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04
May
13

Review: Iron Man 3

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Reviews
Tags: , , , , , ,

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Riding high off last year’s mega-blockbuster The Avengers, Marvel starts off the summer again with Iron Man 3, this time though back to one superhero leading the way instead of seven. While Tony Stark and Iron Man are no strangers to the summer blockbuster season (they’ve kicked them off before in 2008 and 2010), this time things are different. We are now in a post-Avengers Phase 2 type of world. The stakes are bigger and so are the bad guys. And what bigger foe for Tony and Iron Man to face than his comic book nemesis, The Mandarin!

The Mandarin . . . I know this will be a sticking point to a lot of fans of the comic books or fans who know the history of The Mandarin, and I’m going to address this right off the bat. I thought what they did with the Mandarin was actually okay. One of the things I was most worried about going in was how his character was going to come across onscreen. Even though I wasn’t blown away by the character in the film, I was satisfied with his storyline and how Ben Kingsley played him. That is all I have to say about The Mandarin.

Don't call him Mandy. You wouldn't like to see him when you call him Mandy.

Don’t call him Mandy. You wouldn’t like it when you call him Mandy.

There were a couple of things in the film that just didn’t quite do it for me though, first and foremost being the heavy use of visual effects and CGI. From the Mark 42 armor components to Tony’s different suits of armor to human beings hopped up on Extremis, there was a lot of CGI work going on here. Realistically speaking, anytime we don’t see Robert Downey, Jr.‘s face the Iron Man suit is most likely a CGI representation. While it’s okay since it has been like this since the first Iron Man, the piling on of even more CGI characters was a bit much for me. In a world where nothing “feels” real, it was really hard to get into these epic action sequences when you know what you’re seeing on screen were all pixels. Beautifully done pixels, but still pixels nonetheless. The stakes just didn’t feel the same when you don’t believe a character or a representation of a character isn’t a bit more tangible. Other than pretty stuff happening onscreen, there wasn’t as much for me to latch on to, and I found myself just a little bit less invested in what was going on.

Then there was the story. We all know that from the trailer, Iron Man takes on The Mandarin. What bothered me though was the resolution of a secondary storyline where Tony is suffering anxiety from what happened to him in New York with the Avengers. It’s beautifully set up, but I didn’t think it was resolved in a way that was totally satisfying. Tony has been struggling with this post-traumatic stress, and he’s been trying to find ways to overcome it, save seeing a doctor. His friends are worried, and all the elements seemed to be there for him to rise from the ashes like the phoenix that we all know he can be. Exactly how he has his “breakthrough” though seemed contrived and not at all authentic to what was going on in the story. I can’t really say more without getting into spoilers, but yeah, there was just something about Tony’s journey to overcome his post-Avengers anxiety that I just didn’t buy into.

Iron Patriot = War Machine Extreme Makeover: Marketing Edition

Iron Patriot = War Machine Extreme Makeover: Marketing Edition

Not to sound too negative though, there are a lot of fun things about Iron Man 3. Front and center would have to be humor that director Shane Black brings to the film. While Joss Whedon brought an off-the-wall geeky comedic vibe to The Avengers, Black brings his dark and awkwardly funny humor that fans will recognize from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Just some of the banter that Tony has with other characters in the film and a ton of really embarrassing and awkward moments that happen throughout the film, some in life and death situations… I thought all of it was really fun and made the movie almost an action comedy.

And what kind of an Iron Man movie would this be without the addition of new Iron Man armor? Tony’s latest armor, the Mark 42, has two things that make it unique: 1) the suit can be controlled remotely by Tony, and 2) its components can operate and travel separate from one another. While you wouldn’t think this second trait is that impressive, it comes in quite handy as the armor does not have to be put on as a whole unit. In one scene Tony calls for the entire Mark 42, but only one of its hands and a single boot piece show up. With just these two parts of his suit, Tony still manages to utilize them to great effect to take out a couple of henchmen till the rest of the suit shows up. With Tony being able to control the suit and its components remotely, it  made for some fun action sequences.

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Tony Stark totally pwns on X-Box.

Finally, probably the best sequence in the entire film is the one that was teased during the Super Bowl where Air Force One is going down, requiring Iron Man to save a bunch of people that have fallen out of the plane. It’s one of those conundrums where the hero has a decision to make about who he should save, a decision usually where it seems someone will still have to be sacrificed in order for someone else to be saved. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time as the gears in Tony’s head were working up a plan, the ground is getting closer, and he and Jarvis are trying to save everyone. Definitely the highlight of the film.

At the end of the night Iron Man 3 sends Tony Stark, Iron Man, and Marvel’s Phase 2 off on a good foot. It integrates the fallout from The Avengers without seeming as ham-fisted as the S.H.I.E.L.D. storyline was in Iron Man 2 and also gives us a pretty decent Iron Man standalone movie as well. With great action and visuals, Iron Man 3 kicks off summer with a (repulsor) blast.

Iron Man 3 is now playing in theaters everywhere.

Rating 3.5/5 stars // PG-13 // 2h 10m

26
Apr
13

Review: Pain & Gain

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Reviews
Tags: , , , ,
They're big and they're strong and they're here to show that Michael Bay can make a good movie.

They’re big and they’re strong and they’re here to show that Michael Bay can make a good movie.

Michael Bay. The guy’s name incites so much eye rolling and jawing at the mouth that you’d wonder if he was some sort of cinema pariah. Within the span of the last seven years the man went from being an action filmmaking god to someone that ruined the dreams of many a 20-somethings. Well, our national nightmare is over. Michael Bay semi returns to form in his latest feature, Pain & Gain.

