Director: Adam McKay
Writers: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
Stars: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, James Marsden

Synopsis: With the 70s behind him, San Diego’s top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy, returns to take New York’s first 24-hour news channel by storm.

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DIRECTION
Adam McKay, and I’m sure Will Ferrell also had a lot of say in the direction too, takes us back to the 1970’s where we are once again reunited with the (in)famous Ron Burgandy. The aesthetic in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is done really well and in itself is used as satire at times with things such as perms, outfits and other 70’s stereotypes. It’s what’s in the details that makes this film funny, such as the small line that Sea World was sponsored by BP (British Petroleum). It’s a small thing you can miss, but it’s those moments that make it great. The uses of music are fantastic and in some cases add big moments to the film. And while some of the performances are ridiculous, it seemed that’s where McKay wanted them. McKay’s best achievement though was the last 20 minutes of the movie. I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s incredibly epic. Overall, for a sequel that’s been hyped up for a very long time, it’s almost as good as you’d want it to be.

Grade: A-

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SCRIPT
The film picks up in the 1970’s at the dawn of the cable news era and our beloved News crew has disbanded and working in other areas. After working a short while at Sea World, Ron Burgandy is offered a job as news anchor for the first ever 24-hours news network channel. He gathers up his crew in an RV and they head off to New York City. The Sea World and RV scenes are hit or miss. Most of it was gratuitous and the comedy was flat in those areas, but for the people that don’t need much to laugh, there is certainly something there for you. As the team gets situated in their new roles, they are left to new rivals and new challenges as team. Steve Carell’s has a crazy love subplot, but in some ways actually has some of the better moments. As for Burgandy, while many of his actions are funny, there’s a good amount of them that are pretty racist and sexist all at the same time. Depending on your views and how much leniency you’re willing to give it, will depend on how the jokes land for you. A few of the jokes border and cross the line in what can be funny. In the second act of the film, after some unfortunate events, Burgandy is isolated in a lighthouse and kind of loses his mind, which was a nice nod to Talladega Nights. The best part of the script is it’s blatant satire on cable news and especially the 24-hour news network channels. The references to crazy car chases being the main news items, all the graphics you see on the TV screens, and chaos they deliver to the masses was absolutely brilliant. And while some of that isn’t laugh out loud funny, it’s what makes the film really good. And where the script is mostly hit or miss throughout, the last 20 minutes is incredibly epic. I don’t want to divulge too much, but it’s amazing. The overarching story also has some really nice redemptive themes that work well with the comedy.

Grade: B

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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PERFORMANCES
Will Ferrell is Ron Burgandy. He’s exactly what you’d want him to be here. While some of the script and lines fall flat, Ferrell delivers them as we would want from Burandy. Ferrell even has a song here, when he and his son adopt this baby shark, which was pretty good. Paul Rudd plays his character pretty straight forward but has some nice moments, especially with his condom drawer. Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig were incredibly over-the-top. But they were so crazy together that it mostly worked and has some shining moments. David Koechner was mostly annoying. James Marsden was very good too, although he didn’t have much to do nor did he bring any real threat as the main rival in this film to Burgandy’s character. There are a lot of cameos in this movie that I won’t talk much about, but when you see them, you will love it.

Grade: B+

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SCORE
The score in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues was done by Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau. The score was alright and while it’s never distracting, you also never notice it. The soundtrack music on the other hand is very different and adds a lot to the aesthetic of the film. As mentioned earlier, Ferrell has a track himself that’s pretty great. The music here overall, while good, isn’t going to blow you away with how they use it here.

Grade: B

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FINAL THOUGHTS
This movie was saved for me in the third act of the film. The blatant jokes they were going for fell flat and didn’t really grab me the way they were attempting to. The small detailed jokes worked mostly but you can easily miss them. Through the first two-thirds of the movie, while I was having a good time seeing these beloved characters, I wasn’t overly impressed. The dramatic elements of the movie seemed to work better than the actual comedic bits, in all honesty. The overarching story was actually good and I liked where they took it. And, as I’ve said, the third act gets crazy. It’s such an amazing work of comedic cinema that really saved this movie in a lot of ways. The cameos are great and it’s absolutely what I was looking for. Overall, while it’s not as good as the first Anchorman, it’s still satisfying.

