Summer Movie Checkin

I realize that I had a long-winded tirade regarding Jurassic World, however, I wanted to write a quick review for the movies I have seen so far this summer with some reasoning. Inside/Out This movie plus Up proves that Pete Docter is the most talented director at Pixar. Docter has shown that he is okay over and over again to evoke real emotions, good ones and sad ones to propel his story with a depth that rivals some of the darker more adult 80's kids films. His movies never feel like fluff and in Inside/Out he does it again and provides a reason why he does so by validating the need to be sad. The fun and imagination on display in this film is fantastic. While Joy's journey isn't the most interesting to me, the over all care and craft of the film places this in the upper echelon of Pixar films and as a rival to Up. Every kid should see this film and I'm sure tons of therapists will use this film as a way to help struggling kids to understand their own feelings. 5 out of 5. Avengers: Age of Ultron Joss Whedon is very intelligent and one of my favorite dialogue writers. His banter is fantastic. I loved his run on Astonishing X-Men. The first Avengers film is well crafted and fun. However, for round 2 things feel a bit more by numbers and more bland. I approve of the death of the character I will not mention. I wish there were more. I also agree that this movie shines when it slows down such as at Hawkeye's house. While the characters and actors are here doing their thing and Black Widow is still awesome with a little back story. However, the constant action propels the audience over the more glaring poor decisions and plot holes. The new guys (Vision, Piotr, Scarlet Witch, Ultron) are all adequately represented. Piotr is great. Scarlet Witch is ok. Vision is also fantastic. However, the best and worst parts of the film revolve around Ultron. You hire James Spader to voice Ultron and then you have Ultron primarily do a bunch of monologueing. I mean Spader is Spader. He is a creepy guy and he could sleepwalk through that. But excessive monologueing? I know Whedon knows better. Also, the whole Thor cave of visions things feels hacked in half, like we aren't getting everything. Actually, many characters never get a good moment to shine. Thankfully Black Widow and Hawkeye do since they don't have their own films. Unfortunately this means that as a cast it doesn't feel as balanced. It doesn't have to be if the film focuses on one or two characters, but then there is all that A-list actor ego and demands that would fight that because they want to be seen as equal to so and so. I read an interview where Joss discusses his issues on this one with the studio, and I don't hold him responsible for the mediocreness of this. I just feel there were one or two places where he could have strengthened it if he hadn't been so burned out. Now go make Dr. Horrible 2 already. I need more songs to sing. Three out of Five Spy Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig are quickly becoming synonymous in my mind. I am not a fan of McCarthy as I tend to find her a little to in your face with her brashness. However, her better movies all seem to stem from this director. Thankfully, Spy is a movie that hits on all cylinders. The story is well done. I love the actors and the chemistry in the film. Melissa McCarthy is a big personality but they manage to find ways to help her make the lines more character driven and fit in this ridiculous movie. A spy spoof? Love it! From a feminist angle? About time! While most of the great lines go to McCarthy, she does have some stiff and hilarious competition from Rose Byrne and Jason Statham. I now need a sequel so that I can see more Statham in a comedy. Funny scenarios, hilarious lines, and the crazy random swedish bodyguard all make me love this movie. It has raised my skeptical hopes for Feig's next movie, Ghostbusters. Four and half out of 5 San Andreas Brad Peyton. Ok who? Dwayne Johnson. The Rock? Yes, The Rock. What you need to know. This is stereotypical world will end type stuff with a family angle and random just met you romance thrown in. The only thing that makes this movie special, is it has the Rock and the inventiveness of how California will be destroyed is very insightful and thought through in a fun cinematic way. If you like The Rock, you will like this movie. He even acts. Although he does seem to meet his limit at one point when he is unable to avail himself of tears. Me, I love fun blockbusters like these and The Rock has always been dynamic. Paul Giamatti delivers a perfectly fine performance for a script to which his whole role is to be the guy who says California is about to be destroyed and lets us get an idea of how bad the next quake will be. Level 2? Level 6? Try eleven! Thanks Hollywood for that cheese. While the script is nothing to write home about and I feel bad for Giamatti, the time taken in planning and shooting the epic quality of the film and The Rock as a lead actor places this film right below a good end of days Roland Emmerich film, but probably above Michael Bay which is praise for Mr. Peyton since I do love me some nonsensical spinning explodey carnage. 3.5 out of 5 Pitch Perfect 2 Elizabeth Banks takes over as director for the first time with this film. Interestingly, her debut might go unnoticed as she fails to bring her own real stamp to the process. It feels how a sequel should feel and it is a relatively low risk as a debut given the success of the first on the characters. The script for this feels a little forced but the jokes are still great, it progresses while maintaining much of the charm of the original, even though it is a mission film. I say that as in movies like Dirty Dozen where the team all gel and have to accomplish some big goal for the group which takes up the entire focus of the movie. While that can work, part of the greatness of the first was the balance between the main group story and Anna Kendrick's story. Don't get me wrong, if you like the first, then you will like the second, but the jokes are a litte less funny, the chemistry feels a little less heartfelt, and the best music belongs to the Germans. Good for a popcorn experience, but easily forgettable. Here's hoping when they make the 3rd, they try to get back to the heart and good music of the original while having better group jokes and less Fat Amy "I'm fat and gross" style jokes. 3 out of 5 Mad Max Fury Road Best action movie I have seen in a long time. Never really watched the Mad Max Trilogy. Just watched the first one the other day. I enjoy Mel Gibson and I like Tom Hardy so this seemed like it could be good. However, I was scared after a lot of ok reboots in the last few years of taking older series and trying to bring them back. Terminator, Tron, etc. However, Mad Max knows what it is and gives its fans a taste of something new, feminism. Everything critics have said about the film is true. It changes the landscape of action movies in several ways by having a legitimate badass in Theron's character and by going oldschool with lives stunts. I heard they went and did 300 live action stunt shoots in the desert and no one was seriously injured. That is amazing even by the old standards when live action stunts were the norm. The thing that impressed me the most besides the absolute bonkers imagining of road warfare (seriously cool and well thought out, reminded me of old time naval battles) was the reserved approach of George Miller to the material. The movie reeks of adrenaline, action, gruesome deaths, but there is very little on screen gore. Miller consciously chooses to keep more of the gruesome stuff off the screen, right beyond the lens, where you can feel the impact, but not have to see it. Multiple times throughout the movie he gives this approach and it helps by keeping us focused on the action or what is happening instead of trying to wonder how they were able to show someone's face being ripped off. I also approach that Miller reserves his exploitation of women which makes it feel like more of a conscious decision to focus on the equality of women. Most of the movie has several hot models in white flowy sheets. It would have been really easy for many directors or producers to just be like, in this scene you run under a waterfall while escaping and get soaked. But Miller never attempts to manipulate the characters into showing more than they should. The only time a woman is truly naked is when she is using her body as a trap to catch travelers, and even then it is hard to get a glimpse of her naked body due to how it is cut and edited. While Miller's choices are very easy to spot while watching, the overall package and message of the film is fantastic and left me feeling like a madman driving all the way home. 5 out of 5