Director: Steve Pink
Writers: Leslye Headland
Stars: Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, and Joy Bryant

Synopsis: A modern reimagining of the classic romantic comedy, this contemporary version closely follows new love for two couples as they journey from the bar to the bedroom and are eventually put to the test in the real world.

[/info]

INTRO
I said it once and I will say it again, Hollywood loves remaking movies and I never see any point in remaking a classic great film. “About Last Night” is an upcoming remake of the same movie which released in 1986. The 1986 version starred, Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. The 2014 version stars Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, and Joy Bryant

DIRECTION
My worst fear about this remake was that it was going to exactly like the previous one without any major changes. As soon as the casted was announced it was interesting that it went with an all-black cast and that the film would be based in Los Angeles instead of Chicago. Director Steve Pink and screenwriter Leslye Headland do a tremendous job in keeping key components of the original play and film but providing a fresh mix on things that are more relevant to our society now. The characters are all relatable and it makes us appreciate the film even more. One big difference between the original and this film is that the women they encounter. In the original the women were more full figured and have more diversity while the current version has your typical stereotypical women that we as a society praise shamefully I may add. Steve Pink was also able to keep things going between the two couples without missing a break.

Grade: A

[divider]

SCRIPT
I thought this film was written well and the choice of actors made this film blend perfectly to a certain degree. The movie is written much like a new relationship would go. First couple meets, 2) have chemistry, 3) Move in together (to test their love), 4) one or both parties become bored and they break up, 5) one or both members realize their life is not the same without the other and finally they rekindle. What happens between steps 1-6 is what makes the movie and in this case it was filled with what I call “Kevin Hart Syndrome”. The script was written with a nice balance of humor and seriousness. In comparing the dialogue to the original this version was more scripted towards the original screenplay which I like because the more sex and dirty talk there is the more I like the film. Changing the location and the characters made the script more exciting as it brought new light as I stated before.

Grade: B

[divider]

MOVIE REVIEW: That Awkward Moment

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
First off, I am not a Kevin Hart fan, so seeing him in a leading role makes me cringe. For the most part the dialogue is fine between the characters but then the “Kevin Hart Syndrome” kicks in where we have too many times where Kevin Hart is being Kevin Hart. Hart was not completely bad in this movie but the way he delivers his lines took away the film for me. Regina Hall’s character Joan is just as witty as Hart’s character (Bernie) but her delivery was more natural and kept me in the film and Hall easily stole the show in this movie. Michael Ealy (Danny) and Joy Bryant (Debbie) had wonderful chemistry together and played their roles very well, but I think Joy Bryant should have been replaced by Sanaa Lathan or Nia Long as they perform very well in these types of roles (Best Man Holiday). I just wished that Paula Patton had a larger role (sigh).

Grade: C

[divider]

SCORE
About Last Night featured songs from artist such as John Legend and Bruno Mars. The best song of this movie is Get Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine) by James Brown. Movies in this time of genre usually have great scores that fit the more perfectly. About Last Night continues the tradition of successful scores in a comedy movie.

Grade: A

[divider]

IS IT WORTH IT?
Being a film lover, this movie cannot hold a candle to the original because it was perfect on all cylinders. The newer version is intended for a different demographic and based on other people that viewed the film, they absolutely loved it. For me I would have liked Kevin Hart more in a supporting role but if you enjoy his acting then you will enjoy this film. If this film was an original I may have liked it but if I had to choose between the original and this version I would have to choose the 1986 version.

Overall Grade: B-

Director: Jason Reitman
Writers: Jason Reitman (screenplay), Joyce Maynard (based on the novel by)
Stars: Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith, Tobey Maguire

Synopsis: Depressed single mom Adele and her son Henry offer a wounded, fearsome man a ride. As police search town for the escaped convict, the mother and son gradually learn his true story as their options become increasingly limited.