Overall Grade: B

Written & Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman
Synopsis: A week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.

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SPOILERS for this film may ruin your experience. Please proceed with caution.

DIRECTION

After watching the trailer several times, I thought I knew what I was getting into when I sat down for Inside Llewyn Davis. I could not have been more mistaken. I was expecting something similar to O, Brother Where Art Thou? and what I got was more like A Serious Man. The marketing genius displayed here is a rare feat in Hollywood these days, and the swerve audiences will get when this expands nationwide this weekend will probably disappoint some and genuinely impress others. Wiser minds than my own may have known better, but I was impressed by the trickery. This is the only time I will reference Iron Man 3 in a Coen Brothers review, but it reminded me a lot of the red herring of the Mandarin character that we were fed in that trailer. Another reference to be made is to Harmony Korine’s use of repetition, so if you like how it is used here, I’d recommend Spring Breakers. As far as general direction goes though, Inside Llewyn Davis features solid landscapes, beautiful performances, and captivating moment after captivating moment. The Coens know how to pull characters to the forefront of a story, and it takes very little time for them to establish each character in this film.

Grade: A-

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SCRIPT

The screenplay for Inside Llewyn Davis is quite similar to me to that of A Serious Man in that it follows one character through his day-to-day life. However, this time around it’s a folk singer in the 1960’s in the midst of his struggle to become a successful musician. Devastating events aren’t exactly less powerful than those that occurred to Mr. Gopnik in the aforementioned film, but certainly Llewyn seems a bit more used to tragedy of his existence. That is not to say however that Llewyn is an optimist–for his pessimism often gets in the way of opportunity to succeed. This type of character is hard to watch, but as opposed to the character I had expected coming into the movie, I have to say it seemed much more plausible and realistic. We view a small portion of Llewyn’s life in a circle, giving us enough of a sample to get the gist of who he is. Overall, I felt that the narrative was sharp and witty, and while the story may be a tragedy, at least it is a marvelous one.

Grade: A-

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PERFORMANCES

Strong performances from Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, and Justin Timberlake bolster the film’s cast around the energy of Oscar Isaac, who portrays the film’s lead role. Something should also be said about the cat Ulysses, too. The Coens humanized the cat and showed what can happen when you use the camera unconventionally–a minor pet turns into one of the film’s major characters. Isaac plays a bit like Standard in Drive, though this is a small criticism as his charisma and honesty as Llewyn was enjoyable. I do think it is noteworthy to see Carey Mulligan back in the saddle again as her role as Daisy in The Great Gatsby earlier this year was underwhelming knowing what talent she possesses. In years to come I think Carey Mulligan will be recognized as one of this era’s greatest talents, and this will be a nice notch in her belt on the way to superstar status. John Goodman’s bitty, weary, obese old man was spectacular, and after recently hearing Goodman saying in an interview that he himself was tired, I have to believe part of that exhaustion comes across in his performance. As most Coen films do, Inside Llewyn Davis relies on its characters and performances and the casting was spot on.

Grade: A+

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SCORE

The music was a big disappointment to me simply because I expected the song from the trailer “Fare Thee Well (Dink’s Song)” to be one among many great folk songs in the film. However, for me the songs were mostly passable mediocrity that went alongside the character of Llewyn. Just as it seemed a great tune might be coming, a corny or boring folk song hit the speakers. Let me be clear though, I think this too was calculated and executed perfectly and the ability to pick average songs did require a lot of talent. The additional music was fine, though nothing had me awestruck.

Grade: A

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Final Thoughts:

Inside Llewyn Davis is a great story of a character in the midst of struggle, and while it may not exactly uplift one in the traditional sense, it reminds me of that beautiful and truthful scene towards the end of Tokyo Story with an exchange between an elderly man and a young woman:

Kyoko: Isn’t life disappointing?

Noriko: [smiles] Yes, it is.

