"Inferno" Review

After a 7-year hiatus, the adventures of author Dan Brown's inquisitive university professor Robert Langdon continue in Inferno. They say "third time's the charm," but let's be honest. Your appreciation of Inferno will depend entirely on your tolerance for The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.

This time, Langdon (Tom Hanks) wakes up in an Italian hospital wondering how he got there. With the close aide of Dr. Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), the professor finds himself unwittingly at the center of a sinister plot to release a worldwide plague orchestrated by charismatic billionaire Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster). The virus is expected to halve the world's population. To stop it, Langdon and Dr. Brooks must solve a series of riddles which all bear a striking connection to Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy." Hot on their tails are an assassin (Ana Ularu) with an allegiance to a dubious security organization, Bouchard (Omar Sy), a private security officer with a shady personal agenda, and W.H.O. agent Elizabeth Sinskey (Sidse Babett Knudsen), a figure from Langdon's past.

The source material surely has its own Indiana Jones B-movie roots, but the screenplay from David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible) does precious little to elevate it beyond dreck. The script has a couple of neat twists, and director Ron Howard commands a game cast. However, even the incomparable Tom Hanks can only do so much with lines such as "It's Dante... yes... YES!" The player who seems to be having the most fun is Irrfan Khan who plays Henry Sims, a fixer with no particular commitment to the good or the bad guys. Khan chews the scenery as well as he can, and his presence alleviates the film's monotony at times. The proceedings are fast-paced but largely dry due to Koepp's risible dialogue. There's also just not much direction here. I've always felt that Howard's identity as a director disappears with these Da Vinci Code movies, and that streak continues. He's better than this. Everyone involved is.

It's rumored that Sony declined to make a film out of Langdon's only other adventure The Lost Symbol due to creative similarities with Disney's National Treasure. I think that's for the best.

D+

"Kubo and the Two Strings" Review

Kubo and the Two Strings is the latest stop-motion/CGI hybrid from Laika, the company behind Coraline, Paranorman, and The Boxtrolls. Colorful characters, rich mythology, stunning visuals and a tight narrative easily make Kubo the best animated film of this year.

Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson) is a master storyteller. Armed with a magic guitar, this young boy regularly captivates the hearts and minds of the local village with his stories of Hanzo, a brave samurai warrior and Kubo's late father. One night, Kubo's mother sends him off on a quest to find Hanzo's suit of armor which will protect him from vengeful spirits from the family's past. Assisting Kubo on this quest are two daring protectors, Monkey (voiced by Charlize Theron) and Beetle (voiced by Matthew McConaughey).

There was a point about halfway through this movie where I feared the narrative might slip into tired "video game" territory. Even though the action is largely stellar, some of the fight scenes play out like our heroes facing different stages in boss battles. However it bounces back through a couple of welcome twists which you'll need to see to appreciate.

Aside from that, everything about this movie could not have been any better. The animation is simply incredible. After just four features, Laika is on-par with the very best of Pixar. Textures are rich and deep which provide a believable sense of place for this mythical story. The characters are all well-developed and show welcome degrees of agency. The three leads are wonderful, but look out for "The Sisters," both voiced by Rooney Mara. They steal the show each time they're on screen.

There's little else to say aside from the words "Go see this movie!" Kubo has something for everyone, and it deserves your support since it's largely outside of the mainstream machine, i.e. Pixar, DreamWorks, the Despicable Me folks, etc.

A

"Pete's Dragon" (2016) Review

Continuing their series of big-budget reboots of back-catalog classics, Disney now brings us an update of the 1977 classic Pete's Dragon. Directed by David Lowery (Ain't Them Bodies Saints), the new film dares its audience to dream big. Although the classic music has been axed, the story is still as heartwarming as you remember, with dazzling visual effects to boot.

A young boy named Pete (Oakes Fegley) becomes stranded in the forest following a violent car accident. With no way of reaching home, Pete's only option is to try to make his way in the forest. Fortunately, he bumps into a legendary creature who becomes his best friend - a dragon named Elliot. When Elliot's way of life is threatened by a local logging company, Pete sets out to save his friend with the help of a nurturing park ranger (Bryce Dallas Howard), her imaginative father (Robert Redford), and a young girl named Natalie (Oona Laurence).

