RBR: Brave

After a rare mistep for Pixar last year with the ill-conceived Cars 2, the animation king looked to right their wrong with this tale about the relationship between a Scottish queen and her rebellious daughter. While Brave has the right look of a Pixar film, there's something off about this picture. This feels like Disney made an unfair trade with Pixar by giving them one of their simplistic princess stories while keeping the genre-bending innovative story (Wreck-It Ralph) for themselves. As a result, this is a film that's hard to hate because it's technically sound and has a nice message, but is also difficult to embrace, especially for someone in my demographic. The first half of the film which deals with Merida, the film's central character, and her problems assimilating to the princess lifestyle are solid. However, the film sort of goes off the rails after an ill-worded wish (how many times are we going to see that trope used) changes Merida's mother and their relationship. It would not have been the direction I would have gone with and it just doesn't seem to provide a lot of humor and/or dramatic tension. This seems to be a movie that will appeal to only a very small segment of viewers who are old enough to not be scared by some of the more tense moments and young enough to still find the story's cliches to be fresh. While I haven't lost my confidence in Pixar, I certainly hope that they have not grown complacent into thinking this is an acceptable quality level for future films. Rating: *** 1/2

Call them, maybe

There's a really insightful and detailed interview with Dan Ackroyd about Ghostbusters 3 and the development hell it's currently in. In it he expresses his (and fans') frustration and also reveals some details about what we can and shouldn't expect if the film actually gets made. The Esquire interview is too long to post here, so I'll just provide a link for you to check out. If you're a fan like me, it's definitely worth a read.

It's the end of the year as we know it

I'm sure there will be a bunch of these coming out over the next couple of weeks, but this is the first I saw and was very impressed with it. Here's a mashup of the greatest moments from the 2012 movie trailers. What's even more impressive is that the creator of the video actually has a purpose behind the organization of his clips. If you visit the actual YouTube page, you can see how he broke the video into three distinct sections, each with its own theme.

Trading louses

From EW.com:

You may now exclaim, “Holy crap! Woo hoo!”: Seth MacFarlane has recorded a guest spot on The Simpsons.

The Family Guy creator and voice actor (not to mention one of EW’s Entertainers of the Year and the host of the upcoming Oscars) will try to romance Marge in an episode that’s slated to air next fall as the season 25 premiere, EW has learned. The two popular animated shows, of course, share a network, a night, an overweight patriarch that falls well shy of role model, and a rivalry as they’ve playfully jabbed each other on screen over the years. “We wanted to come together in a bipartisan way to make Fox Sunday night rock,” sums up Simpsons executive producer Al Jean of the MacFarlane casting. “This was all very fun.”

In the episode, titled “Dangers on a Train,” Marge mistakes an Ashley Madison-type website for a Dolly Madison-type cupcake site, not realizing that it’s a destination for married people to arrange affairs. While on the site, she encounters the charming Ben (MacFarlane), who pursues her as they bond over their mutual love of a Downton Abbey-ish series, Upton Rectory. “A lot of him trying to go after her is over the phone, so it’s a perfect part for someone with his voice,” says Jean, who adds that the smooth-voiced MacFarlane croons “The Way You Look Tonight” in the episode. (By the way, Ben’s wife is voiced by comedian Lisa Lampanelli, “which explains what’s wrong with his marriage,” quips Jean.)

MacFarlane — who lent his voice to Matt Groening’s other animated series, Futurama, in 2009 — welcomed the offer to visit Springfield. “We thought we had a great part that he’d be perfect for, and it would be great to have him on our show, so it worked out just right,” says Jean, noting: “There’s been a little rivalry. We’re both humor shows and we make jokes, but it’s always been friendly.”

In fact, “Dangers on a Train” contains a joke that tweaks both Family Guy and The Simpsons. During one of Marge and Ben’s conversations, says Jean, “they talk about this Downton Abbey show and they say, ‘There’s so much great stuff on Sunday nights… except on Fox.’”

