The Dark Knight Rises

Typically movies mimic situations and events heavily influenced by our lives, our societal value's, and our popular culture. But, once in awhile it's the other way around, and a film makes a connection with an individual or a group who usually misconstrues its message and attempts to "bring to life" what someone had created with the sole intent of only entertaining people. Unfortunately, a major popular theme of American society includes a fascination with violence. Over my life, I've seen how sick, unstable individuals have manipulated our society's fascination into motives that have spurned them to atrocious acts like the Columbine High School and Virginia Tech University massacres. Most recently, another lunatic turned a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, into something reminiscent of a scene from the movie, the Godfather, leaving an entire community, and the rest of a nation shaking their heads again, wondering what it is that compels a human being to bring such pain to so many innocent people.

This tragedy marred the opening of this very grandiose movie but couldn't keep it from achieving what only a couple of major Hollywood blockbusters have been able to, which speaks volumes about the breadth of what essentially is a piece of moving art. A major piece of moving art, complete with its $250 million + budget, social undertones, and larger than life director, that at the end of the day shouldn't be too heavily criticized because it is one hell of an accomplishment.

I'd rather keep this more short and sweet than typical, but expectations can sometimes be unrealistic, especially when trying to fill the shoes of a movie villain, who won an Academy Award for his performance, or if a movie you released has been the subject of curiosity/discussion for almost 2 years, meanwhile grossing like a billion dollars. But, Christopher Nolan, has assembled a more than solid cast, while pacing an arduously long epic three-quel with twists and turns to its plot, that preys on the weaknesses of its characters, drawing several parallel's between the society which reveres it's masked superhero on the screen and in real life. All the while, not confusing its audience too much...

Savages

Savages is an incredibly well shot drama that centers around two marijuana dealers, Ben and Chon. They reside in gorgeous Southern California, very close to the Mexican border and the drug cartels that have been seen so often in newspaper clippings across thar region of the country. It's an Oliver Stone production, which means it's relatively heavy with social commentary.

The greatest takeaway I had after seeing, Savages, comes from it's title. A savage is defined by Merriam-Webster's dictionary, as a brutal, rude, and/or unmannerly person, typically belonging to a primitive society. It's simple to take this definition and apply it to the members of the intricate drug cartel in the movie, most notably Lado, Benicio Del Toro's character or Elena, who's played by Salma Hayek. But, the message that I think Oliver Stone, the movies director, is trying to send is that relativity, is vital to consider when observing someone who you might deem to be a "savage". Things are very different with Mexican law enforcement, underworld organizations, and there are obviously many cultural differences between societal norms and customs, than there are in United States. So, you must be framing your viewpoint/opinion around the other factors that come into play in the total equation. Of course decapitating individuals for any reason, is an extremely act, but there are a lot of gray areas, which the movie does a solid job of sort of exposing.

Unfortunately, this is not one of Mr. Stone's best efforts, which is not to say that it's not a good movie. It was probably shaved down about 15-25 minutes for running time, which cut out some scene that better established the relationship between Ben and Chon. But, I personally wanted to see more reasons behind why their business and relationship with was able to work so well.

Savages, is a cast well and does include some very noteworthy performances. One in particular that stands out, is Del Toro. He could have just been put onscreen with those dark glasses and the look, that he so often donned in the film, and he would've given people nightmares. Hayek is inspired in her role as the kingpin of the Mexican drug empire. Taylor Kitsch, who plays Chon, redeems himself or the dismal box office takes of his previous two 2012 movie efforts in this one as well. Blake Lively turns in a better performance than she did in, The Town, and John Travolta seemed very authentic as, DEA agent Dennis. Demián Bichir and Emile Hirsch have minor roles, but both do a fantastic job of making those few minutes count towards making this an even more watchable movie.

Savages, might not be a movie you'll want to catch at the theaters, especially with so many other great films vying for moviegoer attentions, but it's a cinematographer's dream, with a very well written script that'll probably have your head spinning a few times, and if you don't mind too much blood, it's a fun way to spend 2 hours.

Ted

Ted is a new movie from Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane. Starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis and set in Wahlberg's native Boston, MA. It's MacFarlane's first live action effort, although it does include a major animated aspect, that being one of the major characters, Ted. Ted is a magical teddy bear, who through a childhood wish comes to life to have a very tumultuous, Lindsay Lohan-esque tabloid laden upbringing, which plays out during the first scenes of the movie. MacFarlane, Wellesley Wild, and Alec Sulkin the auteur's of this screenplay, do a mighty fine job of establishing a frame of reference for the completely impossible notion that stuffed animals can come to life. Throughout the movie, they embrace this by depicting reaction's from other characters in the movie to Ted's presence and demeanor, in a very raw, truthful manner.

