Monthly Movie Preview: January 2015

It’s a brand new year, which means a whole new slew of movies – with no pressure of being the next greatest thing – unlike the action-packed December. A fair amount of these films came out in 2014 internationally but are just getting to the States and a couple more have been pushed back from previous release dates. There’s a little something for everyone here.

January 9 – Inherent Vice

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, Benecio del Toro, Maya Rudolph, Michael K Williams (Omar!)

*Originally scheduled to be released 12/12/14

Based off the book of the same name by Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice follows pothead Detective Doc Sportello (played by Joaquin Phoenix) who is investigating the disappearance of his ex-girlfriends current boyfriend.  The book has so many characters, it is unlikely that the movie will follow the book to a tee, but with an all-star cast, it surely will not disappoint.  It looks absolutely irreverent and hilarious.  Set in the 70’s, it will be slightly reminiscent of last year’s American Hustle, but with a little more mystery. – Adrian

January 9 – Selma

Starring: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Common, Wendell Pierce (Bunk from The Wire), Lorraine Toussaint (Dee from OITNB)

This movie could not have come out at a more opportune time. With the racial and political turmoil coming to a boiling point lately, the world needs a powerful movie like Selma. With an All-Star cast of strong black actors, Selma has already been given critical acclaim and is nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Plus, two of the biggest names in Hollywood are serving as Executive Producers – Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt. The focus of the film are the marches for voting rights, but the scope of the film seems to be to capture the spirit of the entire movement. More than just that, the film will give hope and inspiration to the civil rights movement that is still being fought today. – Sherif

January 9 – Predestination

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook

It’s been over a decade since Minority Report came out, but that doesn’t mean it’s too soon to borrow the plot to make a new movie out of it, right? Predestination is what we wanted Minority Report to be. This Australian film (which can be found in its entirety on YouTube) was released last August, but is finding its way to U.S. theaters next week. It’s about a futuristic detective force that uses time travel to stop crime from happening before they happen, but there seems to be an emphasis more on the science than the fiction with this film. – Sherif

January 9 – Taken 3

Starring: Liam Neeson (duh), Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen (Jean Grey from X-Men)

It’s almost over, you guys. The dawning of the final installment to the Liam Neeson trilogy is almost upon us. Thank God. This movie didn’t really need a sequel, but now that the sequel happened, there might as well be a final explosion of glorious murder. It is a little over the top, but what the hell. Chances are that you have already made your mind up on whether or not to see the finale, and my words won’t try to convince you one way or another to go see it. – Sherif

January 16 – American Sniper

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Max Charles, Luke Grimes

*Originally scheduled to be released 12/25/14

If you know the name Chris Kyle then you also know you NEVER want to be on his bad side and at a distance. American Sniper is an exciting chronicling of real life Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the most decorated and deadly sniper-gunman in history. With more than 150 confirmed kills and completing four tours of duty, Kyle appropriately earned the nickname “Legend.” The preview had my heart racing and my hairs on end as Kyle (portrayed by Bradly Cooper) decides whether or not to take out a child carrying what might be a bomb while rushing toward an American-military convoy traveling through what looks like rugged alleys of an Iraqi village. This film will take us though not just the dangerous battles of this hero’s life, but also the critical struggle of balance a family from afar and functioning as a normal civilian. 150 kills and four tours is certain to leave some lasting marks on an individual. I’ve honestly never seen a war/soldier movie that I’ve disliked or felt wasn’t worth the price of my movie ticket. Especially when the film takes on the stories of real-life patriots that have risked their lives and mental fortitude to protect the freedoms that many of us often take for granted. This one should definitely be on your list this month. – Taylor

January 16 – Blackhat

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis, Tang Wei

Chris Hemsworth battles hackers and probably frost giants in this movie about a super-hacker that is attacking banks and corporations all over the world. The one hope that the Chinese & American authorities have to stop this hacker is Thor, apparently. As interesting as it seems at first glance, this really sounds like just a way to capitalize on all the fear the world already has about keeping their identities secure. I’m up in the air as far as recommending this film, but if can be convinced that Thor is a master hacker capable of taking down the world’s most powerful cyber-hacker, then you are already closer to wanting to see Blackhat than I am. – Sherif

