Circle Time: Predestination review

Predestination is the strangest, most unique sci-fi flick in recent memory and I mean that in a good way. After my initial screening, I immediately wanted to watch it again. It's that enticing. 

What was originally a short story by science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein has been diligently adapted to the big screen by Spierig Brothers (the same duo behind the disappointing sci-fi vampire flick Daybreakers). Their craftsmanship gives Predestination  its beautifully minimalist look, which allows its two core performances to take center stage.  

Recent Oscar Nominee Ethan Hawke gives an understated noir performance as The Barkeeper. He's a one of eleven temporal agents who can travel through time in order to prevent crimes before they happen; however, one terrorist has eluded The Barkeeper all throughout his career-- the notorious Fizzle Bomber. 

Finally, in 1970s New York, The Barkeeper corners the Fizzle Bomber, only to be horribly disfigured by one of the terrorist's titular explosives. Fast forward a decade and The Barkeeper finds himself on one, last mission, wherein he earns his credited title tending a young man who goes by the pen name The Unmarried Mother (Sarah Snook). The two hit it off, so to speak, and once the young man divulges his unusual back story, The Barkeep offers him the chance to go back and change history. 

The more the story unfolds, the crazier and more remarkable it becomes. It all builds to one of the most memorable movie endings you'll ever see. What's great is that even if you see it coming, you'll still be blown away. 

The Spierig Brothers give Predestination a sleek and simple visual style through a beautiful, "less is more" approach to the cinematography. Varying cool colors accent the different time periods and the sharp costume designs visually pop on these meticulously constructed sets.

Ethan Hawke suavely downplays the severity of his character's predicaments, which leaves open to interpretation his motives. This brings an edge to the Barkeeper, as his motives are never crystal clear. Opposite Hawke is Sarah Snook, who gives a breakout performance. She completely disappears into the many shades of her character and her performance is wholly genuine. We're sure to see more from this talented, young actor.

Grade: A

A shell of a robot: 'Chappie' review

From the beginning, it is obvious that Chappie has District 9-level aspirations. However, poor writing and an overwhelming sense that we've seen this all before crushes those aspirations and leaves Chappie feeling like an empty vessel.

Dev Patel, who has done great work in films such as Slumdog Millionaire and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, but isn't given a whole lot to do here, plays Deon Wilson. He's a robotics genius who's brought the city of Johannesburg the world's first autonomous police force, called Scouts. After spending a night drinking Red Bull and yelling at his discount WALL-E robot, Deon develops the code for artificial intelligence and steals the busted body of a broken Scout to test it out on. To nobody's surprise, the code works and Chappie becomes the world's first thinking, feeling robot. O brave new world!

Before Deon even gets started with Chappie, he's kidnapped by a band of thugs and seemingly has no option but to build Chappie for these unlikable losers who, for some reason, need a robot partner to help pull of some heist. The big problem here is, up to this point, we have not spent enough time with Deon to grow to like him and now Chappie is being raised by a group of unredeemable, gun-toting miscreants who do things like leave Chappie to be tortured by Scout-hating citizens of Johannesburg, shoot human policemen, and throw innocent people from their vehicles during an overstayed carjacking montage. As a result, Chappie grows to be a shallow jerk (that's putting it lightly), which leaves nobody for the audience to root for. Any sense of endearment that should exist watching Chappie learn his first words or paint his first picture is quickly overshadowed by how unpleasant he becomes.

Even the terrific supporting cast is underutilized here. The great Hugh Jackman plays Vincent Moore, a soldier turned engineer who despises and distrusts artificial intelligence. Jackman's ugly side shines in a few, brief moments, but sadly Jackman's talent is suffocated by an overall lax script that reduces him to mostly scowling angrily from the shadows as he eavesdrops on Chappie and Deon. Sigourney Weaver, who made her name in sci-fi, hams up a few lines as the president of the robotics company that both Vincent and Deon work for. Her character exists merely to give Vincent the go-ahead to utilize the Moose, Blomkamp's version of the ED-209, after everything goes "tits up." She is so trivial that you can hear the "cha-ching" as she's cashing in her paycheck.

