Oblivion Review

Oblivion is takes place in the year 2077, which is set 60 years after Earth is attacked by aliens known to humans as Scavengers. The humans and the aliens go to war, with the human race emerging victorious. Sadly the earth is left largely uninhabitable due to the moon being destroyed and the overuse of nuclear weapons during the war.

Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper, a technician and one of the few humans stationed on the planet with the task extracting the earth’s remaining resources for the new planet called Titan, where the rest of the surviving humans have settled. He does this by fixing drones, which help drain the resources and are used as weapons. One day everything that Jack knows is brought to a halt when he discovers a beautiful stranger in the wreckage of a downed spacecraft. Jack is drawn to her arrival and it triggers a chain of events that makes him question everything he knows about his mission and himself.

Joseph Kosinski directs the film and it looks beautiful. It is a visually striking movie that portrays apocalyptic earth brilliantly. Of course, this is not a surprise considering that he also directed the visually stunning "Tron: Legacy". Although the drones look simplistic, they also give off a menacing vibe at the same time. Plus Tom Cruise gives a pretty good performance compared to his last several films.

However, this film suffers from the same problem that Tron: Legacy suffered from, which is that the film is stunning, but thinly scripted with weak characters. With the exception of Cruise, all of the actors are flat and undeveloped. It is especially disappointing that despite giving Morgan Freeman top billing, he is still given nothing to do.

Unfortunately, Oblivion ends up being an empty experience despite having flashy special effects and a good performance from Cruise. Kosinski will make a great science fiction film someday, but as long as he places special effects over character development his efforts will be mediocre.

Oblivion - 3/5

Iron Man 3 Review

The first Iron Man movie was an immediate blockbuster mainly due to the casting of Robert Downey Jr. The smooth-talking actor fitted the role of the eccentric billionaire and philanthropist turned superhero perfectly well. Iron Man 2 was not as good as the first one, but Downey Jr.’s performance still made the film bearable. However, in The Avengers, Downey Jr. shows that he is still one of the most beloved superheroes in film today.

Iron Man 3 takes place several months after the events of The Avengers. Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the battle in New York presented in The Avengers. He seals himself off of the outside world and keeps building Iron Man suits to try to forget about the trauma. As a result, his relationship with girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) becomes strained. Soon, a terrorist who goes by the name of the Mandarin, (Ben Kingsley) starts a series of bombings that concern the American people. When Stark’s limo driver Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) gets injured in one of the bombings, he issues a televised threat to the Mandarin. Of course, things do not end well as Tony’s house in Malibu is destroyed, Pepper gets kidnapped, and he is left stranded somewhere in rural Tennessee with a low powered Iron Man suit. Now, Tony must overcome his demons and must find out: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

In the third installment of the Iron Man franchise, Shane Black takes over the director’s chair from Jon Favreau who previously directed the first two films. Black, who also co-wrote the script, is basically one of the pioneering screenwriters in the action genre for films like Lethal Weapon. He has previously worked with Downey Jr. in the very underrated Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It is a good idea to bring in Shane Black because his style has a nice fit with Iron Man. Black draws a nice balance between action and humor. Naturally, it’s a Shane Black film so it takes place around Christmas. I think it is a nice touch because we never really see any superhero movies take place around the Christmas season. 

The action in this film is spectacular, and what makes it stand out is the fact that for most of the movie it is just Tony Stark. Tony’s armor is out of commission for a good chunk of the film, so he has to rely on his intellect and instincts. At its core, it is kind of like a detective story. In his battle against The Mandarin, Tony is forced to go on a full-tilt investigation, revisit crime scenes, dig through evidence and even interview witnesses. The scenes with Downey, Jr. and James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) are very enjoyable. Black really taps into a Lethal Weapon type of relationship between these two characters.

However, I did have a couple of gripes about the film. Halfway throughout the film Stark teams up with a little kid named Harley (Ty Simpkins) while he is stuck in rural Tennessee to investigate the remains of a local explosion caused by The Mandarin. While Downey, Jr. and Simpkins play well off of each other I really did not understand why the kid needed to be in the story. Also Iron Man 3 was marketed as a story where Tony Stark would meet an opponent that would break him physically and mentally. The trailer made it seem like the film would be dark and gloomy. In reality the film basically had the same tone as the previous Iron Man films. I ultimately had no problem with it, but it felt like a classic bait-and-switch, which I do not care for. Speaking of bait-and-switch, there is a big twist involving the identity of The Mandarin. I did not like the twist, but fortunately the film did not suffer too much from it.
 

