Director: Destin Cretton
Writer: Destin Cretton
Stars:Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr.
Synopsis: A 20-something supervising staff member of a foster care facility navigates the troubled waters of that world alongside her co-worker and longtime boyfriend.

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DIRECTION

Going into this film knowing nothing about it aside from the praise that it has garnered this year, I had no expectations aside from a story about a foster home with the female lead being played by Brie Larson. Granted, that’s interesting enough to get me into the seat, but as the credits appeared and ‘Destin Cretton’ rolled past as both the writer and director, I had to believe that this one came from the heart. Later I found out that this was Cretton’s second feature-length film and it was based on a short with a title of the same name that he released a half-decade ago in 2008. The intense realism dealing with what the result of childhood neglect produces was enough to make me uncomfortable, stressed out, but at the same time evoked the thoughts of why cinema is so fascinating and transcending. I recently quoted Kent Jones from a Criterion booklet in which he says that cinema is a response to the world and that movies and film are a distraction from it. Well, I’d say what Cretton has done here qualifies as cinema. The world we live in is ever-changing and full of misconceptions and miscommunication. The issues at hand in the film are not only dealing with neglected children but other major issues as well. At times I was afraid Cretton would try to solve these big issues or come down one way or the other on them, but what makes this a special piece of cinema is that it is a response to all of those things. The viewer is asked to make conclusions but not after being challenged to think about them through devastatingly tough situations and characters. The direction here was key, and the success of the film is what makes me pencil in Destin Cretton as someone to watch in the future.

Grade: A

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SCRIPT

Cretton’s script is bold, straightforward at times, but filled with many movie moments which rank among this year’s best for me. One particularly disturbing scene involving Brie Larson is so masterfully executed that I have to believe it comes from Cretton’s own life or those close to him. That’s how believable most of the film was for me. Anyone who has dealt with neglected children or adults who come from homes where they weren’t given the love they deserved will identify with at least one of these situations, if not all of them. The dialogue and lines never felt unrealistic to me and Cretton seemed to know his characters well, perhaps since having so much time to deal with them from the previous incarnation of this story, or maybe Cretton’s real life aids him here. I’ll be interested to hear the story behind the story.

Grade: A

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PERFORMANCES

Brie Larson finally has a breakthrough performance. I’ve been waiting for her to get a role where she could shine, and this was the one. Larson is consistent, precise, and flexible in a myriad of ways. Dealing with intimate relationships with both adults and children, Larson fills a role that plays much differently on the surface than in the layers peeled back as the film progresses. John Gallagher Jr. is absolutely outstanding as her co-worker, and there is a host of supporting cast members who deserve a lot of credit. It felt like this was a team of actors instead of individuals. It truly seemed as if these people were all working together to tell a story that meant a lot to them. Special recognition should go out to Kaitlyn Dever and Keith Stanfield who play two of the older children in the facility and who have crucial roles in the film’s success. For this film to work, everyone had to be perfect. It’s not a home-run story if you can’t relate to it, and I believe that even if you are lucky enough not to know what these situations are like, these actors will get you as close to them as you’ve ever felt.

Grade: A+

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SCORE

In keeping with the theme of what seems to be a strong team effort, Joel P. West provides the music in the film. He has worked previously with Cretton on an unreleased film called I Am Not A Hipster, and he provides a clear, full, pleasurable accompaniment to what we see on screen.

Grade: B

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Final Thoughts:

There’s no way words could describe how much this film meant to me on a personal level, but as a piece of work it deserves much more attention than it has gotten thus far. It’s finally crossing the $1 million mark this weekend, but that’s a crying shame. This would work with mainstream audiences. Word of mouth has been positive and there is hardly any negative press about it, but for whatever reason it isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Go out and see this, and if your local theater isn’t playing it, ask them why not. This is not a film that deserves to be overlooked.

Overall Grade: A+

Director: Gavin Hood
Writers: Gavin Hood (screenplay), Orson Scott Card (based on the book Ender’s Game by)
Stars: Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld

Synopsis: The International Military seek out a leader who can save the human race from an alien attack. Ender Wiggin, a brilliant young mind, is recruited and trained to lead his fellow soldiers into a battle that will determine the future of Earth.