Based on actual events, Pain & Gain stars Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, and Anthony Mackie as body builders who extort one of their clients (Tony Shalhoub) into giving them his fortune. The thieves convoluted plan involves kidnapping, torture, and disguises; all magnified by their misguided thinking. In the grand scheme of things these are characters that we should not like, but like watching a train wreck; it’s something that you can’t turn away from.

The film is more of a dark comedy than an action movie as most of the time you end up laughing at the humorous and idiotic situations our protagonists find themselves in. From the get-go you realize that these characters aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed when their grand plan to “get ahead” is to take money from someone that is better off than they are. In one of the more hilarious moments in the film, the gang needs more than one attempt to kidnap their mark as they are foiled in one instance by a dinner party and are again foiled by their sheer bad timing in another. As they continue to carry out the plan, their delusional reasoning leads them into more unbelievable and face-palming moments.

They're future's so bright, they have to wear shades.

They’re future’s so bright, they have to wear shades.

If you were worried that this wasn’t a real Michael Bay movie don’t fret, all of his signature touches are there. From circular panning shots around our characters to the emphasis and exaggeration of speed, to grandiose upward shots, to spectacular location shots of Miami; a lot of the things that make a Michael Bay movie a Michael Bay are here in Pain & Gain as well. In some instances I thought a few of these flourishes were a little over the top considering the story, but for the most part they fit with the frenetic body building 90s vide that was running throughout the film.

Mark Wahlberg plays ringleader Daniel Lugo pretty well; he knows how to do good comedy and can deliver funny dialogue with a serious and straight face. The Rock of course has already had a number comedic performances under his belt as well and he plays his somewhat naive, man of God, former drug addict role rather well. Of the three main characters though, I felt Anthony Mackie was the one that stood out the most. His delivery combined with his character’s steroid obsessed and overly exaggerated persona made a lot of what he did some of the funniest (or saddest) moments in the film. He always seemed to have these dead serious questions and comments that came out of nowhere; and like a lot of the other stuff in the film was funny because of how wrong it was.

The walking away from an explosion shot . . . what Michael Bay movie would be complete without one?

The walking away from an explosion shot . . . what Michael Bay movie would be complete without one?

One thing I haven’t decided on is whether or not Bay is merely just telling a story or has a larger message he’s trying to convey. Throughout the film the American Dream and the American Way is referenced a number of times by Wahlberg’s character. What ultimately kickstarts the main action of the film is when the Lugo character seeks the advice of a ‘get rich quick’ guru who’s main point is . . . “Be a DO-er, not a don’t-er.” It’s a mantra that Lugo constantly uses to reenforce that what he is doing is the right way to get ahead. You can’t help but feel that maybe the American Dream, being a Do-er, body building, building yourself up, all that excess and focus on perfection and being rich that perhaps maybe Bay is saying something about who we are as a people, or at the very least who we were in this particular time period. Or I could be totally off base and he just has all these things in the movie for show.

On the whole I was really entertained by the effort Michael Bay put forth in Pain & Gain. While the actual story itself is wholly unbelievable, it’s the telling of it and how it’s told where I liked it and was entertained. Sadly it makes me wish that he would do more films like this that are a little more personal to him and not go back to franchises. After all, I feel that’s where Bay has done some of his best work . . . outside of the Transformers franchise (and Bad Boys before it too became a franchise). However, if there’s anything we can gleam from this film, it’s that Michael Bay himself is a Do-er. I just hope he puts a little more thought into his next project, because if you look at Daniel Lugo in Pain & Gain . . . he was a Do-er too.

Pain & Gain is now playing in theaters everywhere.

Rating 3.5/5 Stars // R // 2hr 9min

16
Apr
13

CinemaCon 2013: WB Presentation Underwhelms as Man of Steel Shines

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Coming Soon
Tags: , , , , , ,
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Everyone crowded into the Colosseum to get into the Warner Bros presentation today at CinemaCon.

Fresh off the Warner Bros 2013 presentation at CinemaCon we have a few thoughts on their upcoming slate for the rest of the year and their presentation as a whole. They went through their films as they will be released this year, we’ll do the same . . .

The Great Gatsby

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After Man of Steel, the footage shown of Gatsby was probably what had me invested the most in any of the films shown in Warner’s presentation. Essentially it was a five to six minute long trailer with a lot of footage that we haven’t seen in other trailers. The footage shown and the way the trailer/preview was cut together gave a rough outline of the story of the film. Every single second of footage was gorgeous to look at and the 3D was pretty good. On the whole we don’t really get anything new in terms of character or tone from for the film . . . all that you can get from previous trailers. However, the cinematography, effects, and scope that the footage showed was impressive to say the least. I wasn’t all that excited for The Great Gatsby this summer, but after today’s presentation, I am now.

The Hangover Part III

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The highlight of this presentation had to have been director Todd Phillips speaking to the crowd of movie exhibitors before showing the latest trailer to the film. He joked about opening against Fast & Furious 6 and how his mom doesn’t like movies. Aside from that we didn’t really get anything all that new. As mentioned they just played the latest trailer from the film which is a variation of the one they already had before. Was hoping for some selected clips but it was not to be. Oh well, the film does come out in five weeks.

Man of Steel

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Of course everyone was pumped to see the latest footage from the new Superman film but with director Zack Snyder intro-ing the trailer . . . he sort of put me to sleep rather than pump me up for what we were about to see. However, the awesomeness of Superman and seeing more of the story and how Superman uses his powers was definitely jaw dropping and sight to behold.

While we get to see origin story setup stuff in the first two minutes of the three minute trailer, its that final minute where we get to see just what this new Superman can do. From Supes flying around and throwing things to Zod yelling “I WILL FIND HIM” the trailer excited nearly the entire crowd in the auditorium. Is it June yet?

