Review - The Bourne Legacy

 At the Theater- The Bourne Legacy -

Director and Co-Scripter Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, which I loved and Duplicity, which I hated) shows a firm grasp on the franchise- he co-scripted all three of the previous Bourne films and provides a familiar, comfortable feel to the proceedings right from the get-go with his first Directorial gig for the series.  There's dashes of exciting action and tense drama throughout- the only thing that might be a problem for some viewers is a possible feeling of "sameness" to the "agent on the run from Big Brother" storyline.  I felt it was well written, craftily Directed and filmed (thank goodness for an absolute minimum of shaky-cam this time) with some fine acting from Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Town, "Hawkeye" in this year's Avengers) and Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, Constantine).  That said, it would help to have seen the other Bourne films for the sake of clarity.

Taking place simultaneously with the events in The Bourne Ultimatum, Jeremy Renner's "Aaron Cross" (the new protagonist here) is the result of a different strain of the secretive Government operative experiment known as "Treadstone" than that of the "Jason Bourne" character- he, as well as several other genetically enhanced "Operation Outcome" agents are enhanced, and subsequently kept in check, by vital medications. "Cross" must not only evade countless authorities and other operatives after the program is ditched, but he must deal with the conflict of where his next dosages will come from once he's cut off and on the run. 

Renner's "Aaron Cross"/"Ken Kitsom" is a likable enough character that audiences should easily find some level of empathy for- he's a talented actor that will be featured in a host of other films over the next couple of years.  He's the "flavor of the moment" and with good reason. He's put himself in excellent shape for the role and believability is never an issue as he's kicking the Hell out of a host of pursuers of various sorts.

Rachel Weisz (in a solidly-written role) provides a surprisingly strong, fleshed out co-star here as a Doctor/Scientist (on the run herself) helping Cross put the pieces together and confront his chemical dependency dilemma.  There's some degree of "Damsel in Distress" with her character, but never enough to be annoying and she really comes through in the clutch.  Weisz is also prettier here than I've seen her in quite some time...

Fans of Edward Norton (The Illusionist, The Score) might be displeased to find that the actor spends the entirety of his screen-time relegated to directing traffic and assassins at "command central".  He's serviceable in the role, though not particularly memorable- I wish he had been given more to do here.

Oscar Isaac (Drive, Robin Hood 2010) portrays a fellow "Outcome" operative that crosses paths with Renner/Cross, while Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Albert Finney and Scott Glenn's characters return for what would amount to about 30 seconds of cameo time combined.  Stacy Keach makes a couple of brief appearances- goodness, he's looking old...

There's only a couple of photos of Matt Damon's "Jason Bourne" floating about on various monitors here and there- that's the full extent of the actor's participation.

This entry in the franchise provides a more spacious, scenic approach, with the  majority of the first act taking place in the Alaskan wilderness- scenes where our hero squares off against wolves (no discernible CGI used here, and that's highly commendable) and a couple of ill-intentioned Predator drones are particularly entertaining.

A rather exciting, climactic motorcycle chase (featuring a few too many possible, but highly improbable stunts for my tastes) left several audience members clapping with the demise of an Uber-henchman (I felt his introduction at the eleventh hour didn't allow enough time or depth to really build an appropriate amount of hate for his character, but I got the point).  I feel compelled to point out that there's a particularly unsettling scene involving a madman shooting several of his laboratory co-workers that might trouble those sensitive souls given the rash of recent real-life events.

This movie is a rather lengthy affair (135 minutes- the longest of the four films) but is decidedly involving and moves rather briskly. Fans of the Damon/Bourne Trilogy shouldn't be disappointed, the franchise appears to be in capable hands.

And yes, Moby's "Extreme Ways" plays at the film's conclusion.

Recommended.

8.0

The Bourne Identity         8.5
The Bourne Supremacy        8.5
The Bourne Ultimatum        8.0

Review- Hope Springs

At the Theater- Hope Springs - It's an often hilarious and surprisingly intelligent Dramedy featuring truly outstanding performances from Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep.  The duo are golden as a married couple of 31 years looking to rekindle their stalled relationship by attending a week-long counseling session hosted by a prominent therapist (Steve Carrell).  It's one of the better written and directed comedies of the last decade, rich in character development and smart enough to let a couple of screen legends do what they do best.

Jones and Streep each deserve some high acclaim for their performances here- we should hear quite a bit about them with this upcoming awards season. The give and take between the two during their sessions runs the gamut of emotions- it's rare that older actors have such an opportunity to work with solid material in high-profile theatrical films.  It's a sign of the times and that's a true shame. 