[/info]

DIRECTION
This is a pretty sad day for me, as I love Jason Reitman in general and Juno was one of my favorite movies of 2007. However, what Reitman does with Labor Day is just dreadful on all accounts. Although his screenplay was much of the culprit, his direction wasn’t great either. There are many elements that are introduced that aren’t explored very well and the pacing was very poor. The set up to the story in the first act was amateur and contrived on almost every level. Reitman uses flashbacks or dream-like sequences in several instances but none of it is used to further the story well. This elements not only lack depth but almost add a layer of ambiguity that works against the film. Reitman tries to add elements of suspense but not one time do yu feel that nor do you believe in the situation. You never feel the mystery of the characters or the story and instead it just feels like a big yawn. The 80’s aesthetic works on some occasion, which was a nice touch, but there’s not much else working for it. The use of Tobey Maguire to narrate the story seems odd at first but is used well and is one of the other few good parts of the film.

Grade: D+

[divider]

SCRIPT
Seriously, I don’t even know where to begin. The dialogue for this film is atrocious, forced and in some cases unbelievable. And I don’t mean that sarcastically. Reitman forces situations and themes into this story that on their own merits are great, but make absolutely no sense in this film. If he would of explored one of those elements well, the movie could of worked but instead there are several themes not explored well and it works against itself, especially in this context. The romantic dynamics are rushed and never feel natural. There are characters introduced with no real purpose and humor that was badly needed, but when it arrives it feels very distant still.

Grade: D-

[divider]

MOVIE REVIEW: That Awkward Moment

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
It’s pretty hard for me to imagine how Kate Winslet was nominated for a Golden Globe for this performance. Don’t get me wrong, she’s pretty good but I wouldn’t classify this as a nomination worthy role. This isn’t a make-up performance for Josh Brolin either, which he needed after last year’s Oldboy. That being said, it’s not really their fault. Reitman wasn’t sure what to do with this film or where to take this story and it’s reflected in the ambitious performances from Winslet and Brolin. Their chemistry wasn’t quite there either, but again, that can be blamed on awful, awful writing. Shout out to Gattlin Griffith though, who play Winslet’s son and he was easily the most believable. He plays a young boy who’s timid, scared and unsure of what to do with his young teenage life. Clark Gregg has a small role as Winslet’s ex-husband and is fine in the role.

Grade: B

[divider]

SCORE
Rolfe Kent’s score is subtle, quite and doesn’t add much to this movie. Normally, scores for these kinds of films need to be in that ballpark, however, Reitman wanted to add suspense and urgency in some parts of the film and the score doesn’t reflect that well. This score would of worked more if some other themes were more prominent but as an overall package, it doesn’t fit the bill.

Grade: C

[divider]

FINAL THOUGHTS
Labor Day is a tragic mess on all kinds of level. It’s not that you’d expect this movie to win awards or anything, but you can expect a lot more from Reitman, who really misses the mark big time here. While the aesthetic was fun to see a little, there’s not much to like about this film. It tries to be playful and subtle but really just falls flat and shallow.

Overall Grade: D+

Director: Tom Gormican
Writers: Tom Gormican
Stars: Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Imogen Poots, Mackenzie Davis, and Jessica Lucas

Synopsis: After their friend Mikey’s break-up, Jason and Daniel promise to stay single with him. However, they both end up falling in love thus affecting their promise.

[/info]

DIRECTION
The beautiful thing about Love is that it is one of the few things that can break the Brotherhood amongst men. Newcomer Tom Gormican was faced with the challenge of seeing how three different types of men view women and the consequences of it. One thing that movies do that always makes me cringe is when films open up with the ending and then starts as a flashback. Gormican employs that same strategy and in this case it was not a plot giveaway. The film is structured like a typical love story but offers a bad balance of humor and realism. On the surface this movie looks like it well appeal to both men and women, but do not be fooled this film is more of a chick flick and it seemed like each male character is designed to appeal to a certain gender. The role of Daniel will appeal mainly to men as he is the comical one and more sex driven. Jason (the main character) will appeal to both genders equally as he plays a more balanced role. Mikey is the ideal “ladies man” as he is considered with reuniting with his wife and becomes Awkward around other women. Despite all this, Gormican does an excellent job of having the three different stories blend nicely with each other to provide a nice coherent movie. The problem that I have with the direction of the film is that it simply fails to keep your attention as it is repetitive for most of the movie and Michael B. Jordan should have stayed at Fruitvale Station because he was very out of the place in this film.

