Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★

Much like every other guy my age, I was a huge fan of the Ninja Turtles when I was a kid. Obsessed would be a better word for it. I couldn’t get enough of them. Raphael was my favorite. And that was when I was at an age where I wasn’t fully aware of the concept of fictitious characters. They seemed very real to me. Especially in their first movie in 1990, and then when we saw them live and in concert around the same time (yes, I did actually go to that – great fun as a kid but incredibly ludicrous now looking back on it). Of course, the whole fad is a little crazy from the point of view of a 31 year old, but whenever I see the Turtles, it brings a bit of nostalgia back.

Such is the purpose of the new version of these Turtles in the Michael Bay-produced and Jonathan Liebesman directed “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” This film attempts to rewrite the origin story quite a bit, which I won’t go into here as I guess it could be considered a spoiler. There’s April O’Neil (Megan Fox), a young reporter for New York City’s Channel 6 News. She and her cameraman Vernon Fenwick (Will Arnett) are assigned to do the fun stories around town, but April wants to be taken seriously in the eyes of her boss Bernadette Thompson (Whoppi Goldberg). She’s also driven to live up to the her expectations of her late father, who died a long time ago working alongside New York’s wealthiest and most influential businessman Eric Sacks (William Fichtner).

Recently, a crime wave has taken over the city at the hands of what appears to be some kind of unstoppable terrorist organization called the Foot Clan. They’re lead by a martial arts master known as Shredder (Tohoru Masamune) and his right hand woman Karai (Minae Noji). April witnesses a Foot Clan robbery thwarted by our heroes and comes face to face with them: the four brother turtles Leonardo (Pete Ploszek, voiced by Johnny Knoxville), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), and Raphael (Alan Ritchson). They also introduce her to their master, a rat named Splinter (Danny Woodburn, voiced by Tony Shalhoub). With them, she learns the true plan of the Shredder and the Foot Clan and has to help the Turtles stop them before it destroys the entire city.

At its core, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is pretty typical of the old cartoon series in the late 80s/early 90s. Outside of the tweaked origin story, the film does have that fun feel of cartoon. What it lacks is a focused story and any kind of set up and development for those in the audience who might not have been as obsessed with the Turtles as people like me.

If you weren’t a fan of the Turtles in the late 80s/early 90s, this film isn’t for you at all. You’ll be lost because the film does nothing to set up these characters. It’s supposed to be an origin story (first movie in what will more than likely continue to be an ongoing franchise). The four turtles are mostly over inflated caricatures of their personalities from the original series, which I actually found to be very annoying (especially Donatello – poor guy). The only person here who’s given the slightest bit of character development in April, and Megan Fox (being the terrible actress that she is) throws it all out the window.

Sure, it’s a Turtles movie. I get that. It’s not supposed to be award-winning material. I never expected it to be. But what I do expect – and what all audiences should demand – is to not be strung along from one action sequence to the next with little or no story tying everything together. “Ninja Turtles” feels like it was written by numerous writers (and it was: Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec and Evan Daugherty) who pulled out a couple of the oldest superhero storylines from their back pockets. Then they tied everything together with ridiculous action sequences that are a little hard to follow.

The growing trend with these superhero movies is to make them less of fantasy, and more likely to occur in the real world. If these people with super powers really existed, this is how it would play out. The same idea is applied here but to little success. Here we have the Turtles fighting the Shredder, which is typical of the cartoon, but unrealistic in a real world setting. So a shady businessman has to be created to help tie the fantasy world into the real world. This gives us separate villains and separate heroes. This leads to lack of focus, which ultimately leads to mass boredom from viewers. 

The film would have been much better if it was the Turtles vs. Shredder and April O’Neil with the assist, just like the series. Instead, we are given a new origin story that attempts to make the Turtles more realistic and plausible heroes in the real world. But they’re mutated turtles who are also teenage ninjas. They don’t have to fit in a real world setting. Batman works in the real world. I can even accept Iron Man as a real world character too. But the Turtles? This is pure fantasy and that’s the way it needs to stay. Too be fair, this isn’t the worst incarnation of the Turtles I’ve seen. Michael Bay didn’t absolutely destroy these characters like we all thought he would, but he didn’t do them any justice either. Better luck next time.

Review: Wish I Was Here

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★★

We all know how great of a film “Garden State” is and how talented Zach Braff is as a writer and director. I wasn’t expecting much from “Garden State” when it first came out ten years ago (yes, it has been that long), but it became one of my favorite films of the year and of the decade. But it took ten years for Braff to follow that up with his second feature film “Wish I Was Here” and I’m not sure why. Every studio passed on this script. It wasn’t until Braff took his wishes to the crowd funding website Kickstarter that he was finally able to make the film on his own. And after seeing it, I can’t understand why studios passed on this one.

