The Way Way Back

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In the months leading up to The Way Way Back's release, I kept asking myself why it had that title. When I finally sat down in the theater to see it, I noticed the movie opened up with a shot of 14-year-old Duncan sitting in the way way back of the car. Cue the internal "oooooohhhhh." Coincidentally, the film ends with a very similar shot. Maybe that's not even the real meaning of the title. Maybe I missed some deeper meaning or underlying themes. If I did, oh well.

Duncan and his mom Pam (the astoundingly-talented Toni Collette) head down to the cape with Pam's boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell) and his daughter. As we literally see from the start, Duncan wants no part of this journey to build a new family, instead preferring to go live with his father. 

Clearly a social hermit, Duncan finds solace from his 3-month hell trip at Water Wizz, a water park within biking distance from Trent's house on Cape Cod. After bonding with the owner, Owen, and the staff one day, Owen offers him a job, which Duncan gleefully accepts. Over the course of the rest of the film, Duncan begins to come out of his shell with Owen's help while confronting the issues that lie behind the threshold of his mom's boyfriend's home. 

The film offers what seems to be a pretty accurate insight into the mind of a 14-year-old boy like Duncan. He's portrayed by Liam James, an unknown to those who haven't watched "Psych" or "The Killing" on TV. Liam gives it his all here, especially in the scenes that demand much of him dramatically. Thanks to him, we have a truly charming and likable lead heading this movie. However, the movie's scene-stealer was clearly Allison Janney, a marginally alcoholic neighbor of Trent. Both the lines given to her character and Janney's performance made for one of the best parts of the movie.

Did Steve Carell really deliver Trent to me? Steve Carell, as an unfaithful, ignorant, and casually cruel father figure? He began to sell me towards the end, but overall, I saw him as Michael Scott on a bad day and with an occasional temper. I will give him props for one key thing - they way he called Duncan "buddy" while clearly sending no endearment with the sentiment. 

This movie is a sheer delight. It's worth going out of your way for, and the first movie of 2013 I can honestly say I'm excited to watch again in the near future. But in the advertisements, you'll see it's "from the studio that brought you Little Miss Sunshine and Juno," and was written and directed by 2 of the 3 Oscar Winning writers of The Descendants. Does this movie compare to these three Oscar-winners for Best Screenplay? The answer: no - but only for one reason. In all three of those other movies, it is the characters that are well established, who are then placed in situations that further the plot. Here, we are presented with interesting and plot-furthering scenes, but don't always care about the underdeveloped characters that are the scene's key players. As seen by The Descendants, Juno, and Little Miss Sunshine, characters should be priority one. As long as we care about them, the situations they get into will take care of themselves. 

Rating: 4.5/5

This Is The End

http://www.cinemablend.com/

This is the end. Well, you know, unless there's a sequel. 

In a time when comedy is usually defined by how idiotically Will Ferrell reacts to everyday situations, it's nice to know that there are still screwball antic movies that can be coarse, funny, and original. Stars you know well (Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, etc.) and some not so well (Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel) all play fictionalized versions of themselves in this apocalyptic comedy. Jay comes to LA to visit Seth, and the two end up at a party at James Franco's house. At the party, Michael Cera hits on Rihanna, Craig Robinson and Emma Watson discuss their love of Forrest Gump, the trio from Superbad relive their glory days, and the world ends.  

A handful of the stars, including Craig, Seth, James, Jonah, Jay and Danny, survive the initial shockwave, but are discouraged when they find out why they're still on earth. After determining that this is the Biblical Apocalypse, they conclude they were not among those worthy enough to ascend into Heaven. Instead, they must struggle to stay alive on the now treacherous Earth, where cannibals and demonic monsters are waiting to take the actors' lives for their own. 

Now, with a cast like this, it's clear that the bulk of the comedy is similar to such films as Knocked Up, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Superbad. All of these films, including This is The End, see most of their comedy come from a group of guys talking about inappropriate stuff and doing inappropriate things. But in this movie, there's a little more to the comedy on top of the usual gags, and it makes This is The End a bit more noteworthy.

