The Heat: The newest buddy cop comedy

Today, I look at Paul Feig's new buddy cop comedy.

The Heat:
Sarah Ashburn is an FBI Special Agent, stationed in New York City, who is transferred to Boston to work on a case involving a group of violent drug traders. Ashburn is not well liked by coworkers as she is somewhat awkward and is very arrogant and likes to show off, due to her crime-solving skills. She is forced to partner with the abrasive and alcoholic Detective Shannon Mullins, who is her opposite. She's crude, swears constantly, does things that are probably illegal, disrespects coworkers, and is also, generally disliked by her boss and those around her. They eventually grown on each other and become best friends and vow to take down the sadistic drug dealers, especially when Mullins' family gets involved. This movie really surprised me with how funny it actually is. They hit you with joke after joke after joke, and it's really fun to watch. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy have really good chemistry together. There's actually some genuinely touching moments between them. Marlon Wayans appears as Levy, an FBI Agent who assists Ashburn on the case, and they are shown to have some romantic chemistry together, possibly this will be expanded if the film gets a sequel, which it probably will. The rest of the cast includes Demian Bichir (Che, Savages, A Better Life, American Visa, Machete Kills), Dan Bakkedahl (The Daily Show, Veep, Legit), Tom Wilson (best known as Biff Tannen and his relatives in the Back to the Future Trilogy, as well as appearing in Freaks and Geeks, which Paul Feig was also involved in), Michael Rapaport (Boston Public, True Romance, Prison Break, Cop Land, The War At Home), Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep), Taran Killam (MADtv, Scrubs, The Amanda Show, SNL), Nate Corddry (brother of Rob Corddry, Nate was on The Daily Show, Harry's Law, and The Pacific), Kaitlin Olson (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Michael McDonald (best known for his work on MADtv), and comedian Bill Burr. The cast do a great job, especially Bullock, McCarthy, Wayans, McDonald, and Bakkedahl. Bakkedahl portrays an albino DEA agent who everyone distrusts due to albinos being portrayed as creepy villains in pop media (this is referenced early on when Ashburn watches films such as The Matrix Reloaded and Foul Play on cable, which feature albino antagonists.) McCarthy's comedian husband Ben Falcon makes a cameo in the film (like he did in Bridesmaids and Identity Thief) as an ex-boyfriend of Mullins. The film was directed by Paul Feig, who directed the comedic blockbuster/Oscar-nominee Bridesmaids (McCarthy starred in that as well, that was also her breakout movie), as well as directing several episodes of The Office and Arrested Development, and episodes of 30 Rock, Mad Men, and Packs and Recreation. Feig also created the acclaimed cult TV series Freaks and Geeks. Feig makes a cameo as a doctor in the film. Despite some moments crossing the lines of logic (such as McCarthy pulling guns on citizens in public, or trying to shoot a guy in the balls during an interrogation), the movie is pretty funny. The movie is surprisingly graphic, with bloody headshots and bullet wounds. This doesn't detract from the humor too much, but The Other Guys was funnier than this (not saying this movie is bad, though) and it didn't need bloody headshots and tons of profanity, it just needed funny jokes and a lot of wit, though it could be really crass, too. But besides that, this movie is entertaining and funny as hell, and I would definitely say it's one of the best buddy cop comedies, but not the best. It's not as good as say Other Guys or Hot Fuzz or 21 Jump Street, but it's better than the Rush Hour movies (but they're enjoyable, too, in their own way). The chemistry between the two female leads carries the movie really well, and Feig seems to really do well with these female-oriented comedies. But just because it's female-oriented doesn't mean guys won't love it, too. In fact, Bridesmaids and Magic Mike, movies supposedly geared towards women, are enjoyable for both genders (just get past the stripping bits in Mike) In fact, Bridesmaids is far superior to it's competitor back in 2011: The Hangover Part II. But back on subject, the soundtrack for the film is also good, mixing rap, classic rock, and hard rock. The action scenes are pretty enjoyable, too, but the main focus isn't on the action, it's on the humor, and even if the plot is a little thin, The Heat is an enjoyable, hilarious, bad-ass buddy cop comedy, and I hope to see more of the duo and supporting characters in later films, and more from Paul Feig. 4/5 stars.

Notes: The film is a buddy cop comedy, like Hot Fuzz, The Other Guys, and 21 Jump Street, but it does not parody police procedural dramas or the buddy cop subgenre. The film contains a clever reference to Training Day. There is a joke during the credits. If you look closely at the cast, it lists actress Jessica Chaffin as Gina, Mullins' brother's idiotic girlfriend. It then lists Jessica Chaffin's boobs in the dignified role of "Gina's boobs".

 (Image: Wikipedia)

Here's another review I enjoyed, spoiler free:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFqsEK3ydnY

Monsters, Inc. Films

Today, because I saw the latest Pixar film, I figure I'll review it and it's predecessor.

Monsters, Inc.:
James P. Sullivan ("Sulley") and Michael Wazowski ("Mike") are monsters, best friends, housemates, and employees at Monsters, Incorporated, or "Monsters, Inc." They live in Monstropolis, a huge city that exists in an alternate monster world. At their job, they are a team of "scarers", monsters who are brave enough to use specially designed doors as a gateway to our world, and scare human children, who are considered extremely toxic, as screams power their entire world's energy. Unfortunately, there has been a recent energy crisis, as human children are becoming more desensitized to real-world and fictional violence, and becoming more mature at younger ages, they are becoming harder to frighten. But the real trouble starts when a human child, nicknamed "Boo", crosses over into the monster world, causing the entire city to go into paranoia, and the CDA ("Child Detection Agency"), a CIA-like organization, begins trying to hunt her down. Sulley and Mike must protect the little girl, hide her existence, and find a way to get her safely back home, all while avoiding suspicious co-workers, the CDA, and their seemingly friendly boss: Mr. Waternoose. This film is a classic of animation, family films, and is generally regarded as one of the best films ever made. It even holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a website I find a little overrated, but I agree with it on that. The voice cast are great. John Goodman and Billy Crystal voice Sulley and Mike, respectively. Sulley is considered the best "scarer" and is like an apprentice to Waternoose. He's lovable and generally kind to others. Mike is fast-talking, sometimes awkward, and has somewhat of an ego. He is outgoing, and runs Sulley's "scare station", not actually going into the human world himself. Mike has made numerous cameos in several Pixar films since. Steve Buscemi voices Randall Boggs, a reptilian monster with chameleon-like shape-shifting/camouflage abilities. He is Mike and Sulley's rival at work, and can slither and constrict his body like a snake. Mary Gibbs voices "Boo", the sweet toddler who is transferred into the monster world. She fears only a few of the monsters, and generally likes Mike and Sulley, despite them fearing her at first due to children's supposed toxicity. Jennifer Tilly voice Celia, a Medusa-like monster who is Mike's loving girlfriend. She actually doesn't do much in the movie except serve as a bit of comic relief at bits. Screen legend James Coburn (in his final voice role before his death) voices Henry J. Waternoose III, the head of Monsters, Inc. and Sulley's mentor. Sulley respects him as the head of the company and Waternoose thinks of Sulley as the "company golden boy", in a way. Bob Peterson voices Roz, a raspy-voiced, female slug monster who is the administrative clerk for Sulley and Mike's scare floor, who has a deep dislike for Mike for "not filing his paperwork". Frank Oz (known for his work with Jim Henson and George Lucas, mostly as a director of several Muppets films, and as the voice of Yoda in Star Wars) voices Randall's assistant and co-worker Jeff Fungus, who isn't really a bad guy, more like an unwilling participant in Randall's schemes. Pixar regulars John Ratzenberger and Phil Proctor appear in cameo voice roles as The Abominable Snowman and Charlie (an assistant of a "scarer" named George), respectively. Speaking of George (or "Poor George"), he is voiced by Samuel Lord Black. George is an unlucky monster with fuzzy orange hair who is constantly the subject of torment by the CDA because he needs to be constantly decontaminated, as his static fur often gets human children's clothes attached to it, exposing their "toxicity" to him. The animation is top-notch, and still holds up today, after 12 years. Even the details like Waternooses's creases in his crab legs, Randall's scales, Mike's somewhat sticky skin, and Sulley's fur texture are excellent. The music, despite being done by Randy Newman, a generally mediocre artist, is really good, especially the sad music. Every time I hear it, it makes me think of that tearjerker ending, oh it's not a sad ending, after all, it's a Disney-produced movie, but it's supposed to get you all emotional. The film is directed by Pete Docter, a big name at Pixar, who has worked on almost every movie since Toy Story, he also wrote this newest Monsters film and directed Up. He does a good job bringing the Pixar team's vision to life. The writing is also very clever, and Docter was the creative director behind the story team. Monsters, Inc. is a classic, and is beloved to this day due to it's great animation, original and unique story (a staple of Pixar films), great voice acting, witty writing, visionary direction, lovable characters, heartwarming ending, and good musical score. Nearly everything about it is perfect. 5/5 stars.

