MOVIE REVIEW: PIXELS Could Be Good, But It's Not

I was expecting nothing but the worst from Pixels. Having stayed away from any Adam Sandler movie since Funny People (you can read about my feelings towards that movie and Sandler's career here), I braced myself for what had to be one of the worst movie-going experiences in recent memory. Imagine my surprise when Pixels didn't turn out to be a cinematic abomination, but rather a run-of-the-mill slice of big budget boredom. It's always nice when a film exceeds your expectations.

MOVIE REVIEW: ANT-MAN is Small but Servicable

A lot of people are going to remark on the scaled back nature of Ant-Man. The movie feels small and is aware of that. It's purposefully reducing its stakes and scope in order to accommodate its shrinking protagonist, and that mostly works. What hinders Ant-Man isn't its sense of smallness, but that it feels slight in its construction. For such a wacky concept, the movie feels incredibly by-the-numbers and lacking any real distinct flavor in regards to its presentation.

There's hints of a more bizarre movie oozing through the cracks of the film, but they are all mostly downplayed by director Peyton Reed. The climactic journey to a subatomic microverse feels like it should reach new levels of comic book weirdness on film, but it amounts to nothing more than some fractal imagery and a short and uneventful stay in what is essentially another dimension. The majority of the shrinking segments, though expertly rendered by thankless CG artists, feel almost too grounded in an attempt to avoid alienating audiences. It doesn't feel like the filmmakers took full advantage of their superhero's ability (until the end, which I'll get to).

It doesn't help that the movie's pacing is both slow-going and boringly familiar. Though this does help a lot with the characters, it makes the movie feel like it's skittish about itself. Thankfully, the characters in this movie make up for its sluggishness Paul Rudd is a natural leading man and his charm and softness work wonders for Scott Lang. Though Michael Douglas is mostly relegated to exposition, techno-babble, and basic mentoring, the times that he gets to give Hank Pym some depth work really well. Evangeline Lilly is underutilized as Pym's daughter, Hope, but she her time is spent showing she can be as tough as any Avenger. And Corey Stoll very nearly steals the show as Darren Cross/Yellowjacket. Stoll is going full-on eeeevil in this and it's a hoot. Between him and Ultron, it looks like Marvel might be starting to figure out how to handle their villains.

What surprised me the most about Ant-Man was the comedy element of the film. Not that I was surprised that it was a comedy, but how light and unremarkable most of the comedy was. Ant-Man certainly isn't lacking in laughs, but there wasn't a single joke or bit in the film that was worth an enormous response. Considering that Paul Rudd and Adam McKay have screenwriting credits, I was shocked that the movie wasn't the funniest Marvel movie yet.

However, one arena where Ant-Man delivers is in the final act. For all of its faults, the showdown between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket is a blast. This is where the movie really takes advantage of its concept well, using shrinking (and enlarging) to both comedic and engaging effect. If the heist portion of the film was infused with the same energy and inventiveness, Ant-Man would have been a knockout.

It sounds like I really disliked Ant-Man, but I didn't. It's an ever-dreaded "okay." There's nothing offensively bad or poorly executed about the film. but it feels like its been sanitized in order to broaden its appeal. The idea of shrinking is a wildly fantastic one, and Ant-Man doesn't embrace that goofiness as emphatically as it should.

Ant-Man is a minor Marvel movie (I'd be shocked if it gets a sequel) that does its job but leaves you wanting a lot more. It makes me anxious about Marvel dipping into its more out there characters like Doctor Strange. One of the reasons Guardians of the Galaxy worked was because the person at the helm, James Gunn, was able to balance his workman abilities with his innate craziness. If Marvel wants to play with riskier characters and worlds, they need to be willing to let some riskier visions into their cinematic universe. Ant-Man is proof of that.

MOVIE REVIEW: INSIDE OUT is the Best Thing Pixar Has Ever Made

Pixar very rarely shies away from heavier concepts and emotions in their films. Although they make movies intended for a young audience, they don’t often allow that restriction to hinder their stories and characters. While they’ve dealt with somber stories before, Inside Out does something bolder than those films ever attempted: explore why those feelings are important.

And it works fantastically. Taking place inside the head of eleven year-old Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), we get to know the five emotions that control Riley’s state of mind: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). Due to an accident, Joy and Sadness are separated from Headquaters and must find their way back by navigating through Riley’s mindscape.

For what amounts to a simple setup in terms of the driving plot, the actual story becomes a deep and thoughtful examination into the purposes of our memories and emotions. Joy and Sadness are the first two feelings that manifest inside of baby Riley’s head, and Joy is as dismissive as she can be of Sadness from the outset. It’s this subtle conflict that becomes the core of the movie and creates what is easily Pixar’s most nuanced and mature look at the human experience. The film is basically an hour and a half thesis on the necessity of sadness and how it isn’t always the negative emotion it’s made out to be.

