R.I.P. Roddy Piper

On July 31st, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper died of cardiac arrest in his sleep at his home in Hollywood. Despite mostly being known for his wrestling career, Piper also delved into the acting world many times, most notably as the lead in John Carpenter's cult horror-comedy/social satire They Live, and as the recurring wrestler character "Da Maniac" in FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Piper was one of the most prolific entertainers and sports figures of the past fifty years, and has since been honored by many friends, colleagues, and admirers, such as Ronda Rousey, Rob McElhenney, and Vince McMahon. Piper himself correctly predicted in an interview on HBO in 2003 that he would not make it to 65, hence why he returned to wrestling at the time, as he could not collect his penchant until that age. He is survived by his wife, four children and four grandchildren.


                                                                Roddy Piper
                                                          1954-2015 (age: 61)
                                                 

Inside Out: Pixar's first non-franchise film in years isn't actually its' most original

Inside Out:
Riley, an 11-year-old girl from Minnesota, moves with her parents from that state to San Francisco, California. During this time, the five emotions that live in her mind: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust (which seems to me less of a core emotion and more of a specific feeling but whatever), begin struggling with how to regulate Riley's emotions during this time of change.
   Despite being praised for its' originality, I don't see this as a particularly original concept, as I'm pretty sure I've heard of similar concepts before (Herman's Head, anyone?). The main voice cast of Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, and Lewis Black is fantastic, with Smith and Black being perfectly cast as Sadness and Anger, respectively. Richard Kind, Kyle MacLachlan, Diane Lane, Bobby Moynihan, Paula Poundstone, Flea, John Ratzenberger, Frank Oz, David Goelz, and director Pete Docter make up the supporting and minor voice cast.
  And despite the impressive voice cast and entertaining way that the film represents the human mind, and some clever jokes, in this article: http://www.vox.com/2015/6/25/8840945/inside-out-mind-memory two philosophers explain why the film gets it wrong. I do somewhat excuse this under artistic license and because it's a family film, but ultimately I think Pixar could have done more of their homework.
  The writing has some nice moments and is witty, despite some awfully predictable cliches, especially with one character, who I knew was going to make a heroic sacrifice five minutes after being introduced to them.
  The animation is fluid and colorful, and the characters are fun. I excuse them having the characters expressing more than one emotion (i.e. Joy getting sad, or Fear getting bored) because it would be impossible to craft relatable characters out of literal caricatures of a single emotion.
  The opening short, Lava, is formulaic but it was beautifully animated and scored, and I was actually a little convinced near the end it was going to end depressingly, before I reminded myself it is produced by Disney and therefore must conform to expectations.
  Inside Out is definitely better than most of Pixar's recent outings, and may be a way of getting the studio off track of their current announced titles, including nothing but sequels and spin-offs, which is depressing coming from a studio known for its' fresh concepts and ideas. 4/5 stars.

A YMS review that explains all of the issues one could find with this film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXC_205E3Og

                                                   (Image: Wikipedia)

Ant-Man: Yet another Disney/Marvel cash cow

Today, I look at the film no one wanted to make, and fewer wanted to see.