Visually speaking, Chappie is ripe with spectacle, as we have come to expect from Blomkamp's work. The motion capture animation on the Chappie character is splendidly detailed and the minimalistic approach to smoothly blending practical and top notch special effects still makes for an aesthetically satisfying experience. Unfortunately, visuals can only carry a film so far on their own.

As for substance, Chappie is pretty soulless for a film about having a soul. Instead of fleshed out, meaningful characters, Neil Blomkamp's latest South African sci-fi flick is full of irritable idiots who seem to lack any sense of decency or depth. It's near impossible to root for or even care about anyone in this movie. At this point we can only hang tight, wait for Chappie to blow over, and hope that Blomkamp's Aliens sequel does not suffer the same disappointing fate.

Grade: D

BOLD predictions...

This year, Neil Patrick Harris takes the stage at the Academy Awards Ceremony to honor the best films and filmmaking of 2014. Here's a quick rundown of the categories close to my heart as well as my five bold predictions for the ceremony:

Best Picture: Birdman


Best Director: Alejandro Inarritu, Birdman


Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything


Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice


Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash


Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood


Best Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel


Best Adapted Screenplay: Damien Chazelle, Whiplash


Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman


Best Animated Feature: How to Train Your Dragon 2


Best Visual Effects: Interstellar


Best Original Song: "Glory," Selma


Best Makeup & Hair: Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier,  The Grand Budapest Hotel


Best Costume Design: Colleen Atwood, Into the Woods


Best Production Design: Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration), The Grand Budapest Hotel


Best Film Editing: Sandra Adair, Boyhood


Best Sound Mixing: John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin, American Sniper


Best Sound Editing: Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman, American Sniper

BOLD predictions:

1.) The Grand Budapest Hotel will walk away with the most awards.

2.) Boyhood will only win two awards (Supporting Actress & Editing).

3.) This year, the Academy Awards ceremony will bring in the highest ratings in five years and NPH will be back to host at least three more times.

4.) A Christopher Nolan movie WILL NOT win either of the sound design categories.

5.) Birdman will win Best Picture and Director, but its leading star will get shut out.

'Fifty Shades of Grey' review

Let's us, you and I, arrange our own contract of honesty. E.L. James' book is glossy porn guised by the veil of a romance. You can touch it up with socially acceptable words like "erotica" or even the "mommy porn," but it is porn nonetheless. It's about as well written as one too. The good news is that Sam Taylor-Johnson's movie is more than that, even if that isn't say a whole lot.

There isn't much of a plot and if you're reading this or have seen the trailer, you already know as much as you'll ever need to know in order to understand what's going on. Anastasia Steele is about to graduate college when she, in the stead of her roommate, is sent to interview Christian Grey, the young founder of a multi-million (or billion? It didn't clarify) dollar empire. A wildly dubious romance ensues.

I know 'Fifty Shades' amounts to a mere erotic fantasy, but that does not excuse the outrageous character decisions in this film. Early on, Christian becomes obsessed with Anastasia to the point where she should be calling the cops rather than begging for "enlightenment." He shows up to Anastasia's work, later to a club she's at, and even takes her to his place and changes her into pajamas after she passes out. Creepy.

I must admit, after Christian and Anastasia spend more time together, the film opens up a bit and explores the chemistry between its two leads. Though Jamie Dornan does a fine job portraying the meditative masochist, it is Dakota Johnson's committed performance as the shy, devoted Anastasia that shines. It's truly a genuine performance that gives you someone to root for when things get drab. And boy do things get drab.

The poorer writing of the film is exposed through the character of Christian. A lot of the things he does don't always make sense and are never explained beyond "This is who I am." One moment he's infatuated with Anastasia and the next he's begging her not to fall in love with him. It feels more like a scapegoat for lazy writing than a believable character trait. Towards the end, Christian's biggest mood swing is perhaps the most puzzling and ultimately leads one to ponder: "Is that really it?"

More on the technical side of things, there are a handful of obvious editing errors and many shots throughout the film are unfocused for no real reason. Though they don't distract completely, it is something that should be taken into account when criticizing this film. It's filmmaking 101.

