As far as the new series of Star Trek movies go, Star Trek Beyond is the most enjoyable, probably in part because it was co-written by Simon Pegg, who you can feel is a real fan of the series. Not to say that previous scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci weren't, or director J.J. Abrams, but there's something about this one that just feels more Star Trek than what we've gotten before.
Set 3 years into the 5 year deep-space mission of the USS Enterprise, we pick up on a Kirk (Chris Pine) bored with the journey and looking to make a career move, a Spock (Zachary Quinto) who learns of the death of his alternate universe self (the late Leonard Nimoy) and decides maybe he should do more to help his endangered race, and a crew that still more or less functions as a whole.
After a stopover at a Federation port, the crew comes across a refugee from an alien attack in a nearby nebulae, and jump on the opportunity to investigate the misdeeds. It's not long until the Enterprise is under attack and crashes on a nearby planet, where the crew is separated and must journey to reunite with each other.
As directed by Justin Lin, best known for reviving the Fast and the Furious movies into a lucrative franchise, the film is chockfull of delightful, fun action sequences that vibrate with a unique pulse and entertain. He's helped by Pegg's script, co-written with Doug Jung, which makes Pine's Kirk bearable for the first time in the franchise, and unites the crew in a way we haven't really seen in this series.
Back again are Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Karl Urban as Bones, Pegg as Scotty, John Cho as Sulu, and the late Anton Yelchin as Chekov, all comfortable and making the roles their own, the pressures of living up to the original cast all but a distant memory. Joining the cast are Sofia Boutella as Jayla, an alien the crew stumbles across on the foreign planet, and Idris Elba as Krall, a rather boring bad guy whose motivations and twists are a little too confusing and muddied.
While the film is entertaining, there are large portions that jump incredible logic, and you kind of just accept it because it's sci-fi and that's what happens. But too many times the film does this and at some point it feels a little convenient for convenience sake.
But my quibbles are minor; this film is a great step-up from the dour tone of Into Darkness, which was more obsessed with being a mirror to The Wrath of Khan than being it's own unique piece. While the first in this series ingeniously set-up a new universe where new stories could be told, the second squandered this potential by paying too much homage to a classic. Beyond, hate or love it, at least tries to tell a new story, familiar as it may be to other Trek films.
And Lin, surprisingly, is a director I don't mind. This is the first of his films I've seen, and while I don't consider him a great auteur, he has an effortless, entertaining way of delivering his films that make them palatable. Sadly, this is something that many directors today can't do, and while we shouldn't praise serviceable entertainment for doing the bare minimum, it's somewhat needed to prop up films like this that, at the very least, go one step beyond.
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Lights Out (2016)
It seems that horror films today feel they need one unique gimmick to stand out from the scores of slasher and ghost flicks to really make an impact and draw interest. Paranormal Activity (2007) did this fairly well with a stationary camera watching a couple sleeping, except when something spooky happened like a blanket moving or door creaking; Saw (2004) brought horror-torture to the mainstream, the first a fairly straightforward thriller, the rest showcases of escalating gruesomeness.
Lights Out, directing by first-timer David F. Sandberg, based on a short film he made with Lotta Losten, has one ingeniously chilling effect that it succeeds in not over-doing throughout its brisk 81-minute runtime: when the lights goes out, a shadow materializes, and when the lights go on, the shadow is gone.
The initial visual was a great sell in the trailer, but sadly the movie dispenses with the best shot early, as a factory worker sees the ghoulish specter as she leaves, flipping the lights on and off revealing and disappearing the shadow, in a set-up that is both comedic and frightening. And after that, the movie really has nowhere to go from there.
Opening with the murder of Rebecca's (Teresa Palmer) dad (Billy Burke) at the hands of the photophobic ghoul, the film sets about with a fairly routine story; the main girl, who is relationship-adverse to her otherwise charming and committed beau, Bret (Alexander DiPersia); the child (Gabriel Bateman) who knows something is wrong yet is not believed by adults; and the crazy mother (Maria Bello) who is harboring a secret.
There's nothing bad about the movie, and the scares are rather well done, if they conform to the usual routine of being very loud to startle you. Fighting a ghost adverse to light can seem like a silly task when you just leave the lights on, but of course the ghost seems to be able to cut power to a whole house so that tension can mount.
