L.A. NOIRE THE MOVIE!!!

LETS GO BACK TO A SIMPLER TIME WHEN YOU COULD WHERE A HAT WITHOUT PEOPLE ASSUMING YOU WERE GOING BALD.

The first thing I noticed while watching “Gangster Squad” was Ryan Goslings voice.  I don’t know why the director elected to go this route, but it took me out of the movie two minutes in.  Have you ever seen those comedies where the guy is hit in the “junk” and for the next scene or two he has a high pitch mousy voice?  Now, it wasn’t that bad but it was close.

In 1949 Los Angeles, Sgt. John O’Mara(Josh Brolin) is tasked with bringing down Mickey Cohen who has the majority of the LAPD, the newspapers and most of the high power politicians in his pocket.  O’Mara  creates a group of clichéd honest policemen as his squad.  Mickey Mouse voice, the smart guy who SPOILER ALERT!!! gets killed, the old gunslinger, the one black guy and the Mexican kid round out the off the gangster squad.

The movie doesn’t have a lot of action, but what it does have is violent, although the blood is for the most part CGI.  It’s all about Tommy Guns and shot guns and grenades.  And the story is acceptable although while watching I kept thinking of the movie “The Untouchables”.  In fact it was almost the exact same premise.  Al Capone/Mickey Cohen is a mob boss running a city, Kevin Costner/Josh Brolin play policemen who creates a group to take down the mob boss, each of the movies have the same cast of side characters, predictable characters die and in the end the bad guy goes to jail.

"Why yes, I did just inhale a helium balloon."

Come to think about it, remember the famous scene in “The Untouchable” with the shootout in the train station with the baby stroller falling in slow motion?  Well, there is a very similar scene in “Gangster Squad” where there is a shootout on a grand staircase with slow-mo portions.

Holy Crap.  I just watched a remake of “The Untouchables”.  Son of a gun. Well at least it was $5 day at the local movie theater.

"Get out of our movie!!!"

Oh, and there’s also the girl.  This has me a little baffled.  The female lead(I can’t even remember her name) played by Emma Stone seems somewhat out of place.  I don’t know if she was miscast or too young for the rest of the cast or facial expressions with the huge eyes, but she is just odd for the movie.  I don’t know, you be the judge.

Although, it may seems like I hated this movie, I actually liked it.  It had an enjoyable story, I didn’t hate the characters and it moved at good pace.  I wish it wasn’t  an Untouchables remake but what are you going to do.  I guess there’s only so much you can do with a gangster movie set in the late 1940’s. 

One more thing before I go.  What was up with Sean Penn’s makeup?  I get that he was an ex boxer and his face would be somewhat mangled, but they made him into a Dick Tracy villain.  I have expected Flat Top and Mumbles to come strolling in and during the films finale, I wanted Josh Brolin’s character to show up in a yellow trench coat and hat.

So go see The Untouch…I mean “Gangster Squad” if you like these kind of shoot-them-ups.  Or don’t go see it.  I really don’t care.

 

IT'S ALIVE...IT'S ALIVE...ARF, ARF, ARF.

"MOVIE REVIEWS" FIELD CORRESPONDENT BECKY PULLING DOUBLE DUTY SO I DON'T HAVE TO

I am a child of the 80's. Late 80's but 80's all the same. The one thing that I always looked forward to even more than Christmas was Halloween. Why Halloween? Well for one; you got candy, for two; you got to dress up ALL DAY, and three; Disney Channel played Frankenweenie.

The original Frankenweenie (1984) was only a half hour featurette done by the then not-so-illustrious Tim Burton (it ended up costing him his job at Disney Corp.). Basic story was a boy loses his pet (like we all do) and unable to cope with the loss he is inspired by science to bring him back to life akin to Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein'.

Get the correlation? Frankenstein... Frankenweenie?

More often than not a childhood remake leaves you screaming at the sky for why they would make such STUPID casting/screen/editing/whatever choices, ultimately ruining your precious memory (I'm looking at you Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Indiana Jones and Spiderman). Thankfully with Frankenweenie (2012) this did not happen. It has been changed in a few respects but mostly lengthening the story from a half hour to almost an hour and a half, adding some more characters, and the most obvious, it's stop-action animation.

This review will be one without spoilers, so I won't go into HOW they lengthened the movie, what they added, etc. All I will say is that Frankenweenie was a beloved (at least to me) cult featurette and I'm ecstatic that today's generation will get to enjoy it as much as I did.

LOOPER REVIEWED LOOPER REVIEWED LOOPER REVIEWED LOOPER REVIEWED LOOPER REVIEWED LOOPER REVIEWED...

THIS REVIEW WAS DONE BY MRFNH CORRESPONDENT BECKY.

Okay so I went to go see Looper with my husband, I'm really looking forward to it, the husband not so much. Overall I enjoyed it but there are a few things to annoy me.