Perhaps you're wondering why I have not addressed the elephant in the red room? Well, simply put: The film doesn't make much of it. The first half of the film lingers on too slowly and by the point the kinky, unconventional behavior rolled around, my energy and interest were gone. Not to mention the film wimps out on the sexy stuff. Where it could have and should have challenged its audience with explicit insight into this taboo sexual lifestyle, 'Fifty Shades' settles for a basic R-rating. Sure, there's more nudity here than in any number of typical Hollywood sex scenes, but masochism is about more than being naked and this movie sure isn't going to change anyone's mind about it.

Leaving the theater, I wasn't haunted by Fifty Shades of Grey like I should have been. It doesn't linger with me, save for this review. What could have been a tool for expanding the public mind turns out to be a mostly dissatisfying romance with a lovely performance by Johnson and lot of spanking.

Grade: C

Jupiter Ascending review: What goes up, must come down

Jupiter Ascending is one big exposition dump that somehow still manages to confuse. From the very first shot we get a mildly long voice over narration in which Mila Kunis' Jupiter Jones divulges her back story involving being born on a freight ship to her poverty-stricken family, the astrological signs which foretell of great things for Jupiter, her parents' back story, and even Jupiter's personal feelings about astrology. All before the title slide. Yeah.

Things don't improve much from there. Even as Channing Tatum's Caine Wise is introduced and the story picks up, some form of explanation is always being crammed in, in between the cheesy dialogue and admittedly entertaining action sequences. The material here isn't awful, it's just a lot to swallow at once. The Wachowskis would have fared better adapting their idea into an HBO television series as opposed to a two hour-plus film.

As I alluded to earlier, the writing in this film tends to feel a bit awkward and hammy. Typically, some level of ham is expected when you bill Channing Tatum as your star, but Jupiter Ascending struggles tonally, sometimes opting to take the darker, more serious route. One scene Jupiter's flirting with Caine, obviously trying to get him in her pants by dropping such gems as "My inner compass always seems to point towards Mr. Wrong," and the next she's using a crowbar to bash in the skull of one of the many bad guys.

Jupiter Ascending also suffers from what some like to call Too Many Villains Syndrome. Over the course of the film, Jupiter meets each living member of the Brasax family. The Brasaxes are the family who owns the rights to all the planets in the universe, having been the ones who planted life on all of them with their magic life-sprouting ooze. Each sibling in the Brasax family is somewhat of a jerk, as you'd expect, and in what feels like chapter-styled confrontations, Jupiter takes each one down. Why this is such a problem for this film is because each confrontation ends the same way: with Tatum's Caine blasting through the wall and saving the day. I thought the film was going to end about three different times.

It isn't all bad, though. The Wachowskis' latest has its highlights. One of which is its many action sequences. This directing duo is known for their well-choreographed, stylized action and there is no shortage of them here. The film is also impressive from a technical standpoint. The special effects are first-rate and the makeup, costumes, and set design all help the film to pop visually. It's definitely going to earn a few Oscar nods for its work in these areas.

After seeing the film, it's easy to see why Warner Bros. pushed it back so far. It definitely could have benefited from some fine editing and a more consistent script. As it is, Jupiter Ascending is an overly-long exposition dump with some entertaining action and gorgeous visuals.

Grade: C

Top 10 Voice Acting Performances

Voice-over performances never amass as much praise their on-screen counterparts, yet they're equally important. And every day the line between the two styles of acting grows thinner, thanks to constant advances in motion capture and 3D modeling. One can only ponder the day when the likes of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences acknowledges the importance of voice acting with its own Best Off-Screen Performance category. Until then, it's important to celebrate the under appreciated art of voice acting. Here are my picks for the top ten voice acting performances to date:


10. ) Peter Cullen: Optimus Prime, Transformers 
Many actors have played the Leader of the Autobots since Peter Cullen originally did it back in the 1980's. However, none of them provided the booming presence of Cullen's thunderous chords. In fact, casting Peter Cullen as Optimus is about the only thing Michael Bay got right with his 2007 adaptation. Cullen's Optimus is instantly recognizable among the long-time fans of the series and even more so with there having been four Hollywood blockbusters about the stupid toys. Whatever your thoughts on the action figures or Bay's films may be, Peter Cullen's stands as the definitive voice behind the entire Transformers franchise... And it's just a lot of fun to listen to.