And the performers are all around pretty good. Maria Bello is a welcome sight, and is a strong addition to the cast. The direction is fine, as Mr. Palmer has been assigned to direct the forthcoming Annabelle 2, part of a spin-off The Conjuring series. Maybe he can envision more ingenious images that illicit fright, as he does so well with the initial shots of this film.
But the movie could have benefited from a little Jaws style horror, where the ghost isn't "seen" (although it never really is) until later in the movie. And the reason behind who-and-what this ghost is is a little disappointing. I understand too much ambiguity can be frustrating and lazy, but too much clarification balances the scales in the other direction. I don't mind the ghost has a backstory, but it's so definitive and finite that it takes away some of the scares. We know Freddy's backstory in A Nightmare in Elm Street, but we're never sure why he is in people's dreams (at least in the initial film).
Overall, as far as horror films go, you could do a lot worse. This one is short on gore, but the tension is real, and for a hot summer day, it's a fun respite from the heat.
Lights Out, directing by first-timer David F. Sandberg, based on a short film he made with Lotta Losten, has one ingeniously chilling effect that it succeeds in not over-doing throughout its brisk 81-minute runtime: when the lights goes out, a shadow materializes, and when the lights go on, the shadow is gone.
The initial visual was a great sell in the trailer, but sadly the movie dispenses with the best shot early, as a factory worker sees the ghoulish specter as she leaves, flipping the lights on and off revealing and disappearing the shadow, in a set-up that is both comedic and frightening. And after that, the movie really has nowhere to go from there.
Opening with the murder of Rebecca's (Teresa Palmer) dad (Billy Burke) at the hands of the photophobic ghoul, the film sets about with a fairly routine story; the main girl, who is relationship-adverse to her otherwise charming and committed beau, Bret (Alexander DiPersia); the child (Gabriel Bateman) who knows something is wrong yet is not believed by adults; and the crazy mother (Maria Bello) who is harboring a secret.
There's nothing bad about the movie, and the scares are rather well done, if they conform to the usual routine of being very loud to startle you. Fighting a ghost adverse to light can seem like a silly task when you just leave the lights on, but of course the ghost seems to be able to cut power to a whole house so that tension can mount.
And the performers are all around pretty good. Maria Bello is a welcome sight, and is a strong addition to the cast. The direction is fine, as Mr. Palmer has been assigned to direct the forthcoming Annabelle 2, part of a spin-off The Conjuring series. Maybe he can envision more ingenious images that illicit fright, as he does so well with the initial shots of this film.
But the movie could have benefited from a little Jaws style horror, where the ghost isn't "seen" (although it never really is) until later in the movie. And the reason behind who-and-what this ghost is is a little disappointing. I understand too much ambiguity can be frustrating and lazy, but too much clarification balances the scales in the other direction. I don't mind the ghost has a backstory, but it's so definitive and finite that it takes away some of the scares. We know Freddy's backstory in A Nightmare in Elm Street, but we're never sure why he is in people's dreams (at least in the initial film).
Overall, as far as horror films go, you could do a lot worse. This one is short on gore, but the tension is real, and for a hot summer day, it's a fun respite from the heat.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
The Nice Guys (2016)
As far as films like The Nice Guys (2016) go, you can't do much worse in a summer packed full of even more sequels and unimaginative reboots then ever thought possible (although I'm sure 2017 and on will wear us down just as much). I don't know if it's fair to say "They don't make them like this anymore," but The Nice Guys has a sort of easy enjoyability that doesn't insult your intelligence too much and is an all around good time.
Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the film follows two private eyes, Jackson (Russell Crowe) and Holland (Ryan Gosling), who cross paths while investigating the same missing girl. What seems like a fairly open-and-shut case spirals out of control as a conspiracy plot is unveiled that leads high up in ranking officials.
The film is written and directed by Shane Black, best known for writing the Lethal Weapon series and directing Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) and Iron Man 3 (2013). Like most of those other films, the plot involves two guys, one a loose canon/alcoholic, the other a "trained professional." To say the man has a pattern is an understatement, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And he does it mighty well.
But certain issues still pervade this film; for one, almost all the female characters exist in the porn industry, accept Holland's daughter Holly (Angourie Rice), a spunky little pistol of her own right who doesn't listen to her dad and tags along. There is also a certain disregard for casualties that abound in the movie; while most of the central characters stay alive, many bystanders who have little to no bearing on the plot meet untimely ends.