Grade: D

[divider]

SCRIPT
The problem with doing a love film is doing something different because the audience already knows the love cycle where the guy finds a girl that will change his thought process, but falling in love is not for men. Guy eventually falls in love and messes up with girl and does some elaborate display of affection and the girl takes him back. That Awkward Moment sadly is set up exactly in this way and it attempts to fill in the missing pieces with humor. The first half was strong as we learn about how each male lead feels about relationships and women. The jokes worked well when introduced the first time. The middle of the film is when in my opinion the script went dry and become repetitive with the same poop jokes and characters doing the same thing day almost daily. Not sure if the bad script is a result of the dialogue or the subject matter. How was the dialogue you say? I’ll say this 2 Chainz could probably write better dialogues (not a good thing). The absolute best scene that is a perfect example of what not to write for any upcoming screenwriters is when Jacob (Zac Efron) and Ellie ( Imogen Poots) first meet in a bar.

Grade: F

[divider]

MOVIE REVIEW: Spike Jonze’s Her

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan delivered homerun hitting performances in The Spectacular Now and Fruitvale Station respectively, so in this film their roles were not as great but they did the best with what they had. Zac Efron was the performance I wanted to see the most as I just remember him from the High School Musical series. Zac Efron played the role perfectly and he surprisingly has a comedic side (credit his next film The Neighbors?). The female leads all played wonderful roles as well. As well as the performances were it could save the awful script.

Grade: B+

[divider]

SCORE
The score was done by David Torn and is mostly just background noise that you won’t notice very much. For what it was though, it was okay. There was a couple of uses of soundtrack music as well but nothing is really stand out worthy. For the most part it fills the space but doesn’t add anything.

Grade: C+

[divider]

FINAL THOUGHTS
That Awkward Moment is a movie that will be enjoyed by few because the humor is nothing special and tells the same story we heard before. The nice thing about the film is that he does show us that Love can change a person for the better and shows us that being with the right person makes all your issues go away; and that you are happiest when you are together, however, all we have to do is search on Google and we will come to the same conclusion.

Overall Grade: D

Director: Stuart Beattie
Writers: Stuart Beattie, Original Screenplay by Kevin Grevioux
Stars: : Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Socratis Otto, Jai Courtney and Kevin Grevioux.

Synopsis: In a dystopian era, Adam Frankenstein becomes involved in a war between a clan of gargoyles and a clan of demons in an ancient city.

[/info]

INTRO
We all know the story of Frankenstein a creation by Victor Frankenstein. Over the years the image of Frankenstein has changed but is the latest installment something that Mary Shelley would be happy about or is she turning in her grave? Director Stuart Beattie brings us I, Frankenstein, which stars Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighly, and Yvonne Strahoivski.

DIRECTION
Having the producers of Underworld (my favorite movie series) involved in this film is both good and bad. The great thing is that you can expect amazing visuals effects and a dark theme resonating in the film. The bad things, however, is that you can also expect very similar story lines in fact this film has the same basis that Underworld has. Beattie does a very poor job of representing Frankenstein as we get no real back story and he is hiding in the shadows most of the movie and it seems to me like he was better suited as a side act rather than the main attraction. I also understand that Frankenstein needs to look different but how it appeared on screen was that he simply had scars on his body and didn’t seem like he was “made”. The demons were also poorly done and I was unsure if I was supposed to laugh or be scared. One thing that I found annoying more than anything was the fact that every time a gargoyle or demon died there was a beam of blue light or flames respectively. The one bright spot for Beattie was the amazing work he did with CGI. The visuals in this film were amazing and nicely shot for the most part.

Grade: F

[divider]

SCRIPT
There is a war going on between good and evil and in between stands one Selene, I mean Frankenstein. Having the exact same premise of Underworld really blew it for me. The difference between Underworld and I. Frankenstein is that there is absolutely nothing that keeps your interest in this movie. The characters are boring and the dialogue is horrendous. The funniest part of the film to me is when Bill Nightly character reveals his demon and says, “I am a Dark Prince” because it is obvious by that point that he is the leader of the rejected cast from the 1991 TV series Dinosaurs. Beattie starts off by rushing through Frankenstein’s origin and then poorly explains why the demons and gargoyles are at war.