Pete's Dragon is the kind of film that celebrates and rewards imagination. They set up Redford's character as a man who claims to have seen the dragon when he was young, having told stories to his daughter and the rest of the kids in town for years. The payoff is so sweet when Elliot reveals himself to them for the first time as it feels like the climax of these characters' entire lives. It's a confirmation that they haven't been crazy for the past 40 years. It's easy to think that Redford is playing a now grown-up version of the original Pete from the earlier movie. That would've been an interesting subplot to explore in this new movie, but alas, hindsight is 20/20. It's still a wonderful film, and Redford is a welcome addition to the cast.

Bryce Dallas Howard hands in another fine performance as Grace, the ranger who takes Pete in. Wes Bentley fares fine in a supporting role as Jack, Grace's fiance and owner of the logging company. He just doesn't have much to do that allows him to show the chops he's honed in excellent recent stints on TV's American Horror Story. The child actors, Fegley and Laurence, are tremendous, hitting all of their needed emotional beats like seasoned pros. Karl Urban steals nearly every scene he's in as Jack's hotheaded brother Gavin, who manages the logging company. Gavin is a skeptic, so it's hilarious when he finally encounters Elliot in the forest. He winds up playing the villain role but isn't necessarily evil, which is kind of interesting. The biggest villain in this story is, I think, deforestation itself, and Gavin is just a representation of that.

The film leaves us with a sweet "save the trees, save your imagination" message that's so classic Disney that it's almost painful. Everything is tied up in a nice little bow, which is fine. It's nice to have a big, but self-contained, movie that doesn't feel like it's a stepping stone to a wider franchise. At the end of a summer filled with so-so blockbusters, Pete's Dragon is the savior you've been waiting for.

A

"Jason Bourne" Review

After a 9-year absence, director Paul Greengrass and superstar Matt Damon return for fourths on Jason Bourne. For a franchise that, at one point in time, reinvented spy thriller movies, it's so depressing to see the Bourne we supposedly know and love in a film that falls spectacularly short of the series' soaring heights. Dare I say Damon's long-awaited return to the role comes in a movie that's even worse than the Jeremy Renner-led The Bourne Legacy.

We catch up with our hero laying low in Europe, keeping in shape by fighting in underground boxing matches. We also find Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), Jason's former contact, working with a WikiLeaks-like hacker group. She tracks Bourne down in Greece and shares sensitive information with him about Treadstone, including a conspiracy involving his late father. Fueled once again by a need for answers, Jason traverses Athens, London, Berlin, and Las Vegas trying to find out what happened with his dad. Meanwhile, shady CIA director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) looks to cover his tracks as Bourne's quest points to a collusive backdoor deal between the agency and Deep Dream, a popular social network.

This film's weakest point is its story. This is a completely original scenario devised by Greengrass and co-writer Christopher Rouse. It is not adapted from any of the previously published Bourne stories written by Robert Ludlum. The pathos of this new film doesn't resonate as clearly as it did in the earlier trilogy. I think this is due to the fact that the plot itself feels both frustratingly convoluted and all too familiar. Bourne has been here before - a quest to uncover an unsolved mystery about the hero's past, shady government Black ops organizations, CIA directors with something to hide, informants who may or may not be on the hero's side. We've seen it already, and therefore the stakes are all but moot this time around.

Jason Bourne also lacks the breathless, non-stop action sequences that defined its predecessors. It has maybe 3 marquee scenes, and that's it. Save for a satisfyingly gonzo chase scene down the Las Vegas strip with an armored truck, the action is shot terribly. The chase sequences and fight scenes in the earlier trilogy were so tense and memorable because you could actually see what was going on, and frenetic hand-held cinematography made it feel as if the audience were part of the fight. Here, all the action is cut to ribbons to the point where it's nearly impossible to appreciate the stunt choreography. The climactic fight scene between Bourne and Vincent Cassel's hitman feels anti-climactic because of this. For a series which, in the past, has hinged on its game-changing stunt work, this is such a crushing disappointment. 

