Whiskey Tango Foxtrot review

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT:

WHILE DEBATABLE IN ITS ACCURACY TO THE TRUE STORY, THE FILM MANAGES TO BE BOTH FUNNY AND GRIPPING AT THE SAME TIME, THANKS TO DECENT PERFORMANCES BY TINA FEY, MARTIN FREEMAN, ALFRED MOLINA, AND BILLY BOB THORNTON!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Tina Fey as Kim Baker writing the story of a lifetime in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

            From directors Glen Ficarra and John Requa (I Love You Phillip Morris, Crazy Stupid Love, Focus) comes a war dramedy based on the memoir, The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days In Afghanistan and Pakistan by American journalist, Kim Barker, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, which stars Tina Fey (30 Rock, Baby Mama, Sisters) as Barker as she journeys through Afghanistan and Pakistan as a war correspondent during Operation Enduring Freedom. My knowledge of the actual event is very small but I am a huge fan of Tina Fey’s work as an actress so I decided to check this movie out and it’s a pretty different kind of Tina Fey film compared to her other work.

            I’m not kidding, I was expecting this to be more of a satire of life at war when I saw the ads, but the film does a solid job balancing between typical Tina Fey style comedy with gripping drama and I never would have imagined she’d be able to do something like this. The film has its intense moments, slow moments, funny moments, dramatic moments, and it has time to develop most of the characters.

            Don’t expect a Tina Fey laugh fest, I cannot stretch this enough, yes the film is funny at times, yes Tina Fey can be her same old goofy self, but the film does bring in some intense war violence and drama which may turn some people off. Yeah, and I thought I was going to get a laugh-fest out of this, Nah, I’m just kidding I knew what I was getting myself into.

            The film follows television journalist, Kim Barker (Fey) dissatisfied with the state of her low-profile career covering stories, so she agrees to take a short assignment as a war correspondent in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom to the disappointment of her always traveling boyfriend. Assigned low-budget living quarters with other journalists, she begins to make friends with Australian correspondent, Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie-The Wolf of Wall Street, Focus, Suicide Squad) and openly lecherous Scottish photographer, Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman-The Hobbit trilogy, The World’s End, Captain America: Civil War).

            In time, her assignment goes along well, eliciting frank remarks on camera from soldiers that question her assignment and putting herself in harm’s way just to cover the story (Reminds me a lot of April O’Neil from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles now that I think about it!) and capture combat incidents on video. American Marines commander, General Hollanek (Billy Bob Thornton-Tombstone, Sling Blade, Monster’s Ball) take a dim view on Kim as an inexperienced nuisance.

            Kim stays in Afghanistan for months to get her story covered and eventually leads her to Afghan governmental figure, Ali Massoud Sadiq (Alfred Molina-Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spider-Man 2, Rango) who warns her that danger can be a drug.

            Overall, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a decent take on the “True Story” drama film genre, especially because they threw in some comedy, which is unusual but it helps it differ from other films in the category. Who would have guessed a Tina Fey movie could be intense and dramatic? That’s proof right there she is capable of doing different types of films and it certainly paid off.

            Though it’s probably not the most accurate dramatization of what really happened during the film’s time period and there was probably a lot less laughing than the amount in this movie. In terms of being an entertaining movie, it does its job well, the cast is engaging, the action is gripping, and the dialogue can be a little witty.

            To be honest, the best thing about the movie is the cast, Tina Fey as the reporter determined to get her story, that works, Margot Robbie and Martin Freeman as the support, that’s also good, Billy Bob Thornton as the Marine general, obviously works, and Alfred Molina’s performance is both welcoming and frightening at the same time, definitely a more intimidating performance than Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man 2.

            If you want a more serious take on Tina Fey, you’ll probably get the movie you’re looking for here. Though don’t expect a comedic laugh-fest here, unless you find a guy getting his eye shot out funny, if so you have issues and I never ever want to meet you in person.

Zootopia review (200TH POST!)

ZOOTOPIA:

ANOTHER WIN FOR DISNEY WITH BEAUTIFUL ANIMATION, STRONG CHARACTERS, AND AN OVERALL SATISFYING ANIMATED ADVENTURE WITH TALKING ANIMALS AND CLEVER JOKES!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

DISNEY

Sly fox, Nick, bunny police officer, Judy Hopps, and the citizens of Zootopia

            Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio that brought us Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, and Big Hero 6 strikes again with their latest animated film, Zootopia, under direction by previous Disney film directors, Byron Howard (Tangled) and Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph). I’m going to be honest, when I first saw the trailer for Zootopia, I thought it seemed like a step backwards from Disney’s other movies, especially after big hits like Frozen.