Will Family Guy flip the script and feature some Simpsons talent on an upcoming episode? MacFarlane was unavailable for comment, but Jean says, “I’m hopeful that there will be something of us on their show but that’s up to them. We’d certainly welcome it.” In any case, he adds, “for Seth, it completes the Saturday Night Live/Oscar host/Simpsons triple crown that exists only in my head.”

(UPDATE: Some of you have astutely noted that Dan Castellaneta had a one-line cameo in an October episode of Family Guy. We were asking if Family Guy will return the favor with a prominent guest role like MacFarlane’s.)

RBR: Lawless

Somewhere buried inside Lawless, the true story of the Bondurant brothers who ran the biggest moonshine outfit in Virginia during prohibition, is a really good movie. It's unfortunate that director John Hillcoat is unable to get that on screen. For everything going for this film, there seems to be some sort of counteracting element. Tom Hardy, who more people saw as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises this summer, actually gives a more compelling performance here as Forest Bondurant. He is a man of few words and yet you hang on to everything he says. But then there's Shia Labeouf who is completely out of place here. Too much of the film centers around his petulant character that becomes more grating as the movie goes along. Labeouf's hacky performance though is not the only problem with this film. Gary Oldman who plays a Chicago gangster is excellent as always but is severely underutilized. I expected him to play a much larger role, yet by the film's climax he's completely gone. There are also some major pacing issues with the film. The first half of the film feels very choppy and unfinished. Scenes are strung together with no real coherency. At times I felt like I had been drinking moonshine and kept blacking out. The second half of the film turns into a traditional shoot-out that felt needlessly bloody and violent without giving a completely satisfactory conclusion. While I've focused on a lot of the negatives, I don't want to give the impression that this is a film without merit. The flaws of this film are only more apparent because of how close it was to being a great movie. I think if the subject matter is of interest to you, I would definitely recommend checking this film out now that it's available to rent. Though it's not a 100 proof, there's still enough here to give you a decent buzz. Rating: ****

Bonehead appetit

Courtesy of The Soup, I give you the "charismatic", "culinary expertise" of Steven Reed who helps the students of Weber State with all of their food needs. This guy needs his own Food Network show right now! Below, Steven offers viewers some insight on how to make a delicious dish of rice, or something.

Sullying his good name

The last time director Robert Zemeckis made a film involving live human beings was 2000's Cast Away. That was the story of Tom Hanks trying to go through life after surviving a plane crash. In his latest effort, Flight, Zemeckis once again gives us a tale of a plane crash survivor and his life in the aftermath. The focal survivor in this film is the airplane's pilot, Whip Whitaker, played by Denzel Washington.

In this case, the events leading up to the crash are just as important as the ones that proceed it. We learn quickly that Whip has a problem with alcohol and drugs. He not only drinks prior to the flight, but on the plane as well. During one flight, a mechanical problem with the plane occurs and Whip is forced to flip the plane mid-air in order to land the plane with minimal damage. Without the maneuver the plane would have crashed and killed everyone instantly. But thanks to his efforts, there was minimal loss of life and Whip becomes a hero

It is only when the crash comes under investigation that Whip's problems with alcohol come to light. From there, the film examines in detail Whip's demons and the effects it has on those around him. Whenever a film tackles the subject of addiction, the results can be vary wildly from overblown melodrama to sobering realism. For the most part, Washington is very effective in his performance. What makes his portrayal so fascinating is the way he is able to be so functional in most aspects of his life despite his crippling dependency on booze. Given the subject matter, it would not surprise me in the least if this earns Washington another Best Actor nomination come Oscar time

But for as strong of a performance as Washington gives, I couldn't help but feel cheated that the film chose to strictly focus on it. I would have preferred the story to be more mystery-centered, leaving the audience wondering if Whip had been drunk while flying the plane and if that was the result of the crash. That aspect gets thrown to the side in favor of an uninteresting subplot involving Whip forming a relationship with a fellow addict (Kelly Reilly). More time should have been spent with either Don Cheadle, who plays a lawyer representing Whip, or John Goodman who plays hippie who helps supply Whip with drugs. These are characters that Cheadle and Goodman have played before, but they are so good at what they do you can't help but want to see their screentime maximized.