Pacific Rim

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Guillermo del Toro came out on stage to introduce the footage to Pacific Rim and whereas Zack Snyder kind of put a damper on things, del Toro talked about his love of monsters and giants robots and how working on his film has been a joy since he has gotten to see those two things everyday for the past couple of years. His sincere happiness talking about his film was a welcome introduction to the robot-on-monster carnage that we ended up seeing. While essentially what was shown was a long trailer (the one shown at WonderCon from what we’ve heard) we definitely get more of the setup of the story on how humans are fighting monsters with huge robots. The new nugget of story is that apparently the human race’s plan to use robots against the monsters was working, but something has recently happened and the monsters seem to be gaining the upper hand. I was really excited to see more of the robots fighting in the scenes that they showed; especially the one towards the end where the robot bashes in the head of one of the monsters and then while it looks like the monster might be done in, he shakes it off and roars. Definitely excited to see this film.

300: Rise of an Empire

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Things started to get a little more interesting as we got into Warner’s post summer slate as we got to see never before seen footage from films coming out in August and beyond; the first of which being the sequel/prequel to 300. While director Noam Murro said there was some unfinished effects work in the clips we were about to see, I really didn’t notice anything that was still in production.

Basically we were shown a rough cut of a trailer for the film. The look and feel of 300 is still there, but it looks like this time the scope and world building take on a much larger canvas. You have warships battling at sea and a hordes of fighters battling it out. Probably the thing that intrigued me most was Eva Green’s character. Looks like she’s serving Xerxes and going to be the bad guy in it. Overall I wasn’t blown away by anything. Looked like an extension of 300 and I really couldn’t get a good feel for the story from the footage they showed. We’ll have to reserve judgement till it comes out in early August.

Gravity

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The last piece of footage I’m going to dedicate a section to was for Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity. High anticipated due to the director’s previous work (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Y Tu Mamá También) as well as its two high profile stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, the film was on everyone’s Oscar watch list last year as most figured it had all the trappings of Oscar-bait written all over it. After getting pushed to 2013 anticipation grew still. With only the log line of ‘two astronauts being stranded in space’ to go on, many wondered how a two hour film with just Clooney and Bullock drifting around would work. Sadly this question was not answered after seeing today’s footage.

Today at CinemaCon we got our first look at Cuarón’s Gravity and what I image to be the first portion of the film. In the footage that we screened today we saw the devastation of the station that Clooney and Bullock’s characters work on and the beginning of them getting stranded. Hardly any dialogue was given save for the errant radio communication between astronauts. A lot of visual effects work was on display in the destruction and there wasn’t any hint of the vastness of space that everyone is expecting. Though great to get a first look, I feel like we still didn’t see enough to give us a good idea of what to expect from this film.

Everything Else

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While Warner Bros did show footage from every other film that they have coming out this year, everything else on their slate was still in production and not a lot was shown OR were titles that they don’t feel too confident in enough to show the crowd hardly any footage at all. The best of the rest included a good long trailer for ‘We’re the Millers’ a comedy starring Jason Sudeikius and Jennifer Aniston who put together a fake family to transport weed across the Mexican border. The footage for The Conjuring actually gave us a lot of setup and backstory–footage and storyline that aren’t in the current trailer. A few scenes were put together to give the audience a rough idea for what the plot of Prisoners will be; a drama starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal where Jackman’s daughter is kidnapped and Gyllenhaal’s character sets out to find her. After that teaser ‘sizzle reels’ were shown for Getaway and Seventh Son; nothing to spectacular there.

Probably the biggest omission on from the backend of Warner’s slate was any new footage from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Granted the first installment of The Hobbit came out just five months ago and Peter Jackson did pre-record a message saying they were still in production on the second and third parts . . . but still, I found it hard to believe that they did not have ANY footage to show. Other movie bloggers speculated that after the negative reception CinemaCon goers had to 48fps last year that Warner’s scrapped any footage this year. Based on what I heard about last year and the lukewarm numbers that 48fps brought in this year, this isn’t hard to believe.

Final Thoughts . . .

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To say that Warner Bros presentation was disappointing would be an understatement. From what I heard about the Paramount’s presentation Monday evening and Universal’s presentation earlier this morning Warner’s seemed in position to outdo both of them with the slate that they have coming up and they totally fumbled it. What it really comes down to is that while we did see some new footage for a lot of the summer films and films from later in the year; there simply wasn’t enough of it.

Most of what Warner’s showed had previously been released, either in trailers or clips posted online. Seeing all of this again didn’t really do anything to get me excited. Sure the crowded laughed and cheered when they were supposed to–a good movie will always make their audience do that. What we got was recycling of footage that most of us movie geeks have seen before and it played like watching reruns of Saved by the Bell . . . still fun to watch, but nothing really new or exciting.

Hell, even the exclusiveness of the Man of Steel trailer wore off pretty quick as it was posted online only a few minutes after it was screened in the Colosseum. What’s the point of hyping up this stuff to the people that show it off in theaters if you’re just going to release it to the public right after? There’s no need to fly to Vegas if that’s the case.

Also, Warner’s didn’t have any star power to backup any of their films. Oh sure they had Zack Snyder, Guillermo del Toro, and Todd Phillips to introduce their respective films, but none of the stars from the movies showed themselves. Granted having a star on hand to sing praises about their film won’t do all that much in the grand scheme of things. But when everyone else is doing it and you don’t; people notice that. Warner Bros made it a point to say that they’re the only studio to have twelve consecutive years of multibillion dollar box office grosses for their films . . . lets hope that their slate can sell itself because they sure didn’t at CinemaCon this year.