Though this all sounds like it might be overwhelmingly depressing, the movie supports its weightier center with pillars of hilarity. Inside Out is unbelievably funny, with a cast that never feels like they’re slumming it. Everyone is doing great work, especially Phyllis Smith. While Joy is the obvious figurehead of the film, it’s Sadness that I hope breaks out in a big way. Her Eeyore-esque deliveries are delightful, and when she’s asked to be sincere and moving, she delivers in spades.

Something I found surprising in the best of ways is that Inside Out is a wonderful science fiction film. Some would argue it’s more of a fantasy, but when you see that Pixar consulted with doctors who specialize in how our brains create and manage emotional responses, you start to see that this isn’t a simple flight of fancy. There’s a technological way to how Riley’s head operates, and although it’s draped in colorful and kid-friendly designs, it’s as valid an exploration about experiencing existence and what it means to be human as something like Blade Runner or The Matrix. Considering that Disney also gave us the mediocre Tomorrowland this year, I’m pleasantly shocked to find Inside Out to be one of the better sci-fi films I’ve seen in a while.

Another element that powers the film is a genuine sense of peril. It’s common to believe that tense moments in kid films are empty because you know everything has to turn out okay. Inside Out doesn’t pull these punches, and there are sequences of tangible loss that hit home in a big way. The fact that all of these moments are taking place within the mind of one person doesn’t diminish their impact. If anything, it strengthens them. By honing in on one character for the entire running time, Inside Out crafts a fully developed character who doesn’t need any stereotypical villains or outward forces to make the audience invested in her personal stakes. It’s a lesson that a lot of the emptier blockbuster films of this era could learn from.

I’m still riding high on this, but I’m close to declaring Inside Out Pixar’s best film. It tackles difficult concepts in a way that is both adult and exciting (Up will be most peoples’ defense to this, but I found Up‘s plot and world unexciting), it creates an entire universe that is uniquely imaginative and gorgeously realized (this film has the biggest scope of any Pixar movie, and it all takes place in a character’s head!), and its characters are immensely endearing. Add on top of that a story that ends up being about how all of our emotions are valid, even the “bad” ones, and you have the textbook example of what a movie for kids should be: accessible but never at the cost of treating its audience like children.

TAG TEAM REVIEW: JURASSIC WORLD

For my review of Jurassic World, follow the link below for my tag team review with the inimitable Travis Newton:

http://www.chud.com/164842/tag-team-review-jurassic-world/

MOVIE REVIEW - INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3

I really dig Insidious. It felt like the perfect salve to spread on the rash of found footage movies that had plagued the genre after Paranormal Activity crushed the box office in 2007. Insidious felt classic and timeless, drawing more on atmosphere and mood than easy scares. While I respected the direct continuation that Insidious: Chapter 2 (even their sequel naming convention is classy) attempted to pull off, it also did some things that undermined the unknown factors of the original. With the knowledge that Insidious: Chapter 3 was a prequel, I was worried that the same issue was going to be exacerbated.

MOVIE REVIEW: TOMORROWLAND is More Sermon than Cinema

I've been known to tell people that movies are my church. The powerful feelings that some people get from going to a place of worship are the best way I can equate what happens to me when I see a really great film. I may have to amend this description because people might misconstrue that sentiment as, "Oh, you must enjoy when a movie is like a sermon!" That's what Tomorrowland felt like: a preachy bit of prepackaged optimism from the Mouse House.

MOVIE REVIEW: POLTERGEIST is a Textbook Example of How Not to Remake a Movie

Remakes aren't inherently a bad thing. When a story or an idea is good, it can always be told from a different perspective or with a new twist. A remake should utilize its source material as a foundation and then build something unique on top of that.

Poltergeist is not that remake.

MOVIE REVIEW - AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is an Enjoyable Sophomore Slump

When The Avengers came out, it was almost miraculous. Marvel’s serialized cinematic experiment succeeded, and the pure novelty of a superhero team-up movie was more than enough to make the film work like gangbusters. Now, with the novelty worn off, does Avengers: Age of Ultron stand on its own, propel the collective narrative forward in exciting ways, and prove that these films are greater than the sum of their parts?

MOVIE REVIEW: EX MACHINA Is the BLACK MIRROR Version of Spike Jonze's HER

Science fiction has had it rough at the multiplex. Due to changing trends and ever-increasing ticket prices, the genre has had to lean towards more action elements in order to entice audiences. While this can lead to the occasional great flick (Looper and Edge of Tomorrow are two stellar examples), it means that smaller and more meditative stories don’t often find their way to a wide release. So, when something like Ex Machina comes along and proves that quiet sci-fi movies can be just as impacting as blockbuster behemoths, it deserves notice and appreciation. It certainly helps when Ex Machina is such a great example of what these kinds of films can be.