January 16 – Paddington

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Nicole Kidman

I wish this had been the first trailer I saw for the movie Paddington. The trailer that first hit America was full of gross bathroom practices, but it looks like this movie is gonna be full of feels. The film based off the children’s book and toy line is going to be adorable. There is a definite Stuart Little vibe as far as the story goes, and this story concept has been beaten to the ground, but the dry British humor should be enough to separate it from its predecessors. If you’re looking for a movie to see with the kids, this might be the one, but don’t expect this to change the game. – Sherif

January 16 – The Wedding Ringer

Starring: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco, Affion Crockett

Kevin Hart is at a crossroads in his career; one more crappy movie like Ride Along (it wasn’t THAT bad, but it was entirely forgettable), and he is destined to fall into obscurity like Katt Williams before him, or Eddie Griffin before him. If he can keep the ball rolling, though, then he keeps his crown as the funniest man in comedy. The concept of this movie is somewhere between the lines of I Love You, Man and Hitch, where Kevin Hart is paid for his services as a best man at a wedding. I’m really looking forward to The Wedding Ringer taking comedy back to feel-good entertainment instead of the two-hour long penis jokes they have become. – Sherif

January 16 – Escobar: Paradise Lost

Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Benicio del Toro

You know those movies where the guy is trying to get in with his girlfriend’s family? And then everybody has a good time while they learn more about each other and themselves than they bargained for? Yeah, this is not that film. This isn’t Robert De Niro we’re talking about; this is Pablo freakin Escobar here. Poor Peeta Mallark may have defied the Capitol and the Hunger Games, but finding himself on the opposite end of an argument with the most well-known and respected drug lord in the world means that he is screwed! – Sherif

January 23 – Mortdecai

Starring: Johnny Depp, Gwenyth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Jeff Goldblum, Aubrey Plaza

Everybody loves Johnny Depp, right? WRONG. This guy has been putting out suckfests for years, and people keep seeing them. You have to give him this, though: the guy is fun to watch. Seeing the movie poster gave me an entirely different reaction than when I watched the trailer. This movie looks absurdly awesome. Mortdecai, besides being one of the fanciest men on Earth, is like a classy version of Austin Powers (or an idiot version of James Bond). Word on the streets is that this will eventually become a franchise, so familiarize yourself with this weirdo. It’s great to see Depp back in a role that does his weirdness justice. – Sherif

January 23 – Strange Magic

Starring: Kristin Chenoweth, Alam Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Maya Rudolph, Elijah Kelley

It may not be Star Wars, but Lucasfilm is back. Strange Magic looks like a lot of fun, and is described as “a beautiful fairy tale with goblins and elves, and do it in a way that only [Lucasfilm] can do. (Source: Yahoo)” With Star Wars sold and off the table for Lucas, this is really his time to let loose and do what he wants creatively. As far as kids movies go, this should blow Paddington out of the water, just for the fact that it’s new and creative – something that needs to be applauded more these days. Either way, it looks like George Lucas is back in the lab and having fun making movies, and that is a win for everyone. – Sherif

January 23 – The Boy Next Door

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Ryan Guzman, Kristin Chenoweth

Here’s an interesting one. JLo plays a MILF fantasy gone wrong. Hot suburban cougar gives in and sleeps with her student aaaaaaand then he becomes a psycho stalker who endangers her life, career and family. Did I lose you at JLo MILF fantasy? This is supposed to be a thriller, and although I know the trailer isn’t a lot to go off of, it does have the certain creepy suspense you want in that genre of film – if not just for the thought that something this crazy could realistically happen. Look for the “Booty” singer to continue to try to really milk her time in the limelight as a sexual object. – Sherif

January 30 – Black or White

Starring: Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Bill Burr, Gillian Jacobs

This movie is a huge eyebrow-raiser for me. On one side, you have Kevin Costner’s character, who has tried to raise his black grand-daughter, Eloise, by himself after the passing of his wife and daughter (mother to the child). Meanwhile, you have Octavia Spencer, who is fighting for the grand-daughter for custody. Maybe there’s some big Kumbayah moment where the reluctantly racist white guy and the black mom learn to live in harmony and share custody of the grand-daughter, but I foresee an awkward racial mud-slinger, and very little about what is actually best for Eloise. It’s gotten some pretty crappy reviews since it’s minor, independent release last September, so don’t be surprised when it turns out being awful. – Sherif

January 30 – Project Almanac (AKA Welcome to Yesterday)

