Movie Review - Insurgent

Insurgent

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Jai Courtney, Mekhi Phifer, Ansel Elgort, Daniel Dae Kim, Octavia Spencer, Naomi Watts, Zoë Kravitz, Cynthia Barrett, Ashley Judd, and more.

Directed by: Robert Schwentke Screenplay by: Brian Duffield, Akiva Goldsman, and Mark Bomback Based on the Novel by: Veronica Roth

Premise: Having escaped Jeanine after foiling her plans, Tris finds her inner self conflicted with all that's happened, especially the loss of her mom. And a new wrinkle presents itself, Jeanine found a vessel that contains a message from the Founders, but only a Divergent can pass the tests necessary to open it. And she very badly wants it opened - as she believes it will give her a way to get rid of all Divergents once and for all. So she's more than willing to break even more rules than before to reach her goals. (Rated Pg-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Shailene Woodley did well as the unbalanced Tris. She and Theo James oozed chemistry throughout the film. Miles Teller was fun as bad boy Peter. Kate Winslet was cold as ice as Jeanine. Naomi Watts as Evelyn was rather interesting. Very hard to tell what side she's truly on.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The cool effects start with the credits. The Summit Entertainment and Red Wagon Logos looked amazing as they introduced them in the 3D and morphed them into Jeanine's image. The visuals were very good - like late in the film, when the city is coming totally apart during two of the sims.

There's one scene with Four where the image falls slowly apart that made for a great visual. Also the weird nano spider things looked very cool.

3) Story - Neutral: Sadly, the film makers forgot some basic rules: a) Not everyone has read the books b) Not everyone will have seen the first film c) Those who did see it, have probably forgotten a lot of details by now.

So instead of doing a quick recap of events, the audience is thrown into things with nothing to guide them. While it's easy enough to remember the main characters, the details behind Peter and Caleb were not as memorable, so it made it incredibly hard to understand some of what was going on or the feelings being kicked about at the beginning. Very bad move. The excitement that could have been built right off is instead hampered and made twice as hard to light.

As happens in a lot of science fiction movies and some books, they can never seem to find a balance between the science level indicated vs. other tech used. If you can make nano machine spiders that are intelligent enough to try to fight against you taking them out, then why can't you make them good enough to heal your wounded hand? Through the entire film, Jeanine is cradling her bandaged hand. This from a culture with science that can make virtual reality feel real, put living nano technology inside you without any drawbacks, and use other tech to take over your mind. Yet no tech to help your booboo? Right...

There were some definitely good moments -  some snappy zingers cropped up here and there. But they were only moments. The whole concept of the 'secret in a container' seemed out of place and contrived, as I don't believe it was ever mentioned in the first film. The leftover bad guy from the first film had to reach useless heights of depravity just so there would be sufficient reason built to shoot him while he was helpless with his hands tied. Which pretty much overrides the act, making it wrong as well. (Though it will uncannily resemble a later act by his mother...)

The ending was odd as well. The message in the container did not surprise me, but the mass exodus of the population did. They all know there's at least thirty miles of desert out there - we had some awesome shots of it in the first film! - so where do they think they're going without transportation or water?

There are two more films coming out for the series - but the ending of this one, made us think there this was it. Only found out there's two more while doing research at IMDB. Would a tiny hint have hurt? "The Maze Runner" did that much at least.

4) Stunts - Thumbs Up: There are fights in several parts of the film, but most were the usual. The fight on the train was very nice though. Some explosions and decent stunt work, but again nothing overtly unusual.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: Somewhat outdone by the sims, there were still some great shots of the real city. The collapsed areas and people having to traverse them by foot were definitely impressive. The dried up river with the half drawn bridges was definitely a nice visual. (Though why in 200 years you'd not done some renovating seems rather weird - especially with some of the grandiose buildings in some of the sectors.)

