A reboot that couldn’t come soon enough after the mediocrity of the Sam Raimi trilogy, Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man (B) focuses firmly on the human dynamic of the Peter Parker/Spider-Man character and succeeds largely on the strength of inspired casting with Andrew Garfield in the leading role plus Emma Stone as love interest Gwen Stacy. Garfield wields considerable charms with wit and webslinging, and the chemistry with Stone is palpable. Neither the obligatory re-tracing of the Spidey backstory nor the clashes with a supervillain (Rhys Ifans as The Lizard) are the film’s strongest suits, but it’s so refreshing to witness good acting in this comic book canon after a decade of Maguire/Dunst that many cinematic sins can be quickly forgiven. Overall, it’s exciting, the effects are good, the screenplay has a pulse and you care about the characters. Color me satisfied.
Category Archives: 2012
Comedic “21 Jump Street” a Showcase for Central Stars
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s very loose comedic remake of an ’90’s police TV series of the same name, 21 Jump Street (B+) is a riotously funny buddy comedy about older guys posing as high schoolers to help bring down a drug ring. The unlikely pairing of schlubby, hilarious Jonah Hill with hunky and surprisingly witty Channing Tatum is the inspiration that makes this film so successful. The duo’s outrageous misadventures make for a magnificent story punctuated with laughter, nostalgia, wit and raunch. One of the best bits involves the protagonists accidentally ingesting the drug that is circulating throughout the school: the effects on them in art class and physical education make for some great comedy. The film is a bright example of starting with subject matter that seems the fodder of cynical Hollywood studio executives and making something original and special out if it.
Comedy “Pitch Perfect” Takes Viewers Inside A Capella Competitions
Jason Moore’s Pitch Perfect (B) is a charming, often funny and very musical look at the world of competitive collegiate a capella singing groups. It’s a great showcase for Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin and Rebel Wilson, who often steals the show as “Fat Amy.” Just when it seems to devolve into gross-out humor or overly formulaic characters, the film trots out new surprises and dazzles with its bag of vocal tricks. All in all, it’s well worth a watch and a listen.
“Hunger Games” a Dystopian Original
The Hunger Games (B+), directed by Gary Ross, imagines a dystopian future in which territories of our modern land have to fight against each other on live television as sacrifice and bloodsport for the ruling political regime. Jennifer Lawrence, our archer heroine, is ready to break all the rules as she enters the arena. The film has an interesting vocabulary and fascinating details, plus there are nice supporting turns from Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz and others. It’s very high-concept, but I liked the way the protagonist handled the tablestakes.
“The Dark Knight Rises” Concludes Nolan’s Batman Trilogy
Nobody seems to want to admit that Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (C+) just gets a little silly. Tom Hardy’s Bane is an incomprehensible mess of a character; Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne spends much of the film trapped in a pit; and it’s difficult to say what Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle is supposed to be here to do (she has the same name as Cat Woman and is a cat burglar – hmmm?). A series of events has sullied Batman’s reputation, and he’s now Public Enemy Number One; and only after the world reaches the brink can he convince people they are ready for a hero again. The pacing is off and the plot strangely uninvolving. I suppose this one just suffers from #3 in the trilogy curse. It’s not a terrible way to go out, but it’s definitely downhill after a superior set of predecessors.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” Unravels Jackson’s Middle Earth Charm
The most unexpected thing about Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (C-) is what a letdown it is after his famous Middle Earth trilogy that came before it. If the Lord of the Rings novels were each dense books distilled into what amounts to a mini-series of episodic wonders, The Hobbit is a light paperback prequel stretched out into a three-part tedium. What else accounts for the first hour of this film being used for an unnecessary tacked-on framing device about Bilbo Baggins’ birthday party followed by an extended dinner party with a bunch of dwarves singing a song? By the time the underwhelming protagonist is introduced at his rightful age and played by Martin Freeman, the film has long since lost its ability to kickstart the thrills. This time around, the effects look like overproduced video games. There are simply too many characters winding through too many caverns for the eye to focus in on anything distinctive that looks at all remarkable or interesting. Instead of a cliffhanger that teases the thrills ahead, the ending prompts the question, “did this really need to be three films?”
“Cabin in the Woods” (2012) an Inventive Horror Film
Director Drew Goddard’s film of a story he co-wrote with Joss Whedon, Cabin in the Woods (B+) is a funny and subversive deconstruction of the horror genre with shocks and surprises to delight terror flick enthusiasts and virgins alike. From the opening frames, it’s clear this is a bit of an upstairs/downstairs tale with parallel dimensions to the story. It’s quite a cozy conundrum.
2012 “Avengers” Assembles Hilarious Superheroes
Marvel’s The Avengers (A) is a remarkable action spectacle with superb ensemble acting (especially Rovert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man and Mark Ruffalo as Hulk), wry humor and some of the best 3D IMAX effects ever realized on screen. After Cabin in the Woods, writer/director Joss Whedon is having quite a creative year.
De Palma Phones it in for “Passion” (2012)
Somewhere on the guilty pleasure scale between Black Swan and Boxing Helena is writer/director Brian De Palma’s Passion (D+), a twisty tale of a ruthless ad exec (Rachel McAdams) and her talented protégée (Noomi Rapace). And if it were made by anyone other than the veteran master who made Carrie, Sisters, Body Double and The Untouchables, it would be roundly laughed out of the room as an incompetent student film. Still, it’s fun to hear the overblown score, to see the director rehash his signature split screens and to plumb classic fallbacks of sapphic obsession, doppelgängers and eerie closets, elevators and showers. The campy, terrible acting just adds to the off-the-rails ambiance.
“Rock of Ages” a Misfire Despite Great Music Catalogue
Marred by Adam Shankman’s uninspired direction (Hairspray fit more like a comfy housecoat) and mainly lifeless performances, Rock of Ages (C-) is a tedious karaoke with the stars. It’s a musical with poorly performed ’80s songs and choreography, and only about five jokes actually land. Tom Cruise is pretty good as Lestat, except that’s not who he’s supposed to be playing. The young leads are lost in the tacky bombast.
“Argo” an Unexpected Thriller
Gone Baby Gone and The Town proved Ben Affleck is an excellent director. Argo (A+) proves he’s a masterful one with a politically-minded action potboiler set during the Iran Hostage Crisis. It’s authentic in all the details of its declassified true story, riveting and even sometimes funny as an intelligence officer mounts a very improbable mission using a touch of Hollywood magic.
“Amour” (2012) is a Poignant Drama
Michael Haneke’s sometimes pretentious, deliberately paced directing can’t eclipse the poignant acting in the very depressing film Amour (B). Jean-Louis Trintignant is the underdog actor here, superb as a devoted elderly husband nursing his slowly degenerating spouse, played gracefully by Emmanuelle Riva. Haneke lingers on the couple’s routines with near-scientific observation, but it’s the moments the central duo gets to play against type that help them truly shine in the film’s effective final act. It’s bleak material, no doubt, but often affecting.