Monday, August 31, 2015

Top 20 Favorite Films of Summer 2015


20

19 

18

17

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Honorable Mentions: Magic Mike XXL, Southpaw, We Are Your Friends, American Ultra, Minions, Tomorrowland, Pitch Perfect 2, Ted 2, Entourage 

Friday, August 21, 2015

Hitman: Agent 47 review

HITMAN: AGENT 47:
THIS “HITMAN” MISSES ITS TARGET!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: * 1/2 out of 4
20TH CENTURY FOX
Rupert Friend is Hitman: Agent 47

            Here we go again, another live action movie based on the popular Hitman video game series, originally developed by Eidos but is now owned by Square Enix’s IO Software. The first Hitman movie released in 2007 was widely panned by critics and fans of the game, no shock, but when I first watched it, I honestly kinda liked it, at least as an action movie, I’m sure as a video game movie it fails hard, but Hitman wasn’t really a video game series that I followed that much, I’ve played them once in a while, they’re good but they didn’t leave much of an impression on me, it certainly did with other people and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
            The first Hitman movie starred Timothy Olyphant as the genetically altered killing machine, Agent 47 and while the film is undeniably flawed and not technically a good movie, Olyphant was somewhat entertaining as Agent 47 and had some development as a character and the action for the most part was over the top fun. But it didn’t matter because while the film did well at the box office, the reviews were very negative and the sequel was canceled during production.
            So in its place, we have a reboot, Hitman: Agent 47, directed by newcomer Aleksander Bach, written by Hitman (2007) writer, Skip Woods, and starring Rupert Friend (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Young Victoria, Homeland) as Agent 47. Unlike Fox’s other reboot that came out this summer, Fantastic Four, which I had no expectations for, I pretty much had low expectations on this movie from the start, a reboot of the Hitman movie, really, what can you do with this?
            And they pretty much do exactly what every other video game movie does, little to no understanding of the original source material, cardboard cutout characters that are just called in to “Look” like the game without really trying, overwhelming action sequences, and moments where a character should look threatening but it mostly comes off as unintentionally hilarious. Even the first Hitman movie had some watchable elements, whether you’re a fan of the game or not, this however will probably make fans of the Hitman games have a whole new appreciation for the first movie.
            The film centers on Agent 47, an elite assassin who was genetically altered from conception to become the perfect killing machine. This man feels no emotion, has a barcode on the back of his head, he named himself after the last two digits of the barcode, and his sole purpose in life is to kill, kill, kill, he’s practically like the Terminator, except not nearly as fun to watch as Arnold Schwarzenegger, but just as robotic in his acting.
            47 is the culmination of decades of scientific research and 46 earlier Agent clones, very much like the Smith clones in the Matrix movies, with unprecedented strength, speed, stamina, and intelligence, it’s like Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes on steroids and heavy firepower.
            His target is a top-secret organization that plans to unlock the secrets of Agent 47 to create an army of Agent clones that would possess powers that could surpass 47’s capabilities and an equally powerful Agent henchman (Zachary Quinto-Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness). Teaming up with a young woman, Katie van Dees (Hannah Ware-Cop Out, Shame, Oldboy) who also have the same powers as 47 and powers that may surpass his, and her father, Dr. Litvenko (CiarĂ¡n Hinds-Excalibur, Road to Perdition, Munich), the scientist who created the Agent program, 47 confronts revelations about his own origins and faces off in an epic battle with his deadliest foe yet.
            Overall, Hitman: Agent 47 is a pretty weak attempt to breathe new life into a dead video game movie from 2007 and basically it ends up being like every other video game movie ever made. You name it, lazy character development, amateur acting, and heavy focus on overwhelming action sequences over telling a decent story, it’s a mess, plain and simple.
            But with that said, some the action sequences can be over the top fun like an exciting car chase through a parking garage, a bloody shootout in a factory, and even some of the scenes where Katie learns how to use her skills can be pretty neat, when they’re not turning an action scene into a seizure inducing light show. Unfortunately all throughout the movie I’m just saying to myself “These action scenes are cool, but do I really care who comes out on top?” And the correct answer is No.
            47, Katie, and her father are not developed well, they’re not characters but rather tools to just get the movie going. You don’t feel for these characters, the backstories are through extremely choppy editing, and Rupert Friend and Hannah Ware are very bland, at least Timothy Olyphant was sort of interesting back in the first Hitman movie, and Zachary Quinto is basically just re-enacting his Vulcan emotions from when he played Spock in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies, except they worked better in those movies than they do here.
            Besides the acting and poor development, the film’s characters are horrible at looking threatening. Every time Agent 47 is walking in slow motion and that techno music plays, I burst into laughter because of how silly and over the top it looks, but it certainly isn’t threatening, it’s funny, not to mention Zachary Quinto has plenty of moments that are unintentionally funny, but unfortunately it doesn’t have enough unintentionally funny moments to be considered “So bad it’s entertaining” like Mortal Kombat: Annihilation or the Super Mario Bros. movie, hell even Pixels and last year’s Need for Speed movie were better than this.
            If you don’t like movies based on video games, there’s pretty much nothing in here for you. And all this action just makes you wish you were back home playing your Xbox. 