9. ) Jim Henson: Kermit the Frog, The Muppet Movie
It's amazing to think that Jim Henson built a dynasty out of nothing more than a few pieces of felt and a couple of cotton balls. Today, that dynasty is embodied by a talking frog who goes by the name
Kermit. Over the past few decades, Kermit has grown into a pop culture icon whose voice is just as recognizable as the frog himself. In fact, Jim Henson's voice is so crucial to the identity of Kermit that, since Henson's passing in 1990, only select few have had the distinct honor of voicing the head Muppet. It's a tough job though, because if the voice waivers too far from Henson's original, nasally tone, nobody buys it as Kermit anymore.


8. ) Tom Hanks, Toy Story
If Pixar Studios was going to convincingly pull off the world's first animated feature film, they needed to hit a home-run in the voice-over department. Thankfully, they did just that with a stellar cast, lead by a young Tom Hanks. What makes Hanks' performance as Woody so special is the way he captures the glaring imperfections of this cowboy kook. They are, after all, what make the character so relatable. Woody takes it upon himself to make sure he and the rest of the toys will always be there for their god, Andy, even if that means having to forcefully impose his self-importance unto everyone. At the same time, we get more mellow glimpses into Woody's insecurity as it's revealed that Woody, like the rest of us, is just trying to maintain some sort of relevance in the world.

7. ) Frank Oz & James Earl Jones: Yoda & Darth Vader, Star Wars
This pick is a bit of a cheat, I'll admit. Having two performances locked in as one selection seems a bit unfair. However, in my defense, how are you going to really pick between Frank Oz and Earl Jones? Both men give outstanding, iconic performances as two household characters from either side of The Force. On one end, you have Frank Oz, who truly works his larynx to achieve the instantly recognizable squeal of Jedi Master Yoda. What's also unique and often understated about Oz's performance as Yoda is raspy breaths in his speech, which make him sound exhausted. It's one of those details that solidify the illusion that this tiny, green elf has years of life experience.

Representing The Dark Side of The Force is Darth Vader, voiced by James Earl Jones. Earl Jones' performance helps rank the dark lord atop the discussion as cinema's all-time baddie. Who among us didn't feel the rush of goosebumps down their arm after Vader threatened his own son with "Don't make me destroy you?" I mean, really, can you imagine anybody else playing that role? It wouldn't be the same. And after all, isn't that what a truly great performance is all about?

6. ) James Earl Jones: Mufasa, The Lion King
So why then, if James Earl Jones' performance as Darth Vader is so iconic, do I rank it lower on my list? Simple. There's simply more to the character of Mufasa.We get the rumble of Vader's hatred when Mufasa gets mad, but the pleasant chemistry with his loved ones when he's being a happy father and husband. There are more colors in the timbre of Jones' performance here as opposed to the monotone overlord. It's the best of both worlds!



5. ) Eddie Murphy: Donkey, Shrek
Sure Eddie Murphy may be known to our parents' generation for his abrupt, filthy monologues, but we know him for being an ass... I guess nothing's changed much. .His character Donkey from Shrek is easily one of the most recognizable animated characters to date and everybody who grew up watching these films, as I did, know every line and could repeat them verbatim on a moment's notice (you know you could).

4. ) Troy Baker & Ashley Johnson: Joel & Ellie, The Last of Us

Quite frankly, Naughty Dog's masterpiece The Last of Us is better than most
movies and like most movies, its performances are at the center, holding everything together. This is important because the game is so story-driven that had the performances fallen short of outstanding, the emotional investment and payoff just wouldn't be worth it. We can thank Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson for their amazing chemistry and endearing performances. They really bring a sense of identity to the two lead characters, Joel and Ellie, and alone make the game worth multiple play-through.



