Homefront

ACTION/ADVENTURE, SUSPENSE/THRILLER

Protecting Family

7.25 out of 10 | Rental

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Rated: R   Strong violence, pervasive language, drug content and brief sexuality
Release Date: November 27, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes

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Director: Gary Fielder
Writers: Sylvester Stallone, based on the novel by Chuck Logan
Cast: Jason Statham, James Franco, Izabela Vidovic, Kate Bosworth, Marcus Hester, Clancy Brown, Winona Ryder, Frank Grillo

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SYNOPSIS: A former DEA agent moves his daughter to a quiet town, where he soon tangles with a local meth druglord.

REVIEW: Runaway Jury director Gary Fielder is no stranger to suspense or action, spending a lot of time directing action-oriented episodes for The Shield and Life on Mars. Now, with a script from none other than Sly Stallone (The Expendables 2) Fielder combines suspense and action together for a Thanksgiving weekend release.

Phil broker (Jason Statham, Parker) leaves the DEA after an undercover assignment goes sideways. Retiring to Rayville, Louisiana with his 10-year-old daughter Maddy (Izabela Vidovic), he tries to lead a normal life. When Maddy defends herself from a bully at school, it sets off a chain reaction of violence and revenge that starts with the boy's mother Cassie (Kate Bosworth, Superman Returns) and father Jimmy (Marcus Hester, Looper) before escalating to the mother's meth drug lord brother Morgan 'Gator' Bodice (James Franco, This is the End). When Gator learns of Phil's past life involving the leader of the biker gang The Outcasts, he tries to secure expansion opportunities by serving up Phil's location using his girlfriend Sheryl (Winona Ryder, Star Trek) as the go between.

From a story by Chuck Logan and adapted to the screen by the one and only Sylvester Stallone, Homefront is prototypical action flick. The protagonist is a capable ex-military, ex-agent who is just trying to leave his past behind and lead a normal life with his family. He tries to be a good man and devoted father, but his training and sense of right and wrong put him in the middle of circumstances that force him to take action to protect those he loves.

While not original in the action genre, the movie does bring some fresh life to it. Jason Statham is always fun to watch as an action hero, up there with Bruce Willis and Stallone. He has an easy way about him that makes him a good character for the forced upon vigilante while knowing how to kick some serious ass when he needs to. The choreography and action sequences illicit oohs and ahhs. Statham has great chemistry with his on-screen daughter played by newcomer Izabela Vidovic, making the duo very likable as a family unit. But as good as Jason Statham's presence and physicality are, it still would be nothing without a serious threat and villain.

James Franco, as the meth lord nicknamed Gator, puts a good performance as a ruthless meth cooker and brother trying to do right by his strung out sister. When Gator finds an opportunity to expand his business and change his own life at Phil Broker's expense, he jumps at the chance. Gator is only one of the villains that make this movie so good. Winona Ryder's Cheryl, ex-biker groupie and current Gator drug partner, seems only concerned about her own preservation. Trained killer and biker Cyrus, played by Frank Grillo (Zero Dark Thirty), is sent to deal with the Phil Broker loose end. As a collective this group of deviants could, at any moment, prove more than a match for Statham's character.

Homefront is a good blend of family bonding and villain pounding. Most of it may be a little cliché but Franco, Statham, Ryder and Grillo makes for a action and popcorn lovers spectacle, especially after stuffing oneself with turkey and stuffing.

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This Is The End

COMEDY/HORROR

Last Ditch Efforts

8.25 out of 10 | DVD or RENTAL

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Rated: R  Crude and sexual content, brief graphic nudity, drug use, pervasive language and some violence
Release Date: June 12, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes

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Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Writers: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, based on the short film Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse by Jason Stone
Cast: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Rihanna

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SYNOPSIS:  While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.

REVIEW: Seth Rogen is an actor (The Guilt Trip), a writer (The Watch), and now a director! The Canadian-born star brings his unique bong-y perspective from Vancouver, British Columbia, and teams with long-time collaborating writer Evan Goldberg to adapt the Jason Stone short film that Seth and Jay Baruchel Jason and Seth created in 2007.

