RED 2

ACTION/ADVENTURE, COMEDY

The Best Never Rest

8.0 out of 10 | DVD or RENTAL

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Rated: PG-13 Pervasive action and violence including frenetic gunplay, and for some language and drug material
Release Date: July 19, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 56 minutes

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Director: Dean Parisot
Writers: Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, based on characters created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner
Cast: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Byung-hun Lee, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Neal McDonough, David Thewlis, Brian Cox

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SYNOPSIS:  Retired black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device.

REVIEW: Galaxy Quest and Fun with Dick and Jane director Dean Parisot tries to rein in Bruce Willis as he returns as Frank, a retired CIA agent designated as RED (Retired, Extremely Dangerous). Based on a script by returning scribes Erich and Jon Hoeber, from the comic characters created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, Frank and his elite retirees find themselves in even deeper trouble against the government they served and a new international threat.

Frank (Bruce Willis, A Good Day to Die Hard) returns as an ex-CIA Cold War operative living in quiet retirement with his girlfriend Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds), still labeled as a RED (Retired, Extremely Dangerous). When his long time agent buddy Marvin (John Malkovich, Warm Bodies) is killed, Frank and Sarah go to ground and Frank is arrested and interrogated by a spook specialist Jack Horton (Neal McDonough, Captain America: The First Avenger) who asks him what he knows about Project Nightshade. Knowing nothing about the project, Frank escapes to discover and uncover what he can find out about the highly classified project. He is helped by a former soviet femme fatale Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rock of Ages), a crack shot and former MI6 agent Victoria (Helen Mirren, Hitchcock) while being pursued by contract killer Han Cho Bai (Byung-hun Lee, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) who Frank shares a betraying past.

A sequel to the graphic novel turned movie RED, RED 2 is a action-packed, silly suspense dramedy that does not take itself too seriously. Tongue and cheek, Frank and his ex-agents deal with governments ready to put them out to pasture - permanently - a Cold War relic that could mean the death of millions, and a conspiracy that reaches far beyond the scope of any of their individual experiences and abilities. High on snark, rich with gunfire and close combat, and thundering with explosions, RED 2 is the perfect follow-up to the original and complement to the graphic novel series.

Bruce Willis as Frank finds himself struggling against years of operative training in order to settle down with his girlfriend Sarah. The problem is that his girlfriend has the adrenaline bug and just wants to go out on grand adventures. John Malkovich is at his strange and paranoid best as Marvin, but somehow the voice of reason when it comes to Frank's romantic life. Helen Mirren's Victoria is as stunning as she is dangerous, coupled with the exotic beauty and grace of Catherine Zeta Jones Katja. A couple other familiar faces show up in the sequel, as well as new threats.

RED 2 does not skip out on the high explosives, car chases, gun fights, and close quarters fighting. It also amps up the international espionage and intrigue by forcing Frank and his crew to save themselves by figuring out the Cold War era Project Nightshade to save themselves. Sprinting around the world, Frank and his gang encounter danger and threats from all sides.

If possible, RED 2 is somehow more grounded and believable then its original film counterpart. Remember when Malkovich's Marvin shot a handgun at a rocket propelled grenade? None of that is in this sequel, although there is still plenty of high intensity action for the adrenaline junkie fans of cinema. There still some unbelievable action sequences and you root for the good guys every time.

RED 2 is a grand old time at the movies, especially if you like Bruce Willis' tough guy roles and sheer firepower. Sedate moments throughout balance the raw and plentiful action, keeping this film a perfect trajectory for success.

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Side Effects

DRAMA, SUSPENSE/THRILLER

One Pill Can Change Your Life

★ ★ ★ 1/2 out of 5 | Rental

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Rated: R Sexuality, nudity, violence and language.
Release Date: February 8, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes

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Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Scott Z. Burns
Cast: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones

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SYNOPSIS:  Emily and Martin are a successful New York couple whose world unravels when a new drug prescribed by Emily's psychiatrist - intended to treat anxiety - has unexpected side effects.

REVIEW: Steven Soderbergh has been been busy lately. He directed Contagion and Haywire in 2011, Magic Mike in 2012, and now Side Effects to start the new year. Contagion writer Steve Z. Burns reteams with Soderbergh, looking to recreate the tension they created two years ago. 

Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law, Rise of the Guardians) works long hours at the hospital, sees numerous patients at his own practice, and participates in pharmaceutical studies - all in an effort to keep his wife and stepson living a comfortable lifestyle. Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara, Prometheus) waits for her husband Martin Taylor (Channing Tatum, Magic Mike) to be release from prison where he was incarcerated for four years for insider trading. Upon his release, Emily keeps a brave face but finds herself struggling to keep her emotions in check and her mental health balanced. After she runs her car into a parking garage concrete wall, Emily is visited by Dr. Banks as a psych consult. Released from the hospital, Emily starts to see Dr. Banks as a patient. After consulting Emily's previous psychiatrist Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Broken City), Dr. Banks prescribes Abrixa as a medication to fight her depression. After continued treatment, Emily is worse off than before, causing a sleepwalking incident that puts her in the psych ward again. As Dr. Banks reputation and personal life come into question, and his life starts to unravel, Dr. Banks takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of Emily and her strange surreal life.

Steven Soderberg brings another one of his stylize and cinematic films, akin to Contagion and Traffic, to screen. He uses his signature lighting, and alternating warm and cool tones to tell the story just as engaging as any of the plot points. Scott Z. Burns' story is slow and steady, setting up for a more interesting third act. The slow pace of the film allows director Soderberg to use his visual craft to build the story. With a movie of this type, it is important to build a proper foundation. Law, Mara, Zeta-Jones, and Tatum help to build those blocks, but the story suffers due to unnecessary waiting. Jude Law shows why he is such an exceptional actor. Rooney Mara, fresh off the Prometheus and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo also shows her ability as an acting chameleon. The character of Emily is the most crucial to the success of the story, and Mara does a superb job getting the job done.

The halfway point of the film is where the pace picks up and when the film become worthwhile. As Dr. Banks life unravels, his practice folds, and his marriage suffers, Jonathan finds himself on the wrong end of life's diagnosis. Not all the pieces fit and not all the results seem likely, but yet he finds that he is on the declining slope of a downward spiral. The thought of losing control of one's faculties brings uncertainty to where both Emily and Dr. Banks may end up, and keeps up the intrigue.

Dr. Jonathan Banks answers a question from an inquiring party as to why he practices psychiatry in United States versus the UK. He replies that citizens of the United Kingdom feel that psychiatry and psychiatric medicines is for people who are sick and that Americans believe psychiatry and psychiatric medicine is for people looking to get better. That statement reveals much of the practice of pharmaceutical trials, patients going to numerous doctors, and the combination of old and new marketed drugs assisting in mental recovery. All points to a mental health industry that isn't looking to make anybody better but instead wanting to line pockets. So is it any wonder that Rooney Mara's Emily may or may not succeed in beating the charges against her even with her history of mental instability.

With a long set up and careful crafting of the necessary pieces of the puzzle, Side Effects is a movie that is well-done and well-crafted, but needed to get the audience engaged with a faster pace. The direction is good, the acting is top notch, and the overall story is solid. With any mystery of this type the success or failure of the film based on quick set up and an intriguing investigation. The cat and mouse game between the major characters is the best part of the film.

Side Effects could have been a great thriller. Soderberg is a respected and talented director. The cast is exceptional. But slow pacing and some obvious outcomes affects just how many side effects were not listed on the bottle.

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Broken City

SUSPENSE / THRILLER

Fractured to the Point of Breaking

★ ★ ★ out of 5 | Movie - DVD - Rental

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Rated: R Violence, some sexual content and pervasive language.
Release Date: January 18, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes

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Director: Allen Hughes
Writers: Brian Tucker
Cast: Mark Walhberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright, Barry Pepper, Alona Tal, Natalie Martinez, Michael Beach, Kyle Chandler

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SYNOPSIS: In a city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by Mayor Nicholas Hostetler.

REVIEW: One half of The Hughes Brother, known for Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, and From Hell, Allen Hughes continues his solo track with a script from newcomer Brian Tucker for the new Mark Walhberg and Russell Crowe political suspense/thriller Broken City. 