Monsters University:
In this much anticipated prequel to the beloved animated classic, Mike Wazowski, a small green monster, has wanted to be a "scarer" ever since elementary school, but no one ever believed in him and he was pushed around by many people. He is now off to college as a young adult, to Monsters University, the top "scare school" in the monster world. He initially rooms with Randall Boggs, a friendly but somewhat shy and geeky young reptile monster with shape-shifting abilities. He is then kicked out of the Scare Program, along with his rival: James P. Sullivan, or "Sulley". Sulley is a legacy child, and thinks he can just breeze his way through the school. After Sulley and Mike are both outcast and disliked by other students, they join the frat house of Oozma Kappa, full of nerds and unpopular monsters, the "underdog group". They compete in the "Annual Scare Games" against other frat and sorority houses, include Roar Omega Roar, the douchebag jocks on campus. They must win the Scare Games, or be kicked out of Monsters University. Now, the movie opens with a pleasant little short entitled "The Blue Umbrella", with beautiful animation, but that's a different story, just don't be too late. This movie was surprising. It wasn't at all bad, it obviously wasn't nearly as good as the original, but it was funny, entertaining, and kind of touching. It does the "root for the underdogs" thing really well, and I was honestly getting anxious at the climax, going "Are they gonna get though this thing?" Similar to how Cars 2 put Mater in the spotlight instead of Lighting McQueen (a pretty bad decision), this puts Mike in the spotlight instead of him playing second fiddle to Sulley (a good decision). Sulley is more of a dick in this movie (at least at first), and Mike is the underdog, instead of Sulley being the compassionate one and Mike being more skeptical and somewhat self-centered, like in the second act of the first movie. Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Bob Peterson, and John Ratzenberger reprise their roles in this film, the last two in comedic cameos that reference the ending of the first film. Interesting choice to make Randall more sympathetic, and explain why he hates Mike and Sulley. Poor George even makes a brief cameo. The underdogs characters are voiced by Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Peter Sohn, and Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Horrible Bosses, Pacific Rim). The stern and imposing headmistress, Dean Hardscrabble, is voiced by Helen Mirren; Professor Knight is voiced by Alfred Molina; Johnny Worthington, the arrogant asshole leader of the douchebag jocks is voiced by Nathan Fillion; Claire Wheeler and Brock Pearson, the presidents of Greek club, and the announcers of the Scare Games, are voiced by Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation, The To-Do List, Safety Not Guaranteed, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Funny People) and Tyler Labine (Reaper, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Invasion, Animal Practice), respectively; "Frightening" Frank McKay, a scare legend, is voiced by John Krasinski (The Office, Promised Land, Leatherheads); Karen Graves, Mike's elementary school teacher, is voiced by Bonnie Hunt (Rain Man, The Green Mile, Jumanji, Cheaper by the Dozen, Jerry Maguire, A Bug's Life, Monster's Inc., Cars); Chet Alexander, a Roar Omega Roar member, is voiced by SNL cast member Bobby Moynihan; Bill Hader (SNL, South Park, Superbad, The To-Do List) voices a Slug and a Referee; Sherri Squibbles, one of the Oozma Kappa member's mother, is voiced by Julia Sweeney (SNL, Stuart Little); and finally, Beth Behrs (2 Broke Girls) voices Carrie Williams, the leader of the sorority house Python Nu Kappa, whose members are all nearly identical. The cast all do great jobs, and I was surprised to see so many big names in the cast. The typical Pixar Easter Eggs are present, including an image of the ball from the Pixar logo and the short Luxo, Jr. spray-painted on a sewer wall. In fact, the scene it appears in actually reminded me of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, at least the look of the location reminded me of Thunderdome itself, just a little tidbit. The movie is surprisingly funny, one scene involving playing music in a car, even though brief, got me laughing. Dan Scanlon (an art director on several Pixar/Disney films and director of a Cars short) directs the movie, and pulls it off really well for his first time directing a feature. Kori Rae (a Pixar associate producer and animation manger) produced the film. I was pleasantly surprised by this prequel, and look forward to what Pixar has coming next (besides that god-awful looking Planes movie, which stars Dane Cook, which was initially intended for direct-to-video, and isn't even really Pixar). The animation looks fantastic, as usual from Pixar, and the music is pretty good, especially for Randy Newman. Monsters University may not quite capture that feeling the original had, but it comes close. It's great voice cast, great animation, touching story, and pretty good music for sure make it one of my favorites of the year so far. 4/5 stars.

 (Images: Wikipedia)

World War Z: Is this the first zombie film that's also a summer action blockbuster?

Today, I look at the big-budget, loose adaptation of Max Brooks' (son of famous spoof director Mel Brooks) 2006 hit zombie apocalypse novel.

World War Z:
Gerry Lane, a former UN investigator, must protect his family during a huge, apocalyptic breakout of a zombie virus. He leaves his family with his good friend and former co-worker Thierry Umutoni, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, on a military base whilst he embarks on a mission: to find the location where the outbreak began to find a possible cure, or at least find the cure. He must survive the zombie plague, which is now driving the human race to the brink of extinction. While the "World War" doesn't actually really start until near the end, this film is very entertaining. Although the film doesn't follow the book very well, which might disappoint fans, writer Matthew Michael Carnahan (The Kingdom, State of Play, Lions for Lambs, and the upcoming White Jazz) is able to make the film very fun, and entertaining in it's own right, and although very different, as good as the book. Now, the book follows several different people and their stories, and this film made the wise decision to focus on just one: Gerry and his family. I think this works better for the film because that way we remain focused on one story and don't feel like it's too all over the place. Brad Pitt does a good job as the lead role, and you really like him by the end, and want him to survive and get back to his family. The rest of the cast, which includes Mireille Enos, Fana Mokoena, Daniella Kertesz, Peter Capaldi, David Morse, Ludi Boeken, Matthew Fox, and James Badge Dale (The Departed, 24, Iron Man 3, The Pacific, The Grey, Flight, The Conspirator, The Lone Ranger), are well-cast, and although many are cast in small/borderline cameo roles, they do a good job conveying the emotions the characters are going through: fear, loss, frustration, anger. Some of the characters can be dicks, though. Others can be very stupid, without giving too much away: early on in the film, a character you thought was important and would survive until at least Act II is killed in the dumbest way possible: his owns stupidity. Other than that, most of them are likeable, which makes you want to see them survive this zombie onslaught. There are also some celebrity cameos early on during some quick clips of news footage, including Piers Morgan and theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, host of Sci-Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible. Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, The Kite Runner, Stranger Than Fiction, Quantum of Solace) does a good job directing this film, but some of the cinematography was bad, some action scenes had way too much shaky cam. I get it's supposed to make you feel as disoriented as the characters, but when I can't tell what's happening in the story, it's kind of irritating. What's pretty interesting in the film is the portrayal of the zombies: they are technically undead, so they're not just infected humans like in the game The Last of Us (another zombie story which came out recently, which I'll review soon) or in 28 Days Later, and the characters actually refer to them as "zombies", which is awesome, as the letter "Z" is in the title, and I'm really getting tired of movies and TV and other media giving the zombies stupid nicknames like "infected", "walkers", "biters", "clickers", etc. It's stupid, and they should just call them what they are: zombies. People in real life are starting to refer to them as walkers and runners. The zombies in this film, stumble, but also run when prey is started, they also sort of combine different elements of zombies: Romero zombies' blank stare, Rage zombies' (28 Days Later) super speed, The Last of Us' clacking teeth zombies, etc. Also, the zombies leap onto their prey and tackle them when they get close, and they also climb on top of each other like ants do, making a pyramid to get to high places. They also turn into zombies within 12 seconds of being bitten or killed, unless they are shot in the head or burned alive. The film also gives a very interesting explanation for how to stop the zombies form attacking people, which I won't spoil, whether you love it or hate it, it's still an interesting move on the writer's part. My few problems with the film were: the plot goes way too fast, so it feels like the film is too short; the plot can get somewhat repetitive, almost like the same kind of stuff keeps happening over and over; no real development for the side characters; and finally, not enough gore. Now, I understand they had to cut the gore to make the film marketable to a wider audience, and leaving some stuff to the imagination does help, but a lot of the time you are left wishing for a really cool, gruesome zombie kill (either a human is killed, or a human kills a zombie, either one is fine), I hope there is an R-rated Director's Cut that comes out on Blu-ray, because I'll buy that for sure. Funny enough, the film isn't really scary, except for a few bits, but is more of a summer action film, which works, and it's surprising to see a zombie apocalypse movie as a summer blockbuster. Funny enough, the apocalypse seems to be a pattern for this summer's blockbusters: This Is the End, World War Z, Pacific Rim, Man of Steel (at least towards the climax), and After Earth, hell all year round, too: Oblivion and The World's End (which isn't really a worldwide apocalypse, but more for a single town). Speaking of blockbusters, the film has surprisingly good CGI, especially for a zombie film, which is considered somewhat of a B-movie subgenre. It's nothing like, say, The Hobbit, or Man of Steel, or Iron Man 3, but it's pretty damn good. The action scenes are very thrilling, and have everything you want in a blockbuster: explosions, guns, and tons of destruction. My favorite would probably be either the sequence in New Jersey or the zombie attack on Israel, probably the latter, as it has the most zombies. Something interesting about the music, the main score and additional music were written by Marco Beltrami, but the additional music was actually performed by British alternative rock band Muse, whom I personally think are a really good band. So, although it strays a bit far from the source material, World War Z is a high-octane action-thriller with a horror overtone, the cast are good, the action is great, and the CG is top-notch, at least, for a zombie film. It's exhilarating and one of the summer's best so far, way better than After Earth, for sure. 3.5/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)

Horror news

I just posted a news article about a sequel to Sinister on my horror movies blog: mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com, so check it out! 

