2014 Movie Preview: #12 - Foxcatcher

Release date: TBA

Plot summary: "Foxcatcher" tells the story of Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum), who sees a way out from the shadow of his more celebrated wrestling brother Dave (Ruffalo) and a life of poverty when he is summoned by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont (Carell) to move onto his estate and train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Desperate to gain the respect of his disapproving mother, du Pont begins "coaching" a world-class athletic team and, in the process, lures Mark into dangerous habits, breaks his confidence and drives him into a self-destructive spiral. Based on actual events, "Foxcatcher" is a gripping and profoundly American story of fragile men who pinned their hopes for love and redemption on a desperate obsession for greatness that was to end in tragedy.

My take: This is yet another film that was originally set to come out in 2013. While it does not have a specific date in 2014 set yet, the previews and information that were released already have given myself and others plenty to anticipate. Early buzz has Steve Carell turning in a career-changing performance. This also marks the follow-up for director Bennett Miller after Moneyball, which was my favorite film from 2011. On top of all that, you have one of those "Hollywood couldn't create something this bizarre" of a storyline. All that adds up to a very appealing movie.

2014 Movie Preview: #23 - 22 Jump Street

Release date: June 13

Plot summary: After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) when they go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred spirit on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the bohemian art major scene, they begin to question their partnership. Now they don't have to just crack the case - they have to figure out if they can have a mature relationship. If these two overgrown adolescents can grow from freshmen into real men, college might be the best thing that ever happened to them.

My take: As I mentioned when I posted the trailer for this sequel recently, I was not overly enamored with the first film. However, it was not without its merits. There are too many funny people that are in the cast not to produce at least some decent laughs. Plus I much prefer the college setting over the high school setting and think it creates a larger range of potential jokes.

Getting a Jump start on the new year

More trailers keep rolling in previewing the 2014 slate. This time it's the sequel to surprise reboot of 21 Jump Street, this time named 22 Jump Street. I'll let the awesome Nick Offerman explain why.

RBR: G.I. Joe: Retaliation

When people criticize Hollywood for being out of ideas, one of the first pieces of evidence that gets cited is the abundance of television shows that get turned into feature films when they have no business being on the silver screen. The GI Joe franchise, however, seems like it would translate well to the big screen. You have a colorful cast of characters and a relatable story of good and evil. Given the source material that they have to work with, it is baffling how much Hollywood has mismanaged this franchise and turned in now two disappointing entries. What has been apparent in both 2009's Rise of Cobra and the recent sequel Relatiation is the corporate fingerprints that have put a stranglehold on the direction of these films. Things like putting it in 3D and adding The Rock and Bruce Willis to the cast offer nothing to the actual storytelling and are included merely because some studio executives has the misguided belief that this is what audiences want. In the cartoon, all of the Joes had distinct names and corresponding attributes that made them unique. In this latest film, the only way a character stands out is because of who is playing him. Why is Dwayne Johnson called Roadblock? Beats me. They might as well have just called him The Rock because that's what everyone is thinking while seeing him on the screen. The villians are not much better in terms of being distinct. The handling of Cobra Commander is slightly better here than in the first film, but he has to share time on the screen with several other villains so we can never really appreciate any of them. That brings up another issue with the film in that there is too much going on, yet none of it feels like it matters. Half of the film is spent on the rivalry between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow and too often I had no idea why I should care or what it had to do with the other plot involving an ambush on the Joes. I will give credit where it is due and say that there are some impressive action scenes sprinkled throughout the film. The ninja fight that takes place on the side of a mountain in particular is very well done. But again, none of it feels like it matters. Never before have I seen an entire major city get destroyed in a film and have it feel as insignificant as it does here. Until this franchise can show a little bit more coherence in its storytelling, I'm going AWOL. Rating: ** 1/2