Conclusion: With the lack of a recap putting the viewers off center, the film never heats up as much as it could have with the audience. Some cool sims, some snappy lines, but really nothing much to get really excited about. Which was a pity. You'll think this is the end, but there's two more movies coming. But no hint of it in the film at all. Too bad.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Movie Review - The Host

The Host

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger, Max Irons, Jake Abel, Chandler Canterbury, William Hurt, Scott Lawrence, Frances Fisher, and more.

Directed by: Andrew Niccol Screenplay by: Andrew Niccol Based on the Novel by: Stephenie Meyer Cinematography by: Roberto Schaefer Original Music by: Antonio Pinto

Premise: Earth has been taken over by an alien race that uses human bodies as hosts. Rather than be taken by them, Melanie Stryder attempts to take her own life by jumping out a window. The Seeker who watched her do this decides Melanie would make an excellent host. The Seeker's goal is to use Melanie's memories to hunt down the few remnants of unpossessed humans left. But Melanie's will is even stronger than anyone anticipated. Rather than be destroyed or totally subverted within her own body, Melanie is aware and fights against the alien inside her, hoping to somehow figure out a way to get back to those she loves. (Rated PG-13)

Review:  

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Saoirse Ronan did a spectacular job playing the Wanderer, and the imprisoned Melanie inside her. Saoirse gave each of the two beings unique voices and personalities so it was easy to believe she had two people taking residence inside the same body. Diane Kruger was outstanding as the dogged Seeker trying to find the Wanderer(Wanda)/Melanie no matter the cost. Max Irons and Jake Abel also gave good performances, easily showing the conflict each had for how they viewed and felt about Wanda/Melanie.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: I loved how the aliens looked - semi-energy beings with ganglia - it was a great effect. There are two emotional automobile crash scenes that got stitched to the film so well they looked eerily realistic in the damage to the cars and to the people inside them. The glow worm cave was fantastic - you could honestly think you were looking into a picture of a gaseous and star seeded section of space. The alien 'spaceport' was utterly fascinating. I also think the special effects department did a great job with the mirror banks used to reflect light to grow plants inside the caves. The wheat field itself also looked amazing.

They did a great job too on Jamie's festered wound (looked so nasty!) and the healing sequences for both Melanie and Jamie. You could almost see Jamie's cut weaving itself back together. Nice!

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: I haven't read the novel the movie is based on, so I can't make any comments on how it translated to film. I will say that as long as you don't question how Earth came to be in its current state or what technology should have been available to the aliens with which to find a few pesky humans, the movie's plot works pretty well.

Though you can piece together some of the alien's social structure, it would have helped the film if they'd delved into it a bit more than they did. A greater understanding of this seemingly super stratified system (as implied by the use of occupation titles) would have helped viewers understand why some of the 'Souls' had not been bothered by their antagonistic way of life before. (Where their technology came from or how they were able to take over the first human, especially after seeing that the standard transfer process couldn't be done without help would have also helped plug some of the huge holes in the nonexistent back story.) Baring that, however, the film did do a great job bringing up all sorts of issues to both sides, and not 'sugar coating' most of them. The voice-over technique for Melanie's trapped self worked really well for imparting her thoughts to the audience.

And typical of a lot of young adult books, there are multiple love interests for the heroine. Except this time there was a nice twist - there are two heroines in one body, and they both like different guys. This made for some quite poignant and also funny moments. Jamie's infected wound, sadly, seemed somewhat contrived.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: My inner geek screamed the first time we got the gorgeous spanning view of the desert area where the humans kept their hiding place (Worm Sign! Worm Sign! ("Dune")), something which will sadly not occur to most of the young people watching the film. I totally loved the cave chosen for their hideout. (The wheat field made me think of those built inside mountains or underground in the PC game "Mine Craft".)

While a lot of places looked normal, they did do one caveat to how the aliens had changed the planet by the giant, plain store called The Store. Their simplistic labels and naming of things was a nice touch too.

6) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: The costumes for the Seekers in their startling white worked very well. The shoes were not, but I am giving credit to that 'faux pas' to the aliens themselves. The ways the eyes looked on all who had aliens inside them worked really well and had just the right touch of creepy to it. There was good consistency too on wounds and natural healing.