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Straight Outta Compton review

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON:
A MINDBLOWING TRIBUTE TO RAP MUSIC AND THE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** 1/2 out of 4
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, MC Ren, and Easy-E are Straight Outta Compton

            Director F. Gary Gray (Friday, The Negotiator, The Italian Job) joins forces with big name rap superstar, Ice Cube (Boyz n the Hood, Friday, 21 Jump Street) to bring the incredible true story about a rap group’s battle for freedom of speech and human rights to the screen in Straight Outta Compton, named after the rap group, NWA (N*ggas with Attitude)’s first album. When I first saw the posters, ads, and constant memes, I wasn’t sure what this movie was supposed to be, that and I don’t follow rap music that much, but after seeing talented people like Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr. in his father’s shoes, Corey Hawkins (Iron Man 3, Non-Stop, The Walking Dead) as Dr. Dre, and Paul Giamatti (SidewaysWin Win, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) starring in the film and the incredibly positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, I decided to gave the film a viewing and I can gladly say it’s one of the best rap movies I’ve seen since Hustle & Flow and 8 Mile.

            The movie manages to balance between an inspirational biographical music drama about the origins and success of a rap group, an intense gangster film, and a movie about freedom of speech and discrimination. But what makes the film truly shine is the chemistry between the NWA members, they’ll make you laugh, they’ll make you cry, and they’ll make you dance, that and when the intense moments happen, they feel uncomfortably real and tragic, but don’t worry it’s not 12 Years A Slave uncomfortable.
            In the mid-1980s the streets of Compton were some of the most dangerous streets in the country. You name it gangs, violence and murders; corrupt law enforcement, to name a few.
            Fed up with it all, five young men translate their experiences growing up into brutally honest rap music that rebelled against abusive authority. Consisting of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, the late Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell-Texas Killing Fields, Contraband), MC Ren (Aldis Hodge-The Ladykillers, A Good Day to Die Hard, The East), and DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.-Out of Time, Never Back Down, Battle: Los Angeles) these then-newcomer rappers join forces to become the rap group, NWA and fight for freedom of speech and against discrimination towards African-Americans, with brutally honest songs like Fuck Da Police and Straight Outta Compton about the corrupt police force in Compton and how they arrest and harass African-American people, even if they didn’t do anything.
            From fines and jail time to riots in the city and money scandals with their former manager of Ruthless Records, Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti), NWA will do anything to get their message across to the world about freedom of speech and ending corrupt law enforcement.
            Overall, Straight Outta Compton is a very ambitious project, but the cast and crew pull it off very well, with solid acting from the lead cast, dope rap songs that’ll make you dance, intense and emotional drama, and a very important moral, especially for rising star rappers. The origin stories of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and the rest of the NWA are executed very well and they even talk about Dr. Dre’s collaboration with Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube’s successful film career with Boyz n the Hood and Friday, which were both critical and commercial hits when they came out in theaters.
            The film also teaches lessons about scams involving record managers and how violent they can get, certainly some very helpful advice for newcomer rappers. It proves that sometimes a criminal can be working with you when you’re big in the industry.
            The songs the group performs in the clubs and stages are amazing and will certainly make you bop your heads, tap your feet, and stand up in the theater and cheer, it makes me want to buy their first album. Even the aggressive Fuck Da Police song is well choreographed, catchy, and it makes a very strong point about how corrupt law enforcement can be.
            If you’re a fan of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and rap music in general, you’ll love Straight Outta Compton, the music, moral, and plot are executed very well and is both informative and entertaining, though I’m not entirely sure how accurate the film is to the real events, but I’ve heard it covers most of what happened. But as a movie I strongly recommend it to both moviegoers and music enthusiasts.
FUCK DA POLICE AND FUCK DISCRIMINATION! 