Grade: F

[divider]

MOVIE REVIEW: Reasonable Doubt

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
I know Aaron Eckhart and Bill Nighly are both better than this film so I am going to give Harvey Dent a pass for this movie. Eckhart did not play a bad role I think the character was just bad overall regardless of who played it. Jai Courtney brought the same skills from A Good Day to Die Hard, so you can imagine how things went. No Oscar worthy performances here.

Grade: C

[divider]

SCORE
Surprisingly, I,Frankenstein has a wonderful score. During the credits I saw two familiar names: Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek. Heli and Kilmek have done the score for such films as: Run Lola Run, The Princess and, of course, Cloud Atlas. The duo uses a nice mix of big orchestra sounds with strings and bass that help provide a “gothic” feel to the music. Being an action movie the movie will be slow at some parts and then fast at others and Heil and Kilmek are successful at keeping pace with the film. My two favorite songs are “Ride of the Gargoyles” and “This Body is mine”. If you were thinking about watching this film I think your money will best be spent on the Soundtrack.

Grade: A

[divider]

IS IT WORTH IT?
If it is not obvious by now, then NO I cannot recommend this film at any time including Redbox or Netflix. I watch over 100 movies a year and I say that this movie will probably end up on my worst list of 2014.

Overall Grade: F

Director: Peter Howitt
Writers: Peter A. Dowling
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Dominic Cooper, Erin Karpluk

Synopsis: A District Attorney has his life turned upside down when he’s involved in a hit and run and another man is arrested for his crime and charged with murder.

[/info]

DIRECTION
Peter Howitt, who directed Johnny English and Laws of Attraction, brings us the thriller Reasonable Doubt starring Nick Fury and Howard Stark. Okay, actually I mean Samuel L. Jackson and Dominic Cooper who played those characters respectively in Captain America: The First Avenger. Howitt was able to pin them against one another and created a nice Michigan winter aesthetic that worked for the film with the goals they had in mind. The pacing was a little inconsistent and the camerawork was pretty predictable but Howitt was still able to capture the thrill a little bit. He gets a solid score from James Jandrisch, which really brought up the film from where the it lacked.

Grade: B

[divider]

SCRIPT
The script had a descent premise but it doesn’t quite it explore it thoroughly nor do all the characters get the right treatment. However, it does just enough that it gets by with the way Howitt brings it to life. The story centers around a District Attorney, played by Cooper, who is involved in a hit and run accident. However, another man (Jackson) is charged and arrested for the murder. As things start to play out, we see that there are deeper things going on and Cooper’s character is stuck between finding justice and also revealing that he’s not the true criminal. Some of the major themes were actually explained well and Jackson does a good job of revealing those theme. The story could of used a little bit more backbone but for the small thrill ride it wants to deliver, it’s not terrible.

Grade: B

[divider]

MOVIE REVIEW: Spike Jonze’s Her

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
As mentioned, Cooper plays a District Attorney who is in a fight he didn’t expect and Cooper plays it pretty straight forward. While some elements could of been dealt with better, Cooper does a descent job. It’s not his best piece of acting but the kind of script this movie had, it was appropriate and never over-bearing. Samuel L. Jackson was great as the antagonist but he never swears once and that’s a disappointment. Okay, all kidding aside, he was good, although he doesn’t have a ton to do and mostly needed to look menacing. Ryan Robbins has a very small part but I liked it when he was on screen. The dynamics and relationship he has with Cooper’s character seems a bit forced and wasn’t explored as much, but Robbins plays it pretty well.

Grade: B+

[divider]

SCORE
As I mentioned, James Jandrisch has a pretty solid score for this little Canadian film. It’s a more digitized, almost Only God Forgives-esque score, but it’s different enough and works to enhance the thrill elements of the movie. There’s a nice little theme that plays throughout which was fun and made for a much better score than most of these type movies usually get.

Grade: A-

[divider]

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, Reasonable Doubt leaves a little room that there is some but it’s still satisfying. The main story arcs are done well and explores some pretty tough territory that we’ve seen before, but it plays it a unique way that’s pretty rare. The films suffers from pacing issues as well as forcing some story tropes that needed to be explored more. There was good potential here and it’s not entirely wasted. While this isn’t a needed theater experience, it’s not a terrible Netflix watch once it’s up there.

Overall Grade: B

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writers: Adam Cozad, David Koepp, Tom Clancy (Based on characters)
Stars: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh

Synopsis: Jack Ryan, as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.

