The Hangover: Part III (2013)

1/5

The Hangover Part III is simply awful. The movie reunites the "wolfpack" once again (Cooper, Helms, Galifianakis), only this time without any roofies or hangovers. Instead, Marshall (Goodman) has kidnapped them and sent them on a mission to find the wolfpack-adjacent international criminal Leslie Chow (Jeong). What ensues is not so much hilarity as it is vulgarity. Director Todd Phillips confuses humor with shock, using the winding plot and the $15 million paychecks of otherwise reputable actors to gross us out in whatever way possible. The first two were funny; this one is nauseating. The pre-credit epilogue is truly gag-worthy, and I remain thankful that they never found any pictures explaining how they got in that particular predicament. The story lines, the performances, and the directing were never the trilogy's strong suit, so what does this one have to offer us? A few uncomfortable laughs in an otherwise filthy mess. Not even Melissa McCarthy can save this garbage. Ugh.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951261/

The Conjuring (2013)

4/5

James Wan's The Conjuring is a compelling piece of horror entertainment. It will make you jump out of your seat while watching it and make you afraid of the dark for days after finishing it. The movie claims to have been extracted from the case files of the same real-life self-proclaimed "paranormal experts" (Wilson, Farmiga) who brought you The Amityville Horror, but it won't convince any skeptics. I'm not sure why they spent so much of the movie emphasizing the "based on a true story" premise when the story and acting turn out to be so forgettable. If anything, it made the movie less scary. While we can always go back and try to poke holes in the "facts," we will automatically suspend our disbelief for a film that is up-front about being fictitious.

Where the movie shines is in its pacing, cinematography, and atmosphere. The movie starts slowly, building up an unease and tension that gives you a chance to exhale just frequently enough so you don't pass out. Wan conceives of haunting imagery that will stick with you, from dolls to jack-in-the-boxes, and lets your mind run wild. He lulls you into a state of calm before a torrential storm that you know is coming. And he does it so well. The Conjuring does just about everything right in a horror movie, but it doesn't do anything extra. And that is my biggest frustration with this movie. Nothing elevates it past its genre status, and it remains a one-trick pony for the people who already like that one particular trick.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1457767/

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

4/5

Dallas Buyers Club is a truly phenomenal piece of filmmaking and a truly remarkable work of art. It sets its story in the early AIDS epidemic, when AIDS was stigmatized as a "gay disease" and effective therapy was just starting to hit clinical trials. Matthew McConaughey plays a young homophobic man whose life is turned upside down when he finds out he may die in a month from AIDS. Unable to take part in an AZT trial and concerned that the drug itself may make patients sicker, he goes on a quest to bring non-FDA-approved drugs across the border into the US to sell to people who have no other options. Surprisingly, the medicine feels accurate and true in a way most movies get wrong, from simple turns of phrase to minor background details. And although the specific details of the story are dated, the FDA approval process feels just as frustrating now as it must have been then.

The movie is filled with tour de force performances from McConaughey and Leto. They embody evocative and tender portraits of imperfect humans doing the best they can in an unfair world. It is heartbreaking watching their trials and tribulations, their successes and failures, their joys and their miseries. They give unforgettable (Oscar-winning) performances. The directing undeniably places artistic tendencies first, treating every shot and scene as creative canvases instead of necessary storytelling elements. It has the occasional misstep and hollow ring to it, even bordering on the melodramatic from time to time, but it's so good that it's easy to forget its imperfections. Dallas Buyers Club is a fantastic film

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790636/

The Grandmaster (2013)

2/5

Wong Kar-Wai's The Grandmaster is an overwhelming disappointment. It tells the story of legendary fighter Ip Man, whose only claim to fame seems to be that he was Bruce Lee's teacher (which is how they advertise the movie to get you interested in it, then never mention it again any time ever). Wong's filmic lyricism seems like a perfect fit for the acrobatic beauty of martial arts, but here--as in his previous "action" movie Ashes of Time--it feels overbearing and clunky. Wong slows down fight scenes shot at normal FPS, so we get to see them as choppy, blurry messes. If only he had filmed them in a high shutter speed to begin with, we would have been able to enjoy some of the most beautiful, crisp fight scenes in recent memory. But no, he ruins it.