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DIRECTION
Gavin Hood is back at the helm for his first big feature since the atrocity that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine and I must say, it’s a huge improvement. Hood brings us the essence of Ender’s Game and the heart of the book along with some astonishing visual effects. His pacing is a bit quick and we do lose out on some of the intimacies that made Ender’s Game, the book, so incredible. However, the tone Hood sets is familiar and the visual layout is nothing short of amazing. The first scene we get an intense glimpse of an invasion and from there Hood never lets up on the gas pedal. Hood does a good job of letting his actors take control of the characters and we see the main skeleton of the story come to life. There are some main elements that make this story stand out and the execution of that wasn’t perfect but it’s good enough for what Hood is trying to do. Overall, while we lack the complexities from the book, the film visually displays the main themes and story well. Great comeback for Hood.

Grade: A-

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SCRIPT
The part where Hood stumbles is within the script itself. The script had many, many re-writes and with the help from an “uncredited” Orsen Scott Card, Hood and the studios finally got his blessing on the story. Just like any other movie that’s based on a book, you can’t get everything into a two hour movie and it’s no different here. But Hood does manage to get the main course and themes that defines Ender’s Game. The story is the usual arch of aliens invading Earth but from there the story becomes much different than the usual sci-fi movie. The world sets up the International Fleet that will protect Earth at all costs. This includes taking the youngest and brightest minds and developing them to be the best commanders for war. Ender Wiggin just happens to be the brightest of them all. For the film, we don’t get the backstory of his family much and we lose out on a crucial relationship between Ender and his sister Valentine. But through voice overs and emails, we get some sense of it. There are heavy themes that are explored really well, including the morality of using children for war, committing genocide, guilt and doing what’s right no matter what the situation is in front of you. It’s not as complex as the book, but we get enough of it to make the movie work. Overall, Hood give us the outer shell as we lose out on the rawness and emotional weight that makes the book amazing. And the quick pacing leaves us with just the main course, but it’s good enough that you still leave fully satisfied.

Grade: B

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PERFORMANCES
Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff was really good. As someone who’s short, a war veteran and someone who’s lost his wisecracking abilities, Ford was the perfect cast. Especially given the direction he takes characters now-a-days, he handled it really well. Let’s just say his Han Solo days are way behind him, but he’s effective here for who the character is. Asa Butterfield was slow to start and is hard to believe as this young hero at times but he really comes into his own, especially toward the third act of the film. The quick pacing doesn’t help him a whole lot since he has to win you over really fast with almost no backstory. It’s a difficult challenge but overall he does a good job. You gotta love Viola Davis. Davis plays the more emotional Major Gwen Anderson who battles with the morality of what the military is doing and brings a great presence. Do I ever need to talk about Ben Kingsley? Of course he’s good. His role is very limited and I can’t speak of his role much without giving away spoilers but he’s good. And Hailee Steinfeld is amazing as Petra and delivers that character as well as I would of liked to see from that character from the book. She was incredible and the chemistry she had with Butterfield was really compelling. On a quick side note, Moises Arias, whom I really loved in The Kings of Summer, does a pretty descent job playing Bonzo, who is polar opposite of his character in The Kings of Summer.

Grade: B+

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SCORE
Freaking Steve Jablonsky! I love, love Jablonsky and his score here is absolutely perfect. It’s not going to overwhelm you as a theme you’ll remember forever but it’s the perfect balance of intensity, theme and subtleness, which is exactly what this film needed. While the book is massively popular, it’s not the biggest franchise in the world yet and it didn’t call for a big, overpowering score. However, we do get some of that in the more intense scenes and it magnifies that intensity well. Some other scenes were more subtle and Jablonsky, who has experience in horror and comedy, is able to bring that range that’s needed for those scenes as well. Plus, he has some nice touches of Transformers in here which I personally love. It’s a great blend with many ranges that is perfect for what Ender’s Game needed.

Grade: A

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Ender’s Game is a fun, dramatic look that is different and unique for most sci-fi movies. While it follows the basic trope of alien invasion, it quickly turns into a moral dilemma that involves some heavy and complex themes. And while Ender’s Game, the movie, doesn’t quite hit all the intricacies of the book, it gets the main pieces enough that you can enjoy the film for what it was. If you like the book, you will have some issues with it but you can still enjoy it. It actually could of been interesting in IMAX or 3D too.

Overall Grade: B+

Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: Cormac McCarthy
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem

Synopsis: A lawyer finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking.

