Victor Frankenstein review

VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN:

UNDENIABLY ENGAGING LEADS, BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE THIS MONSTER COME ALIVE!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

20^TH CENTURY FOX

Daniel Radcliffe (left) and James McAvoy (right) as Igor and Victor Frankenstein

            Frankenstein is definitely a character that manages to keep showing up in cinema, from the classic Universal monster movie to Kenneth Branagh’s attempt on adapting Mary Shelley’s chilling classic novel, and even Tim Burton doing his own take on the story in his film, Frankenweenie. Even non-Frankenstein related movies like Marvel’s Hulk movies pay homage to the classic monster and making it their own, it seems like after several ups and downs, this monster will never truly die.

            In comes this latest re-imagining of the story, Victor Frankenstein, under direction by Paul McGuigan (The Acid House, Gangster No. 1, Push), whom of which is recently known for directing two episodes of the TV series, Sherlock, and starring James McAvoy (Atonement, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past) as the title character and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter franchise, December Boys) as his right-hand hunchback, Igor. When I first saw the trailer for this, I honestly didn’t know what to think of it, it looked better than I, Frankenstein, but how could it be on par with the Universal classic or even Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie for that matter.

            And once I finally saw it…I was totally right, not that it was the worst take on Frankenstein (No, that still goes to I, Frankenstein!) but it was surprisingly lacking in monster terror, creativity, or even a clever take on a story we’ve heard several times before. I’ll give I, Frankenstein credit for attempting to do something different from the original Frankenstein story, even though it didn’t work out very well in the end, but the cast and acting is definitely less laughably bad than the dialogue from that flick.

            The film follows scientist, Victor Frankenstein (McAvoy) and his equally brilliant partner, Igor (Radcliffe) sharing one goal after Victor rescued Igor from being treated like a circus animal…literally, aiding humanity through their groundbreaking research of immortality. Which leads them to breathe life back into the dead, after experimenting on a creature hybrid of other organisms’ organs and a chimpanzee exterior (Came pretty close to beginning a Dawn of the Dead Planet of the Apes joke) and finally the infamous Frankenstein monster.

            Even after getting into trouble with the authorities, becoming fugitives from the law, and life or death experiences, Frankenstein and Igor are determined to complete their goal to use their scientific theories to make life from death.

            Overall, Victor Frankenstein is pretty choppily put together when you really get down to it, it’s not angrily bad or anything like that, but the film feels confused on what it’s trying to be, is it trying to be a historical epic or is is trying to be a monster movie? At least I, Frankenstein tried to be a supernatural action movie take on the story, but like I said before, it didn’t work in the end.

            What does stand out in the film are the two leads, James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe are both very engaging actors, McAvoy best known for portraying Young Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise and Radcliffe obviously for Harry Potter in the critically and commercially successful Harry Potter film franchise. They both have decent chemistry together, unfortunately the script doesn’t exploit their talents, which is a shame because both are incredibly likable actors, hopefully they’ll do a better movie together in the future because I enjoy seeing both of them in movies.

            Now what really didn’t work in the film was the design for the actual Frankenstein monster, SPOILER ALERT! It’s a crappy CG lifeless puppet, even Frankenweenie looked more realistic than he did, and he actually was a puppet. Frankenstein is very underwhelming in this movie, not to mention he doesn’t get very much screen time in the movie.

            If you just want to see James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe together in a movie, you’ll probably find something to enjoy in Victor Frankenstein, but if you’re a die-hard fan of other Frankenstein movies, this one will unintentionally scare you away from it, or make you want to burn it with fire. 

