2014 Movie Preview: #30 - Transformers: Age of Extinction

So I am doing my list of most anticipated films for the new year slightly different this year. Instead of doing big long posts that chronicle five or six films leading up to #1, I am going to give each of these films their own moment in the sun by doing individual posts on each of them. This way I can break up the posts a little bit more with additional content as we work our way to #1.

I know most people (myself included) seem to be already looking beyond next year to 2015 given the slate of major blockbusters already set to come out, but that doesn't mean that 2014 is without merit. There are still plenty of films to get excited about, so let's get right to the list.

Release date: June 27

Plot summary: This is the fourth installment in the Transformers franchise. Michael Bay returns to direct once again. Not much is known about the story thus far, but there are rumors that this fourth film will feature Dinobots. Mark Wahlberg is set to star in the film.

My take: I was this close to leaving this film off my list, given my less than enthusiastic response to the previous films. However, there are signs that this latest entry may still have merit. The fact that Shia Labeouf will not be returning gives me hope that the human side of the story will be more tolerable. Plus Wahlberg has shown he knows how to do action films, so having him on board can't hurt. The rumor of Dinobots being included is intriguing and could help to breath some new life into this franchise.

RBR: 2 Guns

You would never hear anyone note similarities in the acting styles of Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg and yet teaming them together has produced quite the charismatic pair in 2 Guns, an action thriller from earlier this year. Washington is a DEA agent and Wahlberg is a Marine who have teamed up to take down a Mexican drug lord (played by Edward James Olmos) without fully revealing to the other who they really are or their motivations. The banter between them provides the film with a nice spark that resembles some of the pairing of great 80s buddy cop movies like Lethal Weapon or 48 Hours. Because these two keep their plans from each other, it sets up a number of other characters in the film who also have their own agendas. While it makes the story a bit preposterous, it is also exciting because you cannot immediately tell how things will turn out. Paula Patton fills the sex appeal role playing a fellow agent working with Washington. I would have actually like to see a bit more development in her character, but she's at least easy on the eyes. Given the breezy chemistry that the two leads had it is disappointing that the film opted to have the action portrayed in such a violent manner. The film's title is quite the misnomer given that way more than two guns are used. The violence shown here suggests a grittier film than the way Washington and Wahlberg play things. A more consistent film would have produced something great. As it is, this merely settles for being a solidly entertaining film and makes me interested in seeing these two leads team up again either in a sequel or in an unrelated project. Rating: ****

RBR: Broken City (Quick hits)

Talk about a dreadfully dull film. You would think that a film starring Russell Crowe, Mark Wahlberg, and Catherine Zeta Jones would crackle with life, but this nearly put me to sleep. About the only thing keeping me awake was trying to wrap my head around the numerous plot holes and mistakes that are found in the story. Like Admission, we see a lot of characters doing dumb things that make no sense to anyone with half a brain. I was hoping for some decent police/political thriller but this material isn't even worth doing on a fourth rate Law & Order spinoff. Rating: **

2 tickets to the Guns show

Here's a trailer for the new action comedy 2 Guns starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. This looks like it could be a lot of fun, particularly during the dog days of summer.

Trouble bruin

Seth McFarland is nothing if not a multitasker. Most know him for being the creative force behind three of FOX's wildly popular Sunday animated shows (Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show). He's also been known to dabble in music, releasing an album recently of him crooning like Sinatra. In his latest effort, Ted, he's the writer and director, as well as provides the voice of the titular talking teddy bear. With his first foray into film, McFarland proves he's can successfully bring his brand of comedy to the big screen.

The film is about a boy named John Bennett, who after struggling to make real friends, wishes that his stuffed teddy bear could come to life. Lo and behold, his wish comes true and the two become best friends all the way into adulthood (Mark Wahlberg plays the adult John). The pair become quite the duo of raunch and debauchery as they drink, smoke weed, and curse up a storm (and curse at a storm even, given their fear of thunder). All of this comes at the dismay of John's longtime girlfriend (played by Mila Kunis), who would like to see him settle into adulthood.

With a film like this, you come for the premise and stay for the jokes. In the case of this film, the humor is a mixed bag. What was remarkable though was that as I sat in a crowded theater, there were really no jokes that fall flat. McFarland's humor is a scattershot attack on everything, which resulted in every joke earning laughs, but not from everyone in the crowd. I for one really enjoyed a running gag about Tom Skeritt, that few other people seemed to appreciate, yet there were other jokes that earned big laughs from other viewers while I saw the punchline coming a mile away. I can't guarantee you'll laugh at everything here, but you're bound to find at least a few jokes that tickle your funny bone.

Of course this wouldn't be a Seth McFarland production if he didn't bring along a number of the people who have worked with him on his tv shows. Alex Borstein, Patrick Warburton, Patrick Stewart, and a whole host of others (plus Kunis) all contribute to the hilarity in some form or another. In addition, there are several other familiar faces new to the McFarland universe including Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi, plus some other surprise cameos that I won't spoil here.

But for as much as I laughed, there are still some weaknesses. For one, as much as I like Wahlberg and Kunis individually I didn't find them to have particularly strong chemistry and they just didn't have an overall good fit. More importantly, the film struggles from a narrative perspective. The central theme of growing up and choosing love over friendship doesn't feel particularly fresh and has been done better by other films. You also have the ADD nature to McFarland's storytelling that is problematic in his TV shows as well. Thrown into this film are subplots involving Kunis' lecherous boss (McHale) and a stranger (Ribisi) obsessed with having Ted be a toy for his son. Each of these serve as a distraction rather than an enhancement for the central plot. Lastly, while I respect McFarland for wanting to have this truly be his film, I did not think much of his work as a director. The film has somewhat of a cheap look to it and it could have come off so much better in more capable hands.

In the end though, most people are not coming for cinematography and in-depth plot development, so the film's weakness are not likely to keep people away from seeing this film. What you get here is basically an extra long episode of Family Guy with no restraints as to what can be said or shown. For most, and that includes myself, that's certainly enough. If the previews don't make it clear enough, this film definitely earns all of its R-rated, so leave your morals at the door when you watch this movie. McFarland lets the fur fly here and the result is a bear-y funny movie. Grade: B

RBR: Contraband

If you're like me, you probably had the same reaction upon seeing the ads for Contraband last January - how many times are we going to do the 'reformed criminal goes back for one last score' story? And while it's true that this film treads on familiar territory, it also does so in a competent and entertaining way. This particular story focuses on Mark Wahlberg playing a skilled smuggler who has gone clean but gets called back in for a final job after his pathetic brother-in-law finds himself in debt to a sleazy, hyperkinetic drug dealer (played naturally by Giovanni Ribisi). The entire cast is solid here as there is also Ben Foster playing Wahlberg's friend, Kate Beckinsale as Wahlberg's wife, and the always enjoyable J.K. Simmons as the boat captain who thinks he's a step ahead of Wahlberg but is typically two steps behind. The film does a nice job of keeping the action moving and providing enough twists in the story to avoid becoming overly critical. If I had a complaint it's that I feel they played it safe and went with an Ocean's 11 style ending where everything not only works out, but works out very well for the good guys and lousy for the bad guys. There were opportunities in this story for them to take some more chances with the film's outcome, but they opted not to pull the trigger. So while it failed to become something special, it can still be considered quality entertainment. If you had skipped this last winter because it was too cold to go to the movies, rectify this situation now and give it a chance as a rental Rental: ****