I thought it looked like a straight up kids’ movie and nothing else, it didn’t look bad or anything but I felt it wouldn’t be able to top Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, or Frozen in terms of audience engagement. Not to mention I was worried it was going to end up like the critically panned 2005 Disney film, Chicken Little, which also focused on talking animals living in suburbia, and the Sloth trailer certainly didn’t change anything.

            But with the film opening to critical acclaim and believe it or not, even more critical acclaim than Frozen, I decided to give the film a watch. And I loved it, a lot actually, which is really odd because the plot isn’t all that original and the characters are pretty standard cop movie stereotypes, but what made the film so good was its creativity and animation.

            It’s a perfect example of a movie that totally takes full advantage of what’s given to them, much like Wreck-It Ralph, the movie is filled with different varieties of animation, sizes, and constantly throws jokes at you all throughout the movie and the majority of them hit bull’s-eye. Also the characters are very engaging and well-developed, and most of it comes from the hard work of the voice cast, and they get some of the best people to match these characters.

            The story is set in the city of Zootopia, where animals of all shapes and sizes live in harmony, what once was a game of survival between predator and prey is now a peaceful world where animals are accepted among each other. The film follows a young rabbit named Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin-Walk the Line, A Single Man, Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast) who ever since she was a little bunny dreamt of becoming the first rabbit police officer in hopes of making the world a better place.

            After countless training exercises and being mocked for her size, she becomes…a parking validator (Yeah, I’m not making this up!). She then comes across a fast-talking scam artist fox named Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman-Arrested Development, Juno, Horrible Bosses) who gets roped into helping her solve a big case to prove to everyone that she is a real cop.

            Apparently citizens of Zootopia are mysteriously becoming savages under unknown circumstances and it’s up to Judy and Nick to join forces and solve the mystery as well as save their city from maximum animalist carnage. From running a car plate number in a DMV being managed by sloths to interrogating a vicious crime boss that resembles a certain famous movie character.

            The film also features the voices of J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man trilogy, Whiplash, Terminator: Genisys) as Leodore Lionhart, the lion mayor of Zootopia and an obvious jab at the MGM lion, Idris Elba (Thor, Prometheus, Pacific Rim) as Chief Bogo, a cape buffalo chief of the Zootopia Police Department, Jenny Slate (Obvious Child, Bob’s Burgers, The Secret Life of Pets) as Dawn Bellwether, assistant mayor of Zootopia, Bonnie Hunt (Jumanji, The Green Mile, Cars) and Don Lake (American Dragon: Jake Long, Curb Your Enthusiasm, How I Met Your Mother) as Judy’s parents, Tommy Chong (Cheech & Chong) as Yax, a laidback yak who manages a naturist club (And yes it’s exactly what you think it is!), and singer, Shakira as gazelle pop star, Gazelle.

Overall, Zootopia is a well-made animated adventure for the entire family, and I don’t mean that as a marketing statement, it really is a great movie to watch as a family, whether you got little kids or not. The movie is smart and very well written, the characters are fun, the humor ranges from being funny to downright hilarious (even the Sloth scene is funnier here than in the trailer!).

            The animation is gorgeous here, especially the design of the Zootopia city and the lighting, whether it’s colorful or moody, I can’t get enough of it.

But those don’t come close to my praise on the film’s variety of the shapes and sizes of the Zootopia city. The best part of the movie in my opinion is a scene where Judy is chasing a weasel crook through the city and they end up in the mouse part of town where everything is small and they’re like the size of a Godzilla monster, these are really clever and funny ideas and I loved seeing these different ideas explored in the film.

            What also makes the film so enjoyable is the chemistry between Judy and Nick, yes they go through the whole hate each other at first tradition and they make a lot of Smart-Alecky remarks at one another, but in time they become oddball partners and want to help each other out. It’s an odd team-up, seeing how rabbits are seen as the prey for foxes, but it’s kind of a similar relationship to Shrek and Donkey or Woody and Buzz from Toy Story.