With seemingly less action scenes, there are several dry stretches punctuated by silly dialogue between Jones and Alicia Vikander who stars as CIA agent Heather Lee. These are two great actors, but they're given far too much pull in this film. It's supposed to be Damon's show, but you'd never know it. 

Although this isn't one of his finer efforts, Paul Greengrass still has an assured hand as a director, if not so much as a screenwriter. Jason Bourne simply lacks the intrigue and the execution that made its predecessors great. This is a series that would've been best left a trilogy.

D+

"The Legend of Tarzan" Review

Eric from True Blood stars in this very non-Disney, hard PG-13 version of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan."

Seriously, if you were expecting Phil Collins and Rosie O'Donnell, don't bother reading this review. You'll already be let down by this movie. Shame on you.

David Yates, the director of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows invites audiences to experience one of the summer's biggest surprises. The first smart move this film makes is that it doesn't focus on Tarzan's origin. It's smartly dispensed through short flashbacks. We've all seen the Disney version. The past obviously influences the actions and motivations of the characters, but the film spends little time dwelling on what we pretty much already know. The Legend of Tarzan picks up in the late 19th century with John Clayton/"Tarzan" (Alexander Skarsgard) married to Jane (Margot Robbie) and serving as an active member in England's House of Lords. Lord Clayton is called upon when the Crown sets its sights on an advantageous pact with Belgium in the African Congo - Tarzan's original home. Tarzan, Jane, and American emissary George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) are sent to Africa to visit the natives and investigate activity at a nearby diamond mine. The indigenous peoples are thrilled for Tarzan and Jane's return. Meanwhile, Tarzan experiences tough love when he's reunited with his ape brother who sees the white man as a deserter. When Tarzan learns that the head of the Belgian Force Publique, Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz), plans to oppress and exploit the natives for profit, vine-swinging mayhem ensues.

This film turned out to be precisely the action-packed shot in the arm my summer needed. The Conjuring 2 is still my favorite Hollywood flick of the season, even though summer isn't really for horror movies. Tarzan is arguably the best big-budget Hollywood action blockbuster in theaters right now.

It has everything a great summer movie should - a good-looking cast that can truly act, punchy dialogue, thrilling set pieces, and a ruthless villain. It's all evocatively shot with a green hue by cinematographer Henry Braham (The Golden Compass, Guardians of the Galaxy 2). For every moment the film uses extremely corny "slo-mo" shots, there are at least two others that would make Chivo proud.

As for the players, Skarsgard is perfectly cast as Tarzan. He has the physique and pulls off the brooding-in-a-tree thing with ease. I'm disappointed that an actress as talented as Margot Robbie is pigeonholed into a damsel-in-distress role. The chemistry between these two stars is satisfactory but nothing to write home about. It serves its purpose for a summer movie. Jackson is a welcome addition as the comic relief who huffs and puffs across the jungle as he struggles to keep up with the nimble Tarzan. It's sort of refreshing to see Jackson in a less intense, less serious role. I'm sitting here laughing to myself at the thought of that joke about the ape's anatomy. Rounding out the cast is Waltz at his dastardly best again as the wicked Captain Rom. The film takes many cues from Werner Herzog's classic adventure film Fitzcarraldo, with Waltz essentially elevating Klaus Kinski's shtick to supervillain status.

He'll need it since Tarzan swings onto the screen in 2016 as an anti-colonial superhero of sorts. In a season where movies are best enjoyed at face value, The Legend of Tarzan proves a satisfying yarn.

B+  

"The BFG" Review

From Disney and the creative team behind E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial comes a fun-yet-flawed live-action adaptation of author Roald Dahl's beloved children's novel The BFG. 