Arthouse Action: A new subgenre (Spoilers for films ahead!)

Recently, several different sources have begun dubbing certain films "arthouse action films", in that they employ stylized and artistic imagery, as well as short but gruesome scenes of violent action, as well as portraying their narrative and the world of the film as somewhat surreal, or a bit unhinged from reality. These films are considered both a subgenre of arthouse films and a subgenre of action/thriller films. The main films that keep coming up are: the thrillers Hanna and Haywire; the crime/thriller/drama film Drive; the sci-fi thriller Looper, the sci-fi/comic book action film Dredd, and the crime/drama film Killing Them Softly. All of the films with the exception of Hanna are rated R, and all films with the exception of Hanna and Haywire feature male heroes who are pretty similar, not in character arc or background, but character type. We don't know much about them, and they appear cold, distant, and brutal at first, very hard to relate with. In Drive, Ryan Gosling's character isn't very well known by people around him, and we only know him as "The Driver" or "Kid". In Looper, we very briefly dive into our central hero's past, only briefly touching upon some deep-seated mommy issues, but all we know is his occupation, his friends, and his day-to-day life, and we only know that his first name is Joe. In Dredd, we learn far less about our hero than in the comics, and he is very hard to relate to, being very cold, harsh, and brutally violent. All we know is he goes by "Dredd", "Judge", or "Judge Dredd". In Killing Them Softly, we don't really know much about Cogan except he is a cold and empty man with little background info, he is a skilled killer, who kills his victims "softly", as in "from a distance", and we only know him by Cogan. A few of these films are based on relatively unknown novels, such as "Drive" or "Cogan's Trade", or in Dredd's case, a well-known British comic strip/series. With the exception of Killing, all these male-oriented films have their character grow somehow, by the end, they are still somewhat cold (especially in Dredd) but seem more human now, and somewhat more relatable and empathetic. Many of these films the hero has a mentor or older person who influences them. In Killing, Cogan is friends with Dylan, a hired killer who we never see as he is old and sickly now, and he is briefly shown to have a close friendship with James Gandolfini's character, who is at least a decade older. In Looper, Joe is somewhat influenced by Abe (Jeff Daniels), a man from the future sent to monitor the Loopers, who is pretty threatening, but appears friendly and uncle-like to Joe. In Drive, car garage owner Shannon (Bryan Cranston) serves as a friend to Driver, and briefly is shown to be somewhat of a mentor/father figure to him. In all these films except Killing, the character is changed somehow by a woman. In Looper, Joe is changed by a Kansas farm girl and her young son, whom he resides with while hiding from his enemies. In Drive, Driver is changed by his sweet neighbor and her young son when he begins to hang out with them a lot. In Dredd, Dredd's rookie who he's been training for most of the film changes him by showing sometimes being emotional and empathetic trumps the cold, set-in-stone rules and codes of the Judges. Usually in these films, the action is very brief and can either be very gruesome and bloody, or at least have a good deal of bloodshed. The villains in these films is usually taken out in a pretty brutal way. In Drive, Nino is drowned by Driver in the ocean, and Bernie Rose stabs Driver in the gut, but when he goes to stab again, Driver forces his blade into his own throat. In Killing, there is no real villain, but the "loose ends" are shot up pretty bad. In Looper, Old Joe from the future kills everyone in the Looper HQ, including all the young Loopers, Abe, and the street surgeon, with the exception of idiotic assassin Kid Blue, who is shot by Young Joe while on a hover-bike. In Dredd, Dredd grabs the sadistic and psychotic drug queen Ma-Ma and she reveals she has a detonator on her wrist that will detonate a bomb that will kill everyone in the huge apartment complex of Peach Trees if she dies, so Dredd throws her from the top floor of the 200-300 story complex, and she splatters on the ground, and she is so far from the bomb (which is on the top floor) that her detonator can't give a good signal, rendering it useless. In the female-oriented films Hanna and Haywire, the protagonists are highly-trained, extremely deadly female assassins who are out for vengeance. Both Drive and Looper were released via FilmDistrict, and Looper proved the most successful in the entire subgenre, getting a 93% approval rating from critics and audiences of Rotten Tomatoes (a site I'll give my opinion on later) and grossing $176 million worldwide. All these films also are released in odd months for action movies: Dredd and Looper were released in mid-to-late September 2012, Haywire was released in January 2012 (January is a terrible months for movies in general), Drive came out in September 2011, Hanna was released in April 2011, and Killin (the most recent) hit theaters in November 2012. Most of them are all directed by acclaimed filmmakers such as Rian Johnson (Looper- known for his work on hit series Breaking Bad and for his 2005 comedy/mystery Brick, also starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Joe Wright (Hanna- well received for his works Atonement, Anna Karenina, and Pride & Prejudice), Pete Travis (Dredd- mainly known for his films Vantage Point and Endgame and his work on Cold Feet), Steven Soderbergh (Haywire- known for his films like Ocean's Eleven, Traffic, and Erin Brokovich), Andrew Dominik (Killing- an Aussie director known for his criminal biopics Chopper and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), and finally Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive- known for his movies Pusher, Bronson, Fear X, Valhalla Rising, and Only God Forgives). Well, those are all the connections between arthouse action films. My personal opinion: they're pretty good. As and overall genre the films range from great to just pretty good, but I really enjoyed a lot of the films listed and a lot of the scenes in the films are written and shot beautifully. But be warned, the films are pretty violent and gruesome in some bits, and also: these movies are pretty slow for "action movies", so just stick with them, no matter how dull, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. So go, check them out!

 (Images: Wikipedia)

Game News: Batman Arkham Origins Updates

After reviewing the first two Arkham games, and writing down the news on the upcoming installment Batman: Arkham Origins, I figured I'd post some updates on that game, as there's been a lot of new and exciting info. coming out about it. Kevin Conroy revealed he's been working on a new Arkham game, despite not appearing in this game. Roger Craig Smith (known for his roles as Ezio Auditore in Assassin's Creed and Chris Redfield in Resident Evil) voices the younger Batman, and he pulls of the younger Conroy voice perfectly. Troy Baker, a voice actor who has had two video game breakout roles this year: as the lead heroes in The Last of Us (Joel) and Bioshock: Infinite (Booker), as well as voicing the animated Hawkeye and Batman in LEGO Batman, joined the cast as The Joker, and does a really good Mark Hamill voice, it's astounding considering he's known for rugged hero voices. Joker also has a slightly new look in this game, including getting rid of his receding hairline, not having his purple suit (instead having a slightly violet trench coat), and not having a huge gang, as well not having a beat-up face. Deathstroke isn't the only announced assassin, either: Deadshot and Bane (who appear more like their comic-book counterparts than in previous games) have been confirmed as well as an unnamed female assassin, who fans have speculated could be Catwoman (unlikely, as she's a thief, not a trained killer), Lady Shiva, Cheshire, or Talia al Ghul. Commissioner Loeb has been confirmed, as well as Alfred (who is said to clash with Batman throughout the plot) and the anti-establishment vigilante Anarky, who serves as a Riddler-like character in the game. Fans noticed that Bane's known associates have slightly different names than in the comics, but his gang consisting of "Bird", "Zombie", and "Trogg" from Knightfall might make an appearance, as they are in his "known associates" list, and Deathstroke's butler Wintergreen was in his contacts list, so he may make an appearance. Since Deathstroke (like fellow DC supervillain Prometheus) is Batman's criminal counterpart, Wintergreen is the counterpart for Alfred. PS3 gamers get exclusive skins, including the Azrael Batman from Knightfall and the 60's Adam West Batman skin, which looks more bad-as on the Arkham Batman. The Penguin hasn't been played up as much as he was in early articles, so he might have more of a minor role, or a supporting role like he did in Batman: Arkham City. One nitpick fans have had is that WB Montreal has added new tech and better weapons to improve the gameplay, but it doesn't fit the story because it's a prequel. Speaking of which, creative director Eric Holmes and the team at WB Montreal have done an amazing job authentically replicating the look, feel, and gameplay system of the other games. In the game, a hacker (who's identity is yet to be revealed) will block certain areas, preventing the Batwing from venturing near them, so Batman must deactivate his bad signals, and other villains are slated to make appearances, but WB Montreal doesn't want to reveal too much yet. They also revealed a new type of thug, the "Martial Artist", who is more difficult to defeat than the common thugs (like the blade thugs in Asylum, or the armored/weapon/shield thugs in City), as he can counter you, but you can counter his counters, making him an interesting foe to defeat. The game is set before Robin appears, and is set approximately 5 years before Asylum, and 2 years in Batman's career, making it almost 8 years before City. It is unknown how large Joker's role will be, but it is expected to be as it was in City, not the main villain, but a major role, and Batman must deactivate bombs around the city he has placed. It's also shown they might already have a past together, but this might be the first time they meet. Eric Holmes has also stated that certain boss fights will mimic the Mr. Freeze boss fight from City, (the best boss fight in the game) in that they utilize different takedown techniques and strategies, making them interesting, a little different than the rinse-and-repeat boss fights we saw in previous games (with the exception of Mr. Freeze and Scarecrow). I'll keep you guys posted if I find out anything new.