RBR: Side Effects

It feels like it's been forever since I actually saw this film, but I'm just now getting around to putting up my review. Let's see how well I can remember my thoughts on it. Rooney Mara stars as Emily, a young woman who is struggling after the recent release of her husband (Channing Tatum) who was doing prison time for insider trading. Emily begins seeing a therapist (Jude Law) who prescribes a new drug to help her deal with her issues. A side effect of the drug is that it causes her to sleepwalk. During one of her sleepwalking episodes she unknowingly stabs her husband with a knife, killing him. From there the film takes several twists and turns as it is unclear as to who truly is responsible for this death. Directed by Steven Soderbergh in what is apparently his last film, Side Effects begins very compelling. Soderbergh creates a great sense of mystery and suspense. The social commentary on the over-reliance on prescription medication also feels fresh and compelling. The film somewhat comes off the rails in the second half with a few too many twists that make it confusing as to some of the characters' motives for their actions and how they benefitted from them. By the film's end you're left unsure as to whether or not the right people got their comeuppance or not. Still, the film is mostly enjoyable thanks to Soderbergh style, which will be missed if he makes his retirement stick. Fans of thrillers would be well off if they made an effort to check this film out. It's an easy prescription for me to fill.

Die hardly

The old adage goes, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". This is a phrase that doesn't exactly hold true in Hollywood. Instead, studios tend to repeat history because they do remember the past. When a formula works, they reuse it time and time again. One of the most frequently used formulas is the Die Hard formula. For the past 25 years since the original Bruce Willis film hit theaters, Hollywood has frequently used the 'one man overcomes the odds to defeat a group of evil terrorists' trope. It's one thing when we are talking about a sequel to the franchise (which we already saw this year). It's another thing when it's a completely separate film that borrows the framework. So then, what are we to make of a film that not only uses the trope but then also uses the exact same context and setup as another film that was released mere months before it?

That is the question were left answering as White House Down, the latest film from master of disaster Roland Emmerich, hits theaters. Just like Olympus Has Fallen (a film which I have yet to see) did this past spring, our country has been put into peril as terrorists infiltrate the White House and hold our government hostage. Playing the role of John McLain this time (right down to the white tank top) is Channing Tatum playing John Cale, a security guard for the Speaker of the House who has aspiration of working for the Secret Service.

When all hell breaks loose, Cale finds himself as the lone guy able to help protect President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx, doing a not so subtle job of actually playing President Obama). The two scamper through the White House hoping to avoid death while also trying to eliminate the bad guys. Of course, the film finds time to have this racially mismatched duo crack wise with each other during the down moments, which feels cribbed from Die Hard 3.

We then move on to borrowing from the fourth Die Hard film as the protagonist's kid is put into peril. In this case, the moppet is Joey King, playing Cale's daughter. She's a political junkie who happened to be visiting the White House with her father at the time of the attacks. And of course, to remind us that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, we get several scenes of her finding ways of talking tough and standing up to the terrorists, even though most 10 years would be absolutely petrified by the events that occur in the film.

And if you thought that Die Hard 2 was ignored, you'd be wrong. These domestic terrorists are able to gain access to these government buildings with embarrassing ease largely because of their being at least one, if not more, moles within the President's administration. Apparently, in this America, the concept of background checks is the only thing that is too far-fetched.

I will grant you that director Roland Emmerich will never be confused as someone who makes sophisticated films. If you've seen any of his previous films, you'll know that they require you to stop thinking and just enjoy the goofy ride. I've been able to do that with some of his past films because they are so outlandish in their attempts at putting people in peril. However, after completely destroying the world in 2012, he really had no way of topping himself and thus this film feels like a let down. There are a few moments of zany inspiration, like a rocket launcher being used during a car chase on the front lawn of the White House, but it overall just felt like a noisy rerun of better action films.