Braff has said this film was meant to be a “spiritual sequel” or sorts to “Garden State” and I can see that. Braff plays Aidan Bloom, a mid-30s actor struggling to find work. His wife Sarah (Kate Hudson) is left to provide for the whole family, which also includes their children Grace (Joey King) and Tucker (Pierce Gagnon). The kids are enrolled at a private Orthodox Jewish school, a request from Aidan’s father Gabe (Mandy Patinkin) who pays the pricey tuition.

But then Gabe reveals to Aidan that he has cancer and would like to take part in an experimental treatment, which will cost him the rest of his life savings. That means no more school tuition for the kids. So Aidan pulls them from the school and opts to try his hand at homeschooling. But when Gabe’s cancer experiment fails, Aidan is left to watch his father – a man who he’s never really seen eye-to-eye with – slowly fade away. That causes him to question some of his life choices and also how he’s seen in the eyes of his children. He also tries to bring his estranged brother Noah (Josh Gad) back into the family mix, especially for the sake of his dying father.

It sounds a lot more melodramatic that it really is. It’s mostly lighthearted and humorous in Braff’s unique brand of filmmaking. Overall, “Wish I Was Here” is very comparable in tone to “Garden State.” There are many moments that will really make you laugh out loud, moments that really warm your heart, and moments that will truly move your emotions.

Braff calling this film a spiritual sequel is reasonably accurate. It wouldn’t be a stretch to put Braff’s Andrew Largeman in the role of Aidan and Natalie Portman’s Sam in for Sarah, picking back up with them ten years or so after “Garden State” ends. Married with kids in Los Angeles, Largeman struggling to find work, his estranged father lying on his deathbed. It all works. But Braff wants to prove he’s a serious writer and director, which is why he chose to create completely different characters.

Braff’s Aidan is no Largeman and Hudson’s Sarah is no Sam. They’re vastly different from the people we knew in “Garden State.” Braff’s screenplay – which he co-wrote with his brother Adam – is just as solid as his last effort. But he’s grown up in the last ten years and no doubt experienced much more of life than he had when he did “Garden State.” “Wish I Was Here” is a more mature writing effort for Braff.

As a director, Braff understands the emotions he’s trying to convey from his screenplay. He’s able to make this film wear its emotions on its proverbial sleeves. Personally, there were things going on in my life at the time of “Garden State’s” release that affected me on a deep level when I first saw it. The same thing applies for me, personally, with “Wish I Was Here” ten years later. The ability to make that personal connection with your audience is really what separates the good directors from the great ones. And Braff is on his way to being great.

The film is full of great performances from Braff and Hudson and their young co-stars. But the performance from Patinkin could very well be a defining role of his career. Most will remember him for Inigo Montoya, but this really shows his range more than anything else I’ve ever seen him in. Movies like this only work when all those involved comes together in the most perfect of circumstances. Patinkin is what pushes this film over the edge to make it great.

Much like “Garden State” before it, Braff’s “Wish I Was Here” will probably go down as one of my favorite movies of the year, and will likely be a contender for my Best Ten at year’s end. This film has so many great elements that it’s hard to isolate the ones that work the best. Too many people have criticized Braff for not branching out further from “Garden State” with his second feature. I disagree. Sure he might have stayed close to home, but it works. It worked great in 2004 and it works well today. And there are enough differences here to separate the two films to make each stand distinctly on their own.

Review: Wish I Was Here

by. Joe Moss
★★★★

Why on Earth did all of Hollywood refuse to back such a scintillating film as Zach Braff's sophomore release? Maybe they couldn't handle the stark clarity with which he dealt with family, religion, death, and growing up; whatever the reason, their loss--his gain. "Wish I Was Here" has managed to surpass the respect I held for his freshman offering "Garden State" (which I loved dearly) by forcing me to deal with memories of my own family even as the script played before my eyes.

Aidan Bloom (Braff) is a struggling actor with a real problem--he hasn't been able to land a gig in years, the last being a dandruff commercial. His father, Gabe (Mandy Patinkin) is sick and may be dying. His brother, Noah (Josh Gad) is a genius recluse who refuses to talk to any member of his family other than Aidan. His wife, Sarah (Kate Hudson), the sole bread-winner for the family, is being sexually harassed at work and told by her bosses to "relax and be more fun;" and his children, Grace and Tucker (Joey King and Pierce Gagnon) are in danger of being thrown out of their private Jewish schooling due lack of payment by Gabe as he spends the money on his mounting medical bills. Aidan just cannot catch a break.