            It’s hard to say if it’s as great as Disney films like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, or The Lion King, but I can certainly consider it to be one of their best CG films alongside Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, and some of those other films, and it beats Chicken Little by a long shot. It’s a world of animals that needs to be seen to believe.            

London Has Fallen review

LONDON HAS FALLEN:

LOCATION CHANGE DOESN’T ADD MUCH!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

GRAMERCY PICTURES

London is going down in London Has Fallen

            Say the title, no really just say the title, London Has Fallen, a sequel to the 2013 action movie, Olympus Has Fallen. Congratulations you have just pointed out the #1 problem with this movie, its existence.

            Granted Olympus Has Fallen, I don’t consider a terrible film, but it’s nothing I would watch constantly, it’s just a dumb, silly, and over the top action film that delivers mindless fun. Is it a revolutionary film that changed cinema forever? Not even close, is it very flawed? Undeniably, but it’s like watching one of those beefy Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone films where it’s goofy and over the top but also entertaining and fun.

            Here’s the plot of the first film in a nutshell, the White House gets attacked by terrorists, the President (Aaron Eckhart-Thank You For Smoking, The Dark Knight) gets captured, buildings blow up, people die, and his buff bodyguard (Gerard Butler-300, How to Train Your Dragon 1 and 2) has to save him. Literally that’s the film, basic and shallow, but what made it enjoyable was the silly action and one-liners, before Roland Emmerich tried to capitalize on the success of the film and White House terrorism attack film genre a few months later with White House Down.

            Apparently Olympus Has Fallen was a hit when it came out in 2013, so sequel time, could it be a strong, character driven follow-up like The Dark Knight or an action packed and fun follow-up like Die Hard 2 or Aliens? How about literally the EXACT same movie just in a different location.

            And that’s where London Has Fallen comes in, a movie that sucks out any originality the first film had (if any), poor character development, a predictable and clichéd script, and cheesy one-liners that actually feel rather stale and they overstay their welcome. Fortunately, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, Driving Ms. Daisy, The Dark Knight trilogy), and Gerard Butler reprise their roles from the previous film, even if most of their character development take a back seat for loud explosions and frenetic action sequences.

            Some time after the events of Olympus Has Fallen, we find the President of the United States, Benjamin Asher (Eckhart) and his US Secret Service lead agent, Mike Banning (Butler) flying to London for the funeral of the British Prime Minister who recently died under mysterious circumstances, a required event for all Western world leaders. However shortly after they get there, what started as the most protected event on Earth suddenly transforms into a deadly plot hatched by Pakistan terrorists to kill the world’s most powerful leaders and unleash a terrifying vision of the future on the Earth.

            So Benjamin and Mike find a safe place to hide from the terrorists, meet up with British MI6 agent, Jacquelin Marshall (Charlotte Riley-Easy Virtue, World Without End, Edge of Tomorrow), and put a stop to an evil plan to execute the President of the United States virally. Meanwhile Vice President, Allan Trumball (Freeman) and the White House Chief of Staff attempt to negotiate with the terrorists in hopes of stopping all the mayhem…again.

            If you’ve seen Olympus Has Fallen already, you’re not missing much here, London Has Fallen has got to be one of the most unnecessary sequels I’ve seen since…Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip…Terminator: Genisys…and…Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2. It isn’t nearly as bad as Road Chip or Paul Blart 2, but it’s still questionable in its existence, aside from the fact that Olympus Has Fallen made money, Hell, Roland Emmerich’s White House Down is actually closer to being a faithful sequel than this.

            It’s a shame because a lot of good people worked on this movie, Aaron Eckhart and Gerard Butler are actors I’ve enjoyed in several films, most notably Thank You For Smoking, The Dark Knight, 300, and How to Train Your Dragon 1 and 2. And of course, Morgan Freeman is one of those actors where even if he’s in a bad movie or a movie that’s just okay, you can tell he’s doing his best to work with the script and any scene involving him in my opinion are the best parts of the film, Eckhart’s raspy voice and Butler’s one-liners and constant killing get old really fast.

            Do I think it’s one of the worst sequels ever made? No, it’s not even close really, there were a couple of fun action sequences and of course the cast is very talented. But there’s not much that’s different and it’s just another typical standard action film, if you just want to see some over the top action sequences and things going “BOOM!” you’ll probably love it.

            I guess I didn’t know what to expect with this movie, but really the movie itself falls more than the UK does, and it doesn’t leave an impression but rather just kills your brain cells.