Big Eyes review

BIG EYES:

A DIFFERENT BUT EQUALLY ENTERTAINING NEW FILM BY TIM BURTON!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

Christoph Waltz (left) and Amy Adams (right) as Walter and Margaret Keane in Tim Burton’s Big Eyes

            Odd director and frequent Johnny Depp collaborator, Tim Burton (Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenweenie) takes a refreshing change of pace in his latest film, Big Eyes. The first film in many years to not feature Johnny Depp, Michael Keaton, Helena Bonham Carter, Winona Ryder, Jack Nicholson, or any of his other frequent actor collaborators from previous films, it’s a brand new cast that never worked with Burton before, which is strange but adds more to the praise.

            Besides the cast, what’s also very different about Big Eyes is the premise, instead of being based on a comic, book, or original sketch drawing by Tim Burton; it’s a biographical drama about a famous artist. It’s odd to see Tim Burton tackle a real life story, although he did direct Ed Wood in 1994, which was about a real filmmaker, but that movie felt more “Burton-ish”.

            The film is about famous painter, Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz-Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained) who is known for painting caricatures of children with really big eyes, and was once one of the most successful painters of the 1950s and 60s. He became noticed by revolutionizing the commercialism of his art.

            It’s not long until the truth is discovered that Walter did not create the paintings, when it was really his wife, Margaret Keane (Amy Adams-Enchanted, Man of Steel, American Hustle) and what was once a seemingly happy married couple becomes a War of the Roses to claim ownership of the art.

            Overall, Big Eyes is a decent Tim Burton film; it manages to mix its quirky looking tone with drama perfectly. Not to mention Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz’s performances are absolutely amazing, especially Christoph Waltz as the nasty husband who hogs all the fame from his wife, who worked very hard on the paintings.

            The only recurring crew member collaborator who returns is composer Danny Elfman, who composed the score music for almost every Tim Burton movie from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure to Frankenweenie. Like most of his music for Burton’s films, the music is very quirky and sets the mood of the movie very well.

            Besides the acting, directing, and music, the set designs for the film definitely scream Tim Burton, the colors, designs, and settings have his fingerprints all over them. Also the suburban neighborhood is very colorful and it looks like it’s been ripped right out of Edward Scissorhands.

            I enjoyed watching this film a lot, especially because it was a different kind of film from Tim Burton’s previous projects. Although I wouldn’t say it’s up there with my personal favorites like Batman, Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, or Edward Scissorhands, but it was entertaining and weird enough for me to get some satisfaction out of it.

            If you’re a fan of Tim Burton or art, chances are you’re going to enjoy this movie, especially if you’re a painter; this is a very important movie for you to see. It’s like the Ed Wood of painting; with its quirky Tim Burton style rolled into reality makes Big Eyes a Big Burton Movie.

The Interview review

THE INTERVIEW:

A NUCLEAR BOMB OF CONTROVERSY AND COMEDY!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES

(From left to right) Seth Rogen and James Franco about to assassinate Kim Jong Un in The Interview

            Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express, This is the End, Neighbors), James Franco (Spider-Man trilogy, 127 Hours, Oz: The Great and Powerful), and co-director, Evan Goldberg join forces once more in the comedic yet extremely controversial film known as The Interview. Like some of their previous films like Pineapple Express and This is the End, The Interview is exaggerated with its humor that’s both crazy and funny at the same time, and this time they’re mocking North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un.

            But whether you’re a fan of Seth Rogen, James Franco, or Evan Goldberg’s previous work or not, I’m sure you know about the controversy regarding the film, North Korea threatening America with war over the movie’s concept, the infamous Sony Pictures studio hacking, and other catastrophic events that caused Sony to pull the film from being released.

            Honestly when I heard Sony was pulling the plug on the movie, I personally was very angry about it, explosive and vulgar rants, posting videos of me giving the finger and telling North Korea to “Fuck off!” and posting angry comments on Facebook. Thankfully just in time for Christmas, I read some wonderful news, Sony decided to give the film a limited release in theaters on Christmas Day, and fortunately I had a chance to see the movie on the big screen.