19
Mar
13

Maui Native Wins Big at SXSW

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Local Mixed Plate
Tags: , , ,
Destin Daniel Cretton (center) with the cast & crew from his award winning feature Short Term 12.

Destin Daniel Cretton (center) with the cast & crew from his award winning feature Short Term 12.

With just a handful of short films and one full length feature to his credit, Maui native Destin Daniel Cretton’s second feature film Short Term 12 made a huge splash last week at the SXSW Film Festival by picking up the Grand Jury Award and Audience Award in the Narrative Feature Competition category.

Short Term 12 is based off of Cretton’s own experience working in a group home for troubled teenagers–an experience that has stuck with him ever since, “It was by far, one of the scariest experiences I’ve ever had – at first. I was really afraid of doing something wrong and messing up these kids more than they already were. But after a month or so, I fell in love with it.” It was so impactful that Cretton first made a short film bearing the same name that debuted at Sundance in 2009 and won the Jury Prize in that category. His first full length feature I Am Not a Hipster premiered at last year’s Sundance and also played at last year’s HIFF.

Brie Larson as Grace, the protagonist of Short Term 12.

Brie Larson as Grace, the protagonist of Short Term 12.

Synopsis from SXSW:

“Short Term 12″ is told through the eyes of Grace (Brie Larson), a twenty-something supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers. Passionate and tough, Grace is a formidable caretaker of the kids in her charge – and in love with her long-term boyfriend and co-worker, Mason (John Gallagher Jr). But Grace’s own difficult past – and the surprising future that suddenly presents itself – throw her into unforeseen confusion, made all the sharper with the arrival of a new intake at the facility: a gifted but troubled teenage girl with whom Grace has a charged connection. While the subject matter is complex, this lovingly realized film finds truth – and humor – in unexpected places.

HIFF Programming Director Anderson Le, who was on the ground at SXSW and saw Short Term 12, had very high praise, “I saw Short Term 12 at SXSW and it was hands down, the best film there. It totally deserved the grand prize for best narrative feature AND the audience award.” Le hopes to get the film for HIFF’s fall showcase and have Cretton participate in HIFF’s newly formed Creative Lab series.

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Though there is no distribution plan for Short Term 12 yet, after receiving a large amount of critical acclaim at SXSW, there is currently a bidding war for the distribution rights to Short Term 12. Hopefully that means we’ll be able to see Cretton’s film sometime later this year at a theater near you.

15
Mar
13

Go See Kinetic Films at Consolidated Pearlridge This Week

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Categories: Local Mixed Plate and Now Playing
Tags: , , , , , , ,

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Outside of HIFF, it feels like there are hardly any opportunities for local filmmakers to showcase some of the great work that they create at home here in Hawaii (or for local moviegoers to see locally made films). That is why local production company Kinetic Films and local theater chain Consolidated Theatres have partnered together to bring three local films to the big screen this coming week.

Paradise Broken, 6B, and Hang Loose are all homegrown productions from Kinetic Productions that tell local stories and showcase local talent both in front of and behind the camera. Here are the synopsis for each, along with our take and ratings for each film from previous Hawaii International Film Festival screenings.

Paradise Broken - 4/5 stars

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Synopsis (via ConsolidatedTheatres.com):

This award winning gritty drama delves into the darker side of paradise and features cult legend Dante Basco and Hollywood actor Khalil Kain. As the sun sets and the sightseers retire for the evening, two drug addicts must work the back alleys of Waikiki to make their modest dreams come true. But after the couple has a big blow out, the regretful Ray searches for a pregnant Misha while she faces off against her abusive father and a kingpin pimp of Waikiki. Although Ray and Misha try to rise above the powers that bring them down, their split may have been the only chance they had to survive.

Our Thoughts from HIFF 2011:

It was the fact that these characters could be people I know. They were walking along sidewalks and streets I myself have walked on. How could this not be real? . . . I’ve always been of the mind that good movies will entertain you, but a great movie will engage and challenge what you think. I don’t want to sound naive, but Paradise Broken definitely made me think about the things we don’t see and that probably do happen so close to home–because of that, this is a film you definitely won’t want to miss.

6B - 3.5/5 stars

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Synopsis (via ConsolidatedTheatres.com):

Experience four unique short films about Hawaii in this anthology revolving around the room, 6B. Each of the four stories examines a darker side of island life: a man struggling with drug addiction has a revelation about his identity; an ex-con must enter an underground poker game to reunite with his daughter; a young woman befriends her neighbor, a former hit man; and a Japanese American family of 3 generations deals with an impending tsunami. 6B features an all-Hawaii cast, crew, and production.

Our Thoughts:

The most diverse out of the three features, 6B will give you a little bit of everything as it is an anthology of four shot films directed by four local filmmakers: Nathan Kurosawa, Ryan Kawamoto, Roy Kimura, and Jay Hanamura. All are dramas, but each piece of the anthology has its own unique style and flair to local storytelling. Also, since 6B is four films in one, you’ll be hard-pressed to recognize you know whether it be a local actor/celebrity, family member, or even a friend.

Hang Loose - 3/5 stars

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Synopsis (via ConsolidatedThreatres.com):

Hang Loose this Spring Break with this coming of age comedy featuring local fave Augie T, YouTube sensation KevJumba and 21 AND OVER’s Justin Chon. Kevin is an average, conservative Asian-American male. Fresh out of high school, he flies to Hawai’ to attend the wedding of his big sister. The day before the wedding, he meets his future brother in law (Dante Basco, HOOK, THE DEBUT) and they head out for a bachelor party with his frat boy groomsmen. A misunderstanding with a notorious drug dealer leads to one crazy night and a series of misadventures that will change Kevin’s life forever.