Detective Lt. Billy Taggert (Mark Wahlberg, Ted) is found over the body of a young man in a rent-controlled projects. Soon therafter, Taggert is facing a preliminary hearing with murder charges hanging over his head. When the judge rules that there is not enough evidence for a trial, the public outrage forces police chief Carl Fairbanks (Jeffrey Wright, The Ides of March) and NYC Mayor Hostetler (Russell Crowe, Les Miserables) to take Taggert off the force for good. Seven years later, Taggert is a financially struggling private investigator, complete with a snarky assistant Katy Bradshaw (Alona Tal, Kalamity). Just as his luck is running out, Mayor Hostetler - on the eve of the mayoral election against wealthy congressman Jack Valliant (Barry Pepper, True Grit) - calls on Taggert with a job to follow his wife Cathleen (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rock of Ages) who he suspects is having an affair. But when Taggert delivers the evidence of Cathleen's betrayal, the political fallout goes far beyond the scope of the job, leading to murder, double-cross, and intrigue.

Mark Walhberg does what he does best. He faces his character Billy Taggert with a scowl, a growl, and a constant furrow in his brow. Taggert has a successful quick wit and quicker jabbing hands, even if he struggles as a private dick. With every hero - or with Taggert, an anti-hero - there needs to be a superior antagonist. With Mayor Hostetler, Russell Crowe takes to the character a thinly veiled and practiced charisma that masks a coiled snake. But is he the villain? Sure, he has his concerns about the fidelity and loyalty of his wife, but does he have ulterior motives? Police Chief turned Commissioner Fairbanks detests how Taggert escaped prosecution years earlier and seems to throw it in Taggert's face at every turn. Catheen Hostetler has her own motives but seems harmless enough. It's not until the end of the film when the dust settles that everything becomes crystal clear.

As far as political civil servant suspense thrillers go, Broken City will never break the top tiers in the genre. Going against Serpico, The French Connection, or Walhberg's The Departed, Mark and Russell's new effort falls a little short. Don't get me wrong, Mark Walhberg is a capable hero, stringing together a slew of hits from The Italian Job to The Shooter to The Departed to Ted to The Fighter to Contraband. Mark knows action, and he is an underrated action hero. He has proven that his passion for a project helps the film's success. I think maybe this film was just a paycheck.

With a lot of moving parts, Broken City tries out lay out plenty of political intrigue in this 109 minute movie. Every character is on the take, "owned" by someone due to something held over their heads, filled with too much information that is given away a little too freely, or simply under utilized. Taggert's long time girlfriend Natalie (Natalie Martinez, End of Watch) serves as the pivot point for Taggert's entire world, but seems to disappear as soon as her work is done. Zeta-Jones' Cathleen keeps everything close to her vest until its important for Taggert to have additional information to help move the plot along.Even Jeffrey Wright's Police Commissioner knows more than he's telling. Formulaic, Broken City just doesn't have enough to intrigue the fickle masses. Walhberg takes a beating and strikes out with his fast hands, but he is somewhat fighting with one hand tied behind his back. Only Wright's Fairbanks, Pepper's Valliant, James Ransone's (Sinister) Todd Lancaster, and Kyle Chandler's (Zero Dark Thirty) Paul Andrews bring their A-Game.

Sometimes shot with too soft a lens, sometimes shot with too grainy a lens, Hughes tries to set a tone and visual quality for the film that just doesn't seem to fit or be consistent. Even the musical score, filled with techy noises, is more of a distraction than an enhancement. Couple that with Russell Crowe's amateur New York accent, and one can see where the suspense starts to unravel a bit.

Broken City is a decent effort in the suspense genre. If you like everything Mark Wahlberg does, even this film may not live up to your expectations. Walhberg gets the job done as always, but at what cost?

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Playing for Keeps

Yellow Card

★ ★ 1/2 out of 5 buckets | Rental

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Rated: PG-13 - Some sexual situations, language and a brief intense image.