            And, I can see why there was a lot of controversy regarding this film; I can’t recommend this movie to everyone. The film is filled with crude and vulgar humor, some violent moments, and a bit of racist humor, but if you love Seth Rogen and James Franco, you’ll probably be laughing your ass off at this movie.

            James and Seth star as television duo, David Skylark and Aaron Rapoport who run a popular talk show called Skylark Tonight. They have interviewed many well-known celebrities like Eminem, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Stone, and Miley Cyrus over the years and have gotten a ton of hits on the show.

            That is until they discover a game changer for their show, when they realize North Korean dictator; Kim Jong Un (Randall Park-Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, Sex Tape) is a big fan of the Skylark Tonight show. So David and Aaron decide to travel to North Korea to get the interview of a lifetime.

            Eventually the CIA knocks on David and Aaron’s front door, asking for their assistance in taking Kim Jong Un out…but not for drinks, which leads to all sorts of offensive hilarity.

            Overall, The Interview is definitely the most ambitious film of the holiday season, especially after all the controversy the film got during its release. But as a movie watcher and critic, I can safely say that I thought it was very funny, especially the way Kim Jong Un is depicted. At first you think he’s like the coolest guy you’ve ever met, but then he slowly becomes the crazy madman we all know about.

            What I really liked about the concept was that Seth Rogen and James Franco are not professional CIA agents; their characters are television stars. This could have easily become a comedy about Seth and James portraying CIA agents assassinating Kim Jong Un, but the idea of having them as TV stars who don’t know anything about assassinating people is very clever and leads to a lot of funny moments.

            I didn’t think it was as funny as This is the End, but it’s very close and probably became my second favorite Seth Rogen comedy, sorry Pineapple Express, nothing personal. Like This is the End, the film’s humor is zany, over the top raunchy, and exaggerated, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

            Like Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s 2004 comedy, Team America: World Police, The Interview is an offensively hysterical satire of war and media that has to be seen to believe. It’s a shame the film only got a limited theatrical release but thankfully the film is available online, so there should be no excuse not to see it, if you’re avoiding this comedy, you’re letting the terrorists win and that’s just wrong, man.

Annie review

ANNIE:

A MODERN BUT CHARMING RE-IMAGINING FOR TOMORROW!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** 1/2 out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES

(From left to right) Rose Byrne, Jamie Foxx, Quvenzhane Wallis, Cameron Diaz, and Bobby Cannavale as Grace, Will Stacks, Annie Bennett, Miss Hannigan, and Guy in Annie

            It’s a Hard Knock Life for Annie, no I’m serious, there have been multiple film and television adaptations of the Broadway musical of the same name over the years. Most notably Columbia Pictures’ 1982 adaptation which starred Carol Burnett as the cruel orphanage owner, Miss Hannigan, then there was Disney’s 1999 made for television adaptation for ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney.

            Now director, Will Gluck (Fired Up, Friends with Benefits, Easy A) and produced by the talented Smith couple, Will Smith (Men in Black trilogy, Ali, Hancock) and Jada Pinkett Smith (The Nutty Professor) brings us this modern re-imaging of the musical, which definitely has a different take on it than previous adaptations. For starters instead of a redhead, Annie is now an African-American girl and she’s living in a foster home instead of an orphanage.

            The film is about a young orphaned girl named Annie Bennett (Quvenzhane Wallis-12 Years a Slave, Beasts of the Southern Wild) who lives in a run down foster home for girls in New York City and ruled by a cruel, alcoholic, control freak named Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz-The Mask, Shrek franchise, The Other Woman) who orders the orphaned girls around and makes their lives very miserable.

            That is until a politician named Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx-Django Unchained, White House Down, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) saves Annie from getting hit by a van on the streets, and decides to take her into his home with his lovely assistant, Grace (Rose Byrne-Neighbors) because it will give him a better chance of winning an election for mayor.

            Along the way Annie and Stacks develop a strong relationship and she considers him as a fatherly figure, however as much as she loves living with Stacks and Grace, her dream is to one day find her real parents.