3. ) Brad Dourif: Chucky, Child's Play
Watching the Chucky movies, there's a sense of pure joy from Brad Dourif's performance as the titular psycho doll. "This is a man who loves what he does" is always my thought whenever Chucky maniacally chuckles. It's infectious and perfect for a character who gets a kick out of stalking little kids and murdering innocent people. And after 20 years of voicing the same character, Dourif's enthusiasm in front of the mic has never wavered and it's impossible to even imagine anyone else ever playing the role. A terrific, iconic performance from an underrated talent.

2. ) Mark Hamill: The Joker, Batman: The Animated Series & Batman: Arkham series 

Voice acting is every bit as much about emotionally becoming the character as any on screen performance. In the case of Mark Hamill, he almost physically becomes The Joker as he's voicing Batman's nemesis; in the booth, the way he shrivels himself up and throws his head back in his goosebumps-inducing crackle. While at times the version of The Joker in 'The Animated Series' is a bit of a kid-friendly cop-out, Hamill's performance nails the theatricality, flamboyance and pure insanity of one of comic books' best villains. Thankfully, Hamill was allowed to dive a bit deeper into the dark waters of the character's insanity later with Rocksteady's 'Arkham' games.
1. ) Robin Williams: Genie, Aladdin
I kept going back and forth between Williams and Hamill for the number one spot. To their credit, both performances capture the flamboyant personas of their respective characters and both really got into their character whilst recording in the studio. However, after much deliberation, I realized that Robin Williams  was allowed to do more with his character. While Hamill's Joker is perpetually manic, Williams' Genie expresses those same highs, but also the low depressions as he's inevitably captured and enslaved by Jafar. On top of that, Williams gets to sing a couple of now-popular Disney songs, including Never Had a Friend Like Me. Sure, The Joker sang occasionally, but never any featured musical tunes.

What do you think of my list? Who are some of your favorite voice over performances? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Top 10: Favorite Films of 2014 (Part 2)

5. John Wick
One of the biggest compliments you can pay a movie is to say that it knows what it is and John 
Wick suffers no identity crisis. It's a slick, stylish action thriller that delivers exactly what its initial trailers promised: loads of gun-toting, blood-spattering retribution and a ridiculous sense of humor-- nothing more and nothing less.

Michael Nyqvist is in on the joke, hamming up his role as the Russian mob leader, Viggo Tarasov, who's dim-witted son mistakenly murders John Wick's (played ever so coolly by Keanu Reeves) dog and steals his car. As it turns out, John Wick used to be the Russian mob's go-to contracted killer whenever they had a job too big to handle themselves. Ouch.

John Wick smartly abides by the Law of Keanu, which states that less is more. True, Reeves is no Robert Downey Jr, but in the right role and with little to say, Reeves can be a reliable option. John Wick is such a role and definitely the best fit for Reeves since Neo in The Matrix. With Keanu Reeves as its sturdy center, John Wick relies on one heck of a supporting cast to smooth out the edges. Talented actors such as Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Willem Dafoe, as well as the aforementioned Nvqvist, all lend a hand in giving a sense of identity and history to the world of John Wick; a rich world that I personally would love to see explored further in any future installments.

Like I said, it isn't anything fancy. There is no profound, life-changing view to walk away from this movie with. It's a well-choreographed, well-shot popcorn flick packed to the brim with action and bursting with cheeky flair.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy
Speaking of which, perhaps no film last year unabashedly expressed cheeky flair as much as James Gunn's The Guardians of the Galaxy. From the talking raccoon and the walking tree, to the prominent protrusion of its 70's pop playlist, Marvel's latest is about as subtle as a David Bautista punch to the face. In lesser hands, the joke would have been on the filmmaker, but James Gunn has a real knack for pastiche and thus 'Guardians' serves as an amusing send-up of the superhero genre, something Hollywood was in real need for, too.

Of course, Writer-Director James Gunn's unique ability to fascinatingly fuse comedy with earnestness would only get him so far without the right cast. With such a stubborn squad, it could have been a nightmare to strike the perfect balance, but they nailed it. Special recognition goes to Chris Pratt for being the consummate Star-Lord for Gunn's interpretation of the material and the glue who convincingly holds the group together, and Bradley Cooper for packing so much sympathy into such a small window of his character's back story and giving credence to Rocket as a character rather than caricature.