[/info]

DIRECTION
Kenneth Branagh, who directed Thor, brings us Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, which is more or less another reboot of the character. This film is really divided in the sense that the first half was much, much stronger than the second. The first half had a sense of mystique and curiosity, along with some well written scenes to enhance those qualities. However, the second is the same-ld tropes and story arcs we’ve seen over and over again. Although, there are some settle differences, Jack Ryan isn’t anything new by a long shot. The way Branagh handles the mysteriousness was fantastic, but the reveal was pretty much mundane on every level, with a few exceptions. He doesn’t overplay the relationship drama within the reveal that would make it cheesy and very distracting. Branagh also does a nice job of making you think he’s going in one direction but then plays it differently, which was nice. And that’s a credit to creative camerawork and well thought out set pieces, especially when exploring the Moscow aesthetic.

Grade: B+

[divider]

SCRIPT
Okay, where to begin with this one? This is easily the worst part of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, but mostly it’s just lost potential and it’s not the worst thing we’ve ever seen. Again, the first half is strong and where lots of scripts overwrite certain scenes, Adam Cozad and David Koepp pull back the reigns a little which was nice. The dialogue in the first half was realistic and kept it in the same mysterious aesthetic. However, the middle act becomes a bit muddled and forces some moving parts that didn’t need to be going at those speeds. The recruitment of Ryan is one good example that went by with no real explanation other than he’s really smart. The third act seems to move away from what worked earlier in the film and mostly becomes the same mundane action movie we’ve seen over and over again. The dialogue becomes cheesy and lazily written, while not exploring the areas it needed to be. It’s like they wanted to be the new Bourne movie, but with Jack Ryan instead of Jason. There’s no real reason every explained how Ryan goes from the analysis chair to “in the field”, other than he was a Marine so maybe that works? Anyway, while I like that they went away from the North Korean bad-guy trend, this story isn’t anything to boast about and doesn’t add anything new. The second and third acts are pretty weak, and if not for better direction and better acting, this could of been much worse. There was a lot of potential here for it to be something descent, and while it’s certainly not the worst thing in the world (see Die Hard 5), it’s mostly dry and mundane.

Grade: C

[divider]

MOVIE REVIEW: Spike Jonze’s Her

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
Chris Pine was pretty good in the role of Jack Ryan. He fits the analysis persona really well but has enough physical ability that he could do the action sequences when he needed to. His chemistry with Keira Knightley was interesting in the fact that it didn’t seem to be that great, but in many cases, that was pretty intentional. So when you look at it like that, it’s kind of hard to tell. Knightley, while I love her, was pretty average here. She didn’t have as much to do and her dialogue was very poorly written, especially in the third act of the film. I’m looking at you Cozad and Koepp. Costner was fantastic as the older CIA operative who is recruiting Ryan, however he was kind of hard to buy in the action pieces. Thankfully there wasn’t a ton of that for him. The director himself, Kenneth Branagh, plays our main Russian villain who is stereotypical in almost every fashion. There is actually one piece of dialogue where a security guy says he has the “same problems” that are his weakness; vodka, women, infidelity and everything else that comes with Russian bad-guys. Again, it’s a script issue. The performances themselves are fine.

Grade: B+

[divider]

SCORE
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit has an oddly great score for a typical action movie. That is, until you see that it was scored by Patrick Doyle and then it all makes sense. And while this isn’t on the same level as his Thor score, it’s still very good, especially for this movie. It’s high energy with some really good subtle themes throughout. He uses a lot of drums that adds to some great dynamics with his strings, which he’s good at maneuvering. This is a solid piece of music and was used well in the film. Many of the tracks are actually pretty good to listen to outside of the film as well, which is hard to do for movies like this.

Grade: A-

[divider]

FINAL THOUGHTS
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is far front the worst I’ve ever seen. And it’s way better than that action movie that was in Russia last year at this time (Die Hard what?). However, the mystery isn’t all that exciting and it tries to be something that it’s not. The script needed some work and to edit out all the cheesy dialogue that makes this film seem very empty. While the performances are good, this is going to be another failed reboot with the character and for good reason. If you like typical action movies, this will be a good Redbox rental or Netflix watch, but it’s nothing more than that.

Overall Grade: B