Our Thoughts from HIFF 2012:

Kevin Wu and Dante Basco were perfectly fine in their roles here, with Basco even stealing scenes a few times . . . I myself hung loose and just went with it and had a few laughs in the process.

Definitely the most accessible of the three presentations, go with Hang Loose if you’re looking for something lighter and fun before venturing into more serious fare with 6B and Paradise Broken.

The Where and When . . .

The Basco brothers, Ryan Kawamoto, and James Sereno at last night's premiere at Ward.

The Basco brothers, Ryan Kawamoto, and James Sereno at last night’s premiere at Ward.

All three films will be shown at Consolidated Threatres’ Pearlridge West 16 starting today for at least a one week engagement (longer if us locals go out and pack the house). Tickets can be purchased at the Consolidated Pearlridge West 16 box office or online at Fandango.com. Tonight (March 15) from 5:00-8:45pm, Hang Loose stars Dante Basco and Justin Chon will be on hand for an autograph session at the theaters. If you want to hear more about the special showcase from the creators themselves, both James Sereno and Ryan Kawamoto of Kinetic were on KITV yesterday morning to talk about the films and the work that Kinetic does:

(no embed - link to video on KITV.com)

(no embed – link to video on KITV.com)

Paradise Broken (No Rating, 1h 46m), 6B (No Rating, 1h 53m), and (No Rating, 1h 33m) are now playing at Consolidated Pearlridge West 16.

12
Mar
13

Red Band Redux: February 2013

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: , ,
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The Red Band Redux is Yoda808’s recap of all the movies seen in theaters for the past month. Though not fully formed reviews, here are his off-the-cuff thoughts on movies playing in the past month.

Yes, after an extended time away the monthly feature Red Band Redux is back! Not to much to report back from last month as we went on a little hiatus of sorts. That was probably for the best as the early months of the year are a dumping ground for the big studios. Here’s a look back at the few flicks we did catch in February . . .

Side Effects

Pretty people, with a pretty big problem.

Pretty people, with a pretty big problem.

Every time a Soderbergh film comes out you kind of have to take notice as the man is such a prolific filmmaker and always seems to explore something different in each film. Whether it’s subject matter, the way he tells a story, or the technical elements of a film; Soderbergh always manages to find some interesting way or thing to show us in his films.

How does this play into Side Effects? As much as I’d like to tell you about how good this film really is, a lot of it revolves around spoilers that come late in the film. The one thing I will say is that the film is not what you think its about. This fact alone is what had me at the end as well as had me perk up when things started to turn half way through the film.

Soderbergh brings back two of his former star for this go around; Catherine Zeta-Jones (Traffic, Ocean’s Tweleve) and the ubiquitous Channing Tatum (Magic Mike, Haywire) who are pretty solid in their supporting performances in this film. The star and lead though is Rooney Mara who plays a depressed, manic, and prescription drug obsessive woman oh so well. There’s no experimentation or crazy camera shots going on in this film . . . Soderbergh is mainly focused on crafting this story about a woman trying to combat depression and the effects of prescription drugs. Is he going for a social commentary on prescription medication? I’ll let you decide. What I will say is that Side Effects is thoroughly entertaining and definitely not what you would expect.

3.5/5 stars (Definitely worth checking out or Redboxing when it hits Blu/DVD)

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Beautiful Creatures

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STOP! You’ve been warned.

Maybe as a book series Beautiful Creatures might be engrossing and enrapturing, but as a movie, it was just kind of “meh.” I think the biggest thing that sidelined this film was the two romantic leads . . . they just didn’t have enough charisma and heft of any kind to be convincing or emotional in their roles. This entire film hinges on the relationship of these two characters and I just didn’t believe the chemistry or feel the urgency that I felt they needed to bring. As a result you get a decent amount of flash, but not nearly enough substance.

In a move that I think was supposed to help the film but ultimately didn’t, a number of great actors filled many of the supporting roles in the film: Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson, Emmy Rossum. With such heavy hitters in supporting roles, I thought they actually compounded the problem of not having similarly strong actors in the lead roles and not necessarily stole the show, but definitely brought more emotion and feeling to their roles than the leads did.

As for the story itself, we’ve seen doomed/forbidden romances done before and without great believability from the leads . . . it’s hard to care for the story.

1.5/5 stars (Unless you’re a fan of this book series, it’s really not worth watching)

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I Give It A Year

Romantic comedies are on the up and up thanks to I Give It A Year.

Romantic comedies are on the up and up thanks to I Give It A Year.

I was pleasantly surprised by I Give It A Year since we all know how rom-coms have kind of been on a downward slide in the past five years or so. This film bucks that trend by doing something that I think more rom-coms need to do . . . become unconventional. This film does that by starting off where a lot of rom-coms finish: with marriage.

The couple in question gets married at the beginning of the film and we follow them throughout the course of their first year of marriage as they struggle to deal with being and living with one another after a short courtship. Obviously hijinks ensue, but the comedic situations both husband and wife find themselves were so awkward and were incredibly laugh out loud funny. One of the highlights of the film was when the couple gets a digital picture frame for Christmas from the parents of the bride and they decide to hook it up right away to show off photos from their honeymoon. At first the frame displays seemingly innocuous photos from their honeymoon, but as the sequence goes on, racy photos randomly start showing up and well, you can guess what happens after that. I haven’t laughed so hard at a rom-com in a long time.

Rose Byrne and Rafe Spall are pretty good as the somewhat mismatched newlywed couple. The chemistry of their characters provide a number of conflicts for them to overcome; but yet you’re sympathetic to both characters. Showing up in supporting roles are Simon Baker (The Mentalist) and Anna Faris (House Bunny) as people who provide potential alternate matches for the hard working couple.