Seth Rogen (Green Hornet) waits at LAX for his Canadian childhood pal Jay Baruchel (She's Out of my League) to deplane. After Jay arrives they go back to Seth's house and party up with weed, alcohol, and 3D television and video games. When Seth asks Jay to accompany him to James Franco's housewarming, Jay hesitantly goes. After joining the party and meeting up with Franco (147 Hours), Jonah Hill (Moneyball), Craig Robinson (Peeples), Emma Watson (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Kevin Hart (Think Like a Man), and others, Jay tires of the LA scene and wants to go back to Seth's place. When he and Seth go to a convenience store for more smokes, an earthquake rocks the neighborhood and people are transported Into the sky via blue lights. With the neighborhood – Seth and Jay decide to get back to Franco's house to wait out the coming apocalypse.

What happens when a bunch of actors get together for a housewarming party and end up having to face down the end of the world? When it comes to Rogen, Franco, Baruchel, Robinson, and Hill, they wait out the End of Days with beer, weed, some water, and no idea as to what to do next. Watching these guys muddle their way through the Rapture is like watching a bunch of five-year-olds fight over the last cookie on the plate. Ludicrous, unbelievable, and over-the-top, This Is The End is a hilarious look at how these these weed-toting, liquor-consuming, fun-loving friends could possibly survive.

There's three things that are clever about this movie. The first is that every character that these guys play are themselves… or are the caricatures of what we expect these actors to be in their personal lives. The second is that I never would have expected a film from these guys in the way that they laid it out. Even though Rogen and Franco and crew have come up with some strange tales, This Is The End takes the prize. And lastly Rogan and his crew made a funny movie and seemed to have a great time doing it.

Besides the main cast, there are plenty of other cameo appearances from their acting friends. From Mindy Kaling (The 40-Year-old Virgin) to Emma Watson, to Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), and others, each brings their familiar pattern to what we expect from them while pulling back the curtain on the more hidden and explicit parts of their lives.

Starting off like a scene from Less Than Zero, This Is The End quickly turns into an all-out hilarious supernatural, and out-of-this-world, post-apocalyptic nightmare. There are plenty of laughs to be had, from Jonah Hill playing around with a prop gun, to a standoff between James Franco and Danny McBride over Franco's porn magazines, to a discussion as to how six survivors should deal with Emma Watson without being 'rape-y'. There's pretty decent special effects - way beyond anything that the boys have done while making Pineapple Express, Super Bad for some of their other efforts.

This juvenile, vulgar comedy is not for everyone. But if you love Seth Rogen's and his buddies' work on film before now, this film will be a raunchy, fun, entertaining delight.

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Oz the Great and Powerful

ACTION/ADVENTURE, SCI-FI/FANTASY

The Start of the Yellow Brick Road

8.0 out of 10 | Movie and DVD

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Rated: PG Sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language.
Release Date: March 8, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes

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Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: Mitchell Kapner, David Lindsey-Abaire, from the novel 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' my L. Frank Baum
Cast: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Joey King

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SYNOPSIS:  A small-time magician arrives in an enchanted land and is forced to decide if he will be a good man or a great one.

REVIEW: Sam Raimi, creator of the original Evil Dead and the director of the original Spider-Man trilogy, moves from horror and superhero action/adventure to a fantasy/adventure of epic proportion. The world created by L. Frank Baum, Oz, has spawned a beautiful 1938 film, several cartoons, graphic novels, and even a SyFy mini-series. Romeo Must Die writer Mitchell Kapner and Rise of the Guardians screenwriter David Lindsey-Abaire combine their knowledge of action and good storytelling to tackle the origins of Oz the Great and Wonderful.