Conclusion: If you ignore the science and technique of how the Souls took over the world, the film was well paced, thought provoking, and even quite humorous. Hubby said it would make a great date movie as it has a mix of romance, shootings, and car chases to give both sides what they like.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)  

Movie Review - Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures

Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum, Thomas Mann, Emma Thompson, Eileen Atkins, Margo Martindale, Zoey Deutch, Tiffany Boone, and more.

Directed by: Richard LaGravenese Screenplay by: Richard LaGravenese Based on the Novel by: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl Cinematography by: Philippe Rousselot Original Music by: Thenewno2

Premise: Ethan is tired of living in the nowhere town of Gatlin. But when he returns to school for his junior year, he meets a new student, Lena Duchannes, and she reminds him of the girl who has been haunting his dreams for weeks. So despite the fact, or because of it, that she's part of the shunned Ravenwood Family, he finds her the most fascinating thing he's seen in years. But unbeknownst to him, hanging out with the Ravenwoods could prove deadly. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: As Ethan, Alden Ehrenreich gives us a quirky, complicated teenager that is too fun to watch. Alice Englert had good chemistry with Alden, which made for a cute and believable romance. Emma Thompson was a big surprise, and I loved what she did with her role.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Though effects were somewhat scarce at the beginning of the film, we got to see more and more of them as the story progresses . Many of the effects were subtle, while others were obvious, but all were excellently done. The battle of wills in the dinning room was amazing. The storms during the climax were breathtaking. The scene with the falling snow was gorgeous. Lots of great work by the special effects team.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: The movie takes place in the south, so the fact the story takes its time to be told, should be expected. I haven't read the book series "Beautiful Creatures" is based on, so I can't say how faithful the film makers remained to the book, but it has definitely made me curious about them.

A lot of great one-liners and teasing quips were sprinkled throughout the script. One funny moment had no words at all, yet made me laugh out loud. The sense of discovery and the teasing of the audience about further mysteries and secrets was nurtured well. There were also a few surprises in the plot, which kept things quite interesting.

Yet while having the film told from the point of view of Ethan gave it the flavor of something different, events which happen later switch the focus, which unfortunately drained away some of the film's momentum. The audience was vested with Ethan, so the story lost a lot when he wasn't around.

4) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The film used great locations to create the ambiance of a small town in South Carolina. The Ravenwood estate with its seemingly dilapidated home and walls gave the sense of an old southern plantation. This gave it that much more impact once Ethan sees the interio.

The long shots of the lonely road leading to and from the estate only helped fuel the fun later when Ethan finds himself going in circles. Some of the areas were touched up, but these only added to the fantasy look and feel of the film. 

Conclusion: "Beautiful Creatures" is a sleepy tale full of colorful characters. Mysteries and secrets abound and proved to be quite entertaining. You won't run around town shouting its praises, but it definitely did entertain.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Better for Matinee)

Movie Review - The Pirates! Band of Misfits

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Starring: Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton, Jeremy Piven, Anton Yelchin, Brendan Gleeson, Ashley Jensen, Salma Hayek, Lenny Henry, Brian Blessed and more.

Directed by: Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt Screenplay and Book by: Gideon Defoe Original Music by: Theodore Shapiro Cinematography by: Charles Copping and Frank Passingham

Premise: Captain Pirate has decided he wants to win the Pirate of the Year award, but is laughed out of the contest signup and despite all efforts ends up failing miserably at finding booty. Then he runs into Charles Darwin, who realizes the captain's parrot is actually a dodo bird. He convinces the captain that riches await in London as there is much booty to be had by winning the Scientist of the Year award. But all is not as promised and trouble ensues. (Rated PG)

Review:

1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: I couldn't believe all the awesome names that scrolled on the screen for this film. Put them together with the great skills of Aardman and Sony Animation and all the characters felt very real.

As tends to happen in animated films though, there's normally a non-speaking character that will steal the show. For me, it was Mister Bobo. He was the straight man in this great comedy of errors. Added an extra level of fun to the film.