Young Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is a mischievous orphan living in London. One night, she's awakened by strange noises outside her window. Little does she realize that a giant (Mark Rylance) is lurking out in the street. Because he fears that she'll alert the world to his existence, the giant whisks her away to "the land of the giants." There, Sophie discovers that her kidnapper is a warm, cheerful soul who refuses to eat children. For this reason Sophie bestows on him the name "Big Friendly Giant," or "BFG" for short. Meanwhile, the BFG's kindness is mocked by the other, bigger giants living nearby. They oppress and bully him because he is different. To put an end to it, Sophie decides that they must enlist the help of the British Armed Forces; a decision which prompts some the film's most entertaining sequences. All I'll say is that a certain monarch may want to check her shorts...

Few filmmakers have the ability to use the medium to tap into our innate sense of enchantment the way Steven Spielberg does. His version of London feels tangible despite the production design looking like a cross between both the real thing and Harry Potter. The visuals effects are dynamite, from the rendering of the giant's realm itself to Rylance's incredible performance capture. There's also a dazzling sequence at the "tree of dreams" where the BFG and Sophie go to harvest thoughts both good and bad.

While everything looks great and does well to suck us into the fantasy world of the story, The BFG lacks the emotional staying power of, say, E.T. It feels like it all builds to something of a half-climax, one that doesn't necessarily constitute a satisfying conclusion to an entire film. It just ends so matter-of-factly and with such a neat little bow tied around it that you'll probably see it and then forget it even existed by the time it hits Blu-ray this fall. Nothing about it sticks with you. That said, The BFG is excellent summer entertainment for children. It's a beautifully made kid's movie, but as Disney and Pixar have shown us before, the best of the best kid's movies have adult appeal too. Unlike some of Spielberg's previous work, you probably won't see grown men crying over this one at the 30th Anniversary screening one day. All The BFG is is a sweet, harmless little diversion. Maybe that's all it really needed to be. Just take the family, and enjoy the ride while it lasts.

B-

"Midnight Special" Review

Indie auteur Jeff Nichols (Mud, Shotgun Stories) makes the leap to studio filmmaking with Midnight Special, a bold, new sci-fi adventure that's a little bit Bonnie & Clyde crossed with Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

In the film, Roy (Michael Shannon) and his friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) are purported to be armed fugitives who have kidnapped a small boy. Turns out, that boy is Roy's son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), and Roy has stolen him away from a religious leader (Sam Shepard) who alienated Roy and adopted Alton as his own son. Roy and Alton once lived on a ranch in Texas run by this cult whose entire theology centers around Alton and his unique abilities. As Alton's health begins to deteriorate, the conflict becomes a race against time, federal authorities and religious fanatics who all want to exploit the boy for different purposes.

The film itself is deliberately paced but consistently engaging. Nichols' indie roots are felt throughout the production in the choices he makes with the narrative and the characters. Despite B-movie ingredients, this is a very intimate, grounded production which values human emotions and interactions over extraneous visual effects. It doesn't feel "slick" or polished like last year's indie sci-fi darling Ex Machina. Midnight Special feels gritty in the way Nichols' previous work has, but it never gets overbearingly dreary. Alton is the key to maintaining a subversive sense of childlike wonder and discovery for the audience, and both Nichols' direction and Lieberher's performance deliver on that despite the external forces bearing down on the protagonists.

The most distressing part of this whole production is that Shepard's character is underused, and one gets the sense that much of his role was relegated to the cutting room floor. How do you get Sam Shepard for your movie and then hardly use him? Hopefully he'll get his due diligence in the Blu-ray deleted scenes.

Some audiences may also find fault with the way the film ends. While it's refreshing that things aren't exactly tied up in a bow, the climax sees Nichols perhaps overplaying his hand with "the big reveal." If you saw 10 Cloverfield Lane, the payoff feels similar; not completely void of merit but perhaps a little more than necessary. As a whole, though, Midnight Special is a unique sci-fi adventure that's worth taking, especially for indie fans.

(F.Y.I. - Midnight Special is NOT based directly on the folk song, although a new cover version is used over the end credits.)

A-

"Criminal" Review

All your favorite supporting characters from all your favorite superhero movies unite for a different brand of "Justice." Or "Avenging" if that's your thing.

Kevin Costner (Jonathan Kent in Man of Steel), Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight trilogy), Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face in Batman Forever, Col. Chester Phillips in Captain America: The First Avenger), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) and Ryan Reynolds (the title character in both Deadpool and Green Lantern) star in Criminal, a new film from director Ariel Vromen (The Iceman).

