Director: Steven Knight
Writers: Steven Knight
Stars: Jason Statham, Agata Buzek, Vicky McClure

Synopsis: Homeless and on the run from a military court martial, a damaged ex-special forces soldier navigating London’s criminal underworld seizes an opportunity to assume another man’s identity — transforming into an avenging angel in the process.

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DIRECTION
First of all, it’s weird seeing Jason Statham with long hair, or any hair at all really, and that threw me off. That being said, Steven Knight’s directorial debut isn’t too bad. The cinematography used in London is really well shot and edited really well. There are several great swooping cameral shots that make for some fun transitions in this film. Knight’s script is a little dry at times but the way he pieces it is intriguing at times. The best win for Knight, outside of his cinematography, is how he utilizes Statham and get’s a little bit more out of him than what we normally see. Not a bad debut at all.

Grade: B+

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SCRIPT
The story centers around a ex-British soldier (Statham) and how he is now homeless and on the run as he fled the military after being blamed for a terrible tragedy while he was serving. He steal another man’s identity temporarily and is using a nun to help him get a few things in order. In the middle of that he begins working in the city’s criminal underground. The story becomes a little dry in places but we see Statham in some action, which is what we expect to see. However, this isn’t an action-driven movie. He’s motivated by the nun who is encouraging him to do the right thing and restore his life. While it has it’s flaws, it’s not terrible by any means.

Grade: B

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PERFORMANCES
Statham’s performance is a little surprising to me as his character isn’t the same butt-kicker we’re used to seeing. Umm, don’t get wrong, he has those moments of beating people up that we’ve seen before, but he goes a little deeper than that. As a man seeking revenge and not happy with where his life is, he shows a little emotion and has a little more than what we’ve seen before. While it’s not terribly outside his zone, it’s enough for me to enjoy it and see the potential he has to do something else. The other actors in this film are just background and barely deliver but Statham stands out for sure.

Grade: B+

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SCORE
Dario Marianelli has done some great work before but the score his doesn’t really add a lot to the film. The second act of the film gets some great score music and that part lifted it up a little but the music here only serves as background noise and it does its intended purpose.

Grade: B-

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Overall Grade: B

Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Writers: Ken Daurio (screenplay), Cinco Paul (screenplay)
Stars: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove

Synopsis: Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.

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DIRECTION
Despicable Me 2 brings back the same directing duo from the 2010 film in Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. Like that film, they do an admirable job here, putting together a decent story with impressive visuals and a talent voice cast. The story is a little disjointed at times, focusing on one aspect when it probably should be focusing on another, but having the Minions play a bigger role this time around was a good idea on their part. The visuals are quite good and sequences are shot well and it appeared as if seeing it in 3D would actually be worth it. And the voice cast is just as strong as the first film, giving solid performances all-around.

Grade: B

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SCRIPT

The first Despicable Me centered around Gru getting out of the villainy business and learning it’s okay to be a good guy, something that comes about because of three adorable kids he ends up adopting at the end. So Despicable 2 follows right off of that, exploring his parenting and his search for a woman to complete the family. During all of that, Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help them find, well, a villain. And in doing this, they team him up with Lucy. At this point, you can kind of see where this is going to end up. It’s all done well and is sweet for the most part, but certain areas (Gru’s relationship with his three kids and Lucy) are explored enough to make it tug on the heartstrings like the first film did. But what this film does do better is give us more of the Minions, Gru’s weird-looking yellow workers. Instead of being in the background, there front and center this time around and play an integral part in the story. They are funny and provide the best moments (particularly at the end), and it makes sense that they’re getting their own film as they are what everybody loves.