Overall I Give It A Year breaks the mold a little in terms of the predictable setup of most rom-coms by starting our characters off in a place that’s different (different starting point means different journey). As such I didn’t exactly know where the film was heading till the last 20 minutes or so. Combine that with a ton of great jokes and you have a romantic comedy that’s a breath of fresh air.

3.5/5 stars (Has not been released yet in the US. Definitely check it out once it does hit US shores)

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Also reviewed last month: Warm Bodies.

01
Mar
13

Review: Jack the Giant Slayer

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Reviews
Tags: , , , , ,

0301_01-JackReviewDom

When it was announced that Hollywood was going to turn the folktale ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ into a feature length film, like everyone else I was a bit skeptical about its success. However, once The Usual Suspects and X-Men director Bryan Singer was attached to direct the picture I definitely was a little intrigued and even a bit hopeful that this adaptation could be something worth watching. Alas, this isn’t the case as Jack the Giant Slayer is just the latest in a string of fairy tale/folktale stories that we heard as kids turned into a just ok movie.

The core problem with Jack the Giant Slayer is that nothing really stands out to grab you. Not the story, not the acting, not the visuals, nothing. While there are some exciting moments and a few times where integrations of practical effects and CGI are pretty cool; there are not enough moments like these to sustain the entire film. With nothing to really latch onto, at no point was I ever really blown away or heavily invested in what was going on in the film.

Be prepared to look into the face of very bad computer generated images.

Be prepared to look into the face of very bad computer generated images.

What really stood out to me though was the terrible CGI used to create the ‘look’ of the giants. Designed a little cartoon-ish and cavemen like they did not look great at all and came off looking cheap. Being a fantasy film, one with the word “Giant” in the title, it’s a given that there will have to be some suspension of disbelief on behalf of the viewer. No amount of this could help me believe in these unrealistic giants; not even Bill Nighy who’s menacing voice was used for the lead giant.

I guess what it boils down to was that the giants looked like poorly animated characters from a bad Saturday morning cartoon. Their looks did not hint at any of the reported $195 million dollar budget that this film is carrying. I know that most viewers can spot visual effect magic a mile a way; but there are awesome examples of great CGI characters in bad films like the Tharks in last year’s John Carter or even Jar Jar Binks back in the Star Wars prequels.

Good times before this whole beanstalk thing.

Good times before this whole beanstalk thing.

On the positive side there are some bright spots to Jack the Giant Slayer. As I previously mentioned, there’s some good integration between set work and visual effects work, most notably in places where the beanstalk is involved. There were a few reminders of Honey I Shrunk the Kids more than a few times as our heroes were climbing the beanstalk–which I loved. Also, in a few scenes where the beanstalk is coming down I thought there was some great action there as well between real life actors, animals, practical beanstalk props, and the visual effects.

Now now kids . . . I'll show you how to climb this beanstalk.

Now now kids . . . I’ll show you how to climb this beanstalk.

While Nicholas Hoult was ‘warm’ and affectionate in his last outing Warm Bodies (review here), he did not bring anything to the table this time around. The highlight of the entire film had to have been Ewan McGregor. Having proven his blue and green screen acting chops with the Star Wars prequels; he looked the most believable out of all the actors in the film. In fact, McGregor was chewing on scenery a number of times and looked to be having fun doing so. I enjoyed his character the most and was entertained almost every time he was on screen.

When it comes right down to it, Bryan Singer was in a tough spot when he took over production on Jack the Giant Slayer from the original director, the effects of which can still be felt in the film that is now in theaters. Tonally, I’m not sure who the right audience for the film is and I’m not sure the film does either. Sure it has some great action sequences and some funny lines; but it also has crude humor that got old after a while as well as crummy looking giants. While Jack the Giant Slayer is not a bad movie, it might be more of a mediocre one. For the man that made us fearful of Keyser Söze and jumped started the superhero genre; this film is more in line with Superman Returns and Valkyrie–films of his that no one hardly mentions anymore.

 Jack the Giant Slayer is now playing in theaters everywhere.

Rating 2/5 stars // PG-13 // 1hr 35min

27
Feb
13

Harry Potter The Exhibition

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Thought Process
Tags: ,

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We were recently in New York and we had the opportunity to take in Harry Potter The Exhibition at the Discovery Times Square. Similar to Indiana Jones The Exhibition (original names I know), the display is a traveling exhibit that is put on at different venues around the world. Starting off in Chicago in 2009, Harry Potter The Exhibition has also toured in Boston, Toronto, Seattle, New York (previously), Sydney, and Singapore. After its worldwide tour, I guess the exhibition in back in New York for an encore.

To start off the exhibit your group is herded into a dark room where eight or so flat screen TVs are setup vertically with a movie poster from each film displayed on them. After a minute or two the TVs change and launch into a coordinated introduction to the exhibit playing clips and custom graphics to get everyone pumped for the exhibit and to set the tone.

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After the intro video we were then ushered into another small dark room (chamber if you will) where up in front on a stool was the Sorting Hat itself! Ok so it wasn’t THE Sorting Hat, but rather a nice prop that looked like it. Along with the stool and hat was an attendant dressed up in Hogwarts garb fake accent and all.

Since there were quite a few number of kids in our group we were courteous and let them go through the sorting process. Now, this wasn’t as big of a spectacle as it was in the film. My main gripe with the whole process though was that the hat wasn’t actually put on people’s heads. The attendant that was “sorting” people held the hat about six inches of off each individual’s head–not at all like the movie.

This is exactly how people were sorted . . . hat not on the head.

This is exactly how people were sorted . . . hat not on the head.