Costner plays the violent criminal Jericho Stewart who is recruited by Quaker Wells (Oldman) and the CIA for an experimental brain operation. This operation, headed by Dr. Franks (Jones), would transplant the memories and knowledge of deceased undercover agent Billy Pope (Reynolds) into a fresh body capable of recalling the classified information inside Pope's mind. The CIA needs it to finish the mission Billy started. Jericho seems like a good candidate because nobody would care if he died in the process.

At first, Jericho has some hilariously awkward encounters as he comes into his own following his release from prison. Things get a bit more serious as he starts to recall everything about Billy's professional and personal life. The stakes rise as he reaches out to Billy's wife Jill (Gadot) and the couple's young daughter. To save them, Jericho must complete Billy's mission at all costs.

Immediately after seeing Criminal, my first thought was how much I loved the fact that the film hearkens back to the "everyman action hero" movies of the 1980s and '90s. A name like "Jericho Stewart" belongs right alongside the likes of Snake Plissken, Jack Burton, Richard Kimble and John McClane. Also, Criminal isn't entirely self-serious. There are loads of lighthearted moments peppered throughout that use Jericho as a catalyst for sometimes unexpectedly big laughs. This is not a comedy film by any means; just a decent script that narrowly avoids being too dour. Many should find that refreshing after the relentlessly brooding tone of Batman v Superman. Costner is more than up for the challenge of delivering a consistent performance regardless of which scene he's in, whether it's played for laughs, intimate human drama or the thrills of a big set piece.

Among the supporting players, Gadot stands out as Jill. While some may interpret her scenes with Costner as melodramatic, Gadot shows a bit of nuanced restraint that makes her character easy to empathize with even before things really hit the fan. Easily her best performance yet, and if this is any indication, we should all be entirely sold on next year's Wonder Woman.

If for nothing else, Criminal deserves a recommendation as an occasionally silly but endlessly entertaining R-rated action movie that's well-and-truly made for grown-ups. Comic book aficionados need not necessarily apply. That alone ought to be refreshing for anybody.

B+

"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" Review

Remember over the past year and a half how butthurt everyone on the Internet was towards everything Batman v Superman? From Ben Affleck's casting as Batman to Wonder Woman's brown outfit to the poorly-edited trailer revealing Doomsday last December, it's been a rocky road for the Man of Steel sequel to everyone on the outside looking in.

Well, the official word is finally in, folks: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a good movie. So good, in fact, that the R-rated Blu-ray should be a confident purchase ahead of Suicide Squad this August.

Unlike its predecessor, BvS tells an engaging story that actually seems to take precedent over the huge set pieces and visual effects. Writer Chris Terrio (Argo) may just be the best asset Warner and DC have at this point. He joins David S. Goyer (Man of Steel, the Blade series) on the screenplay.

The film picks up precisely where Man of Steel leaves off. We see Bruce Wayne (Affleck) rushing into Metropolis to try and save friends and employees from the Wayne Financial building which collapses as the fight between Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon) transpires. With scores dead and one of America's greatest cities razed, Bruce and many others fear for the world's safety if Superman's powers are left unchecked. Still, most of the world sees Superman as a figure of hope, perhaps even a deity. Leading the crusade to govern this "god" is Senator June Finch (Holly Hunter) of Kentucky. She works closely with Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and is instrumental in allowing Lexcorp to import a rock of kryptonite from a wrecked ship in the Indian Ocean. All the while, Batman puts his detective skills to the test as he tries to understand his rival and the larger universe he represents. Circumstances eventually force Batman and Superman to confront each other one-on-one in a showdown for the ages. When a larger threat arises, the two set aside their differences and are joined by Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) for one last titanic struggle. Miraculously, it's one that doesn't put as many innocent bystanders in jeopardy. Thank God.