Steve Carrell is rather subdued here- it's appropriate for the role and proves without a doubt that he's far, far more talented than most other comedic actors working today.  Elizabeth Shue (still very sexy) makes a painfully brief but poignant appearance as a bartendress while Mimi Rogers has a cameo of less than 10 seconds.

It's Highly Recommended and is my current Drama/Comedy pick of the year- It's touching and resonant and would make a great companion piece to films like It's Complicated and Something's Got To Give.

 For those interested, there's no good reason not to see it.

8.5 out of 10

Review- Total Recall (2012)

At the Theater - Total Recall (2012) - Although I had a host of little issues with this remake, it's an acceptably entertaining, FX heavy Sci-Fi Actioner that should prove passable to fans of the genre.  Essentially a slick, big-budgeted chase film, it's sorely devoid of any true tension or sense of humor (qualities that the original admittedly possessed, to varying degrees). It only bears a passing resemblance to the original- which is both a good and a bad thing...

I wasn't the biggest fan of 1990's Total Recall- The Paul Verhoeven Directed vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger was littered with logistical problems (a group of soldiers encircles and fires fully automatic weapons into what turns out to be Arnie's hologram, yet none of the soldiers hit one another) and goofiness galore (the eyeball popping reaction to Mars's atmosphere) that I just couldn't force myself to accept as quality entertainment. Verhoeven's brash Directorial style and satirical approach worked rather well in 1987's Robocop but seemed rather stale and corny for films like Total Recall and Starship Troopers- 2 guilty pleasures, at best.

Star Colin Farrell can't quite muster a dynamic presence (a problem I believe has hounded the star for most of his career, but was NEVER an issue with Arnold)- he's a capable everyman, but is merely passable as an action star. Perhaps it's just not in his DNA...

Kate Beckinsale is as tan and as sexy as ever throughout while Jessica Biel is cute but rather pale and haggard- I'm thinking Director Len Wiseman (the Director of the first two Underworld films and Beckinsale's real-life husband) manipulated the situation accordingly.  A fight scene between the two lookers is serviceable but ultimately a missed opportunity- it was something that should have been treated as a highly memorable event but you'll probably end up forgetting it fairly quickly. That said, the two women are surprisingly spry and athletically game throughout.  How Beckinsale's villainess is eventually dealt with feels a bit lackluster and tacked on.

Bryan Cranston (AMC's Breaking Bad) is the woefully underwritten main villain here- he's a good character actor that seems inherently out of place. Bill Nighy fans will be very disappointed to find that he has a mere few minutes of screen-time.  Other faces you may recognize; Bokeem Woodbine as our protagonist's co-worker and confidant with John Cho (the Harold & Kumar films) making a brief appearance as the host of the memory-implanting Rekall service.

This PG-13 rated film is relatively bloodless (the original had several flat-out gory sequences) and there's only one scene with brief nudity (a three breasted hooker flashes the goods, like the original). This particular film has jettisoned the Mars setting (remaining entirely Earthbound) and dropped the mutant aspect to the "resistance" featured so prominently in the 1990 film- making the three-breasted hooker a bit of a head scratcher...

The cityscape designs and set pieces, while visually impressive, appear to have been patterned after those featured in BladeRunner and The Fifth Element.  There's a host of very cool, futuristic gadgets, weaponry and vehicles throughout, including some kick-ass costume/suit designs of the film's human, as well as robotic, Police force.  The action and chase sequences are competently staged and filmed.  That said, and this might be perceived as nitpicking, this film features more lens flares than I've seen in any one film since 1988's Die Hard- it's just plain annoying and serves no purpose whatsoever here.

It's not what it could have been, but it's better than most of the remakes that Hollywood is dumping off of the assembly line these days.  It's a slightly better than average popcorn muncher that would make a nice double-feature companion piece to Michael Bay's The Island.

 7.0 out of 10

Review- The Expendables 2

At the Theater - The Expendables 2 - Much like it's predecessor, this sequel is good old-fashioned, bombastic, dumb fun- I liked the *Director's cut of the original a bit more, but this outing actually fulfills it's promise of getting the action Legends together in extended action sequences.  It was super-cool and quite the crowd-pleaser to finally see Sly, Bruno and Arnie, side by side by side, mowing down countless bad guys in a climactic airport gun battle- it definitely put a smile on my face.