The second thing that wasn’t kosher to me was that the attendant asked each person what house they wanted to be in, and you know what . . . they were all sorted into those houses! Now I know that Harry Potter told the Sorting Hat that he didn’t want to be in Slytherin–so there is precedent for someone telling the Sorting Hat which house to put them in. However, I found it little too convenient that everyone that asked to placed in a certain house was placed in that house. I feel like the real Sorting Hat would put people in a particular house despite what they ask for. I know these were kids but come on, the real Sorting Hat wouldn’t pull any punches.

After the sorting was done it was finally time to enter the main section of the exhibition where we could finally move on our own and check out all the cool props and costumes from the films . . .

Quiddich uniforms from the Quiddich World Cup.

Quiddich uniforms from the Quiddich World Cup.

Props and costumes from the Death Eaters revival of Voldemort.

Props and costumes from the Death Eaters revival of Voldemort.

The infamous Marauder's Map and other miscellaneous items associated with Harry Potter.

The infamous Marauder’s Map and other miscellaneous items associated with Harry Potter.

One of the few items you could touch and handle in the exhibition . . . the pulling of Mandrakes.

One of the few items you could touch and handle in the exhibition . . . the pulling of Mandrakes.

The Boggart Jack-in-the-Box and wardrobe from the Prisoner of Azkaban.

The Boggart Jack-in-the-Box and wardrobe from the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Items from the Goblet of Fire: the Triwizard Cup, Rita Skeeter's quill and notebooks, name slips from the goblet.

Items from the Goblet of Fire: the Triwizard Cup, Rita Skeeter’s quill and notebooks, name slips from the goblet.

Harry and Ron's room at Hogwarts, along with the golden egg from Goblet of Fire.

Harry and Ron’s room at Hogwarts, along with the golden egg from Goblet of Fire.

And before you know it, you’re done. There’s actually more to the exhibit than the glimpses I’ve given you in these photos; but alas, you’re not allowed to take photos while you’re in the exhibition. And there lies one of the biggest points of contention that I have with the exhibition–no photography. Oh sure we could have snapped off a few photos with our phones; but with the exhibition dark in many places getting a good photo with just a quick snapshot was impossible.

My other point of contention is that there aren’t that many items you can touch either. For an exhibition that prides itself with letting “guests will get an up close and personal” at the items on display; there was way more getting ‘up close’ than getting ‘personal’ with things in the exhibition.

The items on display were worn and handled by the actors and who knows how many countless numbers of production staff on the film. Who knows if they were even handled by the cast or if they were one of many duplicates that were made for the film. Point being, these items were meant to be handled by people and yet here we were walking through the exhibit unable to do so. No touching of horcruxes (not that you’d probably want to), no taking photos with a Hungarian Horntail (again, that not you might want to), just plain old walking through and observing things that were made for people to wear or handle. To me that was the most disappointing aspect of the exhibit (hence the use of publicity stills throughout much of this post).

So what’s the deal then? If this thing were to come to Hawaii could I recommend people see it? At $27 ($19.50 for kids, $23.50 for seniors) a pop it ain’t exactly cheap to walk around for an hour or so admiring props from Harry Potter. However, if you’re any kind of a fan I’m sure it will be well worth the time and money spent. If you were to go I would say make the most of your time and look at every single item and read every single placard description. Probably the biggest takeaway for me was that it made me want to rewatch the series again or maybe even read it.

Going to the exhibit wasn’t something we specifically sought out to do, it was more something we stumbled into, so at the end of the day I was ok with our experience with Harry Potter The Exhibition. We’re always down for checking out movie stuff here at Red Band so we had a good time. The no taking photography and no touching of objects though, I just had to shake my head at that one. To me, that was just riddikulus.

01
Feb
13

Review: Warm Bodies

By Yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Reviews
Tags: , , ,
Ruh-roh . . . the world didn't end in 2012, but looks like hunky zombies will start to take over 2013.

Ruh-roh . . . the world didn’t end in 2012, but looks like hunky zombies will start to take over 2013.

With Young Adult literature adaptations being all the rage these days and studios snatching up books left and right, Warm Bodies seems like the perfect fodder for a sure fire hit from the studio that brought us the Twilight Saga. I mean, it’s got everything in the formula that draws people to these books: an unlikely relationship, young love being tested under extreme circumstances, and oh yeah . . . ZOMBIES!

The unlikely protagonist of the film is “R” (Nicholas Hoult, X-Men: First Class), a zombie unlike any other you’ve met. For one thing, he’s got an inner conscience and monologue more akin to Ferris Bueller, and at the end of the day he goes home to his airplane where he listens to vinyl records. Well one day R meets the very much alive Julie (Theresa Palmer, I Am Number Four) and becomes smitten after an encounter with Julie’s boyfriend. From that point on a bond begins to grow between the two that not only has a profound impact on R, but everyone around him as well.

Aw, remember when we had polaroids before the apocalypse?

Aw, remember when we had polaroids before the apocalypse?

Now let’s be real here, this is a zombie love story. That is the central premise of the film and if you’re at all a zombie purist, you probably won’t like this film. I was a little doubtful myself going into the film, I mean, “A zombie falling in love with a human? Come on!” However, the film does a pretty good job of setting up the plausibility of this circumstance and Hoult and Palmer do an equally good job of building the relationship between R and Julie. Since this isn’t you’re typical romance movie, their reactions feelings seemed pretty spot on and by the end of the film I bought in to the relationship even though there were times were it definitely seemed creepy.

However, it’s not all love and romance. If anything, Warm Bodies is more of a romantic comedy with zombies so there is human-on-zombie and zombie-on-zombie action. In fact, the film introduces to a second type of zombie: Boneys. What separates Boneys from regular zombies? Boneys are basically zombies that have gone crazy, are pretty mean, have ripped off all their flesh, and attack anything with a heartbeat. In the film regular zombies are played by real life actors while Boneys are all done through visual effects. While I liked the idea and difference between these two zombie species, you could totally tell the Boneys were computer creations and not that believable  Despite the unbelievability, I got where the filmmakers were going with this as this Boneys did provide an obstacle (and action sequences) for both the regular zombies and humans.