Grade: B-

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PERFORMANCES
The voice acting in Despicable Me 2 is one of its highlights. Steve Carell shines as Gru, the villain-turned-domesticated-parent, using that deadpan Eastern European accent to somehow bring a likability to the character. And his chemistry with Lucy, voiced wonderfully by Kristen Wiig, is enjoyable to watch, especially since the two characters are big-time contrasts of one another. The three kids are extremely cute, especially Agnes, the youngest who is voiced by Elsie Fisher. Benjamin Bratt is solid as Eduardo, although his character is mostly stereotype. But the real stars of the film are the Minions, voiced by directors Coffin and Renaud. They speak in their only little gibberish language and are just extremely fun to watch.

Grade: A-

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SCORE
Heitor Pereira’s score for Despicable 2 isn’t very memorable and really doesn’t add a ton to the film; it’s just kind of there. But Pharrell Williams, who seems to be everywhere right now, brings some original songs to the mix and they are pretty memorable. He not only sings the title track “Despicable Me,” but he also sings “Happy,” which is kind of a dance-happy song that is used perfectly in the film.

Grade: B-

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Overall Grade: B-

Director: Gore Verbinksi
Writers: Justin Haythe (screenplay), Ted Elliott (screenplay)
Stars: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson

Synopsis: Native American warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.

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DIRECTION
Gore Verbinski once again teamed up with Johnny Depp to create an extremely long, action-filled (sort of) movie that is inconsistent at best. The script is pretty poor but Verbinski adds some great transition shots that include some beautiful visuals. While they aren’t all necessary and sometimes felt like Verbinski was caught up in the landscape, they were beautifully shot and edited. The action sequences aren’t as many as you’d think and they go way over the top. Realism was not a factor here but more like trying to have fun in a video game. You’ll always regenerate, right? For those that didn’t, it was a little violent for a Disney film that may throw off some folks but may make it more fun for others. The film was edited to be way too long and included an old Tonto (Depp) that was completely unnecessary. That being said, Verbinski is saved by an amazing ending sequence that includes an unbelievable score by Hans Zimmer that makes this film much better than it actually is. The final 20 minutes is crazily absurd but a lot of fun and extremely energetic. It’s easily the best part of the movie.

Grade: B

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SCRIPT
The film opens with Tonto recalling his tales with John Reid (Armie Hammer) to a young kid who is dressed up as the Lone Ranger. All of that was unnecessary and should of been cut out of the film altogether. The story is all over the place and adds dialogue to characters that didn’t need it. Once the story starts to come together, it takes itself out and is forced to come back again. By the time Reid figures out who he’s supposed to be and what to do, it’s two hours into the movie and it becomes cluttered and clunky. There’s not tons of action here which means the movie rely’s heavily on the story and the characters to take it further. Speaking of, the characters aren’t well written and the Lone Ranger is more of a pacifist, who doesn’t feel like a hero but rather someone who doesn’t belong there at all. But there are pockets here and there throughout the movie that are great and well written which gets you into the story and what’s going on; and then they take you back out with scenes and stories that don’t need to be there. The ending sequence is fun though and it finishes off well which saves the movie. If the whole movie had been more tightened and focused like the final 30 minutes, the movie could have been really good.

Grade: C+

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PERFORMANCES
Armie Hammer doesn’t really deliver as the Lone Ranger and he made the character very unbelievable. Part of the problem is the script, but Hammer does things and says things that don’t say Ranger or hero in any way and it becomes very distracting. He brings some emotion to the character but overall he missed out on bringing our old hero back to life. Depp, or Captain Jack Sparrow, is back on the scene as Tonto who has his moments but overall falls mostly flat. However, Depp is very good in certain parts. He’s actually more serious in the role than you’d think and doesn’t bring a big comedic tone but rather is more the driver of the story. He brings little emotion as usual but has the right amount of presence to carry the movie, especially when it’s really dragging. William Fichtner stands out as the main villain here and is incredible. He’s one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood and he brings it here. It’s not an original character but for how it’s written, he’s incredibly engaging and believable. The rest of the cast is fine, while some of the characters don’t add anything, and they do enough to get you through two and half hours of inconsistency.

