a wonderful reveal it is – “The Force Awakens” is undeniably a “Star Wars” movie. The film recaptures the spirit of the original trilogy, as it should. The tangible environments, practical creatures and stakes are “Star Wars” through and through, but more than that, it’s the sense of joy, pain and adventure that Abrams and his co-writers, Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt, bring to this sequel that makes it “Star Wars.” This series has always been about friendship and family, and “The Force Awakens” doesn’t forget that, even if some of the relationships aren’t very well defined.

Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Movies

Adam Driver Daisy Ridley Harrison Ford J.J. Abrams John Boyega Oscar Isaac Star Wars Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Blu Tuesday: Mission: Impossible and Ted 2

December 15, 2015 / Jason Zingale

“Misson: Impossible – Rogue Nation”

WHAT: When the U.S. government shuts down IMF just as Ethan Hawke (Tom Cruise) is close to proving the extistence of the international terrorist organization known as the Syndicate, Ethan and his team must work alongside undercover MI6 operative Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) to take down the Syndicate’s leader: rogue British intelligence agent Solomon Lane (Sean Harris).

WHY: The “Mission: Impossible” series has a history of hiring a different director for each installment, and while that’s worked brilliantly thus far, Christopher McQuarrie has made a strong case for retaining his services on the next sequel with “Rogue Nation.” Granted, he doesn’t quite know what to do with Jeremy Renner’s character (who’s relegated to the sidelines yet again), but Rebecca Ferguson is a great addition to the team, while comic relief Simon Pegg demonstrates why he’s just as essential to the series as Tom Cruise. But make no mistake about it: this is Cruise’s movie as usual, and when he pulls off crazy stunts like hanging from a military cargo plane while in the air, all you can do is sit back and watch in awe. “Rogue Nation” starts to drag a bit in the end as it gets bogged down by one too many twists, but it’s yet another solid entry in the franchise that proves there’s plenty of gas left in the tank.

EXTRAS: In addition to an audio commentary by writer/director Christopher McQuarrie and star Tom Cruise, there’s a short making-of featurette, a trio of additional featurettes on the film’s incredible set pieces, character profiles and more.

FINAL VERDICT: RENT

“Ted 2”

WHAT: When newlywed couple Ted (Seth MacFarlane) and Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) decide to have a baby in order to fix their failing marriage, their application for adoption is flagged by the U.S. government, which claims that Ted isn’t an actual person. With his human rights stripped away, Ted and his best friend, John (Mark Wahlberg), team up with a young, hungry lawyer (Amanda Seyfried) to fight the decision in a court of law.

WHY: As a fan of Seth MacFarlane’s “Ted,” it’s hard not to feel disappointed by the inevitable follow-up, because it’s a prime example of why sequels to comedies rarely work. Basing the film around the debate of whether a talking teddy bear should be considered human is an interesting concept, but the story is so sloppily thrown together that its flaws are a lot more noticeable, particularly the bloated runtime. “Ted 2” takes nearly 40 minutes to get going, and when it finally does find its groove, MacFarlane seems resigned to relying on lazy references to other Universal properties. Additionally, the decision to bring back Giovanni Ribisi’s character was completely unnecessary, turning the final 20 minutes into a complete retread of the original film’s ending. “Ted 2” has more than its share of funny bits, but when compared to all the dead space, misfired jokes and surprising lack of charm, it’s simply not enough.

EXTRAS: There’s an audio commentary by director/co-writer Seth MacFarlane, co-writers Alec Sulkim and Wellesley Wild, and co-star Jessica Barth, as well as featurettes on the making of three particular sequences (Comic-Con, the opening musical number and the road trip), a look at the film’s various cameos, deleted scenes and a gag reel.

FINAL VERDICT: RENT

Entertainment, Movies

Blu Tuesday new Blu-rays

Movie Review: “In the Heart of the Sea”

December 10, 2015 / Jason Zingale

Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Tom Holland, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw

Ron Howard

Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” might be one of the most boring literary classics ever published, yet that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from going back to the source material time and time again. Though Ron Howard’s “In the Heart of the Sea” technically isn’t an adaptation of “Moby Dick,” it is based on the non-fiction book by Nathaniel Philbrick about the real-life events that inspired Melville’s seafaring adventure. Sadly, that doesn’t make it any less dull. A well-intentioned cross between the nautical drama of “Master and Commander” and the against-all-odds survival elements of “Unbroken,” “In the Heart of the Sea” is an instantly forgettable movie that completely wastes the talents of Howard and his cast.

The year is 1850, and author Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) has traveled to Nantucket to visit Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), the last surviving crew member of the Essex whaling ship, to find out if the rumors that it was capsized by a giant sperm whale 30 years earlier are true. Melville hopes to use the story as inspiration for his next novel, and although Nickerson is hesitant about disclosing any details of the harrowing event, he reluctantly agrees when his wife (an underused Michelle Fairley) reminds him that they desperately need the money Melville has offered in exchange for his time.

Curiously, the focus of Nickerson’s tale isn’t himself, but rather Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth), a master whaler assigned to serve as the first mate on the Essex’s upcoming voyage under the leadership of the less experienced Captain George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), who hasn’t earned his position through hard work like Chase, but through family ties to the whaling company that controls most of Nantucket’s economy. Though the two men immediately butt heads, particularly after Pollard’s rash decision to sail directly into a storm nearly gets the entire crew killed, they have much bigger problems to worry about when they find their usual hunting waters devoid of whales. Upon hearing gossip of large herds for the taking off the coast of South America, the Essex crew sails into uncharted waters in search of glory, only to encounter a mammoth, alabaster sperm whale that destroys their vessel, leaving the men stranded at sea in a struggle for survival.

Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Movies

Chris Hemsworth Ron Howard Tom Holland