Living in Boston, I'm a bit biased by alot of scenes having everyday connections to places I visit and am around quite often, but the movie certainly plays well in this city and the city also serves as another character of the movie, with one specific reference to a nearby town drawing many laughs in the theater I viewed it in.

A common theme of MacFarlane's work is that he always pushes the limits of what is politically correct and just generally what is acceptable for off color jokes. In Ted, he's continued to push the envelope with that, drawing disdain from a non-profit benefiting ALS for a joke from the movie. Although, I think they have strong footing to supplant their comments, Ted is overall such a funny movie that without that joke, it's a must see.

Snow White and the Hunstman

It's definitely worth mentioning that it was an arduous journey to see this movie on a dreary, rainy Saturday in Boston, MA. Firstly, the Chestnut Hill theater where my friend and I originally set out to watch this movie looked like it was in full summer blockbuster mode with a line out the door, with undoubtedly the majority of patrons their to see Snow White & the Huntsman. A line for a movie opening in the suburbs is pretty rare in my opinion, unless Harry Potter or Bella Swan are involved. But, that's just the thing, Ms. Swan was involved, Kristen Stewart was of course playing the venerable Snow White. So, my underestimation of the breadth of interest in this movie was costly, as this overcrowding spurred us to push our viewing showtime back an hour and head into the city, to watch it at the Boston Common theater.

Well, things didn't get any better for us, as the 5:45 showtime was sold out here (Yes, I'm familiar with Fandango and purchasing tickets beforehand, just didn't think it was necessary). So, after some discussion we decided to push through, find something to kill some time, and see it at 6:45PM, this time buying tickets with an hour and some time to spare.

The consensus of reviews for SWATH were generally lukewarm, most said that it earns a lot of points for its visual achievements, but that it lacks in the areas of storytelling, plot/character development, and rhythm/pacing. I have to agree with the critics on this movie, and I look to the choice of the films director for the reason behind some of its pitfalls. Rupert Sanders', an essentially unknown, making his major motion picture directorial debut didn't seem to put much of a memorable touch on the film. The movie seems to want you to feel a connection to a specific character, such as Snow White or her father the King, but there aren't enough developmental scenes that set those emotions up. So, about halfway through the movie you're kind of like, "Where's Charlize and when are we getting to her showdown with KStew".

Some people who deserve some credit for this film's success, are cinematographer Greig Fraser, supervising art director, David Warren, and Lucy Bevan, who was responsible for the movies casting. Obviously, very solid performances from Stewart, Theron, and Hemsworth, who doesn't go very far from his acting comfort zone in this one, but will absolutely bolster his movie star status coming off the heels of, the Avengers.

A few takeaways for SWATH, are that Kristen Stewart has proven that outside of the Twilight series she has the cache to draw in a huge audience. Charlize Theron is still a great actress and the future looks very bright for her. A lot of people will be scratching their heads about why a bigger, more mainstream director wasn't tapped to helm this movie and Snow White's dwarfs definitely provide some much needed comic relief, but I would've liked a bit more.

The Avengers

Where to begin on this one?... Hmmm alot happening surrounding this movie, and maybe even more that occurs during it. It's so difficult to do a movie like this justice in a review, because it means such different things to the people that will see it. Take me for instance, I wouldn't consider myself a comic book nerd by any stretch of the imagination, but as a kid I probably browsed a couple of those Marvel comic books and I of course knew who all those superheroes were/are. Don't ask me where Hawkeye originated from or what Captain America's shield is constructed of because I won't be able to tell you. I think that stuff are important elements of the story, but alas I don't allocate too much of daily life to remembrance of fictional superhero character etymology, it's mostly spent immersed in more tangible things like working to pay the bills, socializing with friends, eating meals, etc. That's sort of a jab at fan-boy comic book geeks who don't seem to grow up, the ones that you satirized in television and other films. Think Jeff Albertson or Comic Book Guy, from the Simpsons. Anyways, I think it's worth mentioning them because they never seem satisfied by a "major" motion picture effort like this one, bringing it down with commentary like, "Hated Iron Man's Mark VII suit, it didn't incorporate the arc reactor enough into the total design". Major in parentheses because of the $220 million budget of this film, apparently another couple million dollars would've been necessary to achieve that perfect Iron Man suit luster, I'm sure. But, truthfully a movie of, The Avenger's, proportions attracts such a diverse audience that it is almost impossible to review it in a way that is relevant universally, but nevertheless I'll try.