Starring: Jonny Weston, Sofia Black D’Elia, Amy Landecker

I am a total sucker for these kind of home-made science-fiction movies that have been the trend the past few years, so when this this time traveling flick came up on the new releases, I got stoked. Unfortunately, this thing has been delayed almost a year, which is a shame since 2014 was an overall weak movie for indy sci-fi. Like Chronicle before it, this group of kids have fun with their new-found discoveries, but soon realize that there are serious repercussions to what they are doing. You may have let Michael Bay ruin your childish with TMNT, but this is one of his projects I could definitely get behind. – Sherif

Thor: The Dark World Review

Genre – Comic Book/Action/Fantasy

Director – Alan Taylor (Thor, the next Terminator film)
Cast – Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba
Alluring element – Rides off the coattails of The Avengers, Lots-o-Loki, Natalie freakin Portman 

Check it out if you liked – The Avengers, comic book movies, dry Whedonesque humor

 

Plot – 6
Acting – 8
Representation of Genre – 8 
Cinematography – 9
Effects/Environment – 9
Captivity – 8
Logical consistency – 7
Originality/Creativity – 7 
Soundtrack/Music – 8
Overall awesomeness – 7
Natalie Portman Tom Hiddleston offset - +5

Thor: The Dark World opened with $85.7 million worldwide – not bad for Disney. Acquiring the rights to Marvel films has secured their studios rank among the movie franchise greats. Fanboys can breath a collective sigh of relief. Our nightmares of Professor X sing-a-longs with teacups and woodland creatures can finally be laid to rest. The integrity of our beloved comics has, for the most part, been maintained with only a few noticeable slights along the way, ahem, Iron Man 3.

You lost me at gratuitous…. and totally worth it.

The story is cliché and simplistic, so lets get that out of the way. There was a war, the bad guys tried to obtain a weapon that would defeat the good guys and when they lost, the weapon was buried deep where no one could find it until an unlikely character stumbled upon it and was consumed by its power. The bad guys searched for it and they found it and before they could wield its true power, then they were defeated again by a brave warrior. So in other words, Thor 2 is basically a 120 minute version of The Lord Of The Rings. It even has elves, but its lack of original script is forgiven, more so tolerated, by its incredible CGI and the always adorable Natalie Portman.

Why be an astro-physicist when you can be The Phoenix.

Carrying an entire movie on one name can be a stressful task. Disney was betting on riding Hemsworth’s pecs to a big payday, but the box office can be unforgiving if an A-Lister can’t deliver. Leading roles are becoming exceptionally dull. The overtly moral, one-dimensional character apparently bores writers like Christopher Yost of Dark World. Man of Steel is a perfect example. I can hardly remember Henry Cavill even being in the movie, but Michael Shannon made me a life-long fan with his portrayal of General Zod (“I WILL FIND HIM!”). The list goes on: Kevin Bacon owned First Class, Alfred Molina in Spiderman 2, and we are all aware of Ledger’s glorious performance in The Dark Knight. With that being said, “I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose!” Thor 2 can attribute its success to its villain, played by Tom Hiddleston.

As a prisoner of Asgard he kept our attention, pacing his cell like a lion at the San Diego Zoo. His facial expressions read as predatory. Loki is a thinker. He is planning 3 moves ahead of the game. He took us by storm in Avengers. He stole every scene and was just as entertaining as Downing, if not more. He clearly has mastered the art of delivery, placing a breath where it is needed before a line for dramatic effect. It was such a relief to see an actor jump so effortlessly into a role. He is most definitely the best written character as well. Delivering beautiful rebuttal lines like:

Thor: I wish I could trust you.
Loki: Trust my rage.

In one scene he stabs Thor in a ruse to fool the Dark Elves. It was so well done that even the audience was fooled and we once again had a reason to hate and love his character.

This is that part where you give me my own movie.

The remaining cast does not disappoint. Idris Elba had my favorite scene as Heimdall, guardian of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge. At one point, he jumped from the bridge onto one of the Dark Elves warships in an attempt to thwart their invasion. He is a one man army. Plus his armor is sick! The always sarcastic Kat Dennings delivers a wonderfully dry comic relief role as Darcy Lewis, proving that Zooey Deschanel doesn’t have the market cornered for brunette hipsters. Rene Russo has clearly aged. No longer the MILF of the Thomas Crown days, she plays a great sentinel of Asgard wielding a sword to protect Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman.