Links:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BatmanArkhamVideos The "Batman: Arkham" Channel, which constantly posts news and rumors on Arkham Origins and the possible sequel game, as well as the other games' Easter Eggs. It includes the new trailers, trailer analyses, rumors, news, the full gameplay demo and Holmes interview, and much more!

http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2013/04/game-review-batman-arkham-asylum-and.html My review of the first two games.

http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2013/04/gaming-news-batman-arkham-origins.html My original news article on Origins

 (Images: cinemablend.com comicbookmovie.com, geeksofdoom.com)

RIP James Gandolfini

Sorry that I'm late on this, but I'd like to just take a second to honor the passing of James Gandolfini. He was a talented actor, and it's a tragedy he passed at such a young age, only 51, and on vacation in Italy. He will best be remembered for his iconic role as Tony Soprano on HBO's hit drama The Sopranos, as well as for his roles in True Romance, Where the Wild Things Are, Get Shorty, All the King's Men, Zero Dark Thirty, Killing Them Softly, Not Fde Away, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, and Hemingway and Gellhorn. You will be missed Mr. Gandolfini.

                                                               James Gandolfini
                                               September 18, 1961 - June 19, 2013
                                                  
                                    
(Image: rogerebert.com)

Double Feature: M. Night Shyamalan's sci-fi snoozer and Louis Leterrier's magic/crime movie

Wow, haven't done a double feature review in a while, today I look at Shyamalan's newest outing and Louis Leterrier's crime-thriller.

After Earth:
Kitai Raige is a younger ranger-in-training on an off-world human colony (Earth has been abandoned after humans drained its resources and destroyed its habitats) on Nova Prime, his emotionless father Cypher is a legend in the rangers for being the first person to "ghost" be so completely free from fear that he is undetected by Ursas, blind alien creatures who can sense fear. Ursas are controlled by the S'krell, an alien race who conflicted with humans when they set up off-world colonies on their planet. After persuasion from his caring wife, Cypher allows Kitai to join him and his team on a small mission: deliver a captive Ursa to a ranger camp for use in "ghosting" exercises. Cypher decides to mend the broken bond between him and his son, but unfortunately, the trip is cut short when an asteroid rips through the ship, they are forced to make a crash landing on an abandoned planet, which rips the ship in half, and kills nearly everyone, as well as setting the Ursa loose. The only survivors are Kitai and Cypher, but Cypher's legs are broken (one is extremely badly broken) and their supplies are limited. Kitai is given some survival supplies and a weapon by Cypher, and is sent off to retrieve a beacon so they can be rescued. Kitai must brave the dangers of this planet, including mutated animals, dangerous weather patterns, an escaped Ursa, and chemicals in the air, all while reconnecting with his father over a communicator. Cypher also informs him what planet they crashed on: Earth. For all the shit this movie's been getting, it's honestly not that bad, although it can be a bit boring at times. I don't agree with the critics that it's awful (it's a masterpiece compared to Shyamalan's other recent work) but I don't agree with casual moviegoers that it's great, either. I saw that Facebook user "Slendy" hasn't seen any good movies this summer, but gave The Purge 8/10, and this 9.5/10. I mean come on! Does this guy knows how to use his critical brain? No offense if you're reading this Slendy, but what happens if you see an actually good movie? Do you give it 12/10? Well, as far as the acting in the film goes, it's decent. Jaden Smith, sorry to say, isn't that great of an actor. I mean, he's decent, especially for his age, but compared to his father, he's nothing. Speaking of which, Will Smith doesn't get much to do in the film except give advice and sit in the ship with broken legs, and for most of the film acts like a cold, detached asshole. This I their second film together (the first being The Pursuit of Happyness) and since they are really the only two actors we have for much of the runtime, the film is kind of boring. The cast also includes Sophie Okonedo, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Zoe Isabella Kravitz in decent supporting roles. One thing that was odd was Jaden and some other actors sounded like they were attempting some sort of accent in the early scenes of the film, but that was dropped rather quickly. The action sequences are actually few-and-far-between, and none of them are too thrilling, and they're all far too short. One sequence that's not action but is more thrilling involving Jaden Smith giving himself anti-venom had me on the edge of my seat. The special effects are actually pretty good, and the landscape of Earth is unique and imaginative. One of the problems with the film are some cheesy/sappy moments, no real explanations about why we left Earth other than "we destroyed it" (no real depth about how), and it doesn't really explore the world of the human colonies, they're day-to-day lives, that sort of thing. (A similar problem was evident in The Purge) Another problem are the plot holes (Why'd they wind up so close to Earth on their travels? Why are military personnel so incompetent? Why does "ghosting" give Will Smith spider-sense?) But one thing I can reassure people about: no stupid twist. Shyamalan is known for his infamous/trademark twist/shock endings, some of which were clever and effective (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable), some of which were not (Signs, The Village). This just ends as is, which is good, but it does make sense, as this was not Shyamalan's idea, but Will Smith talked him into making it. Despite not having much action, okay acting, and being sometimes dull, After Earth is a decent sci-fi survival movie, just no nearly as good as it was made out to be. 2.5/5 stars.

Now You See Me:
Four talented magicians (some of whom are con artists, one is a mentalist) are brought together by a mysterious benefactor, and within a year, are performing in Las Vegas under the name "The Four Horsemen", sponsored by wealthy insurance company magnate Arthur Tressler. After using a teleportation device to rob a French bank vault as their final trick, an Interpol agent and an FBI investigator must track down the group of thieves and discover the secrets behind their magic tricks, and what their next move might be. French filmmaker Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, Transporter 2, The Incredible Hulk, Clash of the Titans, Unleashed) presents a pretty entertaining crime caper, with twists and turns and lots of surprises. Although this film is not at all realistic (many of these tricks would not be pulled off so easily), the explanations for each of the tricks are pretty interesting. They are presented by Morgan Freeman, playing an ex-magician who makes money off of exposing other magicians' secrets. The rest of the cast are really good. Jesse Eisenberg "leads" the group of magicians. I didn't really care for him in this film, I know he is a good actor, but he did the same thing here that pissed me off in The Social Network, he's smug, and acts like a smart-ass punk, as well as constantly talking really fast and robotically. He got way better towards the end, but still, kind of irritating. Woody Harrelson plays another smart-ass kind of guy, but he's pretty damn funny and he was the member of the group who stood out the most. Isla Fisher is the other stand-out because, well, look at her, she's Isla Fisher, that's all you have to say. Dave Franco (James Franco's younger brother from films like 21 Jump Street, Fright Night, and Charlie St. Cloud) plays the fourth member of the group, who is more of a con artist, but he still uses magic to perform his cons, so he fits in. He's also pretty fun to watch, and is way more likeable than in some other films he's featured in. Mark Ruffalo is who we see much of the film with, we see it from his perspective, so he's really the main character. He plays kind of a doucher at first, being an angry FBI investigator, but the more the film progresses, the more relatable he becomes, so we connect with him more, and almost want to see him catch the magicians, even though they're technically the good guys too. Ruffalo kind of reminds me of Dwayne Johnson in Fast Five, he's technically like an antagonist, but he's actually like an antihero. Melanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds; I'm Fine, Don't Worry) plays a female, French Interpol agent who must work with Ruffalo on the case, who is reluctant at first to work with her, but they grow to like each other over the film, and develop some good chemistry. Michael Caine plays Arthur Tressler, a supporting character who is generally likeable at first, but reveals himself to be kind of a dick, a rich dick. Caine also appeared in another magician thriller: The Prestige. Hip-hop artist Common portrays Ruffalo's coworker Evans, and Michael J. Kelley (Chronicle, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, Man of Steel) plays Agent Fuller. David Warshofsky and J. Larose (known for his work with James Wan) appear in small roles, and Conan O'Brien appears as himself, Jose Garcia appears in a cameo role, and Elias Koteas appears in an uncredited cameo as fictional magician Lionel Shrike. Leterrier incorporates some of his nationality into the mix, having a character and some of the locations be French. (A French Interpol agent, a French bank, the French Quarter of New Orleans. Of course, that's probably just me making weird-ass connections, but who knows.) Leterrier also has some stuff that was earlier showcased in the Transporter films: cool car chases and awesome fights. There's one conflict between Franco and Ruffalo in particular that stands out, that goes from a fist fight (where Franco uses several magic tricks to deceive Ruffalo), to a chase on foot, to a thrilling car chase on the freeway. The action in the film is really thrilling, and the stunts were well-done, and more believable than in Fast & Furious 6, and Leterrier even throws in a good deal of effective humor. Some of the CG in certain scenes is pretty damn good, and all around the film looks really good, pretty vibrant and lively. The ending (which include a Shyamlanian, or Shyamalan-like, twist, which can be viewed as both good and bad) may disappoint or confuse people, but I didn't mind it. Now You See Me is an entertaining, thrilling, entertaining caper film that will keep you on the edge-of-your-seat until the end credits. 3.5/5 stars.

Other reviews I enjoyed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSk-fwe2Shg "After-Earth" Review, with a spoiler section you can skip over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r38f5fkbPk Spoiler-free "Now You See Me" Review



(Images: Wikipedia)

This Is The End: Possibly the summer's funniest movie

Today, I look at Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's self-deprecating apocalyptic comedy.