There's a lot going on, but somehow it all feels pretty well-balanced. Credit the writers and director Zack Snyder's confident hand in juggling the action and characters in service of the larger story. There aren't many instances where it feels as if we're going on an unnecessary tangent, a la The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It's probably safe to assume that the 3-hour "director's cut" will have more self-indulgent sequences, but for now we can't judge the whole film on what we haven't seen.

Not all of the heavy emotional beats land how they should, and overall the tone may be too dark for those more accustomed to the lightheartedness of Marvel's films. However, BvS still has more emotional complexity than most everything Marvel has produced this side of Netflix.

If you're curious about how the apparently dubious casting decisions panned out, cautious optimists should be pleased. Affleck is a better Batman than Christian Bale, and Gadot surprises as Wonder Woman despite little screen time. Although, I'm more curious than confident to see how she handles her first huge leading role in Patty Jenkins' solo feature in 2017. Eisenberg is terrific but not as Lex Luthor. His squirrelly mannerisms and boyish voice would make him an excellent Riddler. He's tough to buy as Lex despite a committed turn.

I was concerned that there would be too many important characters vying for screen time and that nothing would ultimately make sense in BvS.

I've never been so happy to be proven wrong.

After seeing the film, Warner Brothers' spotty marketing may, in fact, be the stuff of genius. Lex Luthor himself couldn't have hatched a better scheme: temper expectations just enough so that the audience can be nothing but pleasantly surprised, and if they're let down, then it's not a far fall.

After all, hindsight - or is it X-ray vision? - is 20/20.

B+

"Gods of Egypt" Review

Gods of Egypt is an action/fantasy film from director Alex Proyas (The Crow, I, Robot) and stars far too many miscast actors - including Gerard Butler, Brenton Thwaites, Geoffrey Rush, and "Game of Thrones'" Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Even Chadwick Boseman - one of the film's two ethnically appropriate actors - is forced to try on a British accent to woefully awkward avail. Elodie Yung is the only hope for accurate representation as Hathor, the goddess of love. She's great, and the rest of the cast are as good as they can be even if it is difficult to take anything, or anyone, from this bonkers production seriously.

Regardless of the talent involved, this kind of casting really isn't okay. Perhaps Gerard Butler is an easier sell as the lead of a blockbuster action film than, say, a guy like Naveen Andrews (Sayid from ABC's "Lost"), but that's the problem. Would the general public reject the film if Naveen were in the lead role? Somehow I doubt it, as long as the film's decent. Gods of Egypt offers a small handful of mindless pleasures, but let's just say the whitewashing is only the beginning of this film's problems.

The story kicks off when the angry god Set (Butler) usurps Horus (Coster-Waldau) on the day of his coronation, blinds him, and banishes him to exile. Set takes up the throne and rules by fear, pain and darkness. A mortal thief, Bek (Thwaites), seeks Horus's aide in a bid to save the woman he loves (Courtney Eaton) from death under Set's watch. This alliance between god and man begets an action-packed journey in which the heroes encounter several other gods of Egyptian legend, including Ra (Rush), Thoth (Boseman), Hathor (Yung) and Anubis (Goran D. Kleut) among others.

It looks and sounds a lot like a corny Clash of the Titans setup, but it actually ends up being a decent plot for a popcorn flick with little expectations.

It's important to realize that this tale is rooted entirely in fantasy and that none of it is meant to be taken as a serious interpretation of Egyptian history or folklore - however you like it. Some audience members at my screening found it easier to see past the whitewashing by acknowledging this.

On that note, the fantastical adventure of a film like Gods of Egypt demands spectacular set pieces and rich visuals. Some of the fight scenes are pretty intense, but the CGI landscapes and settings in which the action takes place look atrocious. For a film with a budget north of $140 million, you'd think they could afford cleaner green-screen rendering. Some sequences look so bad that they may actually be incomplete, including a scene where Bek and Zaya (Eaton) escape Set's palace by chariot and also in a later scene where Bek and Horus face two giant cobras in the deserted garden.

Gods of Egypt tries desperately to be a worthwhile diversion but lacks the heart to be considered "good" mindless entertainment. The message is a bit too iffy in the end. Combined with all the film's other glaring issues, as such it's certainly possible to find better "mindless entertainment."

D+