Oz (James Franco, Rise of the Planet of the Apes), a small time traveling carnival stage magician, leads a scoundrel and con man's life for pennies per performance. Using his act to try to 'get the girl', Oscar Finds himself at the wrong end of a disgruntled co-worker. He lifts off in his hot air balloon as an escape, finding himself caught up in a Kansas tornado that whips him to an enchanted world of color and strange creatures. He meets a young, beautiful woman Theodora (Mila Kunis, Ted) who feels that Oz is the prophesied Wizard who will save the citizens of Oz from the Wicked Witch. Evanora (Rachel Weisz, The Bourne Legacy), Theodora's sister, does not believe Oz's claims and sends Oz on a quest to kill the Wicked Witch by stealing and destroying her wand. On the way to the Dark Forest, Oz the Wizard is accompanied by Finley the Flying Monkey (Zack Braff, Scrubs) and met by a China Girl (Joey King, Crazy, Stupid, Love) who wants to join them on their witch hunt. When Oz discovers that he has been duped by Evanora into an attempt on Glinda the Good Witch's (Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn) life, Oz realizes that he must try and live up to the faith of lands' citizens to rid The Emerald City of two Wicked Witches.

In Oz the Great and Powerful, James Franco is a young magician traveling through Kansas and yearning to be a greater man than he is. But one needs to be careful what one wishes for. When a tornado sweeps his hot air balloon up and to the enchanted world of Oz, he finds himself in a strange and magical world that he can barely comprehend. Oz the Great and Powerful is a snappy prequel, giving us a glimpse of the young man who became the man behind the curtain we know from Dorothy's travels through The Emerald City. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz he is an old man just trying to keep up the vestige of his station more legend than fact. So, in this prequel, does that mean that the wizard was not a figment of Dorothy's imagination?

The world of Oz that L. Frank Baum created early in the 20th century served as both social commentary and fantasy, spawning many versions of itself over the years. With rich source material from Baum, the Oz universe has created graphic novels, television shows, movies cartoons, and now a prequel to the original 1938 film where we were swept away again to a world so unlike our own.

James Franco, as the traveling carnival magician and illusionist Oscar, claims he wants to "be a great man, not just a good man". The same could be said for Franco's career, With Franco snagging roles in oddball drug filled comedies, soap operas, and the acclaimed 147 Hours, Franco continues to work hard to be a great actor, not just a good actor. He reteams with his Date Night costar Mila Kunis as the witch Theodora, re-sparking an already strong chemistry on screen. Mila, no stranger to strange dramatic performances - Black Swan - plays up her strengths in her fantasy role as a young witch of Oz. Rachel Weisz serves as the councilor to the king, a throne left empty due to the assassination of Glinda the Good Witch's father until Oz appears in his hot air balloon. Her motives are suspect, but her connection to her sister Theodora is true. Or is it? Speaking of Glinda the Good Witch, Michelle Williams steps into the good witch's shoes as if she was made for the role. Supporting Franco's Wizard are the voice talents of Zach Braff as the flying monkey Finley and Joey King as the China Girl. Braff keeps the mood light, in addition to Franco's signature quirky expressions and manners, while King gives the tale the heart it needs - even if her heart is made of china.

Director Sam Raimi, certainly no stranger to special-effects films with his work on the Spider-Man trilogy and known for his creative and inventive work on his Evil Dead franchise, gets a broad palette to work from with this large big studio production. Creating this fantasy world is much more involved than any of the films Raimi has done to date, sometimes rivaling what Cameron had to do with Avatar. With armies of flying monkeys, China girls, and landscapes that could only be dreamed up in Ozian detail, Raimi certainly has his cinematic hands full. Raimi and his team keep the whimsy that we would expect from the land of Oz, with rich cinematic color, while adding his own sense of danger and adventure. The perfect scene to demonstrate Raimi's mesh of fantasy and adventure comes to fruition as Franco's character finds himself plummeting from the sky in his hot air balloon, racing down raging rapids, and over craggy waterfalls. The landscapes are breathtaking and stunning - everything we would hope for in a return to live-action return to Oz.