Creed review

CREED:

MICHAEL B. JORDAN AND SYLVESTER STALLONE BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO THE ONCE MIGHTY ROCKY FRANCHISE!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** 1/2 out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES, NEW LINE CINEMA, AND MGM

Michael B. Jordan (left) and Sylvester Stallone (right) as Adonis Johnson Creed and Rocky Balboa training for the big fight in Creed

            Sylvester Stallone (Rambo franchise, The Expendables trilogy, Ratchet & Clank) returns as the Italian Stallion in the seventh installment of the Rocky franchise, Creed, a spin-off of the franchise as well as the first film in the Rocky series since 2006’s Rocky Balboa. Almost ten years since the last Rocky movie, when I first heard about this movie after viewing the trailer, I raised my eyebrow and said “We are so late in the game on this, Stallone’s too old for this and the film itself seems like a shameful attempt to cash in on the classic franchise!” That’s what I thought at first because it would be very difficult to top the first Rocky movie, the first film is an iconic classic, every time I watch it I want to jog in place with Rocky when he’s running through Philadelphia and hum his trademark theme song when he fights Apollo Creed, cheer when he wins the fight in the end, and of course laugh my ass off when the robot from Rocky IV shows up (seriously, what did that thing have to do with Rocky?).

            So I was pretty skeptical with the release of Creed, but after reading the reviews and seeing the movie in theaters, I am happy to report that the movie is very well done. While it’s not a direct Rocky sequel, it has many of its trademarks from running through Philadelphia to climbing up the steps and a gripping fight, and of course the theme song.

            It works both as a Rocky installment as well as a standalone boxing drama, despite the fact Stallone doesn’t do much fighting in this one, but Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle, The Boondocks, Fantastic Four) is a damn fine substitution and he can kick just as much ass as Stallone. Stallone however feels more like a Merlin or Mr. Miyagi type of character here, you know the coach or the trainer, which is understandable because Stallone has gotten quite old since Rocky Balboa and Rocky is supposedly retired in this movie.

            Our story begins with Adonis Johnson (Jordan), a young African-American man who ever since he was a boy has had a rough time in life, constant fighting, being a juvenile delinquent, living in a foster home, you name it. Apparently he never got the chance to know his father, Rocky’s first opponent, Apollo Creed, who passed away before he was born, but there’s no denying that his boxing power flows in Adonis’ blood.

            Adonis travels to Philadelphia where he meets their town hero, the Italian Stallion himself, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) who is now retired from boxing. Upon realizing that Adonis is the son of Apollo Creed, he decides to help him train to become a great heavyweight boxer just like his father once was.

            However, the competition is very tough in the ring this time, Adonis will be facing off against British heavyweight fighter and title holder, “Pretty” Ricky Conlan (Professional Boxer, Tony Bellew), Rocky and Adonis are going to have to train long and hard in order to beat Conlan in the ring and make everyone remember the legacy of Apollo Creed.

            Overall, Creed is a welcoming return for the Rocky film franchise and it’s quite impressive that the franchise is able to last this long for several years and still stay fresh, but then again, look at 007 and Star Wars. The film balances character development, emotional drama, and boxing action quite nicely, thanks to the strong chemistry between Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone and the film’s ability to stand on its own will still staying true to the original Rocky films’ roots.

            One very minor issue I have with the movie is that you don’t hear much of the Rocky theme song this time around, that’s pretty much a staple of the Rocky franchise and it helps indicate that what you’re watching is a Rocky movie. But fortunately it does show up in the movie at all, so problem solved.

            It’s pretty hard to top the first Rocky movie, since it’s a cinema classic as well as being very iconic, but this does come very close. It’s certainly closer to a Rocky movie than Rocky IV, you know, because of the random robot (seriously, was that just a predecessor to Real Steel?).

            If you’re a fan of the Rocky franchise or boxing sports dramas in general, you’ll probably enjoy Creed, it doesn’t rehash the original Rocky movies, but it continues the legend and brings something new to the ring.    

The Good Dinosaur review

THE GOOD DINOSAUR:

COLOSSAL FAMILY FUN, BUT CAN ALSO BE GRIPPING AND TOUCHING AT TIMES!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

DISNEY/PIXAR

Arlo the dinosaur and his caveboy friend, Spot off on a breathtaking adventure in Pixar’s latest animated film, The Good Dinosaur

            The hopping Luxo lamp strikes again, Pixar Animation Studios, the studio behind the critically acclaimed and commercially successful animated family films, Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Up, and Inside Out return with their latest animated film, The Good Dinosaur, the second Pixar film released in 2015, the first being Inside Out back in June. That’s right, we get two Pixar movies this year and I couldn’t be happier.