SPOILER'S LAW:
There will be spoilers in this review, I'll allow you to leave... ok are we done? Onward!
Okay so I love the premise, future hit men? time travel? BLUNDERBUSS?! The downside: random telekinesis, fantastic opportunities at character development, and weird lip color on Joseph Gordon-Levitz.

The Premise:
Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a specialized type of hit man called a looper. When his employers, who hail from 30 years in the future, want someone killed, they send them back in time—where their body won’t be identifiable—for a looper to shoot. This cut-and-tried business arrangement is complicated when a future version of Joe (Bruce Willis) shows up.

Are we Set?
First off, this may just be me but the likelyhood that both telekinesis and time travel will happen within 30 years of each other seems unlikely to me. It is my opinion but then again so is this article, i know it's setting something up but they lead you to think that this telekinesis has a much larger role but doesn't really deliver.
There's this unseen antagonist called "The Rainmaker", which as we all know anyone with a title is going to be kickass. He supposedly took over the future mob and is closing all the Loops which is what happens when the future mob sends back the looper 30 years later to be killed. When this happens then they get a big golden payout and their contract is officially closed and they are free.

Does this mean that "The Rainmaker" is closing off hitmen? To me that sounds sort of decent; clean up the city he took over, pay the past off and set them free.... They never tell and or show what he actually did that was so awful.

Either way, future Joe gets sent back in time to be killed and he's able to outwit his earlier self and set out to stop the Rainmaker. How does he plan to do this? .... by killing a kid. Ok so the Rainmaker ends up being a child with crazy telekinetic powers strong enough to explode a full grown man.

The child is raised by Sara (Emily Blunt) who knows of the child's talents but thinks that by raising him he will learn to control his telekinesis. Oh yeah.. and she hides in a gun safe. Apparently, when he has tantrums in order to keep herself safe she hides in a very large... safe. So we see the capacity that he has. Older Joe is alluded to be the one who kills Sara and is the catalyst that turns that grumpy little child into the Rainmaker.
Younger Joe is able to figure this out and at the last minute gives up on being selfish and looks to save the future. He takes his blunderbuss (the Looper's gun that's impossible to miss within 15 paces) and shoots himself. Older Joe never exists, Sara survives and we assume the Rainmaker never takes over. Once again, fantastic opportunity for character development but that's sort of where it ends.

They introduce several characters that have a great potential to grow and improve the story: Abe, mob boss that was sent from the future to run the loopers aaand that's about all you know. Boy Blue: he is a Gat Man which is higher on the hit man totem pole than a Looper. He is seen as a screw up but kept around as a "son" for Abe. When Boy Blue sees that Old Joe has murdered Abe you see a flicker of purpose... of revenge... and then it's gone. Missed opportunity yet again.

Now for the good news: the visuals where amazing!! The acting was spot on. Joseph Gordon-Levitt must've studied every single movie Bruce Willis had ever been in. Aside from the nose prosthetic and odd lip color in some scenes (which is not the actor's doing) there was nothing I could fault actor-wise. All the actor's were very in tune with their characters.
 
So overall did I have a bit to pick at? Yes; but it took me time to think about all those points. The movie kept me grossly engaged and by the time I left the theatre I was quite satisfied. I wasn't gushing but I didn't feel like I had been jipped of my eleven dollars. I believe this is a good movie worth seeing but you may want to wait until it hits the dollar theatre.

The Muppets Reviewed!

After a few months out at theaters, I finally get to review The Muppet Movie. The first thing I have to say is that I can remember the Muppets and all of their zany antics. Something that the youth of today may not get. The movie tries to fix this problem by feeding us as many celebrity cameos as possible.

Jack Black, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Alan Arkin, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Neil Patrick Harris and several more make appearances.

Bazinga!

So the story goes like this. Gary(Jason Segal) and Walter(Puppet) are brothers who grow up together hanging out and watching The Muppet Show. The years go by and the Muppets have long been forgotten except for Walter who dreams of meeting Kermit the Frog. He gets that wish, or so he thinks when he is goes with Gary and his girlfriend Mary(Amy Adams) to Los Angeles who are celebrating their 10 anniversary.

When they get to L.A. however, they find the the Muppets are long scattered and not together and the set for the Muppet Show is run down and set to sell to evil business man, Tex Richmond(Chris Cooper), who is going to tear down the set to drill for oil.

Maniacal Laugh

Turns out however that Walter overhears a loophole in which if the Muppets can raise 10 million dollars they get to keep the sets, so the trio decide to go looking for the Muppets to save the day. First stop? Kermit the Frog of course. And after a little persuasion, he agrees to get the Muppets together for one final show to raise the money for the studio.