This Is The End:
Jay Baruchel travels to L.A. to visit his good friend and fellow actor/comedian Seth Rogen. Seth drags him to a huge house party at Rogen's friend and Pineapple Express co-star James Franco's mansion. At the party, they meet up with Seth's good friend and fellow actors/comedians such as Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride. But unfortunately, Jay has trouble fitting in and feels shut-out of the circle of friends. Even more unfortunate, after a series of strange earthquakes, the group of friends discovers the apocalypse is happening right outside their doorstep. After the party disbands, the gang shut themselves inside Franco's mansion and try to survive the horrors of the world's end. Similar to how Adam Sandler gets his comedian friends for movies (which he's attempting again this summer with Grown Ups 2), Rogen has decided to get his comedy crew together for a single film, with one major difference: it's actually funny. One of the reasons the movie is so funny is because instead of playing characters, the cast (with the exception of Brian Huskey, who makes a cameo as a survivor) all play fictional and exaggerated versions of themselves, in which they basically make fun of themselves. Rogen even mocks the fact he, according to the critics, "basically is the same person in every movie". Franco makes himself out to be an egotistical asshole, and Hill even does the thing he does in every movie: somebody says "(Blank) is happening" and Hill will say sarcastically "Is it? Is it happening? Is that what's going on?" It's even funnier here because it's self-mocking. There's even a small scene where the 3 stars of Superbad (Hill, Cera, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse) have a strange little reunion. Speaking of which, Michael Cera plays an over-the-top, weird, coked-out version of himself, who everybody hates. Other self-mocking celebrity cameos include Emma Watson (as mentioned before), Channing Tatum, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Rihanna, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Evan Goldberg, The Backstreet Boys, David Krumholtz, Mindy Kaling, and Martin Starr. McBride paints himself as a crazy, violent, semi-sociopath who everybody (especially Franco) dislikes, and Robinson is portrayed as a just a nice guy. Jay Baruchel makes fun of his "hipster" look and makes himself into an awkward outcast. Emma Watson has a funny but short role as, well, just herself. The film is based on the 2007 short film/fake trailer Jay and Seth versus the Apocalypse, a short comedy film created by Rogen, Goldberg, and Jason Stone, which has Baruchel and Rogen boarded up in their apartment during the end of the world. The film obviously changed some things to ensure a longer running time, such as more actors and a larger setting, and featured Rogen and Goldberg as writers and directors. This film does get a bit into the dark comedy range during the 3rd act, but mainly sticks to it's guns: funny dialogue, some body humor, and pop culture references. Speaking of which, this is like a cinephile's wet dream when it comes to references. There are clever references to films and television programs that featured the comedians (such as Freaks and Geeks, Pineapple Express, Million Dollar Baby, Your Highness, Flyboys, The Green Hornet, Moneyball, Spiderman 3, and 127 Hours) and classic genre films (such as The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and the not-so-classic Doomsday, which in itself is one giant film reference, combining multiple 80's films and genres) The film has some surprisingly good CGI during the apocalypse scenes, especially for a summer comedy, and even incorporates Biblical themes, not being too serious, though. The writing in the film is witty and hilarious, incorporating both self-deprecating humor and numerous comedic references for film and TV buffs, and Rogen and Goldberg made a surprisingly effective directing duo. This Is The End may not be the funniest movie ever, hell, maybe not even in the past 2 years, but it's definitely the funniest so far this year (although it's not too hard to compete with Scary Movie 5 and Movie 43) and possibly the funniest of the entire year. 3.5/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)

Man of Steel: Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan's epic superhero vision comes to life

Today, I look at the highly-anticipated reboot of the Superman franchise. (Unfortunately, it took me an extra day to catch this movie.) (More reviews of new releases coming soon!!!)

Man of Steel:
I was pleasantly surprised, as I thought Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead remake, 300, Watchmen, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga-Hoole) and Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception) would clash styles. While it's still uncertain if this is tied to Nolan's Batman universe, they did do the most realistic job possible with the Superman story. The plot starts how every Superman origin story usually starts: Krypton is crumbling, and General Zod (Krypton's military general) has developed a God complex and betrayed his people, believing his selfish ways to be the best for the planet. Jor-El and his loyal wife Lara Lor-Van send their newborn son Kal-El to Earth to give a second chance to their race and be a savior to Earth's people. Zod is punished for his deeds and he and his evil associates are frozen inside capsules and sent to the "Phantom Zone" (similar to in the original films). Then the film becomes like Batman Begins, jumping from present to past for a while, before finally becoming linear once again. Unlike that film, once the film sticks to present day, it does not feel as if a new plot has begun, but sticks with the same plot as the first half, so it feels more like one complete story, rather than an origin story mixed in with a bigger narrative. In the present, Kal-El has been adopted by the Kansas farming family of the Kents, who adopt him as Clark Kent. He eventually discovers who he really is, and decides to help the people of Earth "achieve wonders", just as his father intended. But General Zod has somehow escaped the Phantom Zone with his crew, and he is not happy that Krypton was destroyed, or that Clark/Kal-El intends to protect the people of Earth, who Zod sees as lesser than him. Adopting the nickname "Superman", Clark/Kal-El must defend his home-town of Smallville, the city of Metropolis, and the people of Earth from Zod's forces. While I didn't feel Superman Returns was bad (I rather enjoyed Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Lex Luthor), this tops it thousands of times over. The direction is excellent. Many people feared Nolan would overtake the whole production, but the entire time it had a good mixture of both Nolan's down-to-earth realistic style and Snyder's eye-popping visual style. The main cast were excellent. I was honestly unsure about Henry Cavill as Superman, as he hasn't really been in too many good movies before this. He ended up owning the role, the best Superman since Christopher Reeve, and he takes the role and makes it his own, going in a completely new direction with the character. The film really feels more personal and lets you get to know Kal-El through flashbacks. Cavill also does something similar to what Christian Bale did with Batman: give him layers, 3 different personalities: Kal-El, Clark Kent, and Superman. Bale did the following personalities: Bruce Wayne the playboy (douchebag millionaire), Bruce Wayne the man (emotionally drained, heartbroken warrior/businessman), and Batman the legend (dark and menacing creature of the night). Cavill portrays 3 different people: Kal-El the alien (sad, lost, confused), Clark the boy/man (alone, outcast, kind), and Superman the icon (brave, bold, heroic). I really enjoyed that aspect of his performance. Amy Adams does a really good job as Lois Lane, capturing that adventurous reporter character really well. I felt she and Cavill had some great chemistry as well. Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire, Take Shelter, Revolutionary Road, The Iceman, Bug, Premium Rush) plays General Zod. He takes the role in a different direction than Terence Stamp (Zod in the first two Superman films), and does a really good job. Shannon gives very intense performances, and this is no exception, although maybe not as good as Stamp, he definitely is one of the year's top movie villains. Shannon even adds a little bit of empathy for Zod, as he was basically genetically designed to do what he does, and has no other purpose. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane give convincing and emotional performances as Jonathan and Martha Kent, Kal-El's loving adoptive parents, who fear Kal will be outcast if people find out who he really is. Costner actually only appears in flashbacks, which is cool as we get little glimpses of his character. Russell Crowe portrays Superman's biological father and somewhat of a mentor, Jor-El. Jor-El appears mostly in hologram form (like Marlon Brando did in the original film) and guides Kal-El to becoming Superman. Crowe does a really good job, portraying both fatherly aspects of Jor-El, and the more mentor-like aspects of the character. He also showcases some bad-ass fighting skills in the film's long opening sequence on Krypton. Laurence Fishburne appears in a minor role as Perry White, the chief editor for The Daily Planet. He has some good moments, but he and his staff (except for Lois) play a smaller role here than in previous films, probably having a larger role in later films. Michael Kelly (Chronicle, The Adjustment Bureau, Changeling, Now You See Me) plays Daily Planet reporter Steve Lombard, a supporting character in the film and in the comics, he is somewhat comic relief as he sometimes hits on Lois. Antje Trauer portrays Faora, Zod's second-in-command and a skilled Kryptonian soldier. She is cold and merciless, and is more similar to her comic book counterpart than Ursa, a character from the original films based on her. Ayelet Zurer appears as Kal-El's biological mother Lara Lor-Van, Jor-El's wife, who briefly appears in the film's opening sequence, and does a good job for the brief time she appears. Christopher Meloni (Law and Order: SVU, 42, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, True Blood) is in a supporting role as Colonel Hardy, a military officer who is an ally of Kal-El and Lois Lane. Harry Lennix (Dollhouse) appears as Hardy's commanding officer Lt. General Swanwick, and Richard Schiff portrays military scientist Dr. Emil Hamilton (a scientist for the famous Star Labs in the comics). Christina Wren plays Major Carrie Ferris, who serves as Swanwick's assistant, she has a pretty funny moment near the end of the movie, and the name "Ferris" may ring some bells with Green Lantern fans, possibly Carol Ferris' sister or relative? Scott Menville (a young voice actor) plays Kenny Braverman (known in the comics as the villain Conduit), in the film he is a high school bully of Clark. Joseph Cranford and Jack Foley portray old and young versions of Pete Ross, Superman's best friend of the comics, who here is a bully of Clark's in middle school, but later becomes a friend. The film has some similarities to the Nolan Batman films, including the title not appearing until the film's ending, and the realistic style. (At least, as real as you can go with Superman.) Snyder actually spends some time on Krypton in the beginning, and shows off some of it's landscape and creatures, as well as it's highly advanced technology. Speaking of which, the digital and practical effects were amazing, and the Superman costume design was brilliant, combining both the more recent Superman costumes with elements of the original costumes (including the old-looking "S" shield). Hans Zimmer's musical score is excellent. Similar to what he did with Batman, he made an epic and rousing score, with some elements thrown in of John Williams' classic theme music from the 1978 film. Certain characters such as Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, Braniac, and other villains and supporting characters have been left out, probably to use in a later sequel. (Luthor is referenced in the end battle, eagle eyes may quickly spot the Lexcorp logo on an oil tanker, and his name is on a building.) There is some product placement in the form of IHOP, but other than that, there's nothing too bad as far as shoving brand names down the audience's throats. Some interesting easter eggs are that in the ending battle, a sign that you can just barely read if you freeze the frame is a neon sign for "Blaze Comics", the fictional comic book company from Booster Gold comics, and in the Fortress of Solitude there is a chamber of alien pods with corpses of Kryptonians, but one is open, hinting a Kryptonian escaped at some time, possibly Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El, who in the comics becomes Supergirl. Sharp eyes may spot the Wayne Enterprises emblem on a satellite during Zod and Kal's final battle. The action scenes are exhilarating and breathtaking, and the dramatic scenes are done very well, too. Snyder even recreated the famous and beautiful shot of Superman gliding across the outer atmosphere of Earth, with the sun rising over the side of the planet. The writers did a great job with the story, and even modified certain aspects (MILD SPOILERS): Lois knows who Clark is early on (SPOILERS END), The Fortress of Solitude is no longer an ice fortress but a frozen Kryptonian space vessel lodged in a deep Arctic cavern, Kryptonite is not present yet (although the film briefly depicts Kal-El's struggle with his home planet's environment/atmosphere), Perry White is now black, etc. They also explain why Superman has his powers (comic book fans already know why, but general audiences may not), and offer a new explanation for why Krypton died and more detail on why Kal-El is so special. (Yes, there's more than him being the last survivor of his race.) I liked some of the changes they made, I thought (like with the Nolan films) it made the story more diverse, original, unique, and interesting. Man of Steel is an emotionally powerful, epic, and exhilarating reimagining of the Superman story and comic books, and is completely different than any Superman film or series before it.  On par with Superman: The Movie and Smallville. With a great director, producer, writing team, and a fantastic cast and special effects crew, this superhero film proves to be the summer's best thus far. 5/5 stars.