2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: I was quite surprised at the utter beauty of several scenes. With a comedy like this one, you don't normally expect that extra push, but they did it and it was gorgeous. Close to the start there's a scene of the ship on the open seas which was utterly breathtaking.

Everything was open to comedy and they took advantage of in every way possible. The adults should pay close attention to all signs and store fronts - filled with jokes left and right.

Many movies have previously drawn planes or ships on a map and shown them moving; Aardman Animation took this to the next level. Not only do they show the ship on the map, but it interacts with it and whatever is drawn upon it. It's made even more amusing when you see the crew actually throwing out orange floaters to create the trail on the map.

The 3D aspect was not overused and did enhance the feel of the film for some very nice effects on occasion.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: Plot was the weakest of the sections, but was still fun and worthwhile. While the overall outcome of the story is never in doubt, it was quite pleasant when they threw in an unexpected surprise or two.

Conclusion: Fun family film with lots of little bits for the adults to discover.

Rating: 3.7 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Movie Review - The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Willow Shields, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg, Isabelle Fuhrman, and many more.

Directed by: Gary Ross Screenplay by: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, and Billy Ray Based on the Novel by: Suzanne Collins Original Music by: T-Bone Burnett and James Newton Howard

Premise: Volunteering to take her twelve year old sister's place when the latter is picked from the Tribute lottery for the Hunger Games, Katniss must train and gain every advantage she can before being placed in a competition where only one of the twenty four children made to compete will come out alive. (Rated PG-13)

REVIEW:
Before I begin, I will state that I have not read the young adult series of books this movie is based on so observations are purely on what was presented in the film.

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up - Despite a large number of the cast being teenagers, the casting director, Debra Zane, did a phenomenal job of finding actors and actresses that could go the distance despite their young years. Jennifer Lawrence was a great choice for the lead. Josh Hutcherson, which has never failed to please, was phenomenal. From the smallest parts to the largest, everyone was on their game adding their depth to the fascinating culture of the Hunger Games.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up - From force fields, DNA manipulated wasps, computer consoles, and more, the CGI was great! The added illusion to some pieces of clothing was fantastic. Vehicles and the Capital long view were also very nicely done.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up - It moved along well, with many subtle undercurrents that told stories in and of themselves. For the most part things fit and made sense. Only points that caused problems were: where did Peeta get paint, and if you could make Insta Demon Dogs, why isn't some of this tech not used in the Districts to save coal miners. (Post movie discussion did lead to the possibility that a) the TV peeps had a humongous budget to afford things the Districts couldn't b) that it would only work in that domed environment c) since it's a book adaptation some info might have been lost in translation or d) got thrown into the script to up the suspense without thinking too deeply - I'll leave it to you to decide which you believe.)

4) Stunts - Thumbs Up - I am not a fan of shaky cam, especially when it's used to make action look more than it is. That being said, it was used in small doses, so it never got out of hand, for which I am grateful. Otherwise they were well done and fluid, so looked natural.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up - From the squalor of District 11 to the riches of the Capitol, everything fit and looked authentic. Great atmosphere at every location.

6) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up - The differences between the Districts and the Capitol were like night and day between clothing, makeup, and hair styles. The Capitol styles definitely screamed of decadence and leisure, as well as escapism and shallow veneers. The frontier town look for the poorer Districts was a nice touch, though it did seem to be pushed a little much with the emaciated looking people when the heroine looked incredibly healthy in comparison though her own life had been as harsh if not more than most after the loss of the main bread winner in her family. And with wild game (illegal as well) being scarcer every year... But aside from that, kudos! Wait till you see the shaped beard on Seneca Crane - dang! Some truly imaginative (if sometimes glaring) looks.

The makeup for the combat wounds and wasp swollen face were very well done. Wet and gory but not too much! Just enough for the 'ew' and 'flinching' factors to kick in.

Conclusion: Definitely worth seeing. Enough politics and subtle topics to enthrall the adults with plenty of action, competition, and budding teenage angst for the teenagers. While the deaths are not graphic, this might  still make the film a little too intense for viewers under twelve.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)