Grade: B-

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SCORE
OK, finally. The best part of the film. Hans Zimmer’s score is absolutely amazing. He uses a lot of brass instruments and brings a fair amount of western tones that fit the movie naturally. From beginning to end, the music is a carrier, especially through a couple of long transitional shots that are used as filler. The action sequences are incredibly lifted by Zimmer’s score and they add a lot to the environment and aesthetic of the film. But what lifts Zimmer’s score above all else is the final battle sequence that is his spin on the classic’s famous theme. It’s ten minutes of pure energy that goes on and one without slowing down and brings that action sequence to life. It’s fun, extremely engaging and it pulls you in to what’s going on and you forget that the action is a little absurd. The high energy pace along with the iconic theme screams The Lone Ranger and it absolutely saves this film from being complete misery. Amazing, amazing work here by Hans Zimmer.

Grade: A+

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Overall Grade: C+

Director: Paul Feig
Writers: Katie Dippold
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demián Bichir, Marlon Wayans

Synopsis: Uptight FBI special agent Sarah Ashburn is paired with testy Boston cop Shannon Mullins in order to take down a ruthless drug lord. The hitch: neither woman has ever had a partner — or a friend for that matter.

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DIRECTION
The Heat is an interesting take on the buddy cop genre that that is mostly dominated by male leads but in this case we have two female cops, one FBI and one local Boston Police. Paul Feig does a great job of letting his female leads just go for it and he edits it brilliantly. While his story is dry and done before, Feig is an expert of getting great performances and bringing life out of the story that’s entertaining. Every scene has purpose of bringing laughter and even in some cases some good emotion. The music choices he uses compliment the story and are funny in the context of the situations. This isn’t Feig’s best work but it’s one that is worth the watch and will bring you some laugh’s. It’s a great movie with two female buddy cops who you don’t work well together that eventually find their way and the way Feig plays with that is amazing.

Grade: A-

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SCRIPT
The story here isn’t great by any means and it’s a story we’ve seen 100 times over. Sandra Bullock plays an FBI agent who takes herself very serious, has an arrogance about her and it drives everyone close to her away. On the other hand Melissa McCarthy is an Boston Policewoman who does whatever it takes to get the job done including bending the rules a little bit. They both find themselves on the same case through some manipulation by McCarthy and thus we have our buddy cops. Both characters however have some depth to them that is explored and because of that you find yourself invested a little bit further than beneath the surface. This is easily the strength and the soul of the script. It’s all about the characters, which are well written and even better performed which makes this movie hilarious and fun to watch. McCarthy’s character is inspired by her family who doesn’t like her much while Bullock’s character lacks family all-together which makes for some interesting dynamics. It’s within the contrasts these characters have that make them interesting and it’s easy to jump on board with that. While over-arching story is not interesting and has been done lots of times, the characters steal this script and bring it up to an exciting level.
Grade: B

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PERFORMANCES
The first few scenes where we see McCarthy seem forced and her dialogue felt like she was trying to stay to the script more which left her character unfunny and out in left field. However, there’s a turn early on where she goes off on her boss and in that moment you see McCarthy come to life and from there on you can tell she had free reigns to let loose on her character. She was hilarious and on her A-game which is exactly what we’d want from her. Bullock isn’t very funny but plays her character well and fits the mold that you’d expect from Bullock. Her character is more straight forward and usually gets in the way which is how Bullock plays it. She delivers the character the way it needed to be done. The rest of the supporting cast doesn’t stand out but they aren’t distracting either. They do a good job of being where they needed to be.

Grade: A-

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SCORE
Mike Andrews gets the score here and he does an okay job with the music. As is with most comedy’s, the score compliments what’s going on but it’s the characters that stand out so it’s mostly background music. The additional tracks used here though are very interesting and adds a lot to the scenes and transitions.

Grade: B

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Overall Grade: B+