There's an attempt to add some gravitas to the picture through its casting. James Woods is the retiring head of the Secret Service. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a Secret Service agent. And Richard Jenkins plays the aforementioned Speaker of the House. They all manage to keep a straight face through this silly plot, but their presence alone isn't enough to improve the overall quality of the film. As for Tatum and Foxx, they seem to be having fun in their respective roles, but they also come off as pale imitations of the real or fictional person they are emulating.

For a film like this to work, there needs to be a true sense of fun, which is absent here. You have to slog through a half hour of obvious exposition to set up every single plot payoff that will come in the film's finale. And as the action starts to pick up, the film spends too much time trying to figure out how reverent it should be when it comes to depicting a White House under siege. I also could have done with one or two fewer twists that come near the films end that unnecessarily overcomplicate the film's plot. I don't have a problem when a film liberally borrows from a successful formula, but White House Down follows it so dutifully that it prevents the film from being the escapist fun that it should be. Grade: C

2013 Movie Preview (#24 - 19)

#24. 42 (April 12)

Plot: 42 will star Academy Award nominee Harrison Ford (What Lies Beneath, Air Force One, Witness) as the innovative Dodger's general manager Branch Rickey, the MLB executive who first signed baseball great Jackie Robinson to the minors and then helped to bring him up to the show, and Chadwick Boseman (The Express) as Robinson, the heroic African American who was the first man to break the color line in the big leagues. The film also stars Nicole Beharie (Shame) as Rachel Isum, who would become Robinson's wife, as well as Christopher Meloni (upcoming Man of Steel) and T.R. Knight (TV's Grey's Anatomy).

Personal Opinion: As you no doubt know, I'm a baseball fan so anytime a new film about America's pasttime hits the screen I'm instantly interested. The fact that this one is about one of the most prolific players in baseball's history makes it all the more appealing. Based on the trailer that came out this past fall, it seems like this one could feature some very good performances including Ford as Branch Rickey. Oscar films don't usually come out in the spring, but this one may end up being an exception.


#23. Runner Runner (September 27)

Plot: A dramatic thriller based in the world of offshore online gaming and dealing with the tense relationship between the business' owner and his younger protege.

Personal Opinion: After Argo, nobody is hotter right now than Ben Affleck. Though he is not directing this film, I'm still excited to see what he does as a follow-up. Pairing him with Justin Timberlake who's acting career is on the rise gives this film quite the duo. Though there's nothing new about films dealing with competitive rivalries in business, the online gaming aspect of the plot makes this feel like something fresh and original.


#22. Delivery Man (October 4)

Plot: From DreamWorks Pictures comes "Delivery Man," the story of affable underachiever David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn), whose mundane life is turned upside down when he finds out that he fathered 533 children through sperm donations he made twenty years earlier. In debt to the mob, rejected by his pregnant girlfriend, things couldn't look worse for David when he is hit with a lawsuit from 142 of the 533 twenty-somethings who want to know the identity of the donor. As David struggles to decide whether or not he should reveal his true identity, he embarks on a journey that leads him to discover not only his true self but the father he could become as well.

Personal Opinion: The story here has a lot of potential. The key will be the direction they take this story. If the comedy is too broad, then this could be a disaster. There's also a risk of the film being too serious. But if it strikes the right tone this could be a real comedic gem. Known for his fast-talking charm, Vince Vaughn seems like a good choice to play this 'delivery man'.


#21. RED 2 (August 2)

Plot: "RED 2" brings back the team of retired CIA operatives as they use their old-school style to take on a new set of enemies all across Europe.

Personal Opinion: The first film was a surprising treat. It found the proper balance of humor and action while also giving us the joy of seeing these older people having the fun typically engaged in by actors half their age. The key question here though is whether or not there will be Bruce Willis fatigue after the new Die Hard and the G.I. Joe sequel comes out earlier in the year.


