Very rarely does a film come along that enthralls from start to finish quite like "Mud". Director Jeff Nichols masterfully constructs a Tom Sawyer-like adventure story set on the Mississippi River with beautiful imagery and fascinating characters. Ty Sheridan is especially good as Ellis, the young protagonist of the film, while Matthew McConaughey continues his career renaissance as the title character. The film begins as a mystery-thriller and develops into a poignant coming-of-age story about family and relationships as seen through the eyes of a young teenager. It's pretty long and may be a little slow for the casual observer, but film lovers everywhere won't be able to look away. "Mud" is a great American film.
The little kid in all of us probably had a heart attack in excitement upon seeing the trailer for "Pacific Rim" but does the final product fill that Power Ranger / Thundercats void in our lives? Visionary filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro sure tries by bringing to life some pretty epic brawls between giant robots and city crushing monsters with some jaw-dropping special effects and character designs. Unfortunately, the human characters are about as flat, and in some cases as obnoxious, as the visuals are astounding. The premise, of course, is pretty ridiculous from the outset but the story would have greatly benefited from a slightly more serious and realistic tone. If the audience can tell the filmmaker isn't taking the material seriously, it's hard when he then asks them to invest in the film's characters. The action is mostly phenomenal but it's not worth wading through all the stupidity to get to it.
The last time Superman graced the silver screen was in Brian Singer's "Superman Returns" in 2006. That film suffered from too much talk and not enough action. Zack Snyder's new take on the character, "Man of Steel" suffers from the opposite problem. The action starts early and often with grand special effects and a heart-pounding score. It all looks and sounds great but somewhere along the line the story and characters takes a back seat to all the explosions and elaborate fight sequences. Henry Cavill is good in the title role and the star-studded cast surrounding him is great, it just would've been nice if the movie had slowed down and let us get to know them better. The film has one action set piece after another from the opening sequence to the final credits, only occasionally giving us moments of true emotional resonance and connection with the characters. Not a bad effort, but not the home run it could have been.
"Star Trek Into Darkness" accomplishes what few sequels are able to accomplish: it completely lives up to the original. This second entry in the rebooted franchise is every bit as imaginative, funny, emotional and dazzling as the terrific first film. Director J.J. Abrams shows a tremendous understanding of the need to balance CGI with practical effects which makes for a great looking film and allows the performances and story to take center stage. Benedict Cumberbatch is a terrific addition to the cast as the film's antagonist and the returning performers are as good as they've ever been. Fans of the franchise may be weary of some recycled ideas and plot points from the older films but there's no denying the quality of filmmaking and high entertainment value on display. This is among the best of the big budget Hollywood blockbusters and must not be missed. Bryce ***1/2 Chase ***1/2 Landon **** Logan ***1/2 BANGERANG SCORE: ***1/2
Here we are at the conclusion of our fourth year of writing reviews on this blog and it's once again time to count down our favorites from the year that was. While there weren't a lot of great movies released this year, there were quite a few really good ones. That proved to make things a little difficult in narrowing down our top five, but against all odds, we were able to get it done. Here are our picks:
5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Peter Jackson takes us back to Tolkien's Middle-earth in this first chapter of his film adaptation of one of our favorite books growing up, and it's good to be back. Many have quibbled about the movie's slow pace and overuse of CGI, and while they have a point in many respects, Jackson absolutely nailed it where it counted: depth of character and a tremendous sense of wonder.
4. The Dark Knight Rises
The conclusion of Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy is next on the list. These films have always been about Bruce Wayne and his personal story arc and "The Dark Knight Rises" provides an extremely fitting conclusion to that iconic character.
3. Life of Pi
"Star Wars", "Jurassic Park", "Avatar", "Life of Pi". That's the type of company this ground-breaking film finds itself in from a visual standpoint. This is a beautiful looking film about faith (rare in today's Hollywood) and it has secured a spot on our list.
2. Les Miserables
One of the most beloved musicals of all time gets a first class film treatment in "Les Miserables". Hugh Jackman is phenomenal in the lead role and Anne Hathaway brings us one of the most heart-wrenching musical numbers in movie history in this adaptation. Their performances make this the best movie musical in many years.
1. Lincoln
Our pick for the best film of the year is Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln". This is an understated and compelling look into the presidency and character of one of the most influential leaders in American history. Daniel Day-Lewis gives one of the best performances we've ever seen on film and simultaneously humanizes the man while making us admire him more than ever. This is a terrific film.
"The Impossible" is the most gut-wrenching movie I've seen in years. This retelling of the true story of a family caught in the turmoil of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 is as heart-breaking as it is graphic. I can't believe they got away with a PG-13 rating. Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts give terrific performances as the parents of this family and really give the audience insight into the pain and fear that this couple experienced along with thousands of others. The film really takes the wind out of you which was the goal of the filmmakers I suppose. It's well made and definitely deserves the praise it's receiving but it is certainly not one that I'm dying to see again.
I don't get it. That pretty well sums up my thoughts on 2012's independent film darling "Beasts of the Southern Wild". The film looks good and the performances are really good (especially Quvenzhane Wallis in the starring role - one of the better child performances I've seen). It's not that the message of the film is overly obscure - it's essentially a coming-of-age story. It's how the story is told that really had me scratching my head. The narrative framework as well as much of the dialogue comes off as very self-indulgent and sometimes downright weird. Director Ben Zeitlin obviously has a lot of talent. He just needs to reign it in a little bit in his next effort.