If that weren't enough, the fighting is less than half the movie, and midway through the movie the mood switches from action to romance without telling anybody. However, the love story is between a married man and a lover instead of the man and his wife. I guess that part could have been interesting if it weren't presented in such a banal and trite manner. But it was. There's not much to say about this movie. Avoid it. Trust me.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1462900/

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

4.9/5

The Captain America sequel is easily the best superhero movie that Marvel has ever produced. The story follows soon after the events of The Avengers, with Captain America (Evans) still getting used to modern life in DC. I won't bore you with the details of the plot, which has its fair share of fun twists and shocking turns, and will instead leave you to enjoy it when you watch the movie. Surprisingly, one of the film's strongest attributes is its story, which is intelligent in scope and mature in style, delving into themes that feel both timely and timeless. The writing itself won't win any awards, but it's surprisingly competent given the fact that it's drawn using characters from a comic book series. Despite its superheroes and super-villains, it feels more grounded in reality than any of the other Marvel movies.

The action scenes are superb, using mostly midrange shots and avoiding over-editing so you can tell what's going on. The directors took a risk using live-action stunts instead of an overabundance of and over-dependence on CGI, and it pays off. It's a visceral, electrifying movie that gets your blood pumping and keeps your heart racing. The pacing is exquisitely done, maintaining tension from the very beginning to the very end. My only real hang-up with this film is the character of Falcon (Mackie), who feels altogether silly and unnecessary. In other news, the character of Black Widow (Johansson) is becoming much more interesting with every movie she's in, as we learn more about her talents and her past. For my money, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the pinnacle of Marvel's canon so far.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1843866/

The Lego Movie (2014)

3/5

The Lego Movie is a two-hour long advertisement that you have to pay to see. Yes, it has a story and characters, but so do thirty-second TV bits. And that doesn't change the fact that it is an advertisement for a brand, even if it is a brand that many people have fond childhood memories of. I typically don't mind product placement (e.g., I, Robot) or obvious sponsorship (e.g., The Hire: Powder Keg) as long as the movie can stand on its own merits. This movie cannot. If our analytic functions weren't so warped by our communal nostalgia of the lovable building bricks, it would be obvious to everybody just how middle-of-the-road this movie is.

The movie is frustrating because its creators seem confused as to what they are trying to say. Every theme seems half-baked, every new message inconsistent with the last one. The Lego Movie is a conceptual mess. The only thing I am certain of is that this movie thinks Legos are awesome and that you should go buy some right now!

The movie starts by satirizing the idea that following rules is good, by mocking the idea that teamwork is beneficial. (Side note: is it even really that bad to abide by laws? to work as a team?) It uses the incredibly catchy song Everything Is AWESOME!!! as a representation of the fascist, domineering society where we lose our individuality, but then uses that very same song to cheer up one of the characters later on. So are we supposed to like it or are we supposed to reject it? Because it's currently one of the most popular songs on iTunes.

And I'm a little confused by the ending. I don't want to spoil things for those who haven't seen it, so I urge people who don't want this mediocre movie spoiled to stop reading now. After this sentence there be spoilers. So is Emmett real or is he in the boy's imagination? If it's all made up, then how did Emmett move around on the table and attract the boy's attention? If it's all real, then it seems as if the boy just took credit for building literally hundreds of new designs that the Lego people actually built! Seems a little fishy to me. See what I mean when I say that the movie feels underdeveloped and poorly-thought out?

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/

Don Jon (2013)

3/5

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Don Jon is a bold directorial debut that succeeds on many fronts but doesn't fully satisfy. The movie stars Gordon-Levitt as a New Jersey twenty-something whose life revolves around a few things. One of them is online porn. His hook-up, Johansson, questions why he would watch porn when he can have "the real thing." And the movie spends a fair amount of time trying to answer that very question. It's actually an interesting one, one I think perhaps might be better served by a documentary-style investigation rather than writerly musings.

As far as the plot goes, it's a fairly predictable, well-worn story arc without a bunch of surprises. Gordon-Levitt infuses the movie with humorous ironies (I love his road rage when he's going to church) that make it feel fresh and fun. But the movie also has plenty of annoyances. For one, Gordon-Levitt's hair is horrific. It is eye-searing. And their New Jersey accents grind through your eardrum and drill into your brain. The subject matter is still somewhat unseemly for many people, and the movie isn't nearly charming enough to overpower their disgust.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2229499/

Epic (2013)

3/5

For some reason, I had developed an irrationally strong desire to watch Epic when it was first announced, and this compulsion persisted even after all the middling reviews came out. My guess is that it had something to do with Snow Patrol's The Lightning Strike playing over the very first trailer I saw. Regardless, I came in to this movie with high hopes. But the reviews were accurate: it's not as epic as I wanted it to be.