Ant-Man:
Scott Lang is an expert thief who has just gotten out of San Quentin. He wants to reconnect with his young daughter, but his wife and her new SFPD husband don't trust him. Scott is roped into one final job by his friends so he can pay child support and see his daughter again. Unfortunately the mark is the home of elderly scientist and former superhero Hank Pym, who then enlists Scott's help to steal back his old "Ant-Man" tech from his former protege and head of Pym Technologies Darren Cross, who plans to sell it as a military weapon.
    Despite being initially excited for this film, I was troubled recently by news of its' production. Edgar Wright, one of the most talented comedy writers and visually striking directors of this generation (and one of the few comedy filmmakers who uses the medium of film effectively), wrote the script for this film and was slated to direct, considering this was a passion project of his for some time. Suddenly, months into production, he dropped out for unknown reasons. Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Firefly, The Cabin in the Woods, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) then went on to say that Wright and Joe Cornish's script was the best Marvel script he had ever read. Marvel stated this was due to creative differences, which really means Marvel wanted to make a whorish cash cow full of references to other Marvel films which would most likely function as a two-hour ad for the next film, and Wright wanted to make a relatively stand-alone film (much like the first Iron Man), that felt too unique from the other Marvel films (which worried Marvel/Disney, because originality and having a personality is risky). Wright's script went under several re-writes, with the film now have two more writers, Adam McKay and star Paul Rudd. Whedon expressed sadness over this change, as he felt the original script was such a perfect one. During this clusterfuck of changes, Patrick Wilson and Matt Gerald (from Marvel's Daredevil) were also cut from their roles in the film.
   Paul Rudd does play an effective Ant-Man, and Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas are good leads as well. Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale, Wood Harris, Michael Pena, T.I., and David Dastmalchian make up the supporting cast, and with the latter three providing some nice comic relief. Corey Stoll plays Yellowjacket, the film's main antagonist, who is everything that is wrong with Marvel villains as of late: no subtlety to the role and no real origin (he's Saturday morning cartoon levels of evil from his first scene), no payoff to his character, no discerning characteristics other than his costume, hammed up to the extreme, more emphasis on looking awesome than developing the character, and (SPOILER alert) he is killed off so he cannot appear in any sequels. And the worst part: Stoll, much like all the villainous actors in the MCU, is underutilized and is not well-cast. Despite being a fine actor, Stoll was obviously miscast in this role. He's pretty good at playing gruff or stoic villains, not Lex Luthor-type machiavellian manipulators. Better suited for this role would have been someone like Aidan Gillen or Mads Mikkelsen (I would've also suggested Idris Elba, if he was not already in the MCU), but Stoll was cast because he's in two successful TV series. John Slattery and Hayley Atwell make cameos in the film, as do Gregg Turkington and Martin Donovan. Stan Lee also appears for his obligatory cameo.
   I was actually surprised with this film's ability to restrain from constantly shoving Marvel references down my throat... for about the first third. Then, it was a constant flurry of Marvel references and winks at the audience until it made me want to throw up in my mouth. The time when Yellowjacket cheesily title drops not only Ant-Man, but also Tales to Astonish in about thirty seconds of each other at the start of the film is when I knew this was going to be bad.
   The action sequences are blandly shot and loaded with cartoonish CGI, and while these sequences are entertaining, they push the boundaries of even the Marvel universe, to the point of laughability. In fact, many times I was howling with laughter, not because of any of the actual jokes in the film, but because of the campiness and silliness of the entire film. I mean, I know it's Ant-Man, but I think Wright would have handled the material with more maturity and subtlety. Peyton Reed, the director Marvel replaced Wright with, is known for his films Bring It On, The Break-Up, and Yes Man, so basically he's a director-for-hire with no visual flair or personality, much unlike Wright; also unlike Wright, he has no experience directing an action film. I don't hate Reed's films, I just find them bland and it angers me that he was replacing such a talented filmmaker. And just like with this film, Reed was told by the studio to edit down the content of his successful Bring It On to appeal to a wider audience and avoid an R-rating.
    Ant-Man has its' moments, but is ultimately a cheesy, cartoonish example of when a studio has too much creative control over a film or franchise. I know Marvel has their next thirty-or-so films planned out, but I think they won't make it that far if they continue this trend, because I think fans will just stop going if they continue making bland products like this. I have ceased calling it a film because Marvel doesn't treat it like one. Film is an art form, but Marvel treats it like a product, something that only exists to finance their next line of products. Or maybe I'm wrong, considering the amount of fanboy praise this has been getting, I think people are so blinded by their love of Disney and Marvel and Pixar and all this other stuff that they won't admit to themselves when these studios fuck up, so they just say they love it. Regardless, I'd one day like to see Edgar Wright's untampered script, just to maybe get a glimpse of what he had envisioned for this film. 2/5 stars.


