Review: Pacific Rim

by Trevor Kirkendall
★★★½

There will not be a more adrenaline pumping motion picture to come out this summer than “Pacific Rim”. Its been a very long time since a movie has come out in the theaters during the summer months that’s been as much fun as this film. Despite minor flaws - that might actually be by design from the filmmakers – “Pacific Rim” is summer movie magic at its absolute best.

Not too far into the future, humanity is waging war with giant monsters that come from the sea known as the Kaiju. The Kaiju rise up from a portal from another world found deep in the sea and lay waste to the major cities on Pacific Ocean coastlines (San Francisco, Hong Kong, Sydney, etc.). To defeat these beasts, man has built giant robotic war machines called Jaegers. The Jaegers are piloted by two people joined together through a neurological bond; they think and act as one by sharing each other’s memories and experiences.

Our hero is Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) who is a Jaeger pilot along with his brother Yancy (Diego Klattenhoff). When battling a particularly vicious Kaiju, Yancy is tragically killed leaving Raleigh to pilot the Jaeger himself, but this will be his final mission. He’s too broken up about the loss of his brother to continue with the program.

Five years pass and Becket is no longer a Jaeger pilot. He’s working on a coastal wall that’s supposed to keep the Kaiju away. The Jaeger Program is being shut down. Its been reassigned to Hong Kong where it will keep up defenses until the wall is complete. Becket’s former commander, Marshall Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), shows up and recruits Becket to come back for one final mission. They think they have a plan to stop the Kaiju once and for all and they’re running out of time to pull it off.

Once in Hong Kong, Becket meets Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) who is tasked with helping him find his new co-pilot. She too has a tragic history involving the Kaiju, much like Beckett losing his brother. He also meets two doctors, Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) and Dr. Gottlieb (Burn Gorman), who are researching the Kajiu and provide the bulk of the film’s comic relief.

There is much to pick apart in “Pacific Rim”, but I don’t really want to because this movie is so much fun. I can’t remember the last time I went to the theater and had as much fun watching a film as I did “Pacific Rim”. Its truly a reminder of what the summer movie season used to be.

Think back long ago to the big studio tent pole movies that opened in the summer. They were fun, enjoyable, humorous and exciting. Very rarely do we see such films like that now. Now they’re just dark and lack even the slightest bit of humor. Movies that fit this bill could be the recent “Man of Steel” or the “Dark Knight” Trilogy. I’m not saying these films are bad, but they don’t bring out the kid in you when you watch them.

“Pacific Rim” does! It reminds me of the summer movies when you were carried away by the spectacle of the film and not on creating something so dark and mysterious. I’m reminded of films like “Jurassic Park” or maybe even “Independence Day”. While neither are masterpieces by any stretch, both movies do give you that sense of wonder and amazement. This is what makes “Pacific Rim” so great. Its an amazing film that demands you never take your eyes off the screen. It also demands you see it on the biggest screen you possibly can.

Director Guillermo del Toro wanted to make a film that felt like the summer movies of old, and that is what he’s accomplished. Having previously done one of the greatest films of the last decade, “Pan’s Labyrinth”, de Toro has proven himself to be a visionary master. The scale of “Pacific Rim” is enormous and he has been extremely successful in pulling this off. Every frame of this film is amazing to see.

“Pacific Rim” isn’t without its faults. The story itself is solid with several decent subplots that tie everything together nicely. The screenplay itself, however, is littered with typical action film clichés. From the first minute all the way to the final frame, you can practically see every plot point coming before it arrives. Its predictability puts a damper on some of the epic battle sequences and tense moments because we know what’s coming before it happens. Not to mention, there are also numerous moments of coincidence that help get the plot out of a jam. It’s just lazy writing and it insults the intelligence of the audience.

It also suffers from poor dialogue. Its borderline “Star Wars”-prequel bad. There are many moments where you just have to shake you head at the disbelief that another human could ever say something so cheesy. Additionally, the heartfelt dialogue meant to pull on your emotions is overacted and far too melodramatic. Its laughable at times. There’s plenty of comic relief built in, but I don’t think these were supposed to be the comical parts.

But couldn’t all that cheesy dialogue and all the plot coincidences be by design? Del Toro has made a movie that pays a lot of homage to the old monster movies of his childhood. The old “Godzilla” movies are very cheesy in their own right, but they’re very fun to watch. If that’s the case, then it really doesn’t matter what faults “Pacific Rim” has. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a summer film show us how much fun can be had at the movies. Poor acting and bad dialogue aside, “Pacific Rim” is the blockbuster event of the summer. An original story that’s full of the same thrills and excitement we haven’t seen in a summer film in many years.