Tag Team Review: IT FOLLOWS

Hey, everyone! You can read my tag team review of It Follows with Travis Newton over at CHUD.com by following this link. Enjoy!

MOVIE REVIEW: RUN ALL NIGHT Is Familiar in All the Right Ways

With the exception of the first Taken film, I've missed out on the glut of Liam Neeson action flicks that the rest of the world seems to have become bored with. Neeson himself seems through with the genre, making recent remarks that he'll be leaving that era of his career behind within the next two years. Now I think I've done the man a disservice, because Run All Night feels like the perfect cap to a period of films I've unwittingly avoided.

MOVIE REVIEW: INTERSTELLAR Is a Masterful Cinematic Experience with a Somewhat Satisfactory Story

Christopher Nolan is often criticized for having a very cold way of executing a story. The praise that a lot of his films engender comes from their more analytic qualities rather than their emotional ones. It's very apparent that how a film is constructed and engineered is what fascinates Nolan, but the heart at the center of his films very rarely beats with an equal level of passion. Interstellar is the most blatant attempt at merging the two together, and while there are a few strides made in the realm of character attachments, it never matches up to the awe-inspiring technical aspects on display.

MOVIE REVIEW: BIRDMAN Is Snobby, Sweet and Ultimately Pretty Okay

There will always be people who are against current trends in the cinematic landscape, and since superheroes are the big box office draws these days, it's time to get a film that satirizes and decries them. Birdman is definitely attempting to do that, but fails by taking up a very elitist perspective instead of examining why these stories resonate with so many people. There's an argument being made about "true art" that feels like a pseudo-intellectual playground scuffle. Thank goodness that the behind-the-camera technique and performances in the movie are so fantastic, because if the film was solely focused on its commentary, it would be a dud.

MOVIE REVIEW: NIGHTCRAWLER Is A Movie About A Monster, With A Career-Best Performance from Jake Gyllenhaal

When the first cryptic teaser for Nightcrawler hit the scene, I was instantly sold. The captivating intensity and eerily believable nature of Jake Gyllenhaal's Louis Bloom was all I needed to keep the film on my radar. After seeing Nightcrawler, I understand why they decided to go that way with the initial marketing. Though the film positions itself as a viciously satirical breakdown of news media and the public's desire for violent stories (it is that, but it's not where the film is focused), the real backbone of the story is a character study of Louis and how terrifying a person he is.

Luckily, Gyllenhaal makes it work like gangbusters. This is one of his best performances, but I can understand how a lot of people would be unable to follow him as a protagonist. Louis Bloom is a textbook sociopath: well-spoken and pleasant on the outside, but filled with an utter lack of morality and concern for human life on the inside. He freely admits to disliking people and will use anyone he can to further his own personal goals. It's a deplorable character, but Gyllenhaal creates something so darkly compelling that I couldn't get enough of the character. His shark-toothed smile and business seminar lingo would fit just as comfortably coming from a young entrepreneur (which is actually exactly what Louis is), and I have to believe that the film is also making a statement on such individuals.

More than the media or sensationalist reporting, Nightcrawler is a biting examination of the new generation of American workers who will eventually become leaders. Louis doesn't have any kind of college education, but is an avid learner and self-teaches himself countless things via the Internet. He is singular in his drive to obtain exactly what he wants, and as the film progresses, we see the more disturbing lengths to which he'll go to ensure success. What I like about this in a social commentary sort of way is that Louis isn't shown to be an anomaly in these ways. Rene Russo's character, the news station's director Nina, is just as cold when it comes to putting Louis' graphic crime footage on the air. There's definitely a message in play about success coming at the cost of your humanity, but where most films would have a protagonist struggling with these issues in order to create conflict, Nightcrawler presents us with a person who has no moral conundrum at all.

Since the film isn't willing to be completely bleak, Louis does have a partner named Rick (Riz Ahmed) who brings up these dilemmas, but it feels like the filmmakers knew they had to have someone voice those feelings or else the audience would get the impression that we're supposed to be rooting for Louis. They actually do pull that off with at least two scenes of perfectly crafted tension that kept me nervous all the way through. It's a lot like the scene in Psycho when Norman Bates is putting the car in the swamp and it stops sinking. Even though the character we're following is practically a villain, we become tense and want the car to sink, essentially making us vicarious accomplices. The same unnerving participation is present in Nightcrawler, where we find everything Louis is doing awful, but at the same time we don't want him to get caught. I love when a film gets me invested in a character whose methods and ethics (or lack thereof) I wholly disagree with.