Release Date: December 7, 2012

Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes

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Director: Gabriele Muccino
Writers: Robbie Fox
Cast:  Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Dennis Quaid, Uma Thurman, Noah Lomax, Catherine Zeta-Jones, James Tupper, Judy Greer

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SYNOPSIS: A former soccer star with no prospects tries desperately to reconnect with his son and soon-to-be remarried ex-wife. When he has the chance to spend more time with his son by coaching his soccer team, he finds himself dealing with lustful soccer moms and quirky dads.

REVIEW: Seven Pounds and The Pursuit of Happyness director Gabriele Muccino takes on the romantic comedy genre with dashing Gerard Butler and sexy girl next door Jessica Biel. Robbie Fox, writer of the 1993 So I Married an Axe Murderer, returns as a scribe after an eighteen hiatus, begging the question of whether soccer and family can mix. 

George (Gerard Butler, Chasing Mavericks) was a famous soccer striker in his youth, until an injury sidelined him and stole away his prospects in the sport. Today, he moves into a guest house in Virginia to be closer to his ex-wife Stacie (Jessica Biel, Hitchcock) and son Lewis (Noah Lomax, The Middle). Struggling to make ends meet and to become a quality father to Lewis, George takes in the challenge of coaching his son's wayward soccer team. With the kids in the team engaged with the sport, George finds himself having to deal with lustful divorcees in the form of soccer mom Barb (Judy Greer, Jeff, Who Lives at Home), married women Denise (Cathrine Zeta-Jones, Rock of Ages), and a rich, jealous husband Carl (Dennis Quaid, The Words) who cheats on his wife Patty (Uma Thurman, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) but lives by his own double standards. George may have been able to handles the stresses of World Cup play, but his chance to make good with his son and to make peace with his soon-to-be remarried ex-wife may prove too much to endure.

Chiseled, scruffy, and dashing Gerard Butler made a name for himself with the theatrical Phantom of the Opera and 300, leading to roles in a string of so-so romantic comedies and decent action films. He provides one of the voices to the successful How to Train Your Dragon films and the gritty Machine Gun Preacher. Following up the zen surfer Chasing Mavericks drama, Butler continues with a more semi-serious romantic film to finish out the year. Jessica Biel, fresh off her limited released of the Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren film Hitchcock, has been successful in mixing up her resume with action, horror, and romance. Both make the most of the film and their characters, with Butler as the immature womanizer and Jessica as the woman who had to give up her love affair with a sports star in order to move on with her life to raise their son by herself.

Butler and Biel are cast with several A-listers including Thurman, Quaid, and Zeta-Jones. But the real show stealer is Judy Greer as soccer mom divorcee Barb. Sure, Thurman and Zeta-Jones are sexy and flirty as heck, but Greer's Barb is brilliant as the seemingly bi-polar emotional wreck that finds solace in Butler's George. Dennis Quaid plays a neurotic jealous husband who walks the line between a good guy and a bad guy. Either way, Butler's George should have probably given Quaid's Carl a wider berth. 

The story is solid enough, but formulaic. Characters are introduced and used, except Greer's superior performance, just as plot devices to throw at George. They serve their purpose well enough, but each piece hangs out to flap in the wind afterward. And the believability factor suffers a little bit when George's appearance at Lewis' practice turns into a soccer clinic and the complete turnaround of a losing bunch of kids to championship material. The story of George, his son Lewis, and ex-wife Stacie works to a greater degree, focusing on George's attempt to reconcile and better his relationship with both of them.

Playing for Keeps is a pleasant semi-dramatic romantic comedy. Anyone who can relate to divorced parents trying to reconcile for the sake of a child will appreciate what this film is trying to achieve. There is sexiness, bare chests, and charisma for most, and the campiness and hijinks of the soccer moms interested in George does take away from the more serious story between George, Stacie, and Lewis.

Playing for Keeps is a cute flick that will entertain moviegoers in the mood for a light dramatic romantic comedy. Butler and Biel have plenty of chemistry to go along with perfect smiles and beautiful features. Is this film nothing but the back of the net? You decide.