                                                (Image: Wikipedia)

Even the poster looks bland, like something a teenager could put together in a weekend.


SPOILERS:
So Falcon (Anthony Mackie) appears in the film as a way to tie The Avengers into this yet again. One thing I did enjoy was Lang mentioning how if Pym just called the team everything would be solved. The mid-credits sequence has Hank giving daughter Hope his wife's old Wasp suit, teasing her as the superheroine (also, it irked me how Pym tells Hope that her mother died a hero, when the correct word would be heroine; I know that's like me being a grammar Nazi, but it still bothered me). The end credits scene has the Winter Soldier held by Captain American and the Falcon, who says that if Tony Stark won't help them, then maybe "a guy" will. The end-credits scene is in Widescreen, unlike the rest of the film, which makes me suspect it's really more like a scene lifted from Captain America: Civil War, which would be insanely lazy.

R.I.P. Alex Rocco

Two days ago, character actor Alex Rocco died. Known mostly for his role as gambling giant and Jewish gangster Moe Greene in The Godfather, he was a prolific voice and television actor, with appearances in everything from Batman, to Magic City, to That Thing You Do!, to The Famous Teddy Z, Starsky & Hutch, A Bug's Life, St. Elsewhere, CHiPs, The A-Team, The Simpsons, and Batman: Year One. He joked that the Bug's Life gig was the best in his life as he was paid $1 million dollars to say less than ten lines. Rocco passed away in Studio City, Los Angeles from an unspecified type of cancer. He is survived by his widow Shannon Wilcox, and by his two children and one grandchild.

                                                         Alex Rocco
                                                  1936-2015 (age: 79)
                                       
(Image: Wikipedia)

Entourage: Does it hold up to the classic TV series?

Today, I look at the follow-up to the beloved HBO comedy series.

Entourage:
Nine days into his new marriage, Vincent Chase divorces his wife and decides he wants something new to spice up his career. Chase convinces his producer and former agent Ari Gold to let him direct his next project, despite having no experience directing. Gold allows it, which causes some studio troubles after the film's financiers, a Texan billionaire and his dimwitted son, try to get involved in the film's production.
    After the final, and somewhat disappointing, season in the hit series (based partially on the early career of Mark Wahlberg), the film had been in talks for years, with show creator Doug Ellin expressing interest in a film shortly after the series ended. The film may not quite recapture the fun of the early seasons of the series, but manages to be entertaining, and doesn't require you to be a fan of the show to follow it. Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, and Jerry Ferrara reprise their lead roles as the titular entourage, and they still have the same group chemistry as they had on TV. Jeremy Piven also reprises his role as the unstable and angry Ari, who has some of the best lines in the film. Debi Mazar, Perrey Reeves, Rex Lee, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Constance Zimmer all return from the show as well. Cameos by Kid Cudi, Jessica Alba, Ronda Rousey, Nina Agdal, Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammar, Ed O'Neill, Andrew Dice Clay, Jon Favreau, Judy Greer, Bob Saget, Gary Busey, Common, Mark Cuban, Armie Hammer, Emily Ratajkowski, Liam Neeson, Piers Morgan, Mike Tyson, T.I., Alyssa Miller, and many others pepper the film, though these only serve as mildly amusing moments. Haley Joel Osment and Billy Bob Thorton portray the financiers of Vince's film, who serve as the main antagonists, though, this being a comedy, they aren't all that threatening.
    The story's main twist is somewhat predictable towards the end and kind of ruined a potential dramatic moment for me. Without giving too much away, Vince is faced with the possibility that he's lost his touch as an actor and is not as talented as he thinks he is, and may be simply surrounded by sycophants who will merely praise what he does because they like him as a person. That would make for a compelling dramatic moment, but the "twist" puts that to rest rather quickly.
    Entourage may be all-over-the-place in terms of story, and is not as fresh or witty as the series it's based on, but ultimately it serves as a fun sequel story and a better finisher than the series finale. 3.5/5 stars.