Sylvester Stallone can still command presence and chew scenery with the best of them- even if he is a bit more stiff-necked than usual.  Schwarzenegger is appropriately weathered and still as willing as ever to poke fun at himself- it feels right to have him back in movies again. Willis is as game as ever- I wish he'd get back to more straightforward action fare as far as his individual career is concerned.  It's easy to see that all three of these guys are good friends- it translates well onscreen.

Jean-Claude Van Damme does his damnedest to steal the movie playing the film's main villain (aptly named "Vilain")- he appears to be having a ball in a rare theatrical release. Perhaps he thought that he better make the most of the opportunity...

Jason Statham takes more of backseat in this entry, though he has his adequate share of little moments sprinkled about. Dolph Lundgren is still weird here, but somehow more likable. Terry Crews and Randy Couture return, providing ample comic relief.  Liam Hemsworth is the newest Expendable, a baby-faced sniper, while Scott Adkins is Van Damme's right hand henchman.  Jet Li has little more than an extended cameo, leaving the film fairly early in the first act.  Mickey Rourke's "Tool" isn't featured in this sequel, nor is his character even mentioned. 

Nan Yu is treated as a token female here, she doesn't really get to flex her stuff. Charisma Carpenter returns in a quick cameo as Statham's super-sexy hoochie mama- I would have paid another ticket price to have seen her in a bikini...

Chuck Norris pops up out of nowhere a couple of times to help save the day, even going so far as to provide one of those funny "Chuck Norris facts" that have proven so popular across the net.  I'm glad he joined in and it's cool to see him again.

Complaints; there's a few too many gaudy CG-assisted blood splatters (a problem that marred the first installment) for my taste, and a couple of highly improbable sequences should have been rewritten with more attention given to detail and logic.  Why would a v-plow be mounted to the rear of a assault vehicle, necessitating it to be driven in reverse to get any kind of usage out of it?  Furthermore, I'm not so sure that a world-class sniper can get 6 accurate, long-distance shots off with a Barrett rifle in under 1.5 seconds.  The musical selections are a little off here, some seem awkward and out of place given the onscreen proceedings...

Fans of the legitimate action stars (and their films) of the mid 1980's through the mid 1990's should find this to be one heckuva treat- even if it's not quite as polished as one might have hoped.  It's filled with high-octane action and a host of one liners- some sequences work, others don't.  That said, I'd rather watch 10 more of these films before I'd watch another Christopher Nolan Batman movie...

8.0 out of 10

FWIW-

The Expendables 7.5 out of 10
*The Expendables:  Extended Director's Cut - 8.0

Review- Get The Gringo

On DVD and Blu-Ray- Get The Gringo - This surprisingly entertaining Action/Crime/Comedy is gritty, grimy, bloody and occasionally quite funny.  It's competently written and Directed, with a few impressive action scenes (featuring some very cool, almost Peckinpah-esque slow motion) and a fair amount of witty dialogue- it would make a great companion piece to star Mel Gibson's tonally similar Payback. The actor proves once again that he's as relevant and as likable (at least onscreen) as ever, with more believable presence than the vast majority of the current crop of budding action stars half his age.

Apprehended by Mexican authorities and thrown into a strange, hellish prison/town hybrid called "El Pueblito", career criminal "Driver" (Gibson, in a variation of his "Porter" character from Payback) is shown the ropes and taught the rules of survival by an 9 year old boy (Kevin Hernandez).  "Driver" soon plans his escape, battling it out with countless thugs, hitmen and crime-lords ruling the prison from the inside out, all the while establishing a bond with the boy and his prostitute mother.

Mel Gibson's face looks like a road map made out of dried leather- it's refreshing to see an older actor that hasn't had an obvious, extensive overhaul performed on his aging mug.  It's a shame he's so determined to piss his career away.  Other actors you may recognize:  Peter Stormare (Fargo) as a wealthy crime-boss, Bob Gunton (The Shawshank Redemption) as a crooked Lawyer and Dean Norris (Breaking Bad) in a very short role as a U.S. Border Patrol Agent.  Mexican actress Delores Heredia (Vantage Point) is a talent new to me- she's Gibson's love interest here. Young Kevin Hernandez (The Sitter) will probably grab quite a few more roles in the very near future.

Complaints: Add Mel to the list of action stars that have deemed it necessary to aim and fire their handguns while holding it sideways in an attempt to look cool (it's uninformed and just plain stupid).  A certain character's ridiculously short amount of recovery time from a major surgery will probably come across as laughably awkward.