As with Cast Away, the story ultimately lets down what would have otherwise been a good movie. Clearly Zemeckis knows what he's doing when it comes to visual effects. The scenes involving the plane crash is harrowing in the way it is depicted. Those who are uneasy with flying to begin with will likely want to stay away from this movie. However, seems to have trouble sticking the landing, no pun intended, when it comes to finishing his movies. With Cast Away, he opted to go for a realistic, ambiguous finish when that story desperately needed a feel-good Hollywood ending. In Flight, he delivers the exact opposite problem. Up until the ending, this movie is a grim, realistic portrayal of an alcoholic. Then in the closing minutes things gets wrapped up in a tidy, saccharine manner that would be more fitting of a movie made for Lifetime.

There's a lot to like about Flight, but like its protagonist, it is deeply flawed. On the weight of the acting performances and visually stunning crash scenes, I'd say this movie is worthy of a recommendation. It helps, though, to come into this movie knowing what you can expect to see so you can better appreciate what the film is trying to accomplish. Even if he failed to soar to new heights, Zemeckis manages to keep the movie cruising at a consistent level of entertainment. Grade: B

Back to the Future

From movies.com

Once it was revealed that the sequel to X-Men: First Class would be an adaptation of the very popular story arc in the comics called X-Men: Days of Future Past, people immediately began speculating about how much this new, prequel franchise would integrate with the first X-Men trilogy. The comic's story involves two different timelines merging, which certainly opens up the possibility of characters and actors from Bryan Singer's films once again reprising their roles. And lo and behold, that's exactly what's happening.

Singer, who recently took over directing the project from First Class director Matthew Vaughn, confirmed today on Twitter that Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen were joining Days of Future Past as Professor X and Magneto. He also confirmed that James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult would be returning as well, which is pretty damned awesome news, if you ask us.

Of course this early on we don't know how much of the film will take place in the McAvoy/Fassbender past and the Stewart/McKellen future, but if the director of the film is comfortable announcing the veteran actors now, it's safe to say they're not just going to be cute little cameos. And all this timeline blending will surely also server as a clever way to address some of the continuity issues that our own John Gholson pointed out when First Class released.

So what say you, X-Men fans? Are you excited to see the new and old school on the big screen together? Who else from Singer's X-Men films do you hope shows up here?

RBR: The Raven

A movie that looked like it could be a scarier version of the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes; franchise turned out to be nothing more than a derivative bore. The plot centers around a series of murders that are all connected to stories written by Edgar Allen Poe. John Cusack plays Poe, who assists the police in trying to find this serial killer. Typically a fine actor, Cusack seems to be borrowing from too many other quirky characters to make Poe truly feel unique or interesting. Alice Eve plays the obligatory love interest/damsel in distress. It was hard to evaluate her acting here since I was too busy staring at her glaringly bright white teeth that stood out like a sore thumb in dirty, dingy mid 19th century Baltimore. A major problem with the film is that there isn't much mystery to the story. The whodunnit becomes fairly easy is you simply use process of elimination amongst the cast of characters who have received any screentime throughout the film. Even worse, the person who is responsible is so forgettable and lacking in any true menace that when the reveal is made is feels like even more of a let down. Stripped of any sense of mystery, the movie becomes a grim feature that barely held my interest. I was hoping for a lot more here but they just could not deliver. To those who wonder if I'll ever watch this again, my response is simply - nevermore. Rating: **

Hip to be Square

GQ made the wise choice of honoring the cast of Parks and Recreation in their Man of the Year issue and to commemorate the honor, the gang from Pawnee made this awesome video playing a game of Hollywood Squares. Enjoy it below!

Covert tops

Picture it...the year was 1980. I was a mere speck in my parents' eyes as the world was in turmoil thanks to unrest in Iran that led to several U.S. embassy employees to be taken hostage. A few select Americans managed to avoid capture and fled to the nearby home of the Canadian ambassador. Though free, these individuals have no was of getting out of the country without being recognized as the missing embassy workers. Realizing this, the CIA must find a way of safely bringing them back home.