As this poignant look at life in suburban California plays on, the audience cannot help but be drawn into this plight of 'every man.'  We can all relate to the struggles of paying bills, and working dead-end jobs, and putting up with harassment of all types...simply because we have no choice. The American Dream is a tough reality to maintain for many of us working schmucks. The ending of the film is about as close to reality as you would expect--and I do not think it was a surprise ending...much in the reverse, it was the ending that we, as the audience, had rooted for. The most memorable line of the film to me was stated by Aidan in the few minutes, "My brother and I had always thought of ourselves as the hero, when maybe it was we who needed to be saved."

The script was so wonderfully written by Zach and his brother, Adam. I cannot help but feel the story was pulled from their own lives. There is too much raw emotion portrayed within the film to be anything but. Zach and Kate have a magnanimous chemistry that translates beautifully on screen--you truly feel they are married and struggling together...not as separate people ponderously dredging through the quicksand of life. Kate Hudson's innate ability to bring positive energy into every scene helps elevate Braff's natural, brooding sarcasm into the stratosphere. Additionally, Mandy Patinkin has Braff's father is so spot on (and they look so similarly) that I wonder if Zach didn't have moments of hallucination back to his own childhood during filming.

Sundance did not disappoint when it announced how the audience so favorably responded to this film. I am so over the moon about this film, that I cannot express enough the whys and how quickly everyone should go to see it. If you are in the mood for a heart wrenching, true-to-life drama that transcends to address many of the social issues of today...look no further.

Review: Boyhood

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★★

It’s been well established that Richard Linklater had planned on telling the story of a young boy growing up through his childhood, through adolescence, and into adulthood. He had spoke before of doing a project filming over the course of 12 years. I never realized he was actually doing it, at least not until the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year where “Boyhood” made its highly anticipated premier. Yes, after 12 years of on-again/off-again filming, Richard Linklater has finally delivered his magnum opus and there’s never been anything quite like it.

Watching “Boyhood” is like watching a time capsule being opened before your very eyes. It’s rich with soul and emotion from beginning to end. It’s indescribable watching this film unfold in front of you, knowing that all the principle players involved dedicated so much time of their lives to making this film happen and watching each of them age naturally on screen.

The story revolves around Mason, Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) who we first meet when he’s only about six years old. He lives in rural Texas with his single mother (Patricia Arquette) and his older sister Sam (Lorelei Linklater). They’re just barely making it in their current living situation. Mom decides to move to Houston where she can go to school and her mother (Libby Vallari) can help out with watching the kids.

In Houston, Mason and Sam’s dad (Ethan Hawke) reenters their lives. He wants to be the fun dad, but is still just irresponsible enough to drive mom crazy. Mom also falls in love with her professor, Dr. Welbrock (Marco Perella), and the two ultimately marry, joining their two families. But all isn’t so Brady Bunch for Mason and his mom and sister.

The film continues on following a total of 12 years in the life of Mason. We see plenty of his mother, his father, and his sister, but Mason is always the focal point of film. Think of it as 12 short films – one for each year – all strung together. That’s essentially what this is. Richard Linklater has picked out one episode from each year in the life of Mason to show us.

There are so many different elements of Mason’s life that we – as an audience – can either relate to from personal experience or from knowing someone in a similar situation. We see his mother’s marriages and divorces, relocation from one city to another, the abusive alcoholic stepfather, the fun loving but never around biological father, troubles in school, newfound hobbies, and first loves. It’s nearly impossible to watch this film and not find a familiar event from your own childhood.

It’s also utterly impossible to watch “Boyhood” and not be moved by seeing everyone naturally age throughout the film. The kids are the most noteworthy, but then there’s Hawke and Arquette. Since they’re the most recognizable names and faces, it’s easy to see how the years wear on them. It puts things into perspective just how quickly time moves when you can see a familiar actor like Hawke at the beginning of this movie realizing that he was only one year removed from filming “Training Day” when this began or that Arquette completed her entire run on “Medium” during the filming of this movie.

“Boyhood” also acts as a time portal to you own life as well, not because of the plotline, but based on the time period where action occurs. Richard Linklater never tells you what year we’re in. You can only judge the time based on the music in the soundtrack, the technology on the screen, the current events in the background, and most importantly the age of the actors. When each scene begins, you immediately try to discern where you were when this event was taking place. Some events are easy to pick out. Hawke sitting there talking about the war in Iraq or Mason and Sam placing Obama/Biden campaign signs in people’s yards. Others are trickier. Hawke at an Astros game with his kids with Roger Clemmens on the mound (a quick Google search lets you know that – based on the events mentioned in the game – it took place on April 18, 2006) or Mason listing off the biggest movies of one particular summer (2008). Or even funnier, Hawke and Coletrain discussing the feasibility of what a new “Star Wars” trilogy might look like if they ever make it (the conversation takes place in 2008, about 4 years before the new trilogy was announced).