It's a movie that would have been perfectly fine as a theatrical release, but held back and released straight-to-video because of Mel's off-screen tantrums.  Driven by the inherent talent of it's troubled, aging star, it's a dark and edgy little action film that might just be best of it's type released this year.

Recommended

Get the Gringo - 7.5 out of 10

Review- The Dark Knight Rises

At the Theater - The Dark Knight Rises -  Picking up eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, this supposed last film in Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy is equal parts awesome spectacle and over-plotted, pretentious bloat- it's an O.K. film that could have been great if Director/Co-writer Nolan would have re-visited the art of restraint.  I firmly believe that this film should have been rearranged/re-cut and split into two parts, the first part ending in a grim cliffhanger fashion (similar to The Empire Strikes Back) with the finale being released several months to a year later- it would have solved a myriad of pacing/timeline issues and broken up the tedium of so many momentum-killing sub-plots.

Nolan's heavy-handed approach to the Caped Crusader has promised a determination to ground itself in realism, yet he has apparently worked diligently to suffocate his story-lines with overstuffed plots, logic-shredding contrivance and a few too many secondary characters (many of them unnecessary); all problems that I felt marred other Nolan films like The Dark Knight (to a lesser extent, and held together by Ledger's performance), Inception and The Prestige. I think he's a very good Director who is far too overconfident as a writer- he's just nowhere near as crafty as he thinks he is.   Batman Begins is the shortest/leanest entry of this particular trilogy (140 minutes)- it's also the most fun and overall entertaining of the three. The Dark Knight Rises is approximately 164 minutes long, with about 25 minutes of that being expendable.

There's admittedly a few scenes of grand, high-flying action, though they're unable to fully ignite and sustain any kind of story momentum because too many other things are going on simultaneously- I think George Lucas started this whole mess with the last act of Return Of The Jedi (it later plagued his Star Wars Prequels)...

Hans Zimmer's thunderous score is a very good creative piece of work yet technically over-utilized and highly-problematic when it comes to the sound mix- it often drowns out the dialogue and you may find yourself hearing quite a few fellow movie-goers whispering, "What did he just say?" - It's a serious flaw that seems to be a universal complaint even amongst those that have loved this film.  Be forewarned- even I was wishing for subtitles to English dialogue...

Christian Bale continues his excellent turn as Bruce Wayne.  The guttural growl that his Batman has displayed (and has subsequently drawn much ridicule) is still present, but at a minimum.  There's a serious injury that his character suffers in this film- some may find the rather crude treatment/rehab to be laughably inadequate.  I still don't care for this Samurai/X-Games Biker inspired Bat-suit he is wearing once again (the suit in Batman Begins was superior)- it's just too damned cluttered and gaudy for my tastes.  Then again, there's an argument to be made that there's actually very little of the suited Batman character in TDKR at all...

Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/"The Cat" (not once is she referred to as "Catwoman" here) steals the show outright- she's appropriately sexy and playful, with a few great one-liners. That said, I'm not so sure she unseats Michelle Pfeiffer's oh-so-sexy turn in Batman Returns... perhaps it was Hathaway's decidedly bland costume. I have a feeling we may be seeing a spin-off with her character... here's to hoping Pitof doesn't Direct it...

Tom Hardy (Inception, RocknRolla, Warrior and the future "Mad Max" Rockatansky in Fury Road) bulked up something fierce to play "Bane" here- it's something I felt the actor had to do to make up for his relative lack of height (Hardy's listed as 5'10", Bale 6').  I'm still not quite sure that it was necessary to cast him here (Nolan's familiarity with Hardy, Cotillard and Gordon-Levitt from the Inception shoot surely helped them all land roles), as his acting talents are rather wasted; "Bane's" electronically amplified voice comes across as a little awkward and some may have a hard time understanding snippets of his dialogue- again, the overbearing score is partially to blame while not being able to see his mouth/lips (due to his pain-alleviating mask) doesn't help matters.  I'm positive that there's a number of huge, athletic pro-wrestlers/athletes available that could have pulled off the role with equal success.  It's obviously an entirely different role in nature than that of Heath Ledger's "Joker" in TDK; there's an undeniable presence in "Bane"/Hardy, but the performance is nowhere near as mesmerizing and never carries the film as Ledger's did in the previous entry.