Which I guess is fine; mass casualties are kind of a stock-in-trade for films like this. But the film makes a big deal out of one major character's redemption near the end by convincing him killing is wrong, which I would buy if maybe the person spared hadn't just caused several other deaths. It's a bit backwards for the film to decide mercy is the way when for so long people are just mowed down in the background for no cause.
Crowe and Gosling make a fun combo, and the well-rounded supporting cast include Matt Bomer, Keith David, and Kim Basinger (fascinating to see Crowe and Basinger reunited in a LA period piece nearly two decades after the superb L.A. Confidential (1997)). Really, there's not much to say other than the movie is fairly enjoyable and will hold your interest for its near two-hour running time. Sometimes, in a summer full of mediocrity, that's just enough.
Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the film follows two private eyes, Jackson (Russell Crowe) and Holland (Ryan Gosling), who cross paths while investigating the same missing girl. What seems like a fairly open-and-shut case spirals out of control as a conspiracy plot is unveiled that leads high up in ranking officials.
The film is written and directed by Shane Black, best known for writing the Lethal Weapon series and directing Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) and Iron Man 3 (2013). Like most of those other films, the plot involves two guys, one a loose canon/alcoholic, the other a "trained professional." To say the man has a pattern is an understatement, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And he does it mighty well.
But certain issues still pervade this film; for one, almost all the female characters exist in the porn industry, accept Holland's daughter Holly (Angourie Rice), a spunky little pistol of her own right who doesn't listen to her dad and tags along. There is also a certain disregard for casualties that abound in the movie; while most of the central characters stay alive, many bystanders who have little to no bearing on the plot meet untimely ends.
Which I guess is fine; mass casualties are kind of a stock-in-trade for films like this. But the film makes a big deal out of one major character's redemption near the end by convincing him killing is wrong, which I would buy if maybe the person spared hadn't just caused several other deaths. It's a bit backwards for the film to decide mercy is the way when for so long people are just mowed down in the background for no cause.
Crowe and Gosling make a fun combo, and the well-rounded supporting cast include Matt Bomer, Keith David, and Kim Basinger (fascinating to see Crowe and Basinger reunited in a LA period piece nearly two decades after the superb L.A. Confidential (1997)). Really, there's not much to say other than the movie is fairly enjoyable and will hold your interest for its near two-hour running time. Sometimes, in a summer full of mediocrity, that's just enough.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) is the very, very late sequel to the 1996 box office smash that more or less helped define the modern, overblown blockbuster. It was the film that put Roland Emmerich on the map and ushered in a new era of big, dumb explosion films. But, viewing the new film, one can almost feel the original is a subtle masterpiece of deft storytelling.
Resurgence picks up 20 years after the original, in an alternate-universe Earth where the alien technology has helped us make great advances as a civilization. World peace is universal, as all our petty differences have been put aside to unite and build a strong fortification for the inevitable return of the aliens that attacked us so long ago.
And, before long, the aliens do return. This time, instead of sending several large discs from one mothership hovering near the moon, we get one, massive ship, 3,000 miles in diameter, with it's own gravitational pull, which creates a whole new method of city destruction as one East Asian city is picked up and dropped on London, completely obliterating both places.
The film does an impressive job of reigning back in all the major players from the first film, except Will Smith, who opted to make the forthcoming Suicide Squad instead. His absence is explained away as a test run crash that killed him, and his son Dylan (Jessie T. Usher) has filled his father's large shoes rather well, becoming a pilot in his own right. Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, and even Brent Spiner (who many, myself included, assumed died in the first film) are back.
There's very little this film does right, but the things it does well include Spiner's character, a wacky scientist who gets considerable more screen time and adds some much needed levity to the proceedings, and one or two fun set pieces, including Goldblum driving a school bus full of children away from a giant alien.
But the film has a multitude of problems. The first is it's endless subplots. Emmerich is a fan of having many characters in many locations to move the plot forward, but unfortunately the film becomes spread so thin between all these different locations that none of them have barely anytime to register, leaving us simply exhausted trying to keep up.
There's President Whitmore (Pullman) from the first film, suffering visions from his psychic link to the aliens; an African warlord who also suffers the same visions; a nerdy guy proving he can kill aliens; a rivalry between Dylan and Jake (Liam Hemsworth); a budding romance between Jake's friend and a Chinese pilot; a real romance between Jake and the President's daughter (Maika Monroe); a therapist deciphering the alien message; an alien being from another planet not associated with those trying to kill us; Judd Hirsch traversing across the country with a school bus full of children to reach his son; and a merchant boat out in the Atlantic monitoring the aliens' drilling.