Overall Grade: A

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Writers: Abdellatif Kechiche & Ghalia Lacroix (based on the comic book: “Le Bleu est une couleur chaude” by Julie Maroh)
Starring: Lea Seydoux (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Midnight in Paris, Inglourious Basterds), Adele Exarchopoulos (Les Enfants de Timpelbatch, I Used to Be Darker)
Synopsis: Adele’s life is changed when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair, who will allow her to discover desire, to assert herself as a woman and as an adult. In front of others, Adele grows, seeks herself, loses herself, finds herself.[/info]

DIRECTION

By now, you’ve probably at least heard of Blue is the Warmest Color. It’s the French film that is reigning Palme d’Or winner after a jury headed by none other than Steven Spielberg heralded it as “magnificent” and a “profound love story”. Spielberg’s championing of this film may seem odd because he’s a living legend in Hollywood and in American culture. He makes great family films, and while Blue is the Warmest Color does involve parent-child elements, the film also includes some very explicit sex scenes in a lesbian relationship. As if that weren’t enough, the press has scrutinized the relationship between Abdellatif Kechiche and his two lead stars to the point where one may wonder how they ever made it on stage together in Cannes to accept the award. So, that leads us to the big question: Has this film been over-hyped and overrated due to it’s provocative nature? The answer is no–in fact, I would say that the film benefits from the press it has gotten in that it misleads the audience. Kechiche has taken a story, some beautiful people, and a beautiful environment and molded what might be the most realistic love story that the 21st century silver screen has been graced by. The close-up shot is Kechiche’s favorite, and is the way he puts us inside lead character Adele’s head is simply spellbinding. The colors, the food, the culture, and the relationships–Kechiche capitalizes on what makes the French culture one of the most beautiful in the world. Even the musical selections were fresh and relevant to the story. Kechiche may be a controversial figure, but one cannot imagine a director with greater precision when it comes to capturing emotion. This was the perfect pairing of director and material.

Grade: A+

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SCRIPT

The script was written by Kechiche and Ghalia Lacroix but is based on a French graphic novel entitled “Blue Angel”. One needn’t imagine why the direct translation wasn’t used for the film’s title, as The Blue Angel is one of the most famous in European cinema history and very different from what we have here. This is easily one of the best “comic book movies” ever. With a very impressive screenplay, the film never slows down and in fact when the movie ends, it leaves you wanting for more with a beautiful cityscape long-shot involving one of our main characters. The witty dialogue and intelligent conversations that are in this script make for a compelling, interesting love story between two young women in present-day France. I especially liked the inclusion of philosophy and art as well as music and food. These are touched on nicely by our cast of characters and really build on each other to make for an epic movie experience. Kechiche is known for his unconventional techniques, but much of the dialogue was calculated as it was far too precise and smart to be anything otherwise. The flow of the movie is perfect and one follows the not-so-simple narrative with relative ease. As these two writers have worked together before, I expect them to continue that partnership after this marvelous film collects praise throughout the awards season, and I can’t wait to see what they choose to do next.

Grade: A+

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PERFORMANCES

Of course, with all that said, the film just wouldn’t be what it is without the performances. Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux both give career-defining performances and while Seydoux continues to show her strengths as an actor, Exarchapoulos is really stepping onto the world stage for the first time, and there couldn’t be a better debut performance this year for my money. The sheer beauty and arsenal of different faces she can act with are nothing less than amazing and Seydoux plays off of her talents quite well which makes them an impressive young duo. I can’t see why Americans wouldn’t see her in the next few years, as she speaks English quite well and she has supermodel looks with Academy Award talent. This is truly a star being born in front of us.

Grade: A+

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SCORE

The musical selections in this film were absolutely perfect, and includes tracks from Ellie Goulding, M83, The Vaccines, and most notably Lykke Li. The song is called “I Follow Rivers” and I was immediately hooked. Additional music was composed by Jean-Paul Hurier who has done work for some of the biggest French releases in modern cinema history such as La Vie en Rose, The Prophet, and The Intouchables. All of this adds up to a fantastic musical experience.

Grade: A

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Final Thoughts:

Easily among my top films of the year, Blue is the Warmest Color portrays young love at its height–passion, tenderness, wonder, and beauty. I’ll give it my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.