Again, a lot of that has to do with Jake Gyllenhaal's performance. While he never does much of anything to make Louis likable, he doesn't need to. This isn't a likable character, but he is a fascinating one. His cool exterior and smooth tongue mask a deeply unsettling loneliness that has transformed into an icy focus on getting what he wants. There are brief moments of understanding when Louis talks about what he wants to do with his life, but it's the deadly initiative he takes that makes him purposefully unapproachable. Even though it's extremely disconcerting, Louis is a grim fairy tale execution of the American Dream. He is a self-made man, and in this country, that's supposed to be something we admire. What we are willing to accept to maintain the illusion of such a dream is something the film seems to be attacking.

I don't know if I can fully recommend Nightcrawler to most people for the simple reason of its monster of a protagonist, but for someone like me, it's exactly the kind of thought-provoking, darker corner of the human animal exploration I love. It's a very quiet movie for the most part, so I can understand why people might label it "boring", but as an examination of one truly disturbed individual, it's fantastic. Gyllenhaal proves that he's one of our finest actors working today, and the character he's given is equally riveting. It's dark, dark stuff, but since I'm a little on the creepy side myself, I find it to be a stimulating experience. Bottom line: don't take grandma to see it.

MOVIE REVIEW: JOHN WICK Has Won My Useless Award for "Best Action Movie of the Year"

"They don't make them like they used to," is a common axiom that is spouted in regards to motion pictures, particularly films in the action genre. While it's true that superheroes and science fiction have sublimated the genre, there are still occasional surprises that manage to reinvigorate those of us who enjoy clever gunplay and brutally straightforward story. John Wick is such a film, and exceeds even those standards to become something outlandishly noteworthy. As far as I'm concerned, it's unquestionably the best action film of 2014, and maybe even one of the best that the entire decade will produce.

MOVIE REVIEW: BOYHOOD Is the Definitive Coming-of-Age Film

By now, everyone is pretty aware of the radical experiment writer/director Richard Linklater has undergone with his new film, Boyhood. It's been a centerpiece of the film's marketing, and the audience I saw it with were murmuring about it before the lights went down. While I was certainly intrigued by such a risky choice, it was how Linklater would use the real-life aging of his actors in service to the story and themes that brought me to the theater, and I was not only impressed, I was in emotional awe. Boyhood is the true definition of a magnum opus. It is such an achievement that I find it challenging to try and encapsulate everything that makes it so special, but I will try.

MOVIE REVIEW: SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR Is... Yeesh

I loved Sin City when it came out in 2005. It was serendipitous that, at the same time, I was beginning to delve into the world of graphic novels, discovering the works of essential artists like Alan Moore and Frank Miller. When Sin City came out, it hit my sweet spots all across the board. It was violent, seductive, visually fresh and passionate to the point of zealotry when it came to being faithful to the source material. I rewatched Sin City recently in anticipation for the sequel, and found that, while I wasn't as enamored as I once was, I still enjoyed it. I walked into Sin City: A Dame to Kill For with measured expectations, but I guess I should have lowered them a whole lot more.

MOVIE REVIEW: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Makes A Han Solo Spin-Off Film Gloriously Unnecessary

While most people now associate Star Wars with a deeply mythological reverence, the original 1977 film isn't really focused on cultivating that kind of aura. Instead, it's a hodgepodge of Buck Rogers, samurai stories and pulp adventure. That spirit is mostly channeled through Han Solo, a rogue who isn't necessarily a hero, but has enough charm and good in him to become one by the film's end. That same charm and adventure has been resurrected in Guardians of the Galaxy, the first sci-fi adventure film to really capture the flavor of the original Star Wars film, while still carving out a new corner in a completely original and curiosity-empowering universe.

MOVIE REVIEW: DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Sets the Standard for What the Summer Blockbuster Should Aspire To

People often forget that the whole idea of the summer blockbuster started with Jaws, which is a film that is far more interested in character than it is with spectacular set-pieces and action. However, Jaws does have those things, and as time has worn on the spectacle of summer films have often been at the cost of character. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a rallying cry to the importance of focusing on creating great characters and letting that drive the plot rather than the other way around. In an age of soulless action fare like the Transformers series, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes feels like one of the most intelligent and adult pieces of genre entertainment available.

MOVIE REVIEW: SNOWPIERCER Is the Kind of Sci-Fi Film We Need: Entertaining While Also Being Important

Science fiction films these days that concentrate on their ideas more than their spectacle have mostly been lower budget productions. The days of seeing heady sci-fi at the multiplex seem long gone, replaced with flashy and bombastic spectacle that does nothing for the parts of your brain that utilize critical thinking. That's why a film like Snowpiercer needs to be seen. It proves that you can still make a great sci-fi film full of style, but without having to sacrifice any substance. In fact, Snowpiercer makes it clear that the substance is what informs the style, and not the other way around.