The acting is tremendous across the board. We expect that from Arquette and Hawke (well, at least when he’s working with Richard Linklater, I mean). We are also treated to great supporting performances as well, such as Marco Perellea as an alcoholic college professor. Lorelei Linklater (Richard’s daughter) also puts on a stellar performance. The movie revolves around Mason, but as his sister she’s very much apart of his entire childhood, from tormenting him to becoming one of his best friends. But the movie belongs to Ellar Coletrain who never seems overwhelmed by the massive task at hand, especially when asked to play into some deeper emotions. And you can see him mature as an actor as the film progresses. It’s easy to tell he’s been spoon fed direction as a child, but later draws upon his own life experiences as both he and Mason grow up.

This is a film that makes you think in a much more profound way than anything I’ve ever seen before. I’m not saying it’s hard to follow, and I’m not saying it’s difficult to process. Quite the opposite. “Boyhood” is unique and certainly one-of-a-kind. I’ve never seen any movie like this before. It’s a masterpiece. I’ve referred to other films with that word before, but none of them were this exceptional and rare. I doubt very much that another film like this will ever come along again. Enjoy the uniqueness of this film. There are so many different elements to latch onto. But unlike your childhood, which is  - I’m sorry to say – gone forever, Richard Linklater leaves us Mason’s in the form of “Boyhood” to be relived forever.

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★½

Is it just me, or is “Marvel Studios” becoming synonymous with “quality movies?” In case “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” didn’t make you think that way back in April, James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” will.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” follows Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), an intergalactic thief who likes to be called by his outlaw name: Star Lord. He works alongside Youndu (Michael Rooker), a mercenary who steals artifacts from around the galaxy and sells them for enormous profit. Quill has been tasked with picking up this film’s MacGuffin: a small silver orb.

Of course, they’re not the only ones looking for it either. The evil Ronan (Lee Pace), a ruthless fanatic hell bent on destroying the universe, also wants it since he thinks it will help him attain his goal. Working alongside über-villain Thanos (Josh Brolin), who was teased at the end of “The Avengers,” Ronan sends Gamora (Zoe Saldana) to steal the orb from Quill and bring it back to him.

Gamora has no intention of actually doing this since she’s well aware that Ronan is a complete mental case. She ends up getting tangled up in a scuffle between Quill and a couple of bounty hunters, Rocket Raccoon and Groot (voiced by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel). All four end arrested and thrown into an intergalactic prison where they meet Drax (Dave Bautista). Drax also has a bit of a vendetta against Ronan. It’s up to the five of them to break out of prison and retrieve the orb before Ronan can get his hand on it.

It’s been a while now since I’ve had a truly memorable movie going experience from a summer film. Sure they’re still huge in size and production value, but so many of them just aren’t fun anymore. They’re dark and serious instead of being fun. I’m not trying to say anything bad about the serious films like “The Dark Knight,” but they don’t all have to be like that.

Enter Marvel and “Guardians of the Galaxy” to restore my faith in the mega studios’ ability to make movies fun again. Like Pixar before it, Marvel seems to be on a mission to create movies that contain stories very well told. Sure, you can say Pixar movies are for kids and Marvel movies are for comic book fans, but that’s not the case anymore. These studios are making movies for everyone now.

“Guardians” reminded me a lot of the first “Star Wars” film (that’s “Episode IV – A New Hope” for all you young people who’s parent’s did you wrong by showing you the films in episodic order). From the structure of the screenplay to the design on the characters, the “Star Wars” influence in this film is everywhere. It’s more homage than a direct rip-off though. And if you’re going to make a giant space opera such as this, it’s not a bad film franchise to emulate.

Everything about this film works just the way it needs to. Written by Gunn and Nicole Perlman, the script is sharp and witty. All of the humor in this film is well placed and well timed. The plot is thick and the characters are many, but it is never confusing to follow. And unlike other characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these characters are all very relatable to every member of the audience. It’s not hard to find likable characteristics, despite being aliens, a raccoon, and a talking tree.