All of this is edited at a breakneck pace that barely gives you anytime to breathe. The film hurdles through scenes, establishing characters and relationships with the typical expository dialogue you've come to expect from Emmerich. Characters introduce themselves by quickly explaining their backstories and what issues they might have with other characters so we know they'll be resolved by the end of everything. That this film has five credited screenwriters is baffling; something written by five people should never be this bad.
The film also suffers from not feeling as big as the first one. Say what you will about Independence Day, but it builds and builds to the first payoff, the set piece in which the White House and Los Angeles are blown to hell. The films spends about 45 minute getting all the characters into place, and while the script is really no better, at least there is a sense of pacing. There is a sense of how big this threat is and how impossible the odds are for our heroes to win. In this film, there is never a moments doubt that our heroes will prevail in the end.
I guess I'm not sure what I expected from a big Emmerich blockbuster. He's got a long track record of horrible films, and while this is certainly not his worst, it does nothing to give him credit as a filmmaker. The film shrewdly tries to set the wheels in motion for a sequel, which I certainly do not look forward to. In our reality of 2016, everything must be built to be a franchise, a unique universe to pull in huge bucks for the studios. But you have to make the characters interesting and worth investing in first.
Resurgence picks up 20 years after the original, in an alternate-universe Earth where the alien technology has helped us make great advances as a civilization. World peace is universal, as all our petty differences have been put aside to unite and build a strong fortification for the inevitable return of the aliens that attacked us so long ago.
And, before long, the aliens do return. This time, instead of sending several large discs from one mothership hovering near the moon, we get one, massive ship, 3,000 miles in diameter, with it's own gravitational pull, which creates a whole new method of city destruction as one East Asian city is picked up and dropped on London, completely obliterating both places.
The film does an impressive job of reigning back in all the major players from the first film, except Will Smith, who opted to make the forthcoming Suicide Squad instead. His absence is explained away as a test run crash that killed him, and his son Dylan (Jessie T. Usher) has filled his father's large shoes rather well, becoming a pilot in his own right. Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, and even Brent Spiner (who many, myself included, assumed died in the first film) are back.
There's very little this film does right, but the things it does well include Spiner's character, a wacky scientist who gets considerable more screen time and adds some much needed levity to the proceedings, and one or two fun set pieces, including Goldblum driving a school bus full of children away from a giant alien.
But the film has a multitude of problems. The first is it's endless subplots. Emmerich is a fan of having many characters in many locations to move the plot forward, but unfortunately the film becomes spread so thin between all these different locations that none of them have barely anytime to register, leaving us simply exhausted trying to keep up.
There's President Whitmore (Pullman) from the first film, suffering visions from his psychic link to the aliens; an African warlord who also suffers the same visions; a nerdy guy proving he can kill aliens; a rivalry between Dylan and Jake (Liam Hemsworth); a budding romance between Jake's friend and a Chinese pilot; a real romance between Jake and the President's daughter (Maika Monroe); a therapist deciphering the alien message; an alien being from another planet not associated with those trying to kill us; Judd Hirsch traversing across the country with a school bus full of children to reach his son; and a merchant boat out in the Atlantic monitoring the aliens' drilling.
All of this is edited at a breakneck pace that barely gives you anytime to breathe. The film hurdles through scenes, establishing characters and relationships with the typical expository dialogue you've come to expect from Emmerich. Characters introduce themselves by quickly explaining their backstories and what issues they might have with other characters so we know they'll be resolved by the end of everything. That this film has five credited screenwriters is baffling; something written by five people should never be this bad.
The film also suffers from not feeling as big as the first one. Say what you will about Independence Day, but it builds and builds to the first payoff, the set piece in which the White House and Los Angeles are blown to hell. The films spends about 45 minute getting all the characters into place, and while the script is really no better, at least there is a sense of pacing. There is a sense of how big this threat is and how impossible the odds are for our heroes to win. In this film, there is never a moments doubt that our heroes will prevail in the end.