Review: Pacific Rim

By. Joe Moss
★★★

  Alien invaders [Kaiju; Japanese for “strange creatures”] coming from the “breach”—a portal from another dimension that manifested in the middle of the Pacific plate.

This is the premise for Guillermo del Toro’s (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy) summer, big-budget action thrill-ride “Pacific Rim.” While the story-line is spectacularly original (given Hollywood’s recent panache for remakes and sequels/pre-quels) , it does evoke thoughts of classic Godzilla meets “Aliens” meets “Transformers.” But this movie works thanks to the dynamic writing duo of Travis Beacham (Dog Days of Summer, Clash of the Titans) and Guillermo del Toro! The cast, while not littered with an ensemble of big-name stars (with the exception of a few appearance by Ron Perlman), really work well together to fulfill del Toro’s vision.

  To fight the Kaiju, large, robotic, war-machines (Jaegars) are developed through world-wide collaboration. Two pilots are mind-melded together and “synced” with the machine to run it as a human-like combatant—only 500 feet taller. The plot focuses on Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam; “Sons of Anarchy,” Green Street Hooligans) and his ability to overcome the debilitating loss of his brother from a battle-gone-wrong with a Kaiju off the Alaskan coastline. He disappears from the lime-light (and the front line of battle) only to be pulled back into reality as the Jaegar program is threatened by budget cuts and mounting defeats by the ever-evolving Kaiju invaders.

  Raleigh is brought back into the fold of the remaining Jaegar pilots—only 7 remain—and is reunited with he and his brother’s former machine, the Gipsy Danger. The last remaining analog-programmed, nuclear powered Jaeger. The search begins for his new copilot. Not an easy process as they have to be able to be compatible in fighting ability and mind-flow processing. Raleigh easily bests all of the top candidates, but is drawn to a military analyst, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), his commanding officer’s (Idris Elba) ward. Is it an attraction of lust, or of perfect compatibility? I… will leave that for you to discover…

  The plot continues much as expected in all alien-based thrillers. The humans are trying to vanquish the alien invaders only to be thwarted at each turn by an ever growing (and seemingly endless) array of Kaiju. They just keep getting bigger and more powerful.

  Enter the science research department headed by biologist Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) and chaos mathematician Gottlieb (Burn Gorman). Gottlieb theorizes that the invasion is on the verge of exponential increase as the attacks keep getting closer and more precise; while Dr. Geiszler is attempting to understand the thought process behind the creatures invasion. Through his research, he “mind-melds” with a partial, living frontal lobe of one specimen and determines they are all mentally congruent—also sneaking a peak at their ultimate intentions and history in the process. Finally the military is able to develop a plan to destroy the “breach” and remove the invaders once and for all. IF everything can go according to plan.

  An amazing ride from the opening sequence to the final clip after the credits. I was drawn into the story through all of its twists and turns. Well acted and amazingly edited by the team of Peter Amundson (Star Wars episode 5, Hellboy) and John Gilroy (Warrior, Micheal Clayton), there was not a lot of downtime to allow your mind to wander. The sound effects were mind blowing and the visual effects are another great example of the efforts at ILM and Ghost VFX for combining green screen and animatronics into a seamless vision.

Review: Kon-Tiki

by Trevor Kirkendall
★★★★

“Kon-Tiki” is a masterfully told story about the triumph of the human spirit and the will to succeed at all costs. The film tells the story of Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen). He is out to prove, in the year 1946, that ancient Peruvians from the east settled the Polynesian islands rather than Asians from the west as originally thought. No one will publish his theory without any kind of definitive proof.

To prove his theory, he builds a balsawood raft using the same techniques that would have been used by the ancient peoples 1,500 years ago. He gathers a crew of five other men including Herman Watzinger (Anders Baasmo Christiansen), a struggling engineer from Norway living in New York City. With the help of the Peruvian government, the six set out on their raft called the Kon-Tiki, named after the Incan sun god. Tiki made this 5,000 mile journey, according to Heyerdahl, on a similar raft and discovered the islands first.

“Kon-Tiki” is brilliantly told and showcases many raw emotions from its performers. Hagen plays the part with such delicacy. He’s a man with great ambition that he puts all his faith and trust into his theory. More than anything, he wants his theory to be correct that he refuses to believe any of the doubt that is brought before him. He even tries to convince his doubting wife Liv (Agnes Kittelsen) but she won’t hear any of it; she’s concerned for his life. But Hagen never shows the doubt in his performance. He plays Heyerdahl to be a man of great confidence. When staring doubters in the face, he stands tall and confident the entire time.