            Overall, this new take on Annie is certainly all over the place with its changes to the original source material, but honestly I think most of these updates make it better. I wasn’t a big fan of Aileen Quinn’s portrayal of Annie in the original 1982 movie and yet I found Quvenzhane Wallis’ portrayal to be very engaging, she is kind, a bit reckless, and has a big heart, just like a lot of kids and her relationship with Jamie Foxx is absolutely charming.

            Although whenever I’m watching an Annie adaptation, whether it’s the 1982 film, the 1999 Disney special, or even an actual performance of it, I’m there not really for the orphans, although the orphans in this adaptation were pretty good, but I’m usually watching it for Miss Hannigan’s moments. Carol Burnett from the original movie was mean but very funny at the same time, but she was mainly just a mean orphan owner who had a serious drinking and smoking problem.

            Cameron Diaz on the other hand took certain character traits of Carol Burnett’s Hannigan and made it her own, she starts off as a mean foster home owner, however as the film progresses she develops a soft side.

            I also really enjoyed watching Jamie Foxx as Will Stacks, who is basically the remake’s version of Albert Finney’s Oliver Warbucks. He’s still got his Jamie Foxx charm and even packs a wonderful singing voice; honestly he should be casted in more musicals.

            If you enjoyed previous adaptations of Annie, chances are you’ll find something to enjoy about this new take on the story. It certainly has enough heart and humor to get some joy out of any “Hannigan” in the audience.

            It’s not a great adaptation, but it’s entertaining, funny, and very touching, not to mention it teaches the importance of family and caring, which can lead to a better “Tomorrow” when the sun comes up.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb review

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB:

A FINAL NIGHT WITH ROBIN WILLIAMS WITH LAUGHS AND EXCITEMENT!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

20^TH CENTURY FOX

(From left to right) Octavius, Sir. Lancelot, Tilly, Attila the Hun, Larry Daley, King Ahkmenrah, Teddy Roosevelt, Sacagawea, Dr. McPhee, and Jedediah on one last historical adventure in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

            Director Shawn Levy (The Pink Panther (2006), Date Night, Real Steel) and comedian Ben Stiller (Meet the Parents trilogy, Zoolander, Tropic Thunder) return for the third and final installment of the successful family adventure trilogy, Night at the Museum. I remembered back in December 2006 when the first Night at the Museum came out, I was a 7^th grader in middle school and really got a kick out of it, the concept was bizarrely clever, the humor was decent, and the casting was absolutely perfect.

            Due to the success of the first film, Fox released Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian in May 2009, which I honestly forgot about over the past few years, but I liked it okay and certain moments did stick out. The creativity was through the roof, the jokes were a little better, and not to mention Darth Vader from Star Wars and Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street made very humorous cameos.

            Literally five years have passed since the release of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and now the third and final “Night” was released, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and while some of the charm from the previous two films wore off a bit when I saw the new installment, it still has its charm, humor, and childlike innocence that is sure to delight both kids and adults.

            Some time after the events of Battle of the Smithsonian, we find night guard of the Museum of Natural History, Larry Daley (Stiller) doing his usual shift at the museum where everything in it magically comes to life, ranging from dinosaurs, animals, and historical figures, all thanks to a magical Egyptian Tablet. Unfortunately he soon realizes the magic of the Tablet is fading and all the exhibits are turning into lifeless wax sculptures for all eternity.

            After taking some advice from his old nemesis, Cecil Fredericks (Dick Van Dyke-The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Larry, his son Nick Daley (Skyler Gisondo-Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Four Christmasses, The Amazing Spider-Man), who is now a teenager working into becoming a professional DJ, Teddy Roosevelt (the late Robin Williams-Good Morning Vietnam, Aladdin, Good Will Hunting), Egyptian pharaoh, King Ahkmenrah (Rami Malek-Larry Crowne, Battleship, The Master), Attila the Hun (Patrick Gallagher-True Blood, The Final Destination, Endgame), Sacagawea (Mizuo Peck-Law and Order), tiny cowboy figure, Jedediah (Owen Wilson-Starsky & Hutch, Cars 1 and 2, Midnight in Paris), tiny Roman soldier figure, Octavius (Steve Coogan-Tropic Thunder, Hamlet 2, Despicable Me 2), and a Neanderthal who resembles Larry named Laa (also played by Stiller) set off on an adventure to a museum in London to find King Ahkmenrah’s mother and father, the Tablet’s creator, Merenkahre (Ben Kingsley-Gandhi, Iron Man 3, Ender's Game) and his wife, Shepseheret (Anjali Jay-Robin Hood 2006, Supernatural) to figure out how they can recharge the Tablet’s power to save the museum before it’s too late.