This sets the stage for Argo, the terrific film by Ben Affleck who is turning into quite the polished director despite only having three films under his belt. He has managed to turn a story that most people already know the outcome into one of the most thrilling, gripping stories in a long time. Part of that is due to the stranger than fiction approach that the CIA used in order to extricate these people

Affleck also stars as Tony Mendez, the man who comes out with the wild rescue plan. Mendez works with a producer in Hollywood (Alan Arkin) in order to create a fake movie. Mendez then travels to Iran under the guise of wanting to shoot scenes in the country. He then pretends that the embassy workers are members of his crew in order to bring them back with him. Argo refers to the name of the fake movie.

With the way the film is constructed, you really get three films in one. One story involves Mendez's time in Hollywood trying to put all of the pieces together for this fake movie. Along with Arkin, these scenes also feature John Goodman playing a visual effects expert who serves as a sort of liason between Washington and Hollywood. Being a film lover, I truly enjoyed these scenes and the ability to see some of the inner workings of the film industry. It turns out it's pretty easy to earn buzz for a film, even a fake one.

The second story involves the drama and political maneuvering taking place in Washington. We see a lot of hesitation from some of the political bigwigs to go along with Mendez's plan. They even pull the plug on the whole plan at a critical point, which provides some great tension. Bryan Cranston, who plays Mendez's boss is simply terrific here. You feel the dilemma he goes through between appeasing the higher ups and supporting Mendez.

Finally, we get the scenes in Iran. One of the most impressive things about this film is that Affleck does not simply paint them as the 'evil foreigner'. We understand their perspective on this matter. In that way, we see how tenuous of a situation the Americans were in. These were people who felt very strongly about their beliefs and wanted an injustice (from their perspective) rectified. I have no doubt that some creative liberties were taken when depicting the effort to get these Americans back home, but when the end result is such a captivating film, you don't really mind.

Regardless of how familiar you are with this story, I whole-heartedly recommend that you check it out. Affleck does a great job of transporting you back to this period of history. The costuming and music are authentic. Actual news footage is also expertly interwoven into the film. You will find yourself just as captivated with this film as you were with the actual events back in the day. And given the Oscar buzz that this movie is receiving, I'm clearly not alone in thinking this. This is one history lesson you'll have no problem staying awake through. Grade: A

RBR: That's My Boy

Watching an Adam Sandler film is a lot like eating Taco Bell after midnight. When you're young, you enjoy it even if you realize doing so offers you no nutritional value. But as you get older you continue to do it only to instantly regret the decision and realize how disgusting it is. Though I may be maturing, it seems as if Sandler is regressing with each film. His latest effort continues his recent run of disappointingly unfunny films. That's My Boy sees Sandler attempt more R-rated fare and it doesn't help matters. Sex jokes and bodily function humor are used with wreckless abandon in hopes of covering up for a flimsy plot. Sandler plays a deadbeat dad who impregnated his teacher when he was in junior high. Now that his son (Andy Samberg)is grown up and ready to get married himself, he tries to reconnect with him in order to get some money from him. Of course, in staying with him he learns what it means to be a good father (sort of) and everyone lives happily ever after. While the plot slogs along from one obvious point to another, the humor is so crass and off the wall, that no one could see it coming a mile away - primarily because it requires a sick mind to think incest jokes are ever a good idea. At this point, it seems like the best thing for Sandler is for me and everyone to stop watching films like this to help him see he needs to put a better effort into what he's offering the viewing public. Otherwise, audiences will continue to suffer through 'fouth meal' entertainment like this. Rating: * 1/2

Illusions of grandeur

Heist movies are a personal favorite of mine and when you throw in a litle magic, plus a killer cast, well then you've got the recipe for a movie that will likely find its way on my 2013 preview next month. Until then, you can enjoy the trailer for Now You See Me here below.

Chevy bolt

From EW.com

Community will be losing a cast member, and it’s… the one that you were thinking: Chevy Chase. The 69-year-old actor, who stars as the wealthy, grumpy and bigoted Pierce Hawthorne, is exiting the NBC ensemble comedy by mutual agreement, sources close to the show confirm. (Deadline first reported the news.)