I’m a huge fan of Pixar’s work…most of it (I didn’t like Cars 2, but then again, who did?) so naturally I couldn’t miss Inside Out or The Good Dinosaur, much like DreamWorks, they’re an animation studio that keeps luring me back with movies, no matter how old I get.

So with Inside Out becoming one of my favorite movies of 2015 as well as one of my favorite animated movies and films in general of all time, I was curious to see if The Good Dinosaur would have the same reaction. And…it’s about the same as what I thought of Brave, it’s not a masterpiece like many of their other movies, but the story is cute, the main characters have strong chemistry, the animation is gorgeous, and everything else that works well in this movie, it works REALLY well.

It’s pretty much a standard kids’ movie with its overall cute appearance, much like Cars, but that doesn’t mean parents or other adult audiences won’t enjoy it as much as the younger audience. The film manages to balance colorful characters and humorous and cute situations for the kiddies, but also enough gripping drama to keep the adults’ attention, usually that’s what I consider a perfect family film.

In an alternate timeline where the asteroid that destroyed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago missed and they evolved with time, we find a Momma dinosaur, Ida (voiced by Frances McDormand-Burn After Reading, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted) and Poppa dinosaur, Henry (voiced by Jeffrey Wright-Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, The Hunger Games franchise) dinosaur and their three children, Buck (voiced by Marcus Scribner), Libby (voiced by Maleah Padilla), and the smallest dinosaur, Arlo (voiced by Raymond Ochoa-10 Items or Less, Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh) taking care of their responsibilities and tasks on their farm (Yes, dinosaurs are farmers in this movie!) in order to make their family mark. A mark is made after one of them accomplishes a goal or do something great, which is no problem for Buck and Libby, but then there’s Arlo.

Unlike Buck and Libby, Arlo is much shorter and not as strong as them, which makes it difficult for him to do his daily chores, especially feeding a group of angry chicken bird things. Hoping to give Arlo a sense of purpose, Henry recruits him to trap a critter that’s been breaking into their silo of food and stealing their food. One day a trap does capture a critter, a caveboy that acts like a dog, however Arlo is too reluctant to kill him, so he lets him go, Poppa is mad with him, and the two of them attempt to catch him, unfortunately the attempt costs Poppa Henry his life.

Sad and Poppa-less, Arlo finds the caveboy again, attempts to catch him for making him lose his Poppa, but what follows is Arlo and the caveboy get caught in a storm and get washed away along the river to a new part of the world. Arlo and the caveboy named Spot (voiced by Jack Bright) become friends and work together to make it back home to Arlo’s family.

Along the way, they run into a Tyrannosaurus Rex family, Butch (voiced by Sam Elliot-The Big Lebowski, Ghost Rider, The Golden Compass), his son, Nash (voiced by A.J. Buckley-Supernatural, Wolverine and the X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), his daughter, Ramsey (voiced by Anna Paquin-The Piano, Fly Away Home, X-Men franchise) who help them on their journey back home, a trio of villainous Pterodactyls, Thunderclap (voiced by Steve Zahn-You’ve Got Mail, Happy, Texas, Stuart Little), Downpour (voiced by Mandy Freund), and Coldfront (voiced by Steven Clay Hunter) who are on the hunt to catch Arlo’s critter friend, a Styracosaurus who has several animals on his horns known as Forrest Woodbush (voiced by Peter Sohn-Ratatouille, Monsters University), and an evil Velociraptor rustler, Bubbha (voiced by Dave Boat-Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Clarence).