            Along the way they encounter the dashing Sir. Lancelot (Dan Stevens-Downton Abbey, A Walk Among the Tombstones, The Cobbler), who is completely clueless about the fact he’s a wax sculpture and not the real Sir. Lancelot, which escalates comedically throughout the film. It’s actually very similar to when Chris Hemsworth played Thor.

            They also meet a very humorous British security guard named Tilly (Rebel Wilson-Pitch Perfect, Pain & Gain, Bridesmaids) who is a complete airhead and armed with a hammer instead of a gun, silencer, or ninja swords.

            Overall, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is a pretty solid finale to an entertaining trilogy. It’s also a very satisfying farewell to the talented Robin Williams, rest in peace old friend, watching him play Teddy Roosevelt again reminded me of pretty much everything I enjoyed about him, he was funny, charming, and had a likable personality and he will be greatly missed.

            Anyway, the concepts are still just as creative as before, the humor, while very childish at times, can be extremely funny. Rebel Wilson and Dan Stevens are the best and funniest performances throughout the movie and every time they’re on screen, I crack a smile and get ready to laugh.

            Of course the rest of the cast is funny, Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais (The Office UK, Ghost Town, Muppets Most Wanted), Owen Wilson, and Steve Coogan all together again in one movie, how can this possibly be taken seriously?

            If you’re looking for a satisfying family outing to the movies over the Christmas holiday, definitely give this a shot, I haven’t seen the Annie remake yet, but from what I can tell, Night at the Museum would be a much more amusing choice for a family night.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies review

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES:

NOT A RETURN OF THE KING FINALE, BUT AN EXCITING ONE AND A WELCOMING FAREWELL TO MIDDLE-EARTH!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES, NEW LINE CINEMA, AND MGM

(From left to right) Fili, Thorin Oakenshield, and Kili protecting the Dwarf Kingdom in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

            So it has come to this, the third and final installment of The Hobbit film trilogy based on the book by JRR Tolkien. It is also the final adventure in Middle-Earth with director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, District 9) who delivered a monumental finale to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy with Return of the King, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies on the other hand certainly ended The Hobbit adventure on a strong note, but not quite as strong as Return of the King.

            Battle of the Five Armies feels like it took the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 route where most of the movie consists of epic clashes between our protagonists and antagonists. Now that’s not a bad thing, but it is rather noticeable, in the previous films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug, the stories offered enough time to develop the characters, send them on their journey, and introduce new characters along the way.

            Honestly this is a nitpick, but Smaug’s entire screen time in this movie could have been added into part 2, it feels like he just comes in, burns down the village, makes threats, and BOOM, he gets stabbed by an arrow and falls to his death, literally that’s it.

            After the fire-breathing dragon, Smaug (voiced again by Benedict Cumberbatch-Star Trek Into Darkness) takes his revenge out on the dwarf village, burning everything and almost everyone, and falls to his death, we find Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman-The Pirates! Band of Misfits, The Office UK, The World’s End) and the entire company of dwarves, Fili (Dean O’Gorman), Kili (Aidan Turner-The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones), Oin (Adam Brown), Gloin (Peter Hambleton), Dwalin (Graham McTavish-Rambo), Balin (Ken Stott-King Arthur, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian), Bifur (William Kircher), Bofur (James Nesbitt-Match Point), Bombur (Stephen Hunter), Dori (Mark Hadlow-King Kong), Nori (Jed Brophy-The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Ori (Adam Brown), and their leader, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage-Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Into the Storm) having reclaimed their homeland from Smaug and on the brink of war when the truce between dwarves and elves comes to an end, thus resulting in Thorin leading the dwarves into battle with the elves. Obsessed with his reclaimed treasure Thorin sacrifices friendship and honor to hoard it as Bilbo attempts to make him see reason, which results in the burglar Hobbit to make a dangerous choice.