It’s not exactly shocking news, as Chase has endured a rocky relationship with the series that he does not always speak warmly about. He engaged in a feud with series creator Dan Harmon that went public last year over an expletive-laced voicemail message that Chase left Harmon. (Harmon was dismissed from the show last spring.) Last month, production was interrupted when Chase, reportedly unhappy with the material he was shooting, used the N-word in an outburst while trying to make a point about the direction of his racist character.

After having its Oct. 19 premiere date postponed, Community finally returns to the air on Feb. 7 to kick off its fourth and possibly final season with 13 new episodes. Chase will appear in all but two of them — which have yet to be filmed — and he will be seen in the season finale, which has already been shot.

The new showrunners, David Guarascio and Moses Port, had sounded optimistic when talking about Chase earlier this fall. “The truth is we’ve had a very easy working relationship with Chevy, maybe just because it was so volatile before, there’s no fight left,” Guarascio told EW with a laugh. “We sat down, had a real nice lunch… And so it’s been really easy for us. He also says what he wants to say and does what he wants to do, and you just can’t control any of that aspect of it.”

A Hitch in time

This trailer has been out for a while now, but I'm just getting around to post it. There may be a late entry into the Oscar race as this film about famed director Alfred Hitchcock's effort to get Psycho made seems to be just the type of film that the Academy loves. The fact that it stars award winners Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren only helps. Anyways, you can check out the trailer below.

RBR: The Amazing Spider-Man

The fact that I waited until home video to watch this movie shows you the lack of urgency I had in seeing a reboot of this franchise. Despite having the story told to us a mere 10 years earlier, we once again sit through the origins of young Peter Parker getting bit by a spider and losing his uncle leading to his transformation into Spider-Man. This time around he's played by Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) who gives us a more rebellious than nerdy take on the character. One deviation from the previous origin story is that this one focuses on Peter's romance with Gwen Stacy. She's played by the always charming Emma Stone. Both she and Garfield give good performances although I don't necessary buy them as high schoolers. The biggest problem for me is that my familiarity with the story left me focusing on smaller details that irked me. For instance, the film takes place in New York, yet you would think that this is some post-apocalyptic version of the city considering how few people we actually see in the city outside of the primary characters. I also noticed the financial cheats the movie takes by having so much of it filmed in the shadows. You don't need a whole lot of CGI detail when everything is pitch black. Apparently all of the money was spent on the cast and it was not money well spent. You get distinguished actors like Sally Field and Martin Sheen to star as Peter's aunt and uncle and then waste them. Sheen unsurprisingly is killed off early on and Field more surprisingly disappears halfway through the film only to make a token appearance near the end. Director Marc Webb attempts to bring some gravitas to the franchise with his indie filmmaking style, but frankly it just wasn't needed. Flaws aside, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films actually felt like a comic book come to life. For all the realism that this adaptation offers, it equally saps the fun out of the story. This is a wholly unnecessary film (except for the people at Sony who needed to make it in order to prevent the rights from going over to Disney/Marvel) that doesn't need to be seem. It's harmless enough as a rental, but not a film that you need to go out of your way to see. Rating: ** 1/2

Fool's Gold

I try to pride myself on being a Bond expert, but apparently there was a "lost" James Bond film that is now only coming to the light of day. From Funny or Die, I present to you To Have and To Gold

Lost Bond Film with Chris Kattan from Chris Kattan

Falling upward

There are other movies I have yet to review, but there was no way I was going to wait on this one. Waiting it seems is all I have been doing when it comes to James Bond lately. Fans like myself have eagerly anticipated the 23rd film, Skyfall. At the very least, we've been waiting at least four years since Quantum of Solace, but given the failures of that film, it's felt even longer since we've had a true Bond film.

Since taking over as 007, the Daniel Craig era has been a time of transition. Beginning with Casino Royale the origins of Bond and how he became the spy we've come to know have been developed. In this latest film, which also marks the 50th anniversary of the film franchise, there are questions as to the relevancy of this man. Has James Bond become too old or out of date in a new world of terror and threats? I think it's clear by the end of the film that while there is always a need for adapting to changing times, there is also something timeless about this character that is not only capable of still saving the world by giving audiences what they want.