Co-directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg have crafted a visually stunning film. They are a directing team that hasn’t done a whole lot of work before, but rest assured they’ve earned the right to direct anything else that comes their way (such as the fifth installment to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise in 2015 which they’ve just agreed to direct).

Capturing the type of imagery that they’ve done in “Kon-Tiki” is no easy feat. There have been plenty of films set on the water that have been very flat and boring in appearance.  Watching this film is stunning. Every shot, even those before the action moves to the water, is beautifully constructed. The screen is constantly filled in rich, vibrant color.

The filmmakers have even been able to harness an enormous amount of tension at the appropriate times. They’re very aware of all the instances when the screenplay calls for moments of intensity. Written by Petter Skavlan, the script is full of breathtaking moments that call for prefect execution from the directors in order to make it come across the right way. You’ll find yourself holding your breath for long periods of time while the intense tension plays out on the screen. Not till its over will you remember your need to breathe.

“Kon-Tiki” is a film a great emotional depth, tension and triumph. There is little to dislike about this film. It is one of the most spectacular films I’ve ever seen that’s set on the seas. Many films can come to mind that were all set on the seas either by way of ship wreck or by adventure, but comparing “Kon-Tiki” to any of them would be doing an enormous disservice to “Kon-Tiki”. It is a truly original film that tells a story many of us don’t even realize actually happened. To sit there and watch this story unfold, you can’t help but wonder how on earth these men actually decided to do this. It’s almost unreal. But there’s nothing unreal about this story; it actually happened. And it’s a beautiful and breathtaking story to watch. 

Review: The Heat

by Trevor Kirkendall
★★★

Its been way too long since we’ve had a good buddy cop movie. The “Lethal Weapon” series was great, and I – for one – miss those movies. We need another one, but that is unlikely to happen. Several different movies have tried to follow this formula, and most have failed. When I first saw the trailers for “The Heat” back in January (when it was originally slated to be released in April), I rolled my eyes and thought I knew exactly how this movie was going to play out. Knowing the formula to buddy cop movies, I was correct that I knew how it begin and end. Where I was wrong was just how good “The Heat” would actually be.

Sandra Bullock plays FBI Special Agent Sarah Asburn, a by the book agent who none of her colleagues like. She’s arrogant and a showoff. Suddenly, there’s a supervisor position open in her office that she thinks is right for her. Her boss Agent Hale (Demian Bichir) isn’t so sure since people despise her so much. She assigns her a case in Boston. If she can solve it, they’ll talk about the promotion.

Asburn is off to Boston where she meets up with Agent Levy (Marlon Wayans) who refers her to the local police department to look into some additional information. There, she meets Detective Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy). Mullins is quite the opposite of Asburn. Whereas Asburn is very by the books and follows all the teachings from the Academy, Mullins just wings it. She uses her brash personality to intimidate everyone she meets.

Asburn can’t work with Mullins; she’s the Oscar to her Felix. She tries to get Hale to force her out of the investigation, but Hale thinks Mullins can be a valued asset to the Bureau. She disagrees, but Hale insists that her willingness to work with a local cop will look really good when she tries to apply for the promotion.

The rest of “The Heat” follows that basic blueprint of a typical buddy-cop film like the “Lethal Weapon” movies. Even though it follows this formula, it doesn’t feel very generic; it feels like a true original, something that is completely lacking in the current studio system.

Director Paul Fieg is very familiar with getting great comedic performances out his talent. He’s a seasoned television director, having directed multiple episodes of “Arrested Development”, “Nurse Jackie” and “The Office” in addition to creating the cult-hit show “Freaks & Geeks”. He’s also responsible for one of the best all-around comedies in recent years, “Bridesmaids” (where he directed McCarthy to her first Oscar nomination).

With “The Heat”, Fieg continues to polish his skills as one of the finest comedic talents behind the camera. He’s able to bring out great performances by his two leading actresses. Both have come from different types of comedy backgrounds, and they’ve been molded to fit exactly what the script has required them to be. Bullock and McCarthy weren’t just cast because they’re box office draws; they were cast because they were the two best actresses out there that could have pulled these rolls off.

“The Heat” is the first screenplay by writer Katie Dippold, a former staff writer for “MADtv” and current writer for “Parks and Recreation”. Her first attempt at writing a feature film is a great success. It is full of joke after joke. I probably missed half of them because everyone was laughing so hard that the follow up lines were drowned out by laughter. And its not just slapstick humor. There are plenty of jokes related to the situation, and everything is derived right from the plot.