#20. The To Do List (August 16)

Plot: Starring Aubrey Plaza ("Safety Not Guaranteed"), "The To Do List" follows the story of Brandy Klark (Plaza), a Type-A, overachiever who comes up with a "to-do list" featuring all the risque extra-curricular activities she missed out on in high school and wants to complete before college. Rachel Bilson ("Hart of Dixie"), Bill Hader ("Men In Black 3"), Andy Samberg ("Saturday Night Live"), Scott Porter ("The Good Wife"), Connie Britton ("American Horror Story"), Clark Gregg ("The Avengers"), Christopher Mintz-Plasse ("Superbad"), Donald Glover ("Community"), Johnny Simmons ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower"), Sarah Steele ("Please Give") and Alia Shawkat ("The Oranges") co-star in the film.

Personal Opinion: I make no pretenses that this will be a small indie comedy that most people won't see, but that doesn't my interest in it in the least. What's not to like about a film that features a cast like the one listed above. Aubrey Plaza proved in Safety Not Guaranteed that she has leading woman capabilities. If this film earns any sort of recognition, she could easily cement that status. If not, then at the very least, this will be harmless comedy that will serve as a nice way to enjoy the final days of summer.


#19. White House Down (June 28)

Plot: The storyline concerns a para-military takeover of the White House.

Personal Opinion: Though it's not indicated above, this film is being directed by Roland Emmerich, which will likely mean that this will be one big, noisy mess of a film and yet somehow I'm still intrigued by it. A White House takeover is a plot that hasn't been overdone and when done right, like it was on 24, it can make for a very compelling story. While he doesn't do much for me, the fact that Channing Tatum, after the big year he just had, is in the cast can only help its cause.

Bad medicine

The subject matter of Side Effects doesn't exactly seem like it would be the type of film that I would gravitate toward, but given that this is being directed by Steven Soderbergh, I'm inherently interested in it. Here's the first trailer to watch and see what you think.

RBR: 21 Jump Street

The last thing we needed was yet another movie made based off of a TV show, but at least 21 Jump Street has the courtesy of acknowledging this fact and having some fun with it. There is plenty to like here as Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have fun playing cops who go undercover as high school students in order to bust a drug ring. A lot of that comes from them going against their original roles in high school (Tatum hangs with the nerds, while Hill buddies up with the cool kids). Even though the film yields some decent laughs, I also grew frustrated with the fact that the film felt that it was more clever than it really was. Several jokes are included that try to mock cop movie cliches, but most of them have either been done before or just didn't work in their execution. There's a running gag about expected explosions that never really pays off. I did appreciate the fact that they rounded out the cast with several funny people who helped give the film a bit more credibility. Nick Offerman, Rob Riggle, Ice Cube and Ellie Kemper all briefly show up and do their best to milk the most out of their screentime. I'm sure those in high school particularly found this film funny, but as I get further away from that period of my life, I find it more difficult to relate to what they appreciate. This is far from a perfect film, but I do give them an A for effort. Given the poor execution though, it's actual rating is much lower. Rating: *** 1/2

RBR: Haywire

MMA fighter Gina Carano makes her screen debut in this spy thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh. Carano does need to do much in the way of acting here, but shows enough screen presence to suggest that she may have a future in Hollywood. Her cage fighting experience, however, is put to good use here as she has several impressive scenes where she is handily beating up men twice her size. While Carano may not have much experience in front of the camera, Soderbergh certainly has plenty behind it and his style is felt throughout the entire film. His trademark touches work both in the film's favor and to its detriment. The film is very stylish with its beautiful shot locations and omnipresent soundtrack. As far as the film's plot, the minimalist approach taken her is a bit disappointing. Don't expect much in terms of freshness when it comes to this story about a spy who's been burned by their own organization. This is Jason Bourne lite in more ways than one. If you're a person who favors style over substance, you should really enjoy this film. For those who like a little bit more meat on the bones when it comes to story, then you may be left feeling hungry. I like the film's look and its cast (Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, and Bill Paxton all show up in small roles) but I would have prefered a bit stronger narrative connecting all of Carano's asskickings together. Rating: *** 1/2