            But there is a greater danger coming, only seen by the wizard, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen-X-Men franchise), the great enemy, Sauron sent four armies of Orcs to attack the Lonely Mountain. As the Orcs approach, the races of Dwarves, Elves, and Men must make a decision, unite or be destroyed and thus the battle for Middle-Earth comes to an end.

            Overall, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is a satisfying ending to The Hobbit trilogy and it was wonderful to experience the Lord of the Rings world on the big screen again, it was quite a journey, but all great journeys must have an ending and I’m glad they ended the franchise on a strong note. It was certainly more satisfying than the ending from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2, the less I say about that mess, the better.

            Although I would have liked it if Elijah Wood from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy returned at the end as Frodo Baggins, much like what they did at the beginning of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. But one thing I really liked about the ending was that it ended exactly where The Fellowship of the Ring began, which left me very satisfied once the credits rolled.

            But I like I said, it’s no masterpiece finale like Return of the King, but I don’t think it needs to be, just a satisfying conclusion to an iconic film trilogy, with action, drama, and impressive special effects. I’m glad I had the opportunity to visit the Lord of the Rings world once again back in December 2012 and I treated all three movies in The Hobbit trilogy like The Lord of the Rings films, swashbuckling adventures from start to finish, it’s a shame that no matter where Battle of the Five Armies ends, we all know the One Ring will eventually be thrown into the volcano.

Exodus: Gods and Kings review

EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS:

GLADIATOR MEETS THE TEN COMMANDMENTS!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** 1/2 out of 4

20^TH CENTURY FOX

Christian Bale as Moses in Exodus: Gods and Kings

            From director, Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Prometheus) comes his latest historical epic, Exodus: Gods and Kings, based on the classic Moses story. Like some of his previous epics like Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, and Robin Hood, the cinematography is big, the visuals are appealing, and there are armies from both sides clashing with one another.

            My expectations weren’t very high to begin with when I first saw the trailer before Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, but the visuals and Scott-style cinematography were enough for me to give it a viewing. And I was pretty much right, the plot was a bit lacking, scenes dragged on a bit too long, and it lacked character development, not really from the main characters, they held up okay, but the side characters could have been developed better.

            But with that said, the cinematography is big and epic, the special effects are impressive, and the action is gripping, so there were a few things I really enjoyed from this 3D epic.

            Christian Bale (The Dark Knight trilogy, American Hustle, 3:10 to Yuma) and Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom, Zero Dark Thirty, Star Wars: Episodes II and III) star as brothers, Moses and Egyptian Pharaoh, Ramses living in ancient Egypt where the Hebrew are slaves and no one is free. That is until Moses finds out he is Hebrew and rises up against Ramses as he leads 600,000 slaves on an epic journey to escape from Egypt and its cycle of deadly plagues.

            Along the way Moses finds out about all of these tragic events occurring back in Egypt, massive hale storms, swarms of flies and insects, and the children of Egypt suddenly dying, all as a sign from God.

            The film also stars John Turturro (Transformers, Mr. Deeds, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan), Sigourney Weaver (Alien franchise, Avatar, Ghostbusters), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Iron Man 3, Ender’s Game) as other characters that are mostly very forgettable, with the exception of John Turturro, which leads me to one of my issues with the movie.

            Overall, Exodus: Gods and Kings is pretty much everything you would expect from Ridley Scott, big cinematography and special effects, exciting action, and an iconic cast. However the film really lacks in character development, at least for the side characters, it felt like a waste to feature Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley in the movie if we’re going to forget they were ever put in the movie.

            I didn’t realize they were in the movie until I saw their names during the end credits, what was the purpose of having them here if they’re not going to speak or do anything important.

            Thankfully Bale and Edgerton were able to save the movie with some decent acting and development, though I would have preferred more Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley. And like I said, the cinematography and special effects are absolutely incredible and feels like an Egyptian version of Gladiator, which makes sense because Ridley Scott directed both movies.

            So if you just want to see some impressive set designs and special effects in 3D, chances are you might enjoy this movie, but if you want something with more developed characters and more exciting action, I’d say wait until next week when The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies comes out.