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DIRECTION
Ridley Scott is one hell of a director and someone I adore but The Counselor is near the bottom of the list for Scott. This film is a muddled mess with a script that leaves Scott is a terrible place to begin with. When you put Scott and Cormac McCarthy (Author of books such as The Road and No Country For Old Men) together, you’d think it would be gold. But what Scott puts out is nothing short of misery and and pain. There are some glimpses throughout the movie though that are interesting. In particular a sequence between Javier Bardem and Micheal Fassbender’s characters as they are describing a flashback with Cameron Diaz’s character and it is…well interesting. Outside of there, there’s not much to like here.

Grade: D+

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SCRIPT
I have a lot of respect for McCarthy as a book author but his first attempt for a screenplay is nothing short of a disaster. It’s incredibly bleak, lifeless and full of characters that are anything but likable. You kind of feel for Fassbender’s character a little bit, but his own choices put him in the situation. The dialogue is too intelligent for it’s own good and takes the audience right out of the film. It’s also unrealistic, sets up almost every scene in the third act and makes the characters seem unbelievable. The story is messy and expects you to assume things that go unexplained and will be confusing if you don’t pay attention to it. It’s nothing more than a situation where no one is a winner, hope is all but gone and everything is grim. McCarthy’s story isn’t unique or new, just bleak and lifeless.

Grade: D

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PERFORMANCES
Finally, something worth talking about. The performances are pretty solid for the most part. Fassbender is really good and brings a lot of emotion to the character. His character doesn’t have a ton of depth but the emotion is something that is extremely well done. Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem don’t have a ton to do expect spit out unrealistic, heavy dialogue but they do it in an engaging way. Penélope Cruz is the only innocent one in the bunch and, again, isn’t given much to do. Diaz is probably the worst one and the one you hate the most as well. She does a great job of making you want to punch her in the throat, which I give props for, but she isn’t always believable either.

Grade: B+

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SCORE
Daniel Pemberton’s score is absolutely beautiful. The sad thing though is that it’s in a movie that is forgettable and only enhances the worst features of the film. There are some scenes where Fassbender’s character is really emotional and the score is absolutely gorgeous. It’s even high-paced thriller in some of the more exciting spots. But since the film is full of despair and brokenness, the score unfortunately only enhances those elements.

Grade: A-

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FINAL THOUGHTS
There is a scene toward the end of the film where Fassbender is in tears realizing the situation he is in and the consequences he’s caused. While on the phone with a friend, who is explaining him the realities of it all, we see a scene that is actually one of the better one’s of the year. Again, like the score, it only enhances the worst parts of the film, but it’s well done and sums up the whole tone and story of The Counselor. The movie tries to be outside the box but only lives in despair and lifeless blunder.

Overall Grade: D+

Director: Jeff Tremaine (Jackass Movie Series)
Writer: Johnny Knoxville with story support from Fax Bahr, Spike Jonze, Adam Small, Jeff Tremaine
Stars: Johnny Knoxville, Jackson Nicoll
Synopsis: 86-year-old Irving Zisman is on a journey across America with the most unlikely companion: his 8 year-old grandson, Billy.

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DIRECTION

Just as the old saying goes, when something ain’t broke, there’s no need to fix it. Jeff Tremaine has worked with Knoxville and his band of jackasses on all of the Jackass theatrical releases over the years. In the newest release, he continues to up the ante a bit on the production end of things, as well as his choices in the cutting room. Due to Johnny Knoxville’s experience with minimal budgets and resources, lack of footage has never been a problem for these projects. Throw in veteran craftsmanship, time to come up with new and hilarious ideas, and a somewhat different avenue of the Jackass brand (the fictional Bad Grandpa) and what you’ll find on the screen is a wildly successful demonstration of how to make audiences laugh. Tremaine stays out of Knoxville’s way while still exercising his position to maintain a most satisfying duration and mix of comedy.
Grade: A

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SCRIPT

Johnny Knoxville is the mastermind behind Jackass, and more than likely this is the brand he will be remembered for. It’s no surprise that he wrote the screenplay or that he gives his director some story credit as well, but what is interesting to me is the inclusion of three others as it pertains to the story. First are Fax Bahr and Adam Small, an experienced comedy writing duo whose writing credits include In Living Color and MADtv, as well as the screenplay for In The Army Now. On top of those two is Spike Jonze, a star director in Hollywood whose credits include Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and the upcoming Joaquin Phoenix led OS-romance entitled Her. I’ll talk more about Jonze in the performances section, though. What makes this a great film is the evolution of Jackass as a property, and this is a good example of an experience group of people who keep building to make a franchise better and better. It’s too bad so many other properties don’t receive the same love and affection.