There is no reference to "The Joker" in this movie whatsoever- it's obviously intended but unappreciated and could be understandably looked upon as one amongst a myriad of plot holes given the storyline.  Cillian Murphy makes a couple of brief, unmasked appearances as "The Scarecrow" while Liam Neeson's "Ra's Al Ghul" shows up as a ghostly memory. 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, (500) Days of Summer) is serviceable in a pivotal role as an honest cop with a dynamic character arc.  I understood the intentions here (regarding his character), but couldn't buy into it's execution. Gary Oldman is still in top form as "Commissioner Gordon" and has quite a bit to do throughout. Morgan Freeman returns as "Lucious Fox" in several brief scenes while Marion Cotillard (Inception, La vie en rose) is "Bruce Wayne's" love interest harboring a dark secret of her own- she's solid in limited screentime. Michael Caine (one of my all-time favorite actors) is very good in a few small, but poignant appearances as "Alfred"- I've always had the utmost respect for the actor and fear his age may begin to limit his future screen appearances. Other notable actors include; Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket), Daniel Sunjata (FX's Rescue Me), Aidan Gillen (Blitz), Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom) and Juno Temple (Atonement).

Some of my many complaints:  There's an unforgivably stupid segment in which a shoulder-to-shoulder horde of heavily armed cops rushes to meet a (yes, shoulder-to-shoulder) horde of heavily armed thugs in the middle of a barren Gotham intersection that simply boggles the mind- so much for Guerrilla Warfare... or realism.

One of the issues I've always had with the "Batman" character is his unwillingness to dish out a bit of lethal justice when a golden opportunity presents itself- he could have saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives had he not laid the "Bat-Pod" down when he had "The Joker" in his sights in TDK- there's a similar scene of wasted opportunity here involving "Bane" that's painfully out of touch.  Thankfully, "Selina Kyle"/"The Cat" doesn't share his stance on the matter (it's a very cool crowd-pleasing moment that the film desperately needed more of).

In the eight years since "Harvey Dent" died and "Batman" disappeared, Gotham has somehow miraculously rid the city of major crime with the passage of the "Dent Act"- that must have been one hellatious piece of legislature that replaced a dead D.A. and a missing Crimefighter.... why were they even necessary in the first place?

A segment involving Gordon-Levitt's character and school bus full of underprivileged kids trying to pass through an armed barricade should have been left on the cutting room floor. It's a tedius subplot, to say the least, and only helps to destroy any kind of momentum that the film has garnered through other, more impactful proceedings.

I guess it's not really a spoiler, but this particular trilogy ends without any mention of "The Penguin", "The Riddler", "Poison Ivy", "Mr. Freeze", "Killer Croc", etc.,- that's somewhat disappointing.  I'd love to see Joss Whedon, Guillermo Del Toro or James Cameron tackle the character of "Batman" next, possibly infusing a bit more fun into the matter and shying away from the self-seriousness the Nolan films have established.

Lastly, and probably most importantly- "Bane" and his army of henchman seal off Gotham City from the outside world and hold it's citizens hostage under threats of detonating an already ticking fusion bomb for a period of about 5 months- making no monetary demands and with apparently no means of escape, why not detonate the bomb immediately?  Why wait 5 months for the bomb to reach it's meltdown?  Think about it.

Things I liked: A first-half sequence involving our hero getting back into uniform and "flying" back into action in an attempt to thwart a Stock Exchange heist is admittedly heart-lifting but ultimately anti-climactic. "The Bat" is pretty damned cool.

The effects work is razor sharp; there's a relatively small amount of evident CGI - that's commendable in my book. Most of the action appears to be done with an excellent mixture of models/miniatures, stunt-work and life-sized props with an number of impressive set pieces as backdrops.  The film never looks bad.

The initial mano a mano confrontation between "Batman" and "Bane" is very well filmed and choreographed- for the most part, Nolan has addressed the spastic editing and shaky-cam approach that marred the hand-to-hand fight scenes of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.  Needless to say, it was appreciated.

A series of parting, conclusive shots will undoubtedly leave a smile on your face-  for myself, it was far too little and far too late.  In my opinion, the best Comic-Book movie of 2012 (by far) was released in May...


The Dark Knight Rises - 6.0

FWIW-

Batman Begins- 8.5
The Dark Knight- 8.0

Other Christopher Nolan films-

Memento- 8.5
Insomnia- 8.0
Inception- 6.0
The Prestige- 5.5

Just Because- The Lone Ranger & Tonto