Overall, The Good Dinosaur is a sweet, funny, and gripping addition to the Pixar Animation Studios library, though I wouldn’t consider it their best work, I still prefer Inside Out and some of their other films, but that does not mean I think it’s a bad movie, No, not at all. It shares the same opinion I have with Brave, it’s not a Pixar masterpiece, but the things they do well, they do really well.

The friendship between Arlo and Spot is cute, with very few words coming out of Spot, you know, with him being like a dog, which I thought was both very funny and clever at the same time. What really impresses me is that the two of them have very strong chemistry, without a full conversation, well done Pixar.

This is my “Go to” family film for the Thanksgiving holiday, if you’re a fan of Pixar’s work and looking for a fun family outing, look no further, because this is your flick. I’m glad we had 2 Pixar movies this year, one was great and the other was “Good”, I pretty much have nothing but positivity to say about Pixar at the moment, and I’m looking forward to their next film, Finding Dory next year.  

The Night Before review

THE NIGHT BEFORE:

HOLIDAY RAUNCHFEST DELIVERS CHRISTMAS CHEER AND LAUGHS, AS WELL AS SOME SURPRISINGLY SWEET MOMENTS OF FRIENDSHIP!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES

(from left to right) Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anthony Mackie will deliver some vulgar Christmas cheer in The Night Before

            First the apocalypse, then North Korea, now Jewish funnyman, Seth Rogen (This is the End, Neighbors, The Interview) takes on Christmas in the latest holiday comedy, The Night Before, directed by previous Rogan collaboration, Jonathan Levine (50/50). Now don’t expect it to be a cheery comedy to share with the entire family, no it’s not even close to Elf, The Grinch, or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, it’s more along the lines of Bad Santa or A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, where it’s a raunchy Christmas comedy to watch with your stoner friends after doing drugs and drinking.

            Like many of Rogen’s other comedies, The Night Before banks on its crude humor, wild shenanigans, getting fucked up on drugs, and friendship. It’s sure to please fans of his movies, including myself, though I don’t think it’s quite as funny as This is the End or The Interview, but it delivers enough laughs to put a goofy smile on my face and Rogen and his two best friends have very strong chemistry, for a trio of goofy potheads.

            Not to mention, it’s refreshing to see another Christmas movie in theaters, I haven’t seen a Christmas movie in the cinema since 2011. Yeah, I know it’s a crude and raunchy Seth Rogen comedy, but any movie that takes place during the holidays always helps me get into the spirit of Christmas, with pot and shrooms.

            Fourteen years ago on Christmas Eve, Ethan’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt-Inception, Looper, The Walk) parents passed away and since then, his two best friends, Isaac (Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie-The Hurt Locker, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron) have spent Christmas with him in support by having an annual tradition of going out on Christmas Eve and party like there’s no tomorrow, you name it, doing drugs, drinking beer, getting into crazy shenanigans, smoking pot, playing on the giant piano from the movie, Big, and partying in a night club.

            However due to Isaac soon becoming a father and Chris has become a famous sports star, the three of them decide to do one last Christmas Eve together out in New York City.

            Overall, The Night Before is a vulgarly hilarious way to get into the Christmas spirit, very much like Bad Santa and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, just don’t share it with your family this Christmas, it’s far from a Christmas family comedy. It works as both a Seth Rogen comedy as well as a Christmas movie, plenty of laughter and silliness will occur in this Yuletide cheerful flick.

            Besides the comedy, the film also gives time to develop its characters and have some occasionally sweet and touching moments about friendship, yes it’s three guys doing drugs and getting into trouble, but it’s still three friends hanging out and having fun together on Christmas, it’s a strange kind of sweet.

            I still prefer This is the End, The Interview, and some of Seth Rogen’s other movies over this, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it, no, I got plenty of belly laughs out of it, I just thought This is the End and The Interview were wilder with their humor. It’s hard not to enjoy the stoner comedic genius of Seth Rogen and not to mention this movie helped me get into the Christmas spirit once again.

            If you’re a fan of Seth Rogen’s humor and want a funny movie to see during the holidays, this is probably your flick, just don’t take your kids to this Christmas comedy.