Oz the Great and Powerful is a wild, wicked ride for both older kids and adults alike. Funny and action filled, the tale is faithful to the ideas and stories of the wonderful world of Oz created by L. Frank Baum. Remember that all roads led to the Emerald City.

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Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Chest Pounding Good Time

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Writers: Pierre Boulle, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver

Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, Andy Serkis

SYNOPSIS: After creating a pharmaceutical cure for Alzheimer's, the company that Will Rodman works for launches into clinical animal trials. As the trials expand the intelligence of test subject Caeser, the simian finds itself in a position to wrestle control away from the humans who have mistreated him.

REVIEW: We have seen its battles and conquests. We have seen beneath it and have helped to escape from it. Between 1968 and 1973, 20th Century Fox had released five Planet of the Apes films based on the French novel La Planete des singes by Pierre Boulle. Over the years, 20th Century Fox has returned to the Planet of the Apes with television series and comic book stories. The franchise was rebooted, reinterpreted and re-imagined by Tim Burton with Mark Wahlberg and Tim Roth in the lead roles in 2001 with a successful box office, but mixed critical and fan opinion.

Now, 20th Century Fox is reimagining the franchise again with an origin story set in modern day San Francisco, where Will Rodman (James Franco) experiments with generic engineering for a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Along the way, his 'cure' leads to the development of superior intelligence in the test subject simian in the animal trials. Can Rise of the Planet of the Apes reignite one of the first fan favorite film franchise? A series of films with a legacy on par with the frenzy of today's Harry Potter series, Rise of the Planet of the Apes may be the studio's last attempt to reboot and reclaim its former glory.

James Franco stars as William Rodman, a Berkley scientist working at the pharmaceutical corporation Gen Sys in pursuit of a cure for Alzheimer's that afflict his father Charles (John Lithgow). When ALZ 112 shows repaired cognitive functions in chimpanzee #9, Rodman pushes the board to vote in favor of human trials. When #9, nicknamed Bright Eyes, seems to go berserk on the day of the presentation, the entire project is shut down and all of the test subjects euthanized. But Bright Eye's outburst was due to her protecting an infant no one was aware of. Rodman takes the baby chimp home and raises it as his own, soon realizing that the cognitive benefits from the 112 serum had been passed directly to the baby, named Caeser by William's father. And so begins a brand new modern interpretation of an enduring film franchise.

Built on a solid script from RIck Jaffa and Amanda Silver, based on the films and and based on the original story from Pierre Boulle, Rise of the Planet of the Apes unfolds an origin tale much more believable - if you suspend your disbelief - than the sequels did in the original 1970s versions. Based on man's genetic chemical experimentation to repair the human brain, the obvious choice for animal testing would put chimpanzees and other simians in the line of fire. Never satisfied with the original time-traveling Caeser baby throwback where chimpanzees replaced the exist dogs and cats as domestic pets and domestic servants before they eventually rebelled against their human masters, Rise of the Planet of the Apes uses modern thinking (no pun intended) to rationalize how an evolved species of animal would all of a sudden push into a new evolutionary cycle on its way to become the dominant species on the planet.

The effects are slick, the CGI a little ragged to the trained eye at the beginning but evolving into developed detailed characters as Caeser grows up. The intelligent look in Caeser's eyes as his capacity broadened pierces right through you. Without uttering a word, Caeser (powered and captured by Andy Serkis of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) conveys all the pain and knowing that the drugs endow in him. As the story rises up into a climatic confrontation on the Golden Gate Bridge, all the dazzle of what CGI can do comes to light as Caesar and his small army of enlightened apes square off against CHiPs, swat, local law enforcement and the Gen Sys executive Steven Jacobs (David Oyelowo). The only other issue I had was that by the climax of the film, there seems to be an abundance of army apes that were not accounted for earlier in the story.