As I mentioned earlier, the last film was a disaster in many ways, so I had a checklist of items that I wanted to see in this film in order for me to be satisfied that this franchise wasn't in trouble. Thankfully practically all of those items were accomplished. For example, Daniel Kleinman was brought back to create a proper title sequence after the visual eyesore that was seen in the previous movie. We also have a more traditional title song which actually includes the title in it thanks to British songstress Adele. And we also begin to see some longtime characters receive re-introductions. Ben Wishaw gives us a fresh take on Q, the man responsible for all of Bond's gadgets. I liked the back-and-forth he and Craig have in this film and while no one could ever replace the great Desmond LLewelyn, I look forward to see this Q in many more films to come.

Now in his third try, Craig gives his most comfortable and developed performance to date as Bond. He seems to have a clear sense of what he wants to do with the character. His take is uniquely his own while still being respectful of the character and the men who have played him before. While there's always going to be that damaged aspect of his character, I was so pleased to see him infuse more humor into the performance as well as reignite his appetite for women after pining over just one for the past two films

While Craig has a standout performance, this film is as much about M (Judi Dench) as it is about Bond. Her character, and mi6 as a whole come under heavy scrutiny after a hard drive containing a list of all agents, their current locations and real names is stolen. The amazing Ralph Finnes plays Mallory, a man who's asked to watch over M and help her clean up this mess.

We learn that the man responsible for the stole hard drive is a former agent named Silva, played by Bardem. Bardem, who won an Oscar playing the villanous Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, creates a wholly different, yet still highly memorable bad guy here. He's equal parts crafty and creepy. The monologue he delivers upon first meeting Bond is one of the best scenes in the entire film.

There are several great scenes in this film though thanks largely to the great direction by Sam Mendes. He, along with cinematographer Roger Deakins, give us one of the most beautiful Bond movies ever. The use of rich colors, beautiful landscapes, and well choreographed action scenes make this film a visual delight. I would gladly have Mendes return for another entry if he's interested (Just as long as they never contact Marc Forster ever again).

If I have a complain about this film, it is that at times it does not necessarily feel like a Bond film. For instance, the story is rather insular. The villain's attacks are aimed at mi6 rather than toward the world at large. It doesn't really feel like Bond is saving the world this time. Also, the franchise still feels compelled to thematically and narratively borrow from other franchises. Not only are there traces of the Bourne franchise again, but this time I also felt that they were trying to replicate the success of The Dark Knight. Certainly there is worse material that they could be borrowing from, but with that said, I'd still like for them to be confident in their own franchise and stay true to what has made them successful for so many years.

I think most importantly is that the film has a terrific finish that is not only moving but without giving too much away, puts some key pieces in place that ends this transition stage and allows Bond to finally get back to business. The final scenes have me extremely excited for the next installment. Thankfully, we know that 'James Bond will return' and this time it will only be a two year wait.

Skyfall is a must see for both Bond fans and novices alike. For the purists, this is a great installment that more than makes up for Quantum of Solace and for the newbies out there, this works equally as well as a straightforward action flick that is likely to send your adrenaline soaring Sky high. Grade: A-

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: Safety Not Guaranteed

Quirky is an understatement when it comes to Safety Not Guaranteed a small indie film about a trio of magazine workers going to investigate an odd ad in the personals from a man looking for a companion to time travel with him. The film's title comes from a line included in the ad. Aubrey Plaza from Parks and Recreation stars as one of the curious trio and quickly becomes fascinated with Kenneth (Mark Duplass), a man who is both odd and ernest in his belief of being able to go back in time. With a runtime of barely 80 minutes, the film is brief and yet still offers some fully developed characters. I was engaged by both the central story, as well as the subplots involving the other two magazine workers and was really curious as to how they would resolve this story. Unfortunately the ending is rather disappointing. They wanted a magical ending to this offbeat love story, but I feel they would have been better to opt for something more down to Earth. If a strong ending is important to you, you're best to skip this insignificant film. But if you enjoy being charmed and appreciate good performances, then you may find yourself seeing this as a small treasure. Rating: *** 1/2