Iron Man 3 was not the superhero film I was expecting, but that is not a bad thing at all. It has surprising twists, thrilling action, good amounts of humor, and another flawless performance from Downey, Jr. Recently he signed another contract to appear in The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3, but no word on whether he will be in another solo Iron Man film. If this is indeed the last Iron Man film with Downey, Jr. as the title character, then this was a great final solo outing despite its flaws.

 

Iron Man 3 - 4.5/5

42 Review

Brooklyn, we go hard.

I am not particularly a big fan of sports dramas. It is mostly because they are too formulaic and overly sentimental, but this movie is a notch above most of them. 42 is about the life story of Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), the first African American baseball player to break the color line in Major League baseball.

The film focuses on Robinson’s first couple years in the big leagues. Robinson is recruited by Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) to come over from the Negro Leagues to try out for the Dodgers. He spends his first season playing for the Montreal Royals, but the next year he is signed to the Dodgers and the rest is history.

Boseman turns in a fine performance as Jackie Robinson and really portrays all of the quiet strength and internal struggle that Robinson went through during his first major league baseball season. Boseman absorbs the role and you really believe that he is Robinson himself. Harrison Ford gives one of his most lively performances in years as the over-the-top baseball manager.

The director of the film, Brian Helegand, best known for penning Oscar winning films like L.A. Confidential and Mystic River does an adequate job with the film, but you can definitely tell that he is a better screenwriter than director. Events that sound epic on paper do not necessarily translate great on the big screen. It seems like Helegand wants every scene to be Oscar worthy when it is really not. The film does look good and he does direct the cast well, but it seems like at times he plays it too safe.

Plus while I liked Boseman’s performance, I would have liked to see more of Robinson’s background. For example, we never see Robinson’s days at UCLA and only see a tiny part as his days playing in the Negro Leagues.

42 is a good film, but it could have been a great one. It plays it too safe and is too old-fashioned for my tastes. If the film went a little deeper it could have been an early Oscar contender. However, 42 is still an earnest and respectful tribute to one baseball’s most iconic figures and will satisfy audiences.

42 - 4/5

Dark Skies Review

Writer and director Scott Stewart, who has made awful special effects extravaganzas like Legion and Priest goes the original thriller route this time around. However, Dark Skies is not really that original at all. The movie seems to be a compilation of bits and pieces of movies like Poltergeist, Paranormal Activity, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Birds, and more. Since all the second-hand ingredients are delivered without much style or flair, the movie makes for a pretty insipid dish.

Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton play Lacy and Daniel Barrett, a couple whose world has been shaken ever since Daniel has lost his architect job. After a couple of weird, unsolved break-ins, their teenage son Jesse (Dakota Goyo) and his little brother, Sam (Kadan Rockett), start acting strangely. Sam insists “the Sandman” has come to visit them each night, and strange things keep happening to the family until they realize who the culprits are.

There’s nothing really new in this story, but the Stewart does initially get some mileage out of the economic anxieties reflected in the family’s descent. Russell and Hamilton actually do a good job and take their roles seriously, and this helps the emotional impact of the movie. The movie starts off strong, but for a while it just wanders around as the pace is tedious, and the action is not that thrilling. It’s really a pleasure when J.K. Simmons shows up as a wise paranormal expert, but it’s disappointing since he’s only in the movie for about five minutes.

Ultimately, Dark Skies is one of those mediocre genre mash-ups that really has no reason to exist and will be forgettable in a few months.

Dark Skies - 2.5/5

Snitch Review

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is arguably the most successful pro wrestler turned actor. He is a great action star, and he is not afraid to go out of his comfort zone. This is ranging from family comedies to artsy films. Now he is trying for a more dramatic role.

Snitch stars Johnson as John Matthews, the owner of a small, but successful construction company. His college bound son Jason agrees to let his friend ship some ecstasy to his house, but Jason is immediately arrested by the DEA for distribution of illegal drugs. Despite not being a dealer and being set up by his friend, he is facing a minimum 10-year prison term. In order to lessen his son’s prison time, Matthews agrees to go undercover for the DEA to catch the most dangerous drug kingpins.

Even though the trailer portrays the film as action packed, it is actually quite dramatic. The movie spends time developing its characters like Susan Sarandon as an ambitious prosecuting attorney or Jon Bernthal playing an ex-con who is trying to leave his old life behind, but is dragged into Matthew’s plans.

Nevertheless, Johnson’s performance is just average. In fact, that goes for everyone else in the movie. I appreciate this film for trying to be something more than a straightforward action film, but Johnson’s performance just isn’t convincing enough for me. Plus, there is so much exposition for the first hour and too much preaching about drug laws. To be honest, the best part of the movie doesn’t even come until about the last 15 minutes of the film.