                                                    (Image: Wikipedia)

R.I.P. Omar Sharif

Today, the world loses one of the greatest actors of the 1960's, Omar Sharif. Known mostly for his roles in the epics Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago, Sharif was also the star of many box office and critical successes, including Funny Girl, The Appointment, and The Night of the Generals, and the unfortunate bomb Che!, based on the life of Che Guevara. Omar was known for his good looks and charm, and was one of the first major Egyptian stars to become an international success. Unfortunately, towards the end of his life he began to suffer Alzheimer's disease, often forgetting or confusing the names of his most famous films and the locations they were shot in. He died today of a heart attack in a hospital in Cairo, Egypt. He will most definitely be rembered as one of the most iconic and revolutionary faces of 1960's cinema.

                                                               Omar Sharif
                                                          1932-2015 (age: 83)

                                                                 (Image: Wikipedia)

Jurassic World: Another fourth film summer release in an over two-decade old franchise

This review has been long overdue.

Jurassic World:

Set sometime in the near future, the film chronicles the downfall of the wildly successful Jurassic World, the spin-off of John Hammond's collosal failure Jurassic Park. After being open for several years, the executives at the park realize that gene splicing dinosaurs may be the key to spiking park attendance. However, the Indominus Rex (this Frankenstein creature is spliced from T-Rex DNA and other types of dangerous dinosaurs) is smarter and more bloodthirsty than they imagined and quickly escapes, wreaking havoc across the resort. Only Owen Grady, a former Naval officer and Velociraptor trainer in the island's restricted area, is able to possibly stop the creature before it reaches the center of the resort. 

    After over a decade of waiting for a fourth Jurassic Park film, people were dying for a nostalgia trip like this, so naturally this movie has been breaking numerous box office records. I've seen the film twice now and have had some time to think it over, and on the whole, it feels more like a Jurassic Park movie than the previous installment, but still doesn't hold a candle to the original. 

    Chris Pratt is a charismatic lead hero, but I worry he may suffer from over-exposure soon if the Indiana Jones rumors prove true. Bryce Dallas Howard plays the lead female, who is Pratt's love interest. She starts as this uptight and overly serious businesswoman, and kind of breaks down her hardened shell over the film. Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson play two brothers who are a major focus of the film, which I wasn't all that happy about. They just weren't strong enough characters, nor fresh enough to have a major storyline dedicated to them. At least in the previous films, the kids were always more like supporting characters who just happened to be a part of the action, not with their own arc. Jake Johnson and Lauren Lapkus have comedic roles as two control room operators. B.D. Wong returns as Dr. Wu from the original film, the only returning cast member in this installment. Why he wasn't fired after the disaster in the first film I have no idea. Omar Sy plays Pratt's friend and fellow raptor tamer, and Vincent D'Onofrio appears as the main human antagonist, an element sorely lacking in the third film. Irrfan Khan plays John Hammond's successor. Judy Greer and Andy Buckley play the brothers' parents who have hit a rough patch. Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Buffett, and director Colin Trevorrow have cameos in the film, with Trevorrow's being a voice cameo. Director Brad Bird has a voice-over cameo as a monorail announcer.

    The special effects are more CG-heavy than in previous installments, which was a little bothersome, but forgivable. The action scenes are well-shot and exciting, and the final battle was pretty cheesy, but ultimately also very entertaining. In fact, this film had more cheese than I was expecting (two thing really got to me: there's a look two characters give each other after the final battle that made me almost burst out laughing, and running in heels, anyone who's seen the film knows exactly what I'm talking about). 

    If you're looking for a fun summer movie that will give you a dose of nostalgia, then Jurassic World will surely meet expectations. It doesn't recapture the feel of the original perfectly, but I don't think anything will. 3.5/5 stars.

An older review I did of the first three films: http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.ie/2013/04/jurassic-park-trilogy.html

                                                              (Image: Wikipedia)