It is hard to pick out a character that steals the show, however. I liked every character in this film, including the villain. Lee Pace has been one of my favorite actors since his stint on the short lived ABC series “Pushing Daisies.” He’s probably one of the best villains I’ve seen in a Marvel film. He’s evil to his core and Pace plays it effortlessly. Chris Pratt is an obvious choice for Peter Quill. As is Zoe Saldana for Gamora. The two work well together and I have a hard time seeing anyone else in these roles. But Rocket and Groot are the real show stealers. Their Han Solo/Chewbacca relationship is the perfect addition to an already motley crew of heroes.

I loved this movie. I can’t think of any simpler way of putting it. I haven’t had this much fun at the movies in a very long time. It’s able to funny without being campy. It doesn’t overuse its CGI. And director Gunn handles it all very well. And the soundtrack is sensational, probably one of the best movie soundtracks to come along in years. Marvel movies aren’t just for the comic book fanboys and fangirls anymore. They’re out to make quality films for everyone. “Guardians of the Galaxy” is proof of that.

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

by. Joe Moss
★★★1/2

The Marvel Universes’ newest blockbuster to be, “Guardians of the Galaxy,” directed and co-written by James Gunn, starts firing on all cylinders right off the bat. Not a shoot ‘em up, blow ‘em up adrenaline junkie rush, rather an emotional rush—foreshadowing events for later in the film. However, from that moment on, the movie is hilarious, pretty much a non-stop adrenaline rush til the final credits. I laughed wholeheartedly and am planning on a return visit to the theater to see it one more time within the week.

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt…and Wyatt Oleff in the beginning sequence) is a young boy of the 80’s in the throws of personal agony. His mother is dying of cancer, and the only way he knows how to cope is to lose himself in the world of “awesome mix”-tapes from his mother. On her deathbed, she gives him one last gift (which he refuses to open) and wants to hold his hand to say good-bye. Rather than take her hand, he cannot cope with the pain and loss of both of his parents, so runs away. Not only runs away, but is abducted by a traveling group of mercenary-thieves led by Yondu (Michael Rooker). [Yes…All of this within the first 10 minutes of the film.]

Flash-forward to today, and we see a very tech-savvy Peter in the midst of acting out a sequence much like an Indiana Jones film, but with a lot more galactic gadgetry. He steals a silver orb from a dead planet, and just as he is about to leave, is confronted by Korath (Djimon Hounsou) and emissary of Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace) who desires the orb for himself as a means of taking over the galaxy and destroying anything that may get in his path. No plot spoilers here…

Peter barely gets off the dead planet, and makes his way to Xandar to trade his trinket [no we still don’t know what this REALLY is] for cash (units) when he is confronted by a lethal, green beauty, Gamora (Zoe Saldona) who also wants the orb for her own nefarious purposes—and 4 billion units. As she attempts to take the orb, Peter and she are confronted by Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Voiced by Vin Diesel) who want to abduct Peter and turn him into Yondu for 40 thousand units. Much shenanigans ensue and the lot finds themselves in prison. And it is here we are finally introduced to the last Guardian, Drax (Dave Bautista), who desires to kill Gamora since she works for the psychotic Kree, Ronan, who is in cahoots with Thanos (Josh Brolin), to destroy the universe.

No more plot lines….now let’s get down to brass tacks. The plot I have summarized for you is only about 12%  of what occurs within the film. If you think this is insane, just watch. While overly convoluted, the screenplay never seems to lose itself and all of the main points are well addressed and answered by the end of the film—yet, a few new caveats are well planted to lead us into the sequel.

Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper are a great team. They work so well together, and get so into character, they you almost completely forget who they are as individuals. I think that Chris' ability to infect every line he delivers with a great amount of facial sarcasm and joy is what truly sells the film. Between his facial expressions and Bradley Coopers quick-tongued barbs, there is not a scene of the film where I wasn't laughing, crying, or both.

The entire plot, while loosely based off of the Marvel stories by Dan Abnett and Andy Landing, is a completely new twist on who each of these characters are and from whence they came. The writing team of James Gunn (Scooby-Doo, Super) and Nicole Perlman have re-envisioned the entire Guardians universe so that they have complete freedom to inline the script with the other Marvel movies already completed and in the pipeline. And while they do try to remain true to a few points of the comics, the entire Star Lord premise for this film is given a new evolution.

The editing team of Hughes Winborne, Fred Raskin and Craig Wood was amazing. The movie seemed to flow seamlessly through each sequence--even with all of the green screen. Additionally, I LOVE the soundtrack. The music is almost a 6th main character...it makes the movie what it is. A film that does not take itself seriously (much like the Guardians themselves), and yet...works! As I stated at the beginning, this will be another summer blockbuster for the Marvel Universe. Go...Have Fun...Laugh hard.  AND remain through BOTH of the credit Easter Egg sequences...