Her two main characters are two people we actually like because they’re real. Each comes with several layers of different back-story, which allows us to develop empathy toward them. Empathy is why Riggs and Murtaugh in “Lethal Weapon” are so easy to root for. Character depth is severely lacking in most Hollywood films these days (they sure don’t make ‘em like they used to), but Dippold has turned that problem right around. Asburn and Mullins are not only interesting characters, they’re exciting and easy to cheer for.

There are a few gaping plot holes present that I’m surprised got through to the finished product. A seasoned television writer like Dippold should have caught some of them. Giving them away would mean to give away some spoilers, so I won’t be doing that. The final act of the film felt rushed. The first and second acts were built so well, but they appear to have frantically raced to resolve the main plot points before the picture hit the two-hour mark. This leaves subplots unresolved, something I cannot stand.

But gripes aside, there won’t be a funnier movie this summer than “The Heat”. I was very skeptical going in to this film after seeing the trailer for several months. It looked like “Miss Congeniality” trying to solve crimes with the “Identify Thief”. I couldn’t have been more wrong. There is so much to like about this film. Its crude and vulgar with two hours of non-stop laughs. I really hope that this is the start of new, much needed series of buddy cop films.

Review: The Lone Ranger

By. Joe Moss

★★★

One thing’s for certain, this ain’t your grandparents’ Lone Ranger.

Gore Verbinski’s “The Lone Ranger” has much of the dry, slap-stick that made his “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy so entertaining (and box office successes) yet it somehow falls just a little flat this time around in a wild, wild west setting. Does it follow the basic premise of the Lone Ranger saga as begun on the radio in 1933? Yes. Does it have larger than life antics that burst forth and draw the imagination? Yes.  Does the story-line mirror antics of most spaghetti westerns from which the TV series drew inspiration? Yes. The screenplay as written by Justin Haythe and Ted Elliot [with contributions from Terry Rossio] is spot on with all of these stereotypical intricacies but tweaked for the more modern audience—and yet [I reiterate] the acting still falls just a little flat.

One major problem that forces the audience toward confusion is HOW the story is told in a series of flashbacks from the point of view of Tonto. The film is actually set at a carnival in San Francisco during 1933 (yes…an homage to the radio show). A child (Mason Elston Cook) wanders into a Wild West side show where he is startled by a mannequin that suddenly appears to come alive. This mannequin is an ancient Tonto (Johnny Depp) mistaking the boy for his ‘kemosabe.’ The boy starts to ask questions and Tonto begins to recount the tale of the Lone Ranger as a flashback to 1869 Colby, Texas.

Johnny Depp’s interpretation of Tonto is very quirky—almost in the vein of his Captain Jack Sparrow character from the Pirates films. He addles on in broken English about Indian folklore, "nature not in balance," and constantly toys with this supposed dead bird resting on his head. All of this starts to make the audience think he is crazy—but this is the point. We are lead to believe all of this only for the entire plot to come full circle at the end. Tonto’s main role as the protagonist in the film is to guide the Ranger on the right path toward true justice. However, justice in the West lay in confusing shades of grey rather than the simple black and white of the law books that John Reid/The Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer) is well versed in as an Ivy League educated lawyer of a Texas ranger legacy family.

Armie Hammer (The Social Network; Mirror, Mirror) has great presence on screen, and I feel that his delivery was very believable. He comes across as a man thrust into many unknowns who is thoroughly confused. In the course of the film, we grow with him as he learns to adapt to a road of vengeance that leads to justice for those who betrayed his family, killed his brother and kidnapped his sister-in-law/ex-girlfriend (Ruth Wilson) and his nephew (Bryant Prince). While he does not play the role as a suave James Bond-esc ranger, we need to remember that this is a story that was originally written to appeal to children and teenagers. In this regards, I thinks it fits the bill.

NOW there are a few things that don’t set well with the script that definitely reboot the story from the old into a new generation. Rabid, carnivorous jack-rabbits with fang-like incisors [remember, “nature is definitely out of balance’ ~ Tonto]; horses that stand on tree branches in cowboy hats; a one-legged madam (Helena Bonham Carter) who helps save the day; and a cannibalistic villain in Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner). The latter being the most outlandish and that which I feel strays the film/story-line most from its roots into true moments of bipolarism.