Sunday, August 16, 2015

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. review

THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.:
A CAMPY SPY THRILLER THAT REALLY CRANKS UP THE FUN!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** out of 4
WARNER BROS. PICTURES
Henry Cavill (left) and Armie Hammer (right) as an unlikely American and Russian spy duo in Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

            From director, Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) and producer John Davis (Behind Enemy Lines, I, Robot, Alien VS Predator) comes a film adaptation of the 1964 MGM spy-fi television series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which I’ve never seen before so I’m going to be judging it as a movie. And as a film, it’s very entertaining and it’s a well-balanced blend of action, drama, romance, comedy, gadgets, villains, and a sexy cast, pretty much everything you can expect out of a spy film.
            The film has a very campy style that resembles a classic spy movie or TV show from the 60s, with its yellow subtitles and location font to a soundtrack of classic rock and classical music, a somewhat similar soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy, but not quite as memorable or iconic.
            Set in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War, we find two unlikely spies joining forces to find a powerful disk that can give the person who owns it the power to rule the world. American spy, Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill-Man of Steel) opposites Russian spy, Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer-The Social Network, The Lone Ranger) in a caper to retrieve the disk from a ruthless criminal organization lead by the seductive but dangerous Victoria Vinciguerra (Elizabeth Debicki-The Great Gatsby) who plans to destabilize the fragile balance of power through nuclear warfare.
            With the aid of British undercover agent, Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander-Anna Karenina, A Royal Affair, Ex-Machina) and the head of the U.N.C.L.E. organization, Alexander Waverly (Hugh Grant-Mickey Blue Eyes, The Pirates! Band of Misfits) Napoleon and Illya must infiltrate Victoria’s organization, get information out of a German scientist who holds the key to accessing Victoria’s organization, and retrieve the disk before a powerful bomb goes off and plunging the world into war.
            Overall, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a very ambitious project, adapting a show that was popular in the 60s for a mainstream audience is quite a challenge but Guy Ritchie pulls it off very well. The film has a unique 60s spy film style and it’s campy at times, but not as campy as a spy film like Austin Powers, and it certainly doesn’t take itself that seriously either.
            It’s a perfect blend of action and humor; add in likable leads as the protagonists and strong character development, weapons espionage, and cool gadgets and vehicles, it’s quite an entertaining spy caper.

            I can declare the year 2015 to be the year of spy films, the Colin Firth spy action film, Kingsman: The Secret Service, the Melissa McCarthy comedy, Spy, the latest Mission: Impossible movie, Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation, this movie, and the upcoming James Bond movie, Spectre coming out in November. I wouldn’t consider The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to be my favorite spy film of this year, I still think Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation was a little better, but for a fun summer action movie, the film is a thrilling, funny, and stylish spy flick that should satisfy the summer blockbuster audience and it’s a fine way to wrap up the summer of movies, unlike that mess known as Fantastic Four.