I guess I'm not sure what I expected from a big Emmerich blockbuster. He's got a long track record of horrible films, and while this is certainly not his worst, it does nothing to give him credit as a filmmaker. The film shrewdly tries to set the wheels in motion for a sequel, which I certainly do not look forward to. In our reality of 2016, everything must be built to be a franchise, a unique universe to pull in huge bucks for the studios. But you have to make the characters interesting and worth investing in first.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
The Fits (2015)
The Fits (2015) is a rather strange little indie drama from first time director Anna Rose Holmer that showcases remarkable skill and a gifted filmmaker to watch for in the coming years. The film is short, at only 72 minutes, but it feels just right and that there shouldn't be any more or any less to it. It's an economical story and sometimes those feel just right.
The story concerns an 11-year-old tomboy named Toni (Royalty Hightower), who helps her older brother at a boxing gym, but is fascinated with the dancing troupe right next door (many of whom admire the bulked up boxing boys). She slowly grows to fit in, but not before the girls on the troupe start having unexplainable violent fits that send them to the hospital.
The why explaining what the fits are isn't important; some speculate it's the school water supply, but tests ring back that the water is clean, and soon the girls grow from fearing the oncoming fits to accepting that they will happen at some point, and almost anticipating the out-of-body experience others are describing.
Shot almost entirely in one location, the movie has a terrific, indescribable sense of dread pervading it. At first it seems like an innocuous pre-teen movie, before the fits start taking over. Holmer, who has extensive credits in the camera department for bigger budge Hollywood films (such as Twilight), stages many shots to focus solely on our protagonist and not show us what is going on around her. We almost see her from everyone else's perspective, and barely register hers.
Ultimately this is an interesting movie that's worth checking out on Video on Demand. By no means a great achievement, it showcases a great talent for the creative team behind it, and makes me anticipate any new films from these creators.
The story concerns an 11-year-old tomboy named Toni (Royalty Hightower), who helps her older brother at a boxing gym, but is fascinated with the dancing troupe right next door (many of whom admire the bulked up boxing boys). She slowly grows to fit in, but not before the girls on the troupe start having unexplainable violent fits that send them to the hospital.
The why explaining what the fits are isn't important; some speculate it's the school water supply, but tests ring back that the water is clean, and soon the girls grow from fearing the oncoming fits to accepting that they will happen at some point, and almost anticipating the out-of-body experience others are describing.
Shot almost entirely in one location, the movie has a terrific, indescribable sense of dread pervading it. At first it seems like an innocuous pre-teen movie, before the fits start taking over. Holmer, who has extensive credits in the camera department for bigger budge Hollywood films (such as Twilight), stages many shots to focus solely on our protagonist and not show us what is going on around her. We almost see her from everyone else's perspective, and barely register hers.
Ultimately this is an interesting movie that's worth checking out on Video on Demand. By no means a great achievement, it showcases a great talent for the creative team behind it, and makes me anticipate any new films from these creators.
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
What is there to say about a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie? The premise is wholly silly, a quartet of turtles mutated to humanoid form who hide in the sewers of New York and fight the evil Foot Clan, lead by Shredder (Brian Tee). It's unfair really to objectively review a movie like this because I don't believe it was ever meant to be taken seriously, or be good.
This follow-up to the 2014 revival of the franchise is fairly forgiving to those who didn't see the first one (me!), as the film nice sets up the status quo. The turtles still hide in the sewers, and attend Knicks games by hiding in the jumbotron. Vernon (Will Arnett) for some reason was credited with bringing down Shredder in the last movie, and lives the life in the spotlight. Meanwhile, the turtles and April O'Neil (Megan Fox) investigate things and I think Megan Fox transformed into a school girl outfit to get close to Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry), a mad scientist who's bent on breaking Shredder out of prison?
The details aren't really that important. For turtles fans, this movie introduces Casey Jones (Stephen Amell), Bebop and Rocksteady (Gary Anthony Williams and Sheamus, respectively), and Krang (voice of Brad Garrett). If those names are familiar to you, and the prospect of their presence in this movie excites you, then you should probably go check this out.
But if you're like me and are only cursorily aware of the turtles and their universe, maybe not so much. The movie is directed by Dave Green and produced by Michael Bay, and the movie hews close to his aesthetic. Unlike Bay's recent films, this one clocks in at under 2 hours and is not a pain to sit through. Bay can up the ante so much that his movie's are insufferable, and to Green's credit, he does Bay better than Bay.