It goes without saying that this movie has an exceptional cast, but I obviously just said it, so let me touch on a few performances that sort of sealed the deal. Robert Downey Jr., as Tony Stark, was probably the most memorably and I attribute this to a couple reasons. One being that he's gotten the most practice playing the role of the billionaire playboy/philanthropist/inventor in the two Iron Man movies, the other being the script. In this movie, his role is very well written, heavy on quips and retort, especially with Chris Evans character, Captain America. Samuel L. Jackson's character, Nick Fury, also had a larger role in this film, which went over well with me. His emergence as a more conflicted, secretive S.H.I.E.L.D director was portrayed well by the accomplished actor.

Joss Whedon, the movie's director, deserves a ton of credit for just how good the movie was. You may remember him from The Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series, Angel, or as the writer of the original Toy Story. As the film's director he does an uncanny job of introducing the superheroes to us and then letting them interact together on-screen in a way that's obviously out of this world and very down to earth (If that makes any sense). Even more credit to his writing prowess, as the script stood out to me as an above average achievement for a blockbuster of this scope. Stan Lee, the venerable "Godfather" of all Marvel Comics, is made out to be a genius in the way that he's assembled "The Avengers" through the development of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans', and Chris Hemsworth's characters in Thor, Captain America, and both Iron Man installments.

Quite simply, The Avenger's is way better than the Hunger Games, can be enjoyed by females (Just ask my roommate) it will outshine any effort that Spielberg and Co. can muster for Men in Black 3, so it should be a must see for all moviegoers for the month of May.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

I think at one point in every young boys childhood, they imagine themselves as James Bond, the quintessential international man of mystery. Playing childish games of "Spy vs Spy", or telephone. Basically, just turning everyday household objects and inanimate objects into tools of espionage. When really they should be dreaming of one day being, Ethan Hunt, super smooth, semi-insane, badass IMF agent. I know that if I could go back in time and do it again, that's the spy I'd want to be.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol delivers on virtually ever level. Honestly, since seeing it last night, I've been trying to think about possible improvements to the movie, but haven't really been able to come up with anything. From a previously unseen Dark Knight trailer, to an exceptional Snow White and the Huntsmen trailer, MI4 knocked this one out of the park. Brad Bird, the film's director definitely paced the film well, with basically non-stop action from beginning to end. It was casted incredibly well, from bringing in Jeremy Renner, to play an IMF analyst named Brandt, to Paula Patton, as Jane, to Simon Pegg, as Benji, even Lea Seydoux, as Sabine Moreau, a very sexy international hitwoman (If these exist in real life, I've never met one, very unfortunately). The set locations are also top notch, with most of the filming taking place in Moscow, Prague, Dubai, and Vancouver. Utilizing the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The shooting at this ridiculously breathtaking skyscraper make for some of the best scenes in the movie.

Wrapping things up, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, may be the best action movie of the year, with the only other real contender to compete being, Transformers Dark of the Moon, but a limited release is certainly not a telling tale, as the weekend box office wasn't kind to Sherlock Holmes or MI4. But, Cruise helms the film in such a way that I see big things for this movie.

The Help

The Help is arguably one of the best movies of the summer. The way it encompasses so many intertwining lives and depicts them in a genuine sort of way is remarkable. The movie brings out so many emotions in it's audiences, that's it no wonder that it achieved so much box office success back in August.

If you've been living under a rock for the past 2 months then you probably don't know that the film is adapted from a novel with the same name, by Kathryn Stockett. Tate Taylor, who I've read is a very close friend of Stockett, directed and assisted in writing the screenplay for the film. Taylor and Stockett have truly accomplished something incredible, with this being both of their first major Hollywood film releases, they crafted a 146 minute piece of art that not only moves smoothly and efficiently through a complex character driven narrative with heavy societal commentaries at almost every turn. Some critics have argued that the film only scratched the surface in terms of racial relations during this time in America, but it must be remembered that the film is a drama and was distributed by DreamWorks, not to simply educate people, but to turn a profit, so obviously certain aspects of depicting the civil rights movement wouldn't end up on screen. I personally have no problem with this, as if I'm seeking to be enlightened of this tumultuous time in American history I pick up some documentaries from my local library,

Another aspect that makes the Help so remarkable, is it's cast. From Bryce Dallas Howard, to Allison Janey, to Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, Cicely Tyson, and Sissy Spacek, all of the performances feel authentic and compelling. I expect this ensemble to be recognized come awards season, and a lot of credit should again be given to Taylor and Stockett for providing these actors with material that could showcase their talents.