Yes, believe it or not this zombie love story flick does have zombie hordes.

Yes, believe it or not this zombie love story flick does have zombie hordes.

If you’re looking for a perfect date movie, you might find it in Warm Bodies. It’s got hunky Nicholas Hoult with a pretty decent love story for the girls, and you have zombies and action for the guys. It’s also got some good humor that I’m sure both parties will find laughs in. Not only is R’s inner monologue hilarious and awkward, but R’s zombie friend M (Rob Corddry, Hot Tub Time Machine) delivers some great one liners as well.

On the whole I was entertained by Warm Bodies, but at the end of the day it didn’t do all that much for me. While the story is cute and funny, there’s nothing really outstanding about it, any of the performances from the cast, or even visuals in the film. The biggest thing going for the film is that it challenges the audience to believe a relationship can develop between a human and a zombie, which I give credit to the story, is something different. However, I didn’t feel there was too much more there than that.

Warm Bodies is now playing in theaters everywhere.

Rating 3/5 stars // PG-13 // 1hr 38min

26
Dec
12

Review: Silver Linings Playbook

By Yoda808 2 Comments
Categories: Reviews
Tags: , , ,
Knock knock. Who's there? A potential Academy Award contending movie.

Knock knock. Who’s there? A potential Academy Award contending movie.

Ah the holidays . . . a time when families comes together, talk, and catch up with relatives. And while Silver Linings Playbook isn’t a holiday per se, it’s definitely a film representative of our culture today (at least part of it anyway). It’s got everything you could possibly want from a holiday film: drama, family issues, and love. I mean, what more could you ask for?

In many ways Silver Linings Playbook is sort of a current take on the dysfunctional family movie. Think along the lines of something with the vibe of American Beauty, but updated for 2012. You have Pat who’s just been released from a mental institution, trying to deal with bipolar disorder stemming from a breakdown he suffers when he catches his wife having an affair. Then you also have Tiffany who’s dealing with depression and the death of her husband. Both are supported by their families, but both struggle to deal with how to handle the little things in their everyday lives; some things that us “normal people” would consider second nature. In our world where there’s a medication to solve any of our problems and an abundance of therapies to work through our psychological issues; the story of two slightly broken people developing a relationship based on their common experience with mental instability doesn’t seem that out of place.

Probably the biggest thing the film has going for it is the cast. Everyone in the film is pretty solid and the three top names in the film are all giving Academy Award level performances. Ok, maybe Academy Award level is a bit hyperbolic, but trust me when I say that Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert De Niro are all turning in the performance of their career/the last 10 years.

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Cooper is probably giving his best performance to date in a role that draws from other characters in his filmography. he utilizes some of his doucheyness from Wedding Crashers, mixed with some of his cool guy persona from The Hangover movies, and adding a bit of torturedness that gives his character Pat believable anger management issues and baggage, but at the same time makes him someone you want to see work through his issues. While Cooper dances the line between angry and emotional pretty well, he’s getting a lot of help from those around him; help that makes his performance that much more believable and buyable.

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Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence and becomes Pat’s new love interest, has a few issues of her own. Her hang ups stem from depression from the death of her husband which make her lash out by being with guys who don’t treat her well, thereby reinforcing a downward spiral. In Pat’s first few encounters with Tiffany, Lawrence plays the psycho girlfriend card pretty well and we don’t know if she truly is damaged or just plain crazy. However as the relationship between Tiffany and Pat develops, you begin to see her feelings come through and her outbursts slowly change from “crazy girl” territory to that of someone being upset with a person they genuinely have feelings for.

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Rounding out the acting trifecta is Robert De Niro. Now don’t get me wrong, we know he can give a great performance; as of late though it seems like he’s been chewing on scenery and just taking paydays (we’re looking at you New Year’s Eve). But in Silver Linings Playbook, director David O. Russell manages to get a great performance from the two time Oscar winner. De Niro plays Pat Sr, father to Cooper’s character in the film, and a devout Philadelphia Eagles fan. When it comes time for game day, Pat Sr’s neurotic quirks regarding fandom and bonding with his son soon goes beyond mere team support and sheds light on not just Pat Jr’s problems, but the entire family’s as well. De Niro plays the loving father/OCD super fan really well and is actually emoting in some of the better scenes.

Going in I wasn’t too sure how I was going to feel about Pat’s budding relationship with Tiffany (something that the entire film hinges on); one because I’ve never really gotten behind or really rooted for any of the characters Bradley Cooper has played in the past; and two because of the age difference between Cooper and Lawrence (15 years, though in the film he’s playing younger and she’s playing older). However, over the course of the film I was really sold on Pat’s struggle with his bipolar disorder. From the challenges Pat faced and the way he dealt with them, that’s what sold me on their relationship in the end–it was a challenge that he kept working on, that wasn’t easy and tested him along the way, and one that you could get a good sense of from the emotion he was portraying.

Overall, everything about Silver Linings Playbook feels just a little bit awkward and a little bit off, not in a bad way, but in a way that mirrors its main characters. You won’t be blown away by action or special effects, because there are none to be found. What you will find is a great modern day family film, well acted, and with a great mix of comedy and drama that will entertain. And really, isn’t that all we could ever ask from any holiday film?

Silver Linings Playbook is currently playing at Consolidated Kahala 8 and Regal Dole Cannery.

Rating 4/5 stars // R // 2hr 2min

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