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Rock of Ages

Come for the Story, Stay for the Music

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Rated: PG-13  Sexual content, language, some heavy drinking and suggestive dancing
Release Date: June 15, 2012
Runtime:  2 hours 3 minutes

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Director: Adam Shankman
Writers: Justin Theroux, Chris D'Arienzo, Allan Loeb
Cast:  Diego Boneta, Julianne Hough, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Zeta-Jones,  Paul Giamatti, Malin Akerman

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SYNOPSIS: A small town girl from Oklahoma comes to Hollywood to be a singing star, coming across a bar back boy with his own dreams of fame.

REVIEW: Adam Shankman, director of musical projects like Hairspray and Glee and choreographer on dozens of films, takes the popular New York Broadway and brings it to the screen with help from writers Justin Theroux (Iron Man, Tropic Thunder), Allan Loeb (Just Go With It), and Chris D'Arienzo from D'Arienzo's 2009 Tony Award nominated "Rock of Ages" for which he wrote the Book.

Small town girl Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough, Burlesque) travels by bus from Oklahoma to the bright lights and big city of Hollywood, California to pursue her dreams of singing. She quickly comes across a bar back named Drew (Pretty Little Liars) who works at the legendary Strip establishment The Bourbon Room with his own dreams of singin' and rockin'. Both idolize the rock god Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocols) and his hits as the frontman for the band Arsenal. Planning for an Arsenal show at The Bourbon Room by Jaxx's manager Paul Gill (Paul Giamatti, The Hangover Part II), Paul contracts with Bourbon Room owner Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock) and his trusty sidekick Lonny (Russell Brand, Arthur) for Jaxx's last show before he goes solo. Meanwhile, politics play their part as Mike Whitmore (Bryan Cranston, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted) and his wife Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Rebound) try to shut down the club and cleaning up the Strip by protesting the club and looking for any discrepancies in their books or practices. As the music and crowds heat up, passion ignites but runs on the rocks as fame gets complicated.

As a person who has not seen the New York Broadway show yet, I can only speak from conjecture and rumor about how the film was crafted in relationship to the Broadway show. From what I have heard, the role of Stacee Jaxx was moved from a minor subplot to a major main plot line for the film. I am sure there are others out there with more knowledge of the live show than me. That being said, let's delve into 1987 Hollywood as it appears on the silver screen.

Rock of Ages is at its beating heart a love story. Drew Boley and Sherrie Christian quickly find each other and their mutual hopes for a more glamorous and adventurous ascent into singing stardom. At first naive and hopeful, miscommunication and poor decisions force them apart in their own musical pursuits. In addition, Dennis Dupree and Lonny are in love with rock and roll, and the continued running of the Bourbon Room. Stacee Jaxx, typically drunk, full of himself, and able to alienate roadies and musicians as well as he inspires and entices the ladies, seems lost, lonely and looking for an elusive perfect song.

Rock of Ages is a fun, tune-filled journey down musical memory lane. Like its live show counterpart, the huge appeal are the songs from the decade of the 80s. Big hair, rubber brackets, and tight clothes are no match for the nostalgia of Def Leppard, Pat Benatar, Gun N' Roses, Poison, and more. Some of the best songs are the ones that are the product of a mash-up. Most notable are 'We Built This City' by Starship and 'We're Not Gonna Take It' by Twisted Sister. Mary J. Blige and Julianne Hough's duet of Quarter Flash's 'Harden My Heart' kicks as much butt as it tells a story. And that is the most important point of all. For good or bad, for seriousness or silliness, each song tells a story, fitting perfectly into the fabric of the film.

All in all, Rock of Ages is a toe-tapping delight with all of the music from my youthful formative years. The story is paced well, even for its 124 minutes length, mostly anchored down and hoisted up by the plethora of music - either sung by one or more of the cast or used as fill in the background. Conflict abounds throughout, starting with the union and breakup of Drew and Sherrie, and continuing with Dennis trying to combat both the lecherous Paul Gill and the vindictive Patricia Whitmore for the survival of the Bourbon Room.

Rock of Ages may or may not live up to the expectations that patrons of the live show may have. I liked the characters and story, and loved the musical selections and mash-ups. The film could have been balanced a little better with some more non-musical scenes, but for those who can appreciate the now classic music of their youth, this film is built on rock and roll! Don't stop believing!

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WORTH: Matinee or DVD