Grade: A

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PERFORMANCES

Johnny Knoxville is barely recognizable as Irving Zisman, and while we know it is him under the prosthetic, it is never obvious. This character feels like a part of Knoxville, a unique character which all great comedians have in them. The prosthetic is amazing, and we get to see a sneak-peek at the transformation in the credit scenes. Rarely are makeup artists mentioned, but Steve Prouty deserves recognition for the job he has done here. It’s no surprise though, since he is hard at work. Most recently, you might have seen his work in Thor, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Zombieland, and Men in Black III. Interestingly enough, Catherine Keener and Spike Jonze had larger roles in the film that were trimmed out to focus more on the main story arc, but Jonze has said that we’re certain to see the material at some point. With all of that said, the performance that seemed to consistently win over the audience was Jackson Nicoll’s Billy. Being the grandson of Irving has its comedic benefits of course, but the kid is not just a sidekick. He has a lot to do and when he is given the lead, he is entirely genuine and quite a pleasure to watch. I hope we see him again soon.

Grade: A

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SCORE

Ben Hochstein provides the usual Jackass tunes but throws in some nice complementary material as well. While the score never shines bright, one cannot dismiss the major brand identity that Jackass derives from its simple guitar riffs and sounds.

Grade: B

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Final Thoughts:

If you like Jackass, you’ll love Bad Grandpa. With a great grandfather-grandson dynamic between Johnny Knoxville’s Irving and Jackson Nicoll’s Billy, a fantastic director who compiles a perfect amount and variety of footage, and hilarious sketch ideas from a host of talented writers, this grandpa turns out to be actually quite good. Seek it out in theaters and have a good time with audiences this weekend.

Overall Grade: A+

Director: Mikael Håfström
Writers: Miles Chapman (screenplay), Jason Keller (screenplay)
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, 50 Cent, Jim Caviezel

Synopsis: When a structural-security authority finds himself set up and incarcerated in the world’s most secret and secure prison, he has to use his skills to escape with help from the inside.

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DIRECTION
Mikael Håfström kept things pretty simple for Escape Plan. Håfström let the story speak for itself and he let the actors carry the movie and the action in the ways you thought he would. There are a few shots that showcase the prison well and we get a unique glance at how the prison is built and why it’s so unique. When we finally get to “the reveal” of what’s happening, it was handled really great. Håfström’s biggest win though? This movie is fun. It’s the typical action you’d expect and the fun you’ve always had with these actors in the past.

Grade: B+

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SCRIPT
The script is mostly pretty straight forward, although it does have a few (and probably unnecessary) complications in the middle of the film. The story follows Breslin, Sylvester Stallone, who escapes prisons for a living and is now having to escape a prison he essentially built himself, via a book he wrote. The reasons he is captured and in a new prison will involve spoilers and is also the part that could of been a little less complicated. Outside of that small subplot, Breslin meets up with Rottmayer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who become friends and now work together to find a way out. That’s pretty much it. There are a few twists but it’s fun and what you’d expect for a movie like this. It has cheesy dialogue but lines that you’ll be able to repeat over and over again. In other words, it’s a Stallone and Schwarzenneger movie.

Grade: B+

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PERFORMANCES
The performances are pretty solid. One of the most amazing things about Escape Plan, is that they managed to turn 50 Cent into the most gangster computer geek of all time. And I mean that. He didn’t have much to do, but he was awesome. You got to give a lot of love to Jim Caviezel here. He was incredible as the bad guy and pulled it off extremely well. Faran Tahir and Amy Ryan gave descent supporting roles as well. Sam Neill was also great and I wish he had more to do. His role was very small, but crucial to the story which was pretty great. And what you gonna say about Stallone and Schwarzenneger? They are who they are and it’s awesome. This is a much better movie and story than the movies they both had earlier this year. The characters are deeper, more fun and in a situation that would be awful. But that’s why we enjoy watching these guys’ do it.

Grade: A-

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SCORE
Alex Heffes get’s the score here and it’s not bad. It’s typical action-fare score but it’s good for what the movie needs. It doesn’t stand out in any particular way but it also doesn’t detract.

Grade: B

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Before I get any comments, don’t be confused with my final grade and the title of this review. The action is grade A and it’s what we’d expect from these guys. However, it’s not something we have a section for in our reviews. Overall, it’s fun, it’s cheesy, it’s chaotic and it’s good. You gotta love these guys together.

Overall Grade: B+