Snitch would have been better as an action film as this is what Johnson does best. This is just another forgettable drama, but even if it were an action movie, it would still be forgettable. At least Johnson is trying to expand his acting range, and hopefully he will find better material next time he decides to do a drama film.

Snitch - 3/5

Escape from Planet Earth Review

The story takes place on planet Baab where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien population. A master of daring rescues, Scorch pulls off astonishing feats with the quiet aid of his nerdy brother, Gary (Rob Corddry), head of mission control at BASA (Baab Aeronautics and Space Administration). When BASA’s chief Lena (Jessica Alba) informs the brothers of an SOS from a dangerous planet, which is Earth, Scorch doesn’t listen to Gary’s warnings and goes off for another exciting mission. However, once Scorch lands on Earth he finds himself caught in a fiendish trap set by the evil General Shanker (William Shatner). As the interplanetary stakes rise, it’s up to Gary to save his brother.

Escape from Planet Earth has been in development at the Weinstein Company since 2007 and finally got released in February with little-to-no marketing, and I can see why. Compared to the animated films released by Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks, it pales in comparison. However, compared to earlier animated films released by the Weinstein Company like Hoodwinked and Doogal it is a huge step forward. That’s still not saying much though. There are a couple of good jokes, and some of the characters are well-designed and voiced with standouts being Jane Lynch, William Shatner, Ricky Gervais, and Brendan Fraser. The prison-like setting where Scorch, Gary, and the other aliens are kept and much of the humor is reminiscent of films like Paul, Monsters, Inc. and Monsters vs. Aliens.

Nevertheless, the characters are poorly written and many of plot arcs fall flat. The film is filled with a plethora of pop culture references and satire that will pass right over kids' heads. At the same time, the plot is presented in such a muddled and emotionally unsatisfactory fashion that older audiences will dismiss the film. It also doesn’t help that the Weinstein brothers forced 17 rewrites on the script. Ultimately, Escape from Planet Earth had potential, but it’s just another forgettable animated film.

 

Escape from Planet Earth - 2.5/5

Die Hard 5 Review

Well, at least it's rated R

The Die Hard franchise is probably one of most consistent action series in terms of commercial and critical success. The thing that has made this series so successful is the appeal of John McClane, played by Bruce Willis. McClane is a wisecracking New York cop who is always thrown into dangerous situations. The man basically attracts terrorists, but always emerges victorious in the end thanks to his instinct, luck, and determination. I have enjoyed all of the films in the series despite the last installment, Live Free or Die Hard, being bombarded with CGI effects. The latest film in the franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard is a huge step down from the previous Die Hard movies.

This time, John McClane (Bruce Willis) travels to Russia to help out his estranged son Jack (Jai Courtney), only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist. Now McClane and his son must team up against underworld forces.

It is great to see Willis as John McClane again, but writer Skip Woods and director John Moore clearly miss the whole point of the character’s essence and likeability. In this movie, John McClane is an invulnerable super cop. The problem is that McClane is a vulnerable human being. He is a reluctant hero in the first four films and can get seriously wounded, as he is up against worthy adversaries that are cool, calculative and almost one step ahead of him. Here, McClane immediately causes mass vehicular damage just to stop thugs from attacking his son, and has no qualms about killing the bad guys wherever they pop up here. His son Jack tries to fill in for a sidekick, but Willis and Courtney have no chemistry at all. There are times when the film shows a few glimpses of character development in the relationship between McClane and his son, but it is cut short by the merciless and absurd action sequences.

A good action movie has to have a good villain, and this movie has none. The first Die Hard had Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), the second one had Colonel Stuart (William Sadler), and the third one had Gruber’s brother (Jeremy Irons) as the main villain. Even the villain in “Live Free and Die Hard” is more memorable, which is pretty sad. This film has three primary villains who are all forgettable. They are not intelligent, menacing, or memorable in any way.

John Moore is a passable director, but for some reason he feels the need to place smash cuts in every scene, which gets tiring after a while. The movie relies heavily on CGI for most of the action sequences. Some of them look very good, but If you think the action scenes in the previous movie are too over-the-top, then wait until you see this movie. It is full of them.

The action scenes are satisfying even if it is borders on the absurd side sometimes. Nevertheless, thanks to a weak script, lack of worthy villains, and incoherent direction, the fifth installment in the beloved Die Hard saga ends up as the worst of the series so far. 

A Good Day to Die Hard - 2/5