The movie also does a pretty good job of distinguishing the turtles. I have to admit, they all seemed fairly interchangeable to me, despite the colored masks. Strip those away and they are as identical as any of the South Park kids without hair or hats. But the movie gives each turtle a characteristic, so dummy like me actually knew which one was Raphael and Leonardo. Previous iterations only defined the turtles by their masks and weapons of choice.
The action is fine. There is an opening chase scene in which Shredder is extracted from a prison convoy, in a scene eerily similar to The Dark Knight. There is an extended sequence in Brazil where the turtles ride down a river on a tank, and a final battle in the skies over New York. Just don't ask me how they defeated Krang, because I may have closed my eyes for that part.
But there's nothing special about this movie. There is the echoes of a good idea as the turtles confront a substance that could make them human, and grapple with what that would mean. But the movie quickly resolves this and emphasizes team work and camaraderie. The rest is fairly forgettable and boring. The script is rote, the performances phoned in (except for Laura Linney who is always fantastic and for some reason is in this movie), and the movie is over 50% CGI, so why are we watching a live-action version of this? I don't think a real April O'Neil and Casey Jones sells the universe. Sorry turtles, you are not my cup of tea.
This follow-up to the 2014 revival of the franchise is fairly forgiving to those who didn't see the first one (me!), as the film nice sets up the status quo. The turtles still hide in the sewers, and attend Knicks games by hiding in the jumbotron. Vernon (Will Arnett) for some reason was credited with bringing down Shredder in the last movie, and lives the life in the spotlight. Meanwhile, the turtles and April O'Neil (Megan Fox) investigate things and I think Megan Fox transformed into a school girl outfit to get close to Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry), a mad scientist who's bent on breaking Shredder out of prison?
The details aren't really that important. For turtles fans, this movie introduces Casey Jones (Stephen Amell), Bebop and Rocksteady (Gary Anthony Williams and Sheamus, respectively), and Krang (voice of Brad Garrett). If those names are familiar to you, and the prospect of their presence in this movie excites you, then you should probably go check this out.
But if you're like me and are only cursorily aware of the turtles and their universe, maybe not so much. The movie is directed by Dave Green and produced by Michael Bay, and the movie hews close to his aesthetic. Unlike Bay's recent films, this one clocks in at under 2 hours and is not a pain to sit through. Bay can up the ante so much that his movie's are insufferable, and to Green's credit, he does Bay better than Bay.
The movie also does a pretty good job of distinguishing the turtles. I have to admit, they all seemed fairly interchangeable to me, despite the colored masks. Strip those away and they are as identical as any of the South Park kids without hair or hats. But the movie gives each turtle a characteristic, so dummy like me actually knew which one was Raphael and Leonardo. Previous iterations only defined the turtles by their masks and weapons of choice.
The action is fine. There is an opening chase scene in which Shredder is extracted from a prison convoy, in a scene eerily similar to The Dark Knight. There is an extended sequence in Brazil where the turtles ride down a river on a tank, and a final battle in the skies over New York. Just don't ask me how they defeated Krang, because I may have closed my eyes for that part.
But there's nothing special about this movie. There is the echoes of a good idea as the turtles confront a substance that could make them human, and grapple with what that would mean. But the movie quickly resolves this and emphasizes team work and camaraderie. The rest is fairly forgettable and boring. The script is rote, the performances phoned in (except for Laura Linney who is always fantastic and for some reason is in this movie), and the movie is over 50% CGI, so why are we watching a live-action version of this? I don't think a real April O'Neil and Casey Jones sells the universe. Sorry turtles, you are not my cup of tea.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
The mockumentary is all but a dead format in mainstream cinema. Not that is was ever thriving, but since the format was repurposed for found-footage horror flicks, there has been precious little comedies put out in the format, save anything Christopher Guest and crew put out.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is the new film from the Lonely Island, the rap trio composed of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer, and utilizes this format very well. Intercutting an impressive amount of fake interviews with established music industry heavyweights, including Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, Nas, Usher, 50 Cent, Ringo Starr, Akon, DJ Khaled, and so forth, the movie tells the story of the latest release from superstar Conner 4 Real (Samberg), and the tour to promote his album.
He's an egomaniac, a member of a three piece outfit called The Style Boyz (the other members being Taccone and Schaffer), before he split off on a solo career and poisoned his relationship with one of the members (Schaffer). Surrounded by entourage that can never tell him no, Conner lives a life of luxury and ignorance, until his latest release bombs both critically and financially, and he has to bring on a new up-and-coming rapper to open his tour just get ticket sales up.