As a movie fan, I really appreciated the connections to other cinematic works. I saw this as a movie made by movie lovers, for movie lovers. There were obvious hints to The Exorcist and Evil Dead towards the end. But hearing things like Jonah Hill saying "God? It's me, Jonah. From Moneyball," listening to the Forrest Gump debate, and seeing a homemade sequel to Pineapple Express made for plenty of Hollywood nostalgia ranging from the most recent and distant years of film. Personally, one of my favorite parts of the movie was seeing Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse all talking by the pool, and contrary to the way they acted in Superbad, seeing Cera as the reckless alcoholic and Hill and Mintz-Plasse as the well-mannered gentlemen. Sometimes, the little things are the most memorable.

There's plenty to pick at with this movie. The party scene was often a jumble of names and faces, and only of the few jokes and puns were truly laugh-worthy. I was a bit thrown off with how the movie had household-names like James Franco and Seth Rogen placed alongside lesser-known stars like Danny McBride (for those who haven't seen Pineapple Express) and Jay Baruchel. Both men have respectable filmographies, but aren't recognizable in a mainstream context. Their roles and portrayals were great, but I couldn't help but ask myself many times during the movie, "Who are these guys?"

Overall, I thought the beginning was okay, the middle was great, and the latter part was fantastic. Towards the end, I came to realize how genius the script was and that the movie is a both a delight and a crudely humorous romp for those who are able to appreciate and enjoy film at the same time.

Rating: 4/5

Monsters University

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Young Mike finds his true calling in Monsters University

I've read parts of some reviews that gave Monsters University a mediocre or unfavorable score. Most of them said that this prequel is good but doesn't compare with the other films Pixar has delivered. The part where they say it's not as good as other Pixar films is correct. Does Monsters University compare to such greats as Up, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, or Toy Story 2? No, unfortunately not. But does Monsters University still have a lot of heart, and bring plenty of fun to everyone in the audience? You bet it does.

The story mainly follows Mike as he enters his freshman year of college. Randall is his roommate, and although he's nice at first, we get to see him transition into the slimy jerk he becomes in Monsters, Inc. Mike, Randall, and big-shot Sully are all enrolled in the school's scaring program, with the ultimate goal of becoming scarers for the city's energy supply. Mike, the three-foot tall, one-eyed green orb, studies hard to maintain his spot in the program to prove that he is in fact scary. Sully, part of a legacy of legendary scarers, knows he can get through the program with little effort. But when the two clash, they get on the bad side of the college's headmaster, and are removed from the scaring program.

To earn his place back in the program, Mike recruits Sully to join a fraternity with him, Oozma Kappa. As per the deal with the headmaster, if Oozma Kappa wins the school's prestigious Scare Games (their version of the Greek Olympics), they're back in the scare program. If they lose, they're both out of Monsters University.

What follows the two becoming frat bros isn't as high-quality a story as Pixar usually delivers. It's true that Monsters University isn't the most creative, funny, clever, or sincere of Pixar movies, but it's still creative, funny, clever, and sincere. Giving this movie a bad rating simply because it isn't as phenomenal as its predecessors of the studio is ignorant. Monsters University contains several laughs and surprises of its own. And as a current college student, I could tell Pixar did their research on college life. Thank you, Pixar, for another great animated dramedy that will be valued and enjoyed for decades to come.

Rating: 4/5

Pacific Rim

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Raleigh and his brother co-pilot the Jaeger to save the day from giant aliens. 

When you look at Pacific Rim the right way, it functions as an Independence Day for a new generation. In many ways, Pacific Rim outdoes Independence Day and several other sci-fi movies of the last 20 years. Its enormous monsters and robots make the film larger than life, but the humanity from its main characters ground it in solid principles.

The movie primarily taking place more than a decade into the "Kaiju War." For years, giant otherworldly monsters have been attacking Pacific Coast cities, only to eventually be put down by Jeagers - giant fighting robots specifically engineered to fight off the giant beasts. As time goes by, Kaijus come more frequently and more powerful, resulting in the destruction of virtually all the Jeagers. This causes the Jeager Initiative to be deemed ineffective, leading in its termination. Instead, giant "Walls of Life" are built to defend the cities, but all ultimately crumble at the hands of the Kaijus.