Notes: Despite rumors, there is no ending credits scene, so possibly this isn't connected to Nolanverse or JLA, or they just didn't put one in as the ending is the perfect conclusion for the film.

Links:
My review of the original Superman film, and no, I'm not reviewing the other films, unfortunately:
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/06/superman-movie.html

My review of the Nolanverse Batman films, even if they aren't connected:
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-batman-movies-part-iv-nolan-trilogy.html

Jeremy Jahns' spoiler-free YouTube review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG4YE0w3UMs




(Images: Wikipedia, comicbookmovie.com)

The Purge: Is this interesting premise as cool as it sounds?

Today, I look at the highly-anticipated sci-fi/horror/thriller film The Purge, from producers Jason Blum and Michael Bay. Despite my earlier post, I decided to post this review on my main blog.

The Purge:
In the near future (less than ten years from now, in fact), America has gone over several major changes. The economy is now in it's best shape in years, crime and job-loss rates are at an all-time low, and the "New Founding Fathers" have fixed nearly every problem. One catch: Every year, on one night, for 12 straight hours, all crime, including murder, torture, rape, arson, robbery, and assault, is legal. The event is called "The Annual Purge". On that night, The Sandins, a wealthy family who live in a nice suburban neighborhood, put their home on lockdown and plan to spend the night relaxing. Later that night, a homeless black veteran comes to the neighborhood, wounded, begging for help. The Sandins' young son lets him in and quickly the night turns hellish. A group of wealthy, young sociopaths in creepy masks show up at their doorstep, taunting the Sandins, requesting they deliver the black veteran (who they selected as their target for the purging) to them within the hour, or they will break into their home, and kill the veteran and their entire family. Eventually deciding to fight back, the Sandins must survive the night and fight off the psychotic rich kids. Now, I was initially quite excited for this movie, but after several Internet critics and even the top critics started giving this film mixed reception, my hopes died down. The film's cast includes Ethan Hawke (Training Day, Gattaca, Sinister, Before Midnight, Dead Poets Society, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Alive) and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones, Dredd) as Mr. and Mrs. Sandin, the head of the household. They, along with Edwin Hodge (a lesser-known actor, who portrays the homeless veteran) are the stand-outs of the film. Despite being talented actors, they don't really have a lot to work with, so they're just sort of okay. That's the whole problem with the film: nothing to work with. Despite the promos, there's not much "purging" in the film until near the end, and most of it is inside a dark house. Unlike last year's Sinister, which was from the same producers and also starred Ethan Hawke (who is doing a lot more thriller/horror work now), it's somewhat boring and disappointing. There are some genuinely creepy moments, and the Sandins fighting off the freakish intruders is pretty awesome and entertaining, but overall the film is somewhat mediocre. A plot thread involving the teenage daughter's older boyfriend is forgotten about a half-hour into the film. Speaking of the daughter, Adelaide Kane and her younger co-star Max Burkholder (who portrays her younger brother) do a good job playing the kids, but again, not much to work with. Rhys Wakefield (a young actor who had a  major role on Home and Away, as well as appearing in Broken Hill and Sanctum) turns in a hammy and over-blown performance as the "Polite Stranger", the leader of the psychotic pack of killers. His opening speech about purging is so forced and silly it ceases to be creepy and becomes laughable. He also has spouts of stupid giggling and smirking when trying to be creepy, in fact, he tries too hard to be creepy. I feel like that's not his fault, as the filmmakers wrote the character poorly to begin with. There is one or two moments when he comes off as creepy and unsettling. Another thing that's bad about the film is the over-use of the phrase "Cleanse your souls" and another phrase "Release the Beast", or even "Let us Purge". They are used so often it becomes funny. Another thing that The Purge does wrong is the satire. The satire is obvious from the trailer, a mockery of America's obsession with violence, but the film hammers in the satire of wealthy Americans and violence too much, but something the film does well is it does restrain on the violence, unlike other films that satire violence that becomes extremely violent themselves. Still with the negative, the film also never really goes into the day-to-day lives of the Sandins too much, and never goes into depth about the world of the film or why this Purge was even invented and it barely scratches the surface on why the public accepts it so much. I honestly don't believe in less than 10 years legal murder will be widely accepted, and that people would actually enjoy it. They never go into question such as: What if somebody needs medical assistance on the purge, are they screwed? What about psychopaths like the villains, do they keep their evil urges bottled up all year? That's seems hard to believe someone with the compulsive need to kill would bottle it up for 364 days. Although the film seems action-packed and thrilling, there's not too much going on until the last 20 minutes. One problems that's more of a problem with the theater I was in: no trailer for Insidious Chapter 2? Come on, now! (That's just a personal complaint and nit-pick.) The film is also a bit too short, whereas Insidious and Sinister felt like they really told a story and took their time, this feels too rushed. The film also takes an odd turn in it's final minutes, and the ending "moral" decision was somewhat stupid. The film was produced by Jason Blum (producer of such hits as Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and Sinister, who has milked the "horror house" concept dry) and Michael Bay (known for action films such as The Rock, Transformers, Armageddon, and Bad Boys). Blum used his company Blumhouse Productions, and Bay used his infamous Platinum Dunes production company, which is known for either making decent remakes of slasher films (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th) or make franchise-ruining nightmares (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning). This was a decent movie, but it wasn't attached to another franchise. Another thing: the technology ten years form now is something you'd expect maybe 20-25 years from now.  I didn't care for this film too much, and I'm hoping After Earth isn't as big a disappointment despite the critical backlash. The Purge is a decent futuristic horror-thriller, but the trailer is more entertaining than most of the movie (except for the short home invasion segment) and the acting is either okay or too over-blown, and there's not much action. 2.5/5 stars.

(Spoilers Below Posters)

Links:
Jeremy Jahns' short video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE0vyLM7rlM
Mathew Buck's longer video review: http://blip.tv/film-brain/projector-the-purge-6597638
IGN.com written review: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/30/the-purge-review

 (Images: Wikipedia, moviepilot.com, Bloody-Disgusting.com)




(SPOILERS) During the ending scuffle, Ethan Hawke is killed by Wakefield. My instant thought was: poor Mr. Hawke, always in horror-thrillers, you're killed. It's also always caused by your kids. Here: your dumb kid let a guy into the house, people busted in, now you're dead. In Sinister: daughter is possessed by Bughuul, murders you and her family with an axe, is taken into another realm by Bughuul. Oh, and at the end of the film, nothing changes. The Purge is still legal, everyone still accepts it, it's still a fucked-up system. (SPOILERS)

Some Updates and Announcements

So, in this upcoming month, there are a few things I need to update you guys on. First of all, my review of The Purge will appear on my mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com blog, not this one. Second of all, I will not post reviews of After Earth, Now You See Me, or The Internship for at least a week. I will post a Man of Steel review either the day it is released or the day after, as I will be on vacation in Los Angeles from June 8-14, and I am seeing that film on the drive back to Northern California. I am probably not going to do a recap of the Superman series, but I will put a link to my original review of the original Superman film from 1978, in fact, I'll link it here, too: http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/06/superman-movie.html I might also post some reviews of Disney films, as I'll be down in Disneyland, maybe the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and I might repost my Indiana Jones reviews, as they have a ride at the park, maybe. Some other reviews coming up this month are: Monsters University, World War Z, The Heat, This is the End, White House Down, and maybe Much Ado About Nothing. I don't think I'll be seeing The Bling Ring and Epic, though. Thanks for continuing to view this blog, guys. Spread the word, please!!!