While some may not like that the film does not open to the Lone Ranger theme (aka the William Tell Overture), I love that they waited until the climatic sequences to play that iconic piece of music. I was overtly clapping as it played. I had been waiting patiently (as they teased us with a few notes at the beginning) and felt they sprung the music at the exact moment that the story lapsed back into a more expected Lone Ranger style sequence reminiscent to that which everyone grew up--many explosions, a plethora of gun shots (from where do all the bullets get reloaded?), trains and horses running a muck.

And lastly, the much expected “Hi-ho Silver, away” is FINALLY said at the end of the movie only to be poo-pooed by Tonto as ridiculous. “Never say that again.” While some may not like this interplay, I actually guffawed whole-heartedly (and probably rather loudly from the looks I received). I rather enjoyed the dry humor associated with the script, but I can understand how this may not set well with everyone.

In a nutshell, I truly enjoyed the film and would watch it again!! It may not be the children’s version of “The Lone Ranger” that everyone was expecting from Disney, but they have definitely left us hanging ready for a new trilogy if…. And that’s a big if.

PS. there is an Easter egg in the credits, but once you see it start, nothing new happens but more of the same to the end of the credits. Don’t waste your time (as I did) sitting there for something extravagant…it never comes.

Review: Despicable Me 2

by Trevor Kirkendall
★★★

Three years ago, a little movie with an original plot came out into the theaters called “Despicable Me”. It wasn’t a sequel. It wasn’t marketed by a name-brand animation studio (i.e. Pixar). It was just a solid and funny film that everyone seemed to like. And it went on to earn over $250 million. Of course, with that kind of box office draw, a sequel is all but a certainty. But could the filmmakers give such a great film the follow up it deserves without trying to outdo it? Short answer: yep!

“Despicable Me 2” finds Gru (Steve Carell) no longer living his life as a super villain. He’s busy being a father raising his three adopted girls Margo, Edith and Agnes (Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher). He’s a businessman now, making jellies and jams that aren’t very good. His faithful assistant, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), isn’t happy being out of the villain game. He takes another job offer and leaves Gru and his wacky Minions to make the jelly on their own.

One day, Gru is kidnapped by Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig), an agent for the Anti-Villain League. She takes him to see her boss Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan). They ask for his help finding a villain who has stolen an arctic research lab containing a chemical that can turn nice things into evil things (such as a cute bunny into a viscous man eater). Gru initially declines but later accepts.

They believe that the villain is hiding out undercover as the owner of a store in a mall. Gru and Lucy set up their undercover operation as cupcake storeowners. They suspect the villain may be Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt) who Gru thinks looks an awful lot like a villain whose been presumed dead for many years. They also think it might be Floyd (Ken Jeong), the weird owner of a wig store.

Meanwhile, Gru is trying to find out whether or not he is developing an attraction to Lucy. His girls certainly would welcome a mother figure in their lives. And Margo is also starting to develop an attraction to boys, especially for a boy she meets at the mall, Antonio (Moises Arias). So Gru’s got his hands full.

“Despicable Me 2” cannot match the humor levels of its predecessor, but it is still a very worthy follow up. The tone of the film has been reduced some from the first; it definitely feels more like kids film. Not to say the original wasn’t a kids movie, just that “Despicable Me 2” comes across with more simplicity to it.

Co-writers Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul, writers of the original, have reduced the complexity of their story and their characters to much lower age level. This is not a bad thing; just an observation. Their story has been simplified to such a level that all the plot twists can be seen a mile away. But where this may disappoint some, the target audience will follow with great ease. And that’s really who this film is meant for.

Directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud keep the film at a lighting quick pace. The 98-minute run time is gone before you know it. The jokes come one right after the other. Most are slapstick this time around. But once again, that’s okay! The voice performances, especially by Carell and Wiig, are top notch. Both comedians have made their careers on the expressiveness in their faces and that carries over very well here.

The Minions, of course, are the characters everyone wants to see. They are probably one of the most amusing cartoon characters created in a very long time. Their crazy antics in the original stole the film. Here, they receive a bit more screen time and are more deeply integrated into the plot, which is nice. More Minions is always a good thing. Their stand-alone film, coming out Christmas 2014, should be a very welcoming addition to this franchise.

Fans of the original should find a lot to like about “Despicable Me 2”. It may not be as smart or quite as amusing as the first film, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from enjoying every minute of it. Its interesting that despite perceived flaws in a film, animated features are still some of the better movies that come out each year. “Despicable Me 2” probably won’t be singled out for any awards or “Best Ten” lists at the end of the year, but its still better than half of the movies that have come out this year up till this point.