Epic is a perfectly fine movie. It is entertaining and funny and moving just when it needs to be. The animation is crisp and beautiful and the voice-acting is surprisingly adept (although I kept imagining the actors instead of the characters they were supposed to be playing because their voices were so distinct). Aziz Ansari and Chris O'Dowd just about steal the show as the bumbling sidekicks. The romance between Seyfried and Hutcherson--and even between her and her father, played by Sudeikis--strikes just the right balance between innocence and affection. The plot is a little convoluted and it whips along at a pretty good pace, but it doesn't nearly have the thematic depth or complexity I've come to expect from other animated films. All in all, I would describe this movie as sufficient. It pleases enough to justify the time you spent on it, but it's no Pixar movie.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848537/

Her (2013)

5/5

Spike Jonze's Her is an expertly-crafted and beautifully-told love story. Although it is set in the future, it is a love story through and through. After a painful breakup with his girlfriend (Mara), Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) finds himself unexpectedly falling for his personal assistant, Samantha (Johansson). Their mutual attraction blossoms into a tender romance that some view with prejudice and others with acceptance. Despite the occasional false steps and fights, their relationship feels promising. But that is when the specter of doubt begins to rear its ugly head.

The movie's conceit is that Samantha is a piece of software, an operating system with an artificial intelligence that rivals and perhaps surpasses human intelligence. In fact, the film is advertised that way, banking on its strangeness to be the talk of the town. But it is so much more than a simple gimmick.

As far as storytelling goes, Her is a masterpiece. It is Annie Hall for the tech generation, and I do not say that lightly. It embodies the ups and downs of love, the sidesteps and detours of life, the frailty and imperfections of people. Her is somehow all those things delivered in a crisply-shot and sharply-written film. It is ferociously funny and manipulatively tender. It matches an unparalleled ebullience with a debilitating dread. It pulls at just the right heartstrings at just the right times.

From the subtle use of grain and POV to the story's fundamental architecture, Jonze directs masterfully. He elicits nuance out of the actors, whether it's the flicker of their facial muscles or the timbre of their voice, that elevates their performance well past our expectations. He uses flashbacks to tell the backstory so simply, so effortlessly, so precisely, that I cannot believe they are fictional at all. I cannot imagine that someone has not had those exact emotions before. They are silent reveries, uncontrollable daydreams, pure nostalgia.

The movie is not unassailable. For the life of me, I cannot fathom the thought process behind the movie's absurd fashion choices. I sincerely hope we don't dress like that at any point in the near or distant future. But even if this movie is eerily accurate about what we wear in the future, what's the point? It only serves to distract. It is the elephant in the room instead of the painting in the background. Is the movie supposed to be about love or is it supposed to be about navel-hugging belt-less tweed pants pulled up as high as possible around multiple layers of collared shirts?

Perhaps Her bites off a bit more than it can chew, but it is easily one of the best movies of the year. It has already taken hold of our culture, as evidenced by the innumerable parodies floating around online, and tickled something inside all of us. It is a magnificent film and a magical film. It is unique but universal. Watching Her is an experience everyone should get to enjoy.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

4/5

Despicable Me 2 is the sequel to the endearing animated family film Despicable Me. While trying to raise his three adopted daughters (Cosgrove, Fischer, Gaier), ex-supervillain Gru (Carrell) is contracted by Lucy (Wiig) to locate and eliminate a new supervillain. Along the way he unexpectedly falls in love with Lucy, but higher forces conspire to pull them apart. From a technical standpoint, this movie is better than the first. Beautiful animation and first-rate voice-acting give it a brilliant polish and shine. The movie has plenty of good jokes--I was laughing the whole way through--but they did not have the same oomph that the first one had.

Something about Despicable Me 2 just feels staid, old, and contrived instead of feeling fresh, unexpected, and new. It is more childish, or maybe just more child-oriented, than the first one was. While many animated movies have parts for kids and adults, it seems that Despicable Me 2 uses adult humor (e.g., sexual double entendres) to placate the 20+ crowd instead of delivering mature, thoughtful themes (e.g., on parenting). While there's certainly nothing wrong with making a movie focused predominantly on kids, it definitely loses something that the first one had. It loses a certain gravitas, an opportunity to stand the test of time, a chance to be a classic. It's a terrifically entertaining movie, but it's also just a little disappointing.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1690953/