-Matt Cotter

BTW: Am I the only one excited to see the original Wizard of Oz in IMAX 3D this fall for the 75th anniversary? I'm still kind of upset I missed the Top Gun re-release back in February, as it was only for 2 weeks.

Fast 6: This sixth installment delivers more fast cars and furious action.

Today, I look at the sixth installment in the commercially successful but critically dividing Fast and the Furious franchise: Fast and the Furious 6 (which is simply titled Furious 6 in the opening credits, similar to how the previous film was simply Fast Five) Now, I'm not going to do a lengthy review of all the preceding five films, but I will give my quick opinions of them: The Fast and the Furious is a decent action film on it's own, despite being somewhat of a rehash of the classic action-thriller Point Break, it just replaces surfing with street racing. 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift are pretty dumb, despite introducing us to some cool characters, they relied way too heavily on bad CGI rather than real car stunts like the first film. Fast and Furious (the fourth film even though it sounds like a remake) and Fast Five are dumb fun movies, they're dumb, but there's a charm to them, and the action scenes in the latter are great. Eva Mendes even appeared in an uncredited cameo in the latter, reprising her role from the second film. Now let's get to this latest one.

Fast and Furious 6 (also titles Fast Six and/or Furious 6):
In this film, the group has disbanded after their hugely successful heist in Rio de Janeiro in the previous film. Dominic Toretto and Elena Neves (a former Rio cop who joined the crew at the end of the last film) have settles down together. Brian O'Connor and Dom's sister Mia now have a son together (Mia was pregnant in the previous film) and the rest of the crew have spread out to different countries. Luke Hobbs (a Diplomatic Security Service agent from the last film) has them brought to him for a job: Hobbs wants to work with them to catch another crew of thieves, who also use cars, led by an ex-Special Air Service operative named Owen Shaw. The gang is a mirror image of Toretto's crew, and they agree to take the crew down when they learn that Dom's girlfriend Letty (who was supposedly killed in the fourth film) is alive and is a part of their gang. The crews begin using "vehicular warfare" against each other, employing not only sports cars, but modified Formula One racing cars, tanks, and planes. Now, while I don't think this film is as action-packed or fun as Fast Five, I will admit it's a fun action movie, one of those "leave your brain at the door" type of action movies, reminiscent of Michal Bay's 90's films such as The Rock or 80's films such as Commando. All of the crew (with the exception of Leo and Santos from the previous film, who were portrayed by Puerto Rican singers Tego Calderon and Don Omar) reappear. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Bridges, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, and Elsa Pataky all reprise their roles, even though Brewster and Pataky are kind of useless for most of the film, being there just because they were main characters in previous films. Model, martial artist, and actress Gina Carano (American Gladiators, Haywire) replaces Pataky as Johnson's sexy and strong female partner, named Riley. Luke Evans portrays the main villain, Owen Shaw. He's a typical Fast and Furious villain: he's pretty cool, and actually pretty threatening, but he isn't all that memorable. When you think of the Top 10 Villains of the Year, he probably won't be the first guy to come to mind. John Ortiz appears as Arturo, a former Shaw henchman, and Joe Taslim appears as Jah, Shaw's cold-blooded henchmen, who is brutal fighter and expert killer, who uses advanced martial arts techniques to take down his enemies. Rita Ora, a British songwriter, makes a cameo as the leader of a London racing gang. The main cast do their best to fill the roles, but they're basically typical action heroes. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Vin Diesel are the stand-outs in this film, even outshining Paul Walker. Johnson and Diesel just have a bad-ass presence, and seem like really cool guys. Now, before you see this film, I recommend you see the previous two installments, or at least read up on them, as it kind of depends on you already knowing what happened. Now, although the action scenes are fantastic, especially the fight in the Subway, the first car chase, the tank chase, and the ending airplane sequence. But, with one complaint, certain scenes, despite being awesome have characters using some bad logic, and certain things make no sense. Like the airport runway: it must be the longest in the world, and some of the stunts, such as the one at the end of the tank chase, are unrealistic and defy physics (as many have complained). But if you don't care about that stuff, you'll enjoy yourself. Some of the jokes in the film work, too. Some don't, but the majority work okay. Director Justin Lin (who has been with the franchise since the third film) has a very flashy, fast-paced style, which works for the film, and he announced this is the last film he's doing for the franchise. The soundtrack in the film, isn't the best. I'm not a big fan of modern hip hop/pop, and they use a lot of pop-like rap songs in this film. The opening song during the short opening credits (which has clips from all the previous films, as if it's a recap) isn't that bad, but most of the songs are. A funny thing is during the ending credits, right after the producing credits, there's a Jackass-like warning not to attempt the dangerous stunts in the film. No shit people aren't gonna try that stuff, it's not even physically possible to defy physics (duh). Despite it's many flaws, Furious 6 (or Fast and the Furious 6) is an exhilarating, over-the-top, dumb-fun action film, and it's entertaining as all hell. 3.5/5 stars.


SPOILER SEGMENT: Similar to The Hangover Part III, only a few credits roll before the post-credits scene. (Major Spoilers Ahead) During the final action sequence on the plane, Giselle (Gal Gadot) sacrifices herself to save her lover Han (Sung Kang), prompting him to kill the thug who was attacking them in a fit of rage. After the family gathering at the very end, Han goes to Tokyo, as him and Giselle planned to settle down there after they took down Shaw's crew. Han joins in a thrilling street race, before being tailed by a car with an unseen driver. The driver slams into Han from the side, sending his race car flying and rolling down the street, landing upside down. Han, bleeding and barely alive, groans in his seat as the driver of the mystery car gets out. Revealed to be Jason Statham (playing an unnamed character), the driver gets on the phone, and Han's car explodes in the background, tragically killing him. The driver gets on the phone and leaves Dom a threatening message: "Dominic Toretto, you don't know me, but you're about to...." Right after that, I thought The Transporter vs. The Fast and the Furious, sounds pretty bad-ass. Side-rant: Although Justin Lin has stated he will not return as director for a seventh film, James Wan has been announced as the director. If you are unfamiliar with Wan's name, you are definitely familiar with his work. He is the young New Zealander who directed the first Saw film, as well as horror hits like Dead Silence, Insidious, and the upcoming The Conjuring. Now, although the end credits scene excited me, I don't understand. This film feels like it wraps up the series, and the directing choice is odd. Wan is a great young filmmaker, but he's going to be taken completely out of his element. He's been working in the horror-thriller genre for nearly ten years (next year is Saw's ten-year anniversary), and only this genre, despite trying to branch out into different genres. I feel like easing him in is better, rather than throwing him from creepy horror-thrillers to fun action blockbusters. At least let him direct a dark action-thriller before, so he can ease into the genre better. Did they think because they were both Asian they were both fit for the series? I'm unsure, but I'm still excited. Fantastic filmmaker paired with a fun franchise? Sounds good to me. SPOILER SEGMENT


 (Left, poster, which is very similar to the previous film's poster, Image: Wikipedia)

The Hangover Trilogy

Today, I look at the trilogy of comedy "epics" from director Todd Phillips (Old School, Starsky and Hutch, Due Date), which (overall) has received mixed reception by critics and audiences. (Possible Spoilers Ahead, at least for the first two!)