In addition to the multitude of musicians tapped to star, there is also Sarah Silverman as Conner's publicist, Tim Meadows as his manager, Joan Cusack as his mom, Maya Rudolph, Will Arnett, and Will Forte. It's an impressive lineup of comedians who all deliver in various ways, and add an extra bit of fun to the proceedings.
The real star here, though, is the music. You either love or hate the Lonely Island's output (which includes I'm On a Boat, I Just Had Sex, Jizz in My Pants, and more), and I myself am a pretty big fan of their stuff. The songs are all dumb jokes, but they are just the right amount of dumb, if that makes sense. The songs written for this film include an opening number about Conner's humility, a riff on Spaniard accents, a song about not being gay but still cool with equal rights, and a song about deep thoughts. Honestly, I would have preferred the movie to showcase more the songs, as only three get full productions and the rest are no more than an iTunes sample to entice you to buy the album. I suspect the digital/blu-ray/DVD (whatever you call it these days) release will have an extended cut with these songs more fully fleshed out.
Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy the rest of the movie; it has plenty of laughs throughout, including one hilarious scene where Conner signs a member of that I'm sure few people have signed. But the film estranges the trio and while Samberg is funny enough on his own, Taccone and Schaffer to hold up much on their individual scenes and the movie has some real sparks when they are altogether again (oops, minor spoilers, although honestly you could have predicted that).
The closest comparison I can draw to this movie is This Is Spinal Tap (1984), and while I am not saying these two movies are close in quality (nothing here will enter the lexicon quite like "These go to 11."), the formula set forth in that older film plays well here. Popstar is entertaining and funny enough to act as a nice diversion from the oncoming summer heat. But it will probably play better on your home theater, where an extended cut with more of the songs will hopefully be available. That is, after all, The Lonely Island's greatest strength.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is the new film from the Lonely Island, the rap trio composed of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer, and utilizes this format very well. Intercutting an impressive amount of fake interviews with established music industry heavyweights, including Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, Nas, Usher, 50 Cent, Ringo Starr, Akon, DJ Khaled, and so forth, the movie tells the story of the latest release from superstar Conner 4 Real (Samberg), and the tour to promote his album.
He's an egomaniac, a member of a three piece outfit called The Style Boyz (the other members being Taccone and Schaffer), before he split off on a solo career and poisoned his relationship with one of the members (Schaffer). Surrounded by entourage that can never tell him no, Conner lives a life of luxury and ignorance, until his latest release bombs both critically and financially, and he has to bring on a new up-and-coming rapper to open his tour just get ticket sales up.
In addition to the multitude of musicians tapped to star, there is also Sarah Silverman as Conner's publicist, Tim Meadows as his manager, Joan Cusack as his mom, Maya Rudolph, Will Arnett, and Will Forte. It's an impressive lineup of comedians who all deliver in various ways, and add an extra bit of fun to the proceedings.
The real star here, though, is the music. You either love or hate the Lonely Island's output (which includes I'm On a Boat, I Just Had Sex, Jizz in My Pants, and more), and I myself am a pretty big fan of their stuff. The songs are all dumb jokes, but they are just the right amount of dumb, if that makes sense. The songs written for this film include an opening number about Conner's humility, a riff on Spaniard accents, a song about not being gay but still cool with equal rights, and a song about deep thoughts. Honestly, I would have preferred the movie to showcase more the songs, as only three get full productions and the rest are no more than an iTunes sample to entice you to buy the album. I suspect the digital/blu-ray/DVD (whatever you call it these days) release will have an extended cut with these songs more fully fleshed out.
Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy the rest of the movie; it has plenty of laughs throughout, including one hilarious scene where Conner signs a member of that I'm sure few people have signed. But the film estranges the trio and while Samberg is funny enough on his own, Taccone and Schaffer to hold up much on their individual scenes and the movie has some real sparks when they are altogether again (oops, minor spoilers, although honestly you could have predicted that).
The closest comparison I can draw to this movie is This Is Spinal Tap (1984), and while I am not saying these two movies are close in quality (nothing here will enter the lexicon quite like "These go to 11."), the formula set forth in that older film plays well here. Popstar is entertaining and funny enough to act as a nice diversion from the oncoming summer heat. But it will probably play better on your home theater, where an extended cut with more of the songs will hopefully be available. That is, after all, The Lonely Island's greatest strength.
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