Raleigh Becket, one of the original Jaeger pilots, retires after his brother is killed during a Kaiju fight. Commander Pentecost calls Becket back in just as the Jaeger Initiative is about to die. With only four Jaegers left, their team has to make a last ditch effort to defeat the largest Kaijus on record, as well as discover a way to close the gap between the two universes for good.

Summary in a nutshell: Giant Monsters vs. Giant Robots. When it's done this well, what's not to love?

I wasn't sure if I would like the movie when it first started. The first Kaiju fight was poorly lit, poorly shot, and didn't bring much urgency until the end of the fight. A movie like this should've started off with more of a bang. Unfortunately, it slightly flopped. After that first fight, Pacific Rim became incredible. It's a rare grand-scale film that captivates you and immerses you fully into its fictitious universe. The acting was spot-on, the effects and editing were top-notch (after the first Kaiju fight, that is), and the writing was surprisingly great for a movie like this. It won't hit you until you leave the theater, but Pacific Rim is truly fun, exciting, and an incomparable movie experience, thanks in-part to the intelligently paced direction of Guillermo del Toro. I highly recommend seeing it in 3D. It's worth the extra 4 bucks.

As I said, any film fan will see clear inspiration from Independence Day. For example, Charlie Day's character is a young, eccentric doctor, who studies the Kaiju. The character is a sort of hybrid between Jeff Goldblum's role and the long haired scientist from Area 51 of Independence Day (while giving off strong vibes of a wannabe Robert Downey Jr.). He even says a line almost identical to Bill Pullman's when he talks about how after looking into the Kaiju's mind, he sees their plan is to take out Earth's population, use up their resources, and move on. Finally, the aliens from the Kaiju's home planet look all-too resemblant from the little black aliens from the 1996 sci-fi modern classic. But still, I think this outdoes Independence Day. Let's see how Independence Day 2 does in 2015. As for now, this should keep you entertained.

Rating: 4.5/5

Despicable Me 2

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Bee-doh, bee-doh, bee-doh.

In a time when animated films are becoming more about family-centered quality than kid-centered slapstick, one would expect Despicable Me 2 to not only live up to its predecessor but also have a chance of outdoing it. One who would think that would be wrong. I liked Despicable Me 2. Gru, Agnes, and the minions brought plenty of laughs, and the movie was a breath of fresh air at multiple times. However, it's not easy to look past the many flaws in this sequel, which unfortunately bring it to a lower point in filmmaking than the clever original.

This follow-up to the hilarious original puts a reluctant Gru in compliance with the Anti Villain League (AVL), who are trying to apprehend a thief that stole a top-secret lab (in a totally plausible scene involving a giant, flying magnet). His assigned partner is Lucy - a tall, anorexic, and totally annoying newbie agent, whose character simply exists to fulfill the movie's predictable ending. During his time off from the AVL, Gru is still raising his three adopted daughters: Margo, Edith, and the irrefutably adorable Agnes.

Where the original had respectable yet charming comedic moments, Despicable Me 2 relies too heavily on adult humor at times, which can easily shy away the parents paying for the tickets. A few subtle jokes that fly over the kids' heads and make the parents laugh are expected in family movies, but to indulge in situations that involve alcoholism, humping, suicide, faked deaths, underaged dating, judging based on body image, animal experimentation (with needles), and desensitization of murder are a little too much for this type of movie. Believe me when I say Despicable Me 2 has earned it's status as a PG movie, and that disclaimer from the MPAA for "crude humor" is there for a reason.

At many times, it seemed Despicable Me 2 existed solely to be a generic sequel, and not to concretely follow the story or add anything new. The laughs came, but unfortunately, they weren't as frequent or as hearty as the ones from Despicable Me. I liked this movie, am glad I saw it, and recommend it, but you might want to wait for the DVD on this one. Go see Monsters University if this is the kind of movie you want to see. Or stay home, save your money, and watch the original again. If you do go see this, you won't be disappointed (I wasn't). You'll just wish that what you saw was a lot better.