Overall Grade: A+

Director: John Lee Hancock
Writers: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
Stars: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti

Synopsis: Author P. L. Travers reflects on her difficult childhood while meeting with filmmaker Walt Disney during production for the adaptation of her novel, Mary Poppins.

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DIRECTION
If there’s one thing John Lee Hancock is really good at, it’s giving a film heart. Saving Mr. Banks is a movie that thrives on heart, and while it’s not all singing and dancing, it’s the soul of this film. The big thing about this film that you’ll notice first, is that you’re not watching a film about the behind-the-scenes of the movie Mary Poppins. It’s merely a backdrop our characters are dropped into as they explore something more beneath the surface, especially with Poppins’ author, P.L. Travers. Hancock’s use of flashbacks to tell her story was executed well, to a point, and it set the tone of the movie really well. At some point, it becomes overplayed in some cases, but the overall technique works for how he wanted to present the character. The aesthetic Hancock create’s in nice and it definitely takes you back to the early 60’s. Some of the visuals were lacking but the main aesthetic was there, whether in the 60’s or way back to the early 20th Century in the flashback scenes. Overall, it’s a charming film that is funny and Hancock brings a picture that is more than satisfying.

Grade: A-

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SCRIPT
Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith’s script was at one point a hot commodity and it’s easy to tell why. The real-life story is an interesting one but this re-creation had a little something different in mind. As I mentioned earlier, if you want a fun, behind-the-scenes look at Mary Poppins, then get out spoonfuls of sugar and be ready to be disappointed. This movie is about Mrs. Travers (that’s what she likes to be called) and the real heart of who Mary Poppins is and what she’s about. The tone of the story, while light and fun in many places, is darker and depressing in other places. It’s about the heartache that motivates Mrs. Travers and why this Mary Poppins is more like family to her, than a character on a page. On the surface Mr. Travers seems like a really huge, umm…let’s say not nice person, until you understand her more. Mr. Travers makes things incredibly difficult for Walt Disney, who’s trying to buy the rights from her to make the movie. The script brings forth those moments well in the first two acts but completely forgets those challenges in the third act, making the story more flat towards the end. Between that and the overuse of flashbacks, some of the story needed to be more tightened. Overall though, it’s deeply-rooted, has a ton of heart and will make you laugh. Again still more than satisfying.

Grade: B+

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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PERFORMANCES
Emma Thompson shines as Mrs. Travers and absolutely disappears into this role. Thompson really brings this character to life and shows us what was most likely what really happening to Travers in real life. Tom Hanks, while not on the level of Captain Phillips, is still really good and funny as Walt Disney. It’s the first time Walt (that’s what he liked to be called) has ever appeared on screen in a major motion picture and Hanks did a fantastic job. The big surprise? Collin Farrell, who I believe is incredibly underrated, was big here. He plays the alcoholic father of Travers in the flashback scenes and he was really strong. His scenes with Annie Rose Buckley, who was also great, were absolutely adorable and crucial in telling the backstory. Can someone please explain to me why Paul Giamatti is in this movie? I mean, the guy’s a great actor and he doesn’t need to be playing small roles like this where has almost nothing to do. Of course, he brings something to this character though, much more than it probably needed to be. This is one area you definitely won’t be disappointed by.

Grade: A+

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SCORE
The great Thomas Newman scores this film and brings a gracious core that adds some really nice layers to the film. The flashback scenes have some nice time period music, while the 60’s scenes have a more contemporary feel to them. Of course, in a film like this, Newman’s score is accompanied by some great music by Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novak who play the famous Sherman brothers. It’s a great soundtrack, and if you’re a fan of Mary Poppins, you’ll really enjoy the music to this film.

Grade: A-

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Saving Mr. Banks is a good movie that most audiences will enjoy, despite a few flaws. I’m not 100% convinced this is a movie for children, even though it’s a Disney film about a Disney film. The main themes are kinda bleak, especially towards the end of the movie and most kids (younger than Middle School) could miss the main goals of the movie. The performances are amazing though and it’s still an interesting look at the dynamics it took to make this film happen. While this re-creation is probably far off from reality, it’s still fun and has some deep-rooted heart that will surly satisfy.