The real test of Thor will be whether or not the man with the hammer can defeat The Girl on Fire. The first Hunger Games movie opened at $152.5 million worldwide. Catching Fire will prove to be a good draw and take a large chunk of Thor’s future box office. Traditionally, a Hollywood heartthrob would have little to worry about keeping 14 year old girls and work-from-home moms in the seats, but with the over-all badassery and girl power of Katniss Everdeen on the other side of the aisle it is clear that Thor’s numbers will take a strong dip.

I was super excited for the release of The Dark World, mostly due to the extraordinary job done that was done with his character in The Avengers, so there was an expectation to begin with. Admittedly, I held the film to a higher standard going in. This score is almost all attributed to Hiddleston’s flawlessly deviant characterization of an inconspicuous comic villain. He needs a franchise. Hopefully he will make an appearance in Age of Ultron. I am still a little bummed that James Spader beat out Vin Diesel for the voice of Ultron, but hey, it could have been Affleck.

written by John Soweto

Monthly Movie Preview: September 2013

Hey guys! It’s been a whole year since we’ve done this, but with the rise in good independent films and nerd-based movies, we feel like now is as good of a time to get back on it as any. While action films tend to rule supreme, September is a month of promising documentaries and indy films, making up for the super-saturation of action movies this summer.

September 6 – Riddick

Starring: Vin Diesel, Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), Dave Bautista (WWE wrester)

The third installment of the trilogy following Diesel’s Riddick around a desolate future where vicious creatures rule the darkness. The Riddick series has garnered quite the cult following and it’s not without reason. The sweet special effects, a strong protagonist and a fully-enveloped world helped the previous two films, Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick, carve out a niche in the sci-fi world. Riddick‘s story starts with our main character left for dead on some God-forsaken planet, killing lost of nasty alien creatures and humans that get in his way while he saves a planet from being described. Ya know, pretty much every sci-fi plot since science fiction was a thing. While this film will definitely create some buzz, like most of Diesel’s other flicks, I don’t expect it to make too much noise. That said, this will definitely be a movie I will want to see in theaters. I’ve really enjoyed Diesel’s performances of the first two films and I can’t wait to see how the third one plays out. – S

September 6 – Salinger

Starring: Martin Sheen, Edward Norton, John Cusack, Judd Apatow, many other famous people

Salinger is a documentary centered around the secluded life of legendary author, J.D. Salinger, whose book, The Catcher in the Rye, after multiple murderers (one being that of The Beatles’ John Lennon) claimed that his book inspired them to carry out the murders. It will be a pretty in-depth look at the man behind the myth. Salinger has been described as being “exhaustively researched” by one of its critics; this is something that Adrian (an English major and readaholic) will geek out about, and viewers who are not as well-versed in literature, like me, can look forward to learning a lot from it. The documentary’s director, Shane Salerno, has been working on the film for over eight years, and has co-written an extensive biography on Salinger. Salerno describes the film as a view “inside J.D. Salinger’s private world and shine light on a man named Jerry who lived in the shadow of the myth of J.D. Salinger.” Our book nerds will have a review to look forward to on this film for sure. – S

September 13 – The Family

Starring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones

A fun spin on mob family comedies, The Family is a tale about a man (played by De Niro) that informs on the mob and enters the Witness Protection program, moving his family to France in order to remain anonymous from the crime family that he snitched on. The best part about the trailer is that his whole family is a bunch of jerks. Their mob mentality hasn’t gone away at all, and from the previews, it’s a pretty humorous look at mafia mentality translated to other areas of life. Surprisingly, laying low doesn’t last long. Explosions and hilarity ensue. It doesn’t look ground-breaking or anything, but it is an original spin on a dated idea. It could be worth a look. – S

September 13 – The Muslims Are Coming

Starring: A buncha Muslim comedians, political comedians (John Stewart, Lewis Black, etc)

The Muslims Are Coming! is a documentary/stand up comedy centered around Muslim comedians trying to break the race barrier with humor. It’s been years since I’ve seen a stand-up movie in theaters, but as an Arab-American, I feel pretty invested in this. The Muslims Are Coming! started off as a Kickstarter campaign, believe it or not. While it’s sold as a stand-up comedy, my guess is that a majority of the film will use personal encounters with Southerners and a slew of celebrity interviews to try to eliminate Mulsimophobia in the film. It also brings to light the issue of acceptance of Westernized Muslims by traditional Muslims. Muslims raised in America often find themselves trapped in the middle, not being accepted by either traditional Muslims or the mainstream American population. It looks to be a pretty decent movie, boasting, “You’ve never laughed this hard at a Muslim.” – S