Rating: 3/5

Man of Steel

"What does the 'S' stand for?"

"It's not an 'S'." (IGN)

Fans of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies - beware. A stylistic and post-modern telling of the last son of Krypton's story has arrived, and you may be slightly caught off guard by the newest take if you swear by the 1978 original. But just because it's new and different doesn't mean it's bad.

In yet another attempt to reboot the Superman franchise, Jor-El sends his infant son Kal-El to Earth, just as their home planet of Krypton is about to be destroyed. At the same time, renegade General Zod tries to dethrone his overlords, only to be banished to the Phantom Zone. As a result Kal-El, General Zod, and a few of Zod's banished followers are the only ones who remain after the planet's destruction.

With giant beasts on the ground, birds that Kryponians fly on to get to their destinations, and a planet made solely of special effects, one would think that the opening scene took place on Avatar's Pandora, not Krypton. Zack Snyder's over-the-top, artistically stylistic choices didn't work that well here. 

After Kal-El's spaceship crashlands in the field of two Kansas farmers, he is adopted and raised as Clark Kent. However, Mr. Kent believes that if anyone were to discover Clark's secret, nothing good would result, and gives his life defending that idea. It was an interesting choice to show the story of the younger Clark through flashbacks. Post-modernism is rare for a Superman movie, but was likely included as a result of the success of Batman Begins. Whatever the reason for their inclusion, these occasional flashbacks gave the movie a nostalgic and emotional feel during some of its more dull moments. However, the flashbacks did play a negative role later in the film, as it left crucial plot points temporarily unexplained, making it difficult to pay attention to the scene that was at hand. 

Eventually, Zod is freed from the Phantom Zone (How? Well, here's one of the questions that remains unanswered for too long), and arrives at Earth with his army to find Kal-El, capture him, and use his corpse as a seed for the new Krypton, with Earth and its inhabitants being used as the foundation. Here's where the majority of the actions scenes are found. While all of these scenes started out as fierce and fun, they eventually reached the point of diminishing marginal returns. It seemed that the behind-the-scenes crew repeatedly asked themselves "How many times can we throw these Kryptonians into stuff and have an explosion?" Overall, I liked Man of Steel, but noticed the film's feel didn't always match up to its sleek and enjoyable superhero-movie look. 

The casting polarized me. On the down side was Amy Adams, who is an amazing actress. However, she's no Lois Lane. Margot Kidder and Erica Durance delivered no hesitation with their snarky, sassy and hilarious portrayals of Lois. Adams held back, and thus seemed too patient and too nice. If Lois Lane is "too much" of anything, it's definitely not too nice. Laurence Fishburne didn't add anything to the Perry White character, and just basically played who he always does - the old, short-tempered, no-nonsense guy who has seniority. On the plus side was Russell Crowe's haunting portrayal of Jor-El. Henry Cavill made a great Clark Kent, and more importantly, a great Superman, even though the screenplay occasionally didn't give him much to work with. Michael Shannon, who played General Zod, gave a possible career best.

I'm someone who has seen all of the previous Superman movies, as well as all 200+ episodes of "Smallville." I very much appreciated the nostalgic tone that was present during young Clark Kent's childhood. I loved seeing glimpses of Pete Ross and Lana Lang, the bridge crash where Clark showed his powers for the first time, and the Lexcorp logo, which are are all major staples of the TV-series that entertained millions for a decade. The actors who portrayed the younger versions of Clark couldn't have had a closer resemblance to "Smallville's" Tom Welling, and Cavill bears a similar resemblance as well. The sincere performances by Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent were very reminiscent of John Schneider and Annette O'Toole. I noticed much inspiration from "Smallville," which is probably one of the reasons I liked this movie. I think another reason is because I went in with a more-than-basic knowledge of the Superman saga, which means I (almost) saw past the many points where the film shied of character background and development, most notably with the two main characters; Lois and Clark. 

Having said all that, there's still one very important question I'd love to ask the filmmakers of both this movie and the 1978 original. Was it absolutely necessary to show baby Kal-El's penis? 

Rating: 4/5