The Hangover:
This was Phillips' first real success since his 2003 hit film Old School and his 2004 buddy cop comedy Starsky and Hutch, based off the hit TV series. This propelled him to comedy stardom, going on to write and direct Due Date, a mediocre revamping of John Hughes' classic Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, which starred Robert Downey Jr. and Hangover star Zach Galifianakis, as well as producing Project X (a hit 2012 mockumentary about a teen's birthday house party which gets way out of control) and 21 & Over (a 2013 mediocre comedy about two college idiots whose Asian friend Jeff Chang goes insane when they take him out to numerous bars and drug-crazed parties for his 21st birthday). This was even the highest grossing R-rated comedy for a while, surpassing the record set by Beverly Hills Cop, which held it's record for 25 years, only being surpassed by Seth McFarlane's Ted last summer. The plot of this film revolves around three men: Phil, a teacher and family man (but all-around douche); Stu, an uptight dentist whose overbearing and bitchy girlfriend controls his every move; and Alan, a borderline autistic, overweight man-child who is pretty harmless, but nonetheless pretty strange. They are getting together because Stu and Phil's best friend Doug is going to marry Alan's sister. They go to Doug's bachelor party at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. In the morning, Stu, Phil, and Alan wake up, with bad hangovers, in their completely trashed luxury suite, with a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, and no Doug, not to mention Stu is missing a tooth. The trio go out on the town, trying to piece together what happened the previous night. They come across sex scandals, gangsters, drugs, booze, insane/violent partying, and a mobster-like Mike Tyson. Realizing they might have ruined relationships and lost the groom, their best friend, forever, they attempt to find Doug at all costs. Bradley Cooper stars as Phil, and this, along with his appearance in The Proposal that year, shot him into stardom. Ed Helms (The Daily Show) is Stu, and he is great as the uptight dentist with somewhat of a dark side, which he lets loose if he is given large amounts of drugs and alcohol. Zach Galifianakis is fantastic as the likeable but odd man-child Alan, and this was his breakout role. He was in funny shows before, but most of them were either cancelled cult hits, or just obscure and surreal sketch shows. This film propelled him and his bizarre and unique comedy style to the mainstream. Justin Bartha (National Treasure) appears as Doug, the lost groom. His role is small, but is memorable, because he is technically the main focus of the film, as his disappearance is what drives the plot. Heather Graham appears as a kind but naive stripper and escort named Jade, whom Stu got involved with the previous night. Jeffrey Tambor appears in a supporting role as Alan's father Sid. Sasha Barrese plays Tracy, Alan's sister and Sid's daughter, as well as Doug's fiancée and bride. Rachael Harris appears as Melissa, Stu's overbearing and controlling girlfriend. Ken Jeong plays Mr. Leslie Chow, an eccentric and flamboyant Las Vegas gangster, which proved to be a breakout role for the comedian. Mike Epps (best known for his roles in the sequels to the comedy Friday) plays a drug-dealer who's name is also Doug. Rob Riggle (Upright Citizens Brigade troupe, Step Bros. 21 Jump Street) and Cleo King (Deadwood) appear as two incompetent and over-the-top Vegas cops. Mike Tyson appears as a crazy, fictitious version of himself. Tyson originally refused to appear in the film, until he learned it was from the makers of Old School, a film he enjoyed, and this was the film that convinced him to quit his bad lifestyle. Matt Walsh (another Upright Citizen troupe member) appears as Dr. Valsh at a Vegas hospital. Dan Finnerty appears as "The Wedding Singer" in the film's closing scenes, who sings very sexual and inappropriate songs. Finnerty reprises this role from Phillip's previous films: he appeared as the "Singer" in both Old School and Starsky and Hutch, in the latter he sang at a Bar Mitzvah. Phillips, who often makes humorous cameos in his films (he did so in Starsky and Hutch and Old School), appears as "Mr. Creepy", an odd man who appears in the beginning of the film in an elevator. Wayne Newton and Carrot Top appear as themselves in the slideshow during the credits. The film is extremely funny, and the film hits you with joke after joke, and the situations get more outrageous the further the trio investigates. Much like Anchorman, there are many quotable lines and tons of funny moments (though I prefer Anchorman), and you just have to see the film for yourself. The Hangover deserves the praise it gets. It's hilarious, crazy, and entertaining as hell. It definitely earned the ranking of highest grossing R-rated comedy (well, for the time that it held that ranking). 4/5 stars.

The Hangover Part II:
Now, this is a film many people, myself included, didn't like very much. The film centers around the four friends: Phil, Alan, Stu, and Doug, as they travel to a luxury resort in Thailand, as Stu is getting married. Not to Jade, of course. He's marrying another hot girl, but one who is like 15 years younger than him. But, after a bonfire on the resort beach, the gang goes insane. In the morning, they wake up in a dirty, seedy, and totally trashed hotel room in Bangkok, one of the most infamous cities in the world. Alan's head is shaved, they have a monkey in the room, Stu has a Mike Tyson-style tattoo on his face, they all have extreme hangovers, Doug and Stu's soon-to-be brother-in-law Teddy are missing, and Mr. Chow is in their hotel room. They luckily find out Doug is still back at the resort (yeah, Doug is a very useless character, he doesn't do shit), but Teddy is still missing, and in Bangkok, missing people rarely turn up, and when they do, it's never good. This premise is the main problem: it's too similar. Nearly every joke in the film is a re-run of the jokes of the first film. The formula for this film is: take a good joke from the first, do one of the following: a) make it darker/more violent, b) make it more disgusting, c) tweak it slightly, or d) all of the above. The main four cast members return and do a pretty good job, despite Justin Bartha barely making an appearance. Model and actress Jamie Chung appears as Lauren, Stu's young fiancée. Crystal the Monkey, an animal performer, appears as the monkey in the film. Ken Jeong and Jeffrey Tambor return as Chow and Sid, respectively. Mason Lee, son of acclaimed director Ang Lee, appears (in his film debut) as Teddy, Lauren's younger brother and basically a young prodigy whom Alan initially dislikes. Sasha Baresse appears once again as Tracy, Doug's wife. Acclaimed actor Paul Giamatti appears as an undercover Interpol agent after Chow named Kingsley. Mike Tyson reappears as himself to be the wedding singer in the ending, singing a cover of Murray Head's 1984 song "One Night in Bangkok". Film director Nick Cassavetes appears in a cameo as a tattoo artist, a role that Liam Neeson was initially casted for, who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, and which was originally written for Mel Gibson, who couldn't do it because many crew members disagreed with his anti-Semitic remarks. Todd Phillips appears again in an uncredited cameo as Mr. Creepy. The film is okay on it's own, but when compared to the original, it's simply a slightly darker, but less funny knock-off, and a disappointment. The Hangover Part II is a disappointing installment in an otherwise decent trilogy. 2.5/5 stars.

The Hangover Part III:
This film may not be better than the original, but more than makes up for the second. Similar to this summer's other third installment film Iron Man 3, it's a third in a trilogy that takes a new approach, but unlike Iron Man 3, it has the same director. This film focuses more on Alan than any previous films. Alan, after an untimely death of a loved one, is feeling a little down, so his family and friends host an intervention, where the "Wolf Pack" (as he dubbed Stu, Doug, and Phil in the previous films) convinced him to let them drive him to a self-help facility for a short period so he could get better and grow up a little. On their way, they are stopped and assaulted by "Black Doug", the incompetent drug dealer from the first film, and a gang of thugs, who are led by Doug's boss Marshall (whom he mentioned in passing in the first film), who is upset at Mr. Chow for ripping him off and messing with Black Doug, and tells the Wolf Pack that he is taking Doug (their friend of the same name) hostage until they find and deliver Chow to him. The remaining three members of the Pack must track Chow down throughout Tijuana, Mexico and Las Vegas, where they come across some characters from the first film, obviously to tie up the trilogy. (Eagle eyes may even spot a billboard advertisement for the chapel from the first film near the ending of the film.) This film obviously takes a far different approach than previous installments, which is very good, as it adds a breath of fresh air to the series. But now the title makes no sense, as there is no "hangover". Another note: the series seems to consider itself an epic trilogy, as that's how the film is advertised, and many sequences seem more fit for an action film than a comedy, and there's many scenes where the director chose to play "epic" music, I mean, it is produced by Legendary Pictures, a company known for producing epics, action films, and comic book films. But I still enjoyed the film quite a bit, and thought it was a fun, action-packed, hilarious movie experience. The jokes in this film are a lot more original and clever than in the previous installment, and the plot moves quicker because the film doesn't drag it's feet doing the whole "what happened last night" plot. The cast are really good as well. The "Wolf Pack" return and are funny as ever. The supporting cast, such as Ken Jeong, Mike Epps, Sasha Baresse, Jaimie Chung, Heather Graham, and Jeffrey Tambor also return, and do a good job, especially Jeong, who is far less annoying than in the previous film. John Goodman joins the cast as Marshall, a surprisingly threatening gangster, and although he's not in the film much, he does have a certain presence when he's on screen, like you actually feel "He might actually kill one of these guys that I've grown to love over the past two films." He's a surprisingly good villain for a comedy. Melissa McCarthy also appears in a small role as Cassie, the owner of a pawn shop in Vegas. Phillips reappears in an uncredited cameo as Mr. Creepy, this time appearing in a Vegas suite near the end. Oliver Cooper (who played Costa in Project X) makes a cameo as a young pharmacy assistant. Although I wished the cops from the first film would make a reappearance, and Graham's character would play a bigger role, I was satisfied with this third installment. Even though they'll probably make another when this film makes a ton of money, if this really is the end of the series, I would be happy with that. The end credits scene alone makes the movie, as well as the song that plays directly after (a reference to the first film). Seriously, wait for that scene, it is just perfect. The Hangover Part III is a hilarious, somewhat exciting, fast-paced, satisfying, and entertaining epic-action-comedy and is a fitting end for the "Wolf Pack Trilogy". 3.5/5 stars.

Note: A weird thing about the opening credits to this film is this: in most movies, the text will read something like "A Steven Spielberg Film" or "A Martin Scorsese Picture", or sometimes even "A Spike Lee Joint", here it simply says "A Todd Phillips Movie", I don't know why, it struck me as odd because I've never seen it written like that before, even in indie movies and family films.

SPOILER SECTION: In the movie's ending, it's revealed Alan is to marry Cassie. In the post-credits scene, after resigning from the Wolf Pack, Alan awakes next to Cassie in bed, with their home trashed, and see Phil in a bridesmaid outfit. Stu stumbles out of the bathroom in pink underwear with breast implants, and begins to laugh about the night, before realizing he now has women's breasts and begins to freak out. Alan remembers the wedding cake was a gift from Chow, and Chow enters the room completely naked with a samurai sword, laughing about the previous night. The Bangkok drug monkey from the previous film then pounces on Stu's head, causing him to freak out even more before the screen goes black. SPOILER SECTION




 (Images: Wikipedia)