Overall Grade: A-

Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: Fran Walsh (screenplay), Philippa Boyens (screenplay)
Stars: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom

Synopsis: The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.

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DIRECTION
Peter Jackson once again takes us back into Middle-Earth as we continue our journey with Bilbo Baggins and the dwarfs as they look to reclaim their homeland. The aesthetic Jackson creates is familiar to his Lord of the Rings trilogy but is much more CGI-heavy much like the first Hobbit. Jackson is more focused in Desolation of Smaug but there’s something still missing from the magic he captured a decade ago with our other little hobbits. The CGI is too much and is often distracting as our beloved heroes are escaping one near death experience after another, making it harder to be engaged with what Jackson is trying to do. Some of the effects are really cheesy and were probably well-intioned, but were poorly executed. Well what about Smaug? The aesthetic Jackson creates for the character is great but the execution of it isn’t entirely believable comparatively to what we’ve seen in this world already. Some of the action is fun though and we get some really intriguing moments. Overall, while better than The Hobbit, it’s not much better.

Grade: C+

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SCRIPT
To begin with, we get a short backstory where we see Gandalf meet with Thorin as he explains to him why he needs to become King again. Why it’s in this one and not the first film is beyond me. From there we’re taken back to the present where Bilbo and our gang of dwarfs are trying to get back to their homeland to take it back from Smaug, our intimidating fire-breathing dragon. The script here is definitely more focused than the first Hobbit film, which made the film more fluid. However, there’s a few subplots that are completely, utterly unnecessary that detracts from the film and only feels like it’s there to meet Jackson’s quota of a 3-hour long haul in the theatre. Both movies, really, have story arcs that just seem to dragon (pun intended) and could be cut out or shortened. The dialogue for some characters were frail while others were pretty rich, reflecting inconsistencies throughout the film. I will say though, it’s a pretty boisterous movie on many levels that takes some serious turns in the third act. Some worked and some didn’t. Overall, the focus was better, but there are still many unnecessary factors that should of been cut.

Grade: B-

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MOVIE PODCAST: Dallas Buyers Club & Philomena – Extra Film Review

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PERFORMANCES
Ian McKellen may as well dress up as Gandalf in real life because he’s absolutely captivating as this character and who wouldn’t want to see that all the time? He’s fantastic and easily one of the better parts of the film. Martin Freeman does a good job as Bilbo but there’s not much depth going one. Freeman’s pretty one-dimensional and where Frodo started to lose himself after having the ring on, we have yet to see any of that from Bilbo. Maybe, the ring just liked Bilbo better? Of the dwarfs, you got to love Ken Scott as Balin. He’s the old-school guy that has all the best lines and delivers them epically. It’s also great seeing a familiar face in Orlando Bloom who reprises his role as Legolas. I’d prefer to see more of the real Bloom than his CGI-version, which we see way too much of. And while we pretty much only see him fight, he’s still the best archer in Middle-Earth. So…Evangeline Lilly is one gorgeous elf. Her story arc could of been handled better but she does a great job for what she has to do. Benedict Cumberbatch, who voices Smaug, really gave life to the character, much like what we saw Andy Serkis do to Gollum.

Grade: A

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SCORE
Not the best Howard Shore score but he shows range in his musical elements going from strong action score to scary thriller score pretty easily. He hits a lot of different notes (literally) which added a nice touch to the film when it needed it. And you got to love the Shire theme when it comes on. Overall though, it’s nothing stand-out worthy and it’s not much of a joy outside of the film.

Grade: B-

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FINAL THOUGHTS
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug was anything but impressive. Just because you have the resources and abilities to do anything with CGI, doesn’t mean you should go crazy with it. And honestly, at times, the CGI wasn’t even that great. While it gives you the chance to create these amazing, imaginative worlds, you have to consider why live action characters are there and how they are relatable. This film felt cartoony with a few moments of live-action characters built into it. There were a few solid moments though and it left off at a good spot, if we have to have a third film that is.

Overall Grade: B-