After some clever montages all the Muppets are together again except for Miss Piggy who decides against the cause to stay in Paris as the "Full Figure Designer" a clear rip off of the movie The Devil Wears Prada.

So I found that the jokes are funny, even the subtle ones and the musical numbers are catchy. The cameos did feel a little over the top but that is forgivable in my opinion. I never saw a Muppet movie on a big screen so it was neat to see characters from the tv in the 1980's up there. There were a couple kids in the audience during the set I saw and they seemed to enjoy it(a little loud sometimes. But you know what, you expect that in a movie like this) so hopefully most of the kids will get the Muppets proving my original thoughts above incorrect.

If you liked the Muppets back in the day, you should enjoy the Muppets today. I know I did. So go see it and maybe they'll make another one in a couple of years.

Oh, bonus. I saw The Muppet Movie at a second run theater and they were still using 35mm film. The way God intended.

The Second Reel--Underworld: Awakening

In an effort to get the opinion of other people who like watching movies without waving their degree in "stuck up critic school" in everyone's faces, the MRFNH has created The Second Reel. The Second Reel will give an alternate review of movies already reviewed. Just another way to get the word out to people who are sick of having movies bashed because it's not foreign or has a low budget.

So, let thread up the projector and start The Second Reel.

Direction of this movie is fantastic and artistically pleasing (aside from the constant slow-motion). With that said I'm still disappointed in the lycan design. I know at this point in the game they're going to stay consistent but still... it bothered me then; it bothers me now.

Fun fact with the lycans though, if you're a fan of 'Lost Girl' on the SyFy channel, the character Dyson (Kris Holden-Reid) is also in this movie! He plays a pivotal point in the plot.

Last little bit of contention; India Eisley (aka Eve-Selene's daughter) is best known for the tv series "the secret life of the american teenager" but has also been in Headspace with a minor role in Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
I personally thought she was MUCH younger than what she was and I even told my husband, 'that girl will be impressive some day.' She's very expressive but unfortunately she doesn't have a lot of lines. Hopefully in the next movie she will have a stronger role for being such an important character.

Overall: the 3D did nothing to aid the movie so if you have a choice (we didn't) don't waste your money. The matrix slow motion scenes were slightly tedious but I really did enjoy the movie. It kept moving, which kept my interest and the concept was interesting. It's just a fun movie to lose yourself in for an hour and a half, especially if you're a fan of the series!


Becky

UNDERWORLD AWAKENING REVIEWED!

So let's recap. Underworld Evolution ended with Selene and Michael defeating the first Lycan and Marcus the elder vampire. Which not to worry if you don't remember this, this installment gives a nice summary of the previous movies. Since that time, the humans have discovered the existence of the lycans and vampires and are at war to exterminate the two species.

After a gun battle with humans, Selene is knocked out and she wakes up 12 years later to a world where vampire and lycans have all but been wiped out. Oh, and she has a daughter and Michael is missing. This will be the main focus of the movie, Selene protecting her daughter from the humans, lycans and a medical facility that wants to use her to create a vaccine which would cure the infection of the two species.

I really like these movies. They are dark, bloody and just fun. The only real downside to this and really all of the Underworld movies are the special effects. I have seen a lot better in lesser movies but they don't take away from the movie.

So, if you liked the other Underword movies you should enjoy this one. Just remember the third movie in the series, Rise of the Lycans, is a prequel to the previous two so this movie has nothing to do with that one and takes place immediately after the second movie, Underworld Evolution.

By the way, this movie is in 3D as well. I saw it in the regular version which is just fine as I didn't see the need to spend the extra coin to watch an already dark movie with 3D sunglasses on.

HAYWIRE REVIEWED!

Haywire starts innocently enough, a woman walks into a diner, sits down and has a cup of tea while waiting for her contact. Soon enough she's in a violent fight for survival as her contact surprises her with coffee to the face and a punch to the stomach. American Gladiators Gina Carano makes her feature film debut as a for hire soldier who is framed for a murder she didn't commit.

The movie is fast paced enough as our lead travels from city to city finding trouble at every turn. The action is well done and Gina Carano's character, Mallory is believable as someone who can take a punch as well as giving one.

Haywire is also packed with famous actors in small rolls. Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, Ewen McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Bill Paxton are around to give this movie the star power needed to prevent its release to DVD only.

The look of the movie was a mix of brightly lit locals and dirty/grainy camera work. All of which is typical of it's director Steven Soderbergh(Ocean's Eleven, The Informant!) The one weird thing I found was the soundtrack. It either didn't have any soundtrack or when it did, it was straight out of a 1970's TV show. Half the time, I expected "Shaft" to pop out from around a corner.

So, is it worth admission? I would say yes. Is it groundbreaking? Um, no. But sit back and enjoy "Crush" from American Gladiators kick the crap out of a bunch of dudes for 90 minutes.