September 20 – C.O.G

Starring: David Sedaris’ genius, Johnathan Groff (The Conspirator), Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars)

It’s amazing that a film based off anything of David Sedaris’ life is being made at all.  If you are unfamiliar with who David Sedaris is, let me clue you in.  Sedaris is a bestselling author of creative non-fiction.  I wouldn’t go as far as to say his writings are all memoir, because memoir doesn’t necessarily make people laugh.  Sedaris has written about all his odd jobs, his life with boyfriend Hugh, his time in NYC and Chicago, and his family and childhood in North Carolina.  The reason there has never been a film made of his books and/or stories is because he always felt that his family would be mocked rather than acted and he never wanted them portrayed that way.  That being said, I don’t believe Sedaris’ family will take much of a role in C.O.G.  C.O.G. stands for Child of God.  As a fair warning, this movie is probably not for bigots, homophobes or religious zealots.  The story of C.O.G. will be a mixture of stories David wrote about his early 20’s working the apple season in the northwest and then carving clocks with a friend he makes.  That being said, I cannot wait to see this film.  Sedaris is my favorite author and i know he has had a lot to do with the making of the film.  Be ready to laugh hysterically, be shocked and even come away enlightened. – A

September 27 – Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2

Starring: Bill Hader (SNL), Anna Farris (Scary Movie), Andy Samberg (SNL), Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog), Terry Crews

As the month’s lone family film, Meatballs 2 looks to pick up where the second film left off. Flint and the rest of Swallow Falls return to a land they had to evacuate after Flint’s food machine forced the population out of town. When they return, it gets all Land of the Lost meets the Food Channel. The entire island has evolved and food creatures now rule over the treacherous land. Every creature is some silly play on names, the most hilarious being the Tacodile… SUPREME! It looks to be full of laughs for the whole family, with a few SNL alumni to keep things fresh for kids and adults alike. I really enjoyed the first installment, so I expect the sequel to repeat the formula that made the original so successful. – S

September 27 – Don Jon

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza

Setting aside my total man-crush on JGL (yeah, he has his own acronym), I’m genuinely excited to see Don Jon. In his writing and directing debut, Gordon-Levitt also stars as a sex-addicted bro-guy who unexpectedly falls for Scarlett Johansson and has to decide if he wants to live his life through porn or whether he wants to settle down with a decent girl. Of course, any time you mention Scarlett Johansson and sex-addiction in the same sentence, I’m sold. In all honestly, though, this looks to be a different approach. I’m sure there will be gratuitous sex in Don Jon, but I think that it will be limited. I see Joseph Gordon-Levitt adding depth to a seemingly shallow film. Don Jon looks like it will be a fun independent film, and hopefully will put JGL on the map as more than just an awesome actor. It’s the film I’m most excited for this month. – S

September 27 – As I Lay Dying

Starring: James Franco, Danny McBride

You may have thought right off the bat that a movie starring James Franco and Danny McBride would be a sequel to this summer’s This is the End.  But a second glance at the title, and you may be reminded of William Faulkner’s classic American novel of the same name.  As a bibliophile myself, I am always excited to see moviemakers ideas about a book.  William Faulkner is one of the best authors in American history, so it shouldn’t be too hard to make a quality film of his genius.  James Franco not only plays the main character, Darl, but he also directs the film.  The main plot is a family of brothers and sisters must bury their dead mother in a nearby town.  Keep in mind that the book was written in 1930, so this will be a period piece.  I look forward to seeing where this adaptation takes the viewer. – A

September 27 – Rush

Starring: Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Daniel Brühl (famous German actor), Olivia Wilde (Tron: Legacy, Butter, House, drooooool….)

Blah blah blah, Olivia Wilde, blah blah blah, racing. Wait, what? Olivia Wilde? Sold! Rush is a Ron Howard film about the rivalry between Formula One racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda that is more about the two driving each other to be the best than it is about winning. Lauda is severely injured in a crash (actual footage shown below) and he tries to make a comeback, with the help of Hunt pushing him. While it looks like it would make a really cool ESPN 30 for 30 documentary,  I don’t know that I could watch the movie without thinking of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Help me, Tom Cruise, it has Olivia Wilde in it, so I’m automatically interested. – S

That’s quite a bit of movies for September! Look out for October’s preview in a month.

Written by Sherif Elkhatib and Adrian Puryear