Over all of it, 'Guradians' is stuffed with action and brimming with laugh-out-loud dialogue, as well as rewarding references and on-going gags. This film has definitely earned its spot among Marvel's best film adaptations and superhero films in general.

3. Nightcrawler
Jake Gyllenhaal's news footage gatherer Lou Bloom ranks towards the top of cinema's all-time great sociopaths and his performance is on par with the likes of Anthony Perkins in Psycho and Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. Everything Gyllenhaal does in front of the camera illustrates a complete character: the slouching, the almost anorexic shape of his body, and even the perpetual, nervous blinking. It's a devoted performance. Now, it's definitely not new territory for Gyllenhaal, having made a name for himself in Donnie Darko, but that doesn't make his performance here any less special and it's a shame, albeit not a surprise, that he wasn't nominated.

Nightcrawler also impresses from a technical standpoint. The cinematography is gorgeous. if a tad bit simple; the sound design truly captures horrific atmospheres of each crime scene Bloom investigates; and the musical score captures the emotions going on inside Bloom's head rather than what the audience is seeing on screen. Everything about this movie is designed to take the audience inside the character of Bloom and it works as a fascinating and captivating character study. It's a sickening delight watching this seemingly soulless individual take advantage of everyone and everything around him in order to achieve maximum success.

I walked away from this film disgusted with Bloom, our media, and myself for enjoying every last minute.

2. Birdman

There are a lot of things you could say about Birdman, and indeed a lot of things have been said. What I'll say about Alejandro González Iñárritu's film is that it's special. It's special in the way that it stars Michael Keaton, who played Batman, as a fallen Hollywood star who yearns for his glory days as a blockbuster superhero icon. It's also special in the way that it's made to look like one shot within the claustrophobic confines of an off-Broadway music hall.

Keaton's darkly quirky performance as the self-deprecating, guilt-ridden Riggan serves as the centerpiece of the film and indeed it's a career highlighter for sure. However, Keaton isn't the only actor who's earned an Oscar nomination for Birdman. Both Emma Stone and Edward Norton give electrifying performances as Riggan's daughter and Broadway co-star, respectively.

What's also special about Birdman is its kinetic, almost infectious energy. Everything keeps moving so new information is constantly being revealed and nothing feels stale. Despite its star's obvious age, Birdman has an abundance of fresh, young supporting talent that aid the film's continuous flow of fast, witty dialogue; intimate development; and even a fistful superhero-esque special effects. The upbeat, up-tempo score also invigorate a number of its scenes, specifically where Riggan envisions himself once again dawning the now-famous Birdman getup. It's a bizarre experience for sure, but a lot of fun. This film almost seems to dare its audiences to fall asleep.

1. The Babadook

After I saw directorial newcomer Jennifer Kent's The Babadook, there was no doubt in my mind what my favorite film of the year was. She's crafted a brilliant slow burn with two of the most impressive but overlooked performances of the year, from veteran actress Essie Davis and first-timer Noah Wiseman.

Davis plays Amelia, a single mother still haunted by the death of her husband and the seemingly unfortunate birth of her son, Samuel (if you've seen the film, you'll know what I'm talking about). One night before bedtime, Amelia finds a mysterious red velvet book on Sam's shelf titled "Mr. Babadook" and mistakenly reads it out loud to him. It doesn't take long for the shadowy, titular beast to make its presence known. At first it's a couple of knocks and then it's glass shards in Amelia's soup. Before long, Amelia is receiving late-night bedroom visits from The Babadook himself. It's some truly disturbing stuff.

What's more impressive about Kent's feature debut is that it transcends its genre in a way that very few horror films from recent memory have been able to do. The Babadook's not just scary as hell, it's also an expressive allegory for grief and the destructive aftermath of loss. From the seemingly inexpressive set decoration and wardrobe to the mostly immobile but chillingly refreshing cinematography, everything about Kent's film is designed to give the viewer an overwhelming sense of oppressiveness and hopelessness.

Not only is The Babadook my favorite film of 2014, but it's one of the best movies of the year as well as one of the best horror films of the past decade. You should definitely let this one in.