Brian Cox is notable as the less than savory primate sanctuary administrator John Landon, letting his son Dodge (played beautifully by Tom Felton) run the place like his own personal testing lab for abusing the animals and treating them worse than inmates. John Lithgow as Charles Rodman shows his acting range as William's father as his Alzheimer's rages and recedes with the introduction of the drugs William gives him. Freida Pinto is also on board as Caroline Aranha as a simian expert who ends up in a relationship with William. David Oyelowo stars as the Gen Sys executive Steven Jacobs whose only interest is profiting from William's pursuit of a viable cure. And David Hewlett stars as the angry neighbor Rodney who eventually answers the question of how a few intelligent apes even stand a chance or be victorious against the machinations of modern man.

Ferociously entertaining, Rise of the Planets of the Apes may give lifelong Planet of the Apes fans what they are looking for - a chance at a new franchise of the story they came to love. New fans should come away with a new appreciation for what is possible with a few new 'damn dirty apes'. The real question is whether fanatic fans will accept the CGI as the medium in which the apes are presented. Although the 2001 Tim Burton Planet of the Apes reboot was not glowingly received, at least Rick Baker's makeup still allowed man to embody monkey like the originals. Maybe as the technology evolves and integrates in silver screen storytelling, Ape fans may need to evolve as well.

WORTH: Friday Night Opening and BluRay

127 Hours

Difficult Decisions

[James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara]

image from opposingviews.com

RANT: Wish that some of the best movies would have wider releases. Black Swan, Monsters and others are out, but nowhere close enough for me to view and review. Even 127 Hours is much more scarce than I would have liked. I understand that the studios and distributors have to forecast the popularity of all of the films they release, but for fans like me, it is always a hunt to find some of the better films.

SYNOPSIS: Aron Ralston becomes trapped under a boulder in a canyon crevasse while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and must resort to desperate measures in order to live.

Slumdog Millionaire writers and director reteam to bring the harrowing and heroic story of mountain climber Aron Ralston to the screen. Director Danny Boyle of films such as Sunshine, Trainspotting and 28 Days Later crafts a screenplay with writing partner Simon Beaufoy, also known for his screenplay for The Full Monty.

James Franco stars as canyoneer Aron Ralston, an engineer with a sweet spot for all things extreme. More at home in the canyons then in the confines of urban living, Aron treks out almost every weekend to enjoy the solitude that the open outdoors brings. As he makes his way along the deep slots of the Blue John Canyon, he comes across a pair of other trekkers looking for The Dome. After showing Kristi and Megan some of the coolest spots, he leaves them to continue his own adventure. While Aron traverses one of the slots, a boulder wedged between the walls dislodges, causing Aron to fall to the bottom and causing the boulder to jam his hand between it and the canyon wall. The moment the hand and boulder come in close connect is the moment the film actually starts in earnest.

The film reflects on the cattle culture that the majority of us live in on a daily basis. As we push along on subways and expressways during the rush hours of our lives, Aron lives for the isolation of the open expanse of the world that has been left behind. The majestic vistas, although still plentiful across this nation, retreat into the background all but forgotten. We can sympathize with Aron for his pursuit of the wide open and his escape from the closed in.

But as with all irony, Aron finds that he is once again a victim of confinement. And as he uses all of his equipment and know how in his attempt for freedom, his failures and frustrations serve to remind him of what he may be forced to live behind - family and a meaningful future. Aron is forced to recognize that he could have opened wider his heart to those who were the closest to him, regardless of his fear of commitment and crowds.

Danny Boyle shoots 127 Hours to showcase the grandeur of our land, letting us know that we are somewhat insignificant. Aron's plight and its eventual outcome, however, are also a testament of the strength of the human spirit against seemingly insurmountable odds. Aron's attempts at freedom are fascinating and his resourcefulness of survival are admirable. The actual escape scene is difficult to watch, but serves as a question as to how far would any of us go to live.

Worth: Matinee or Netflix

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!

Date Night

Banter and Bullets

[Tina Fey, Steve Carrell, Mark Wahlberg]

Have you ever gone to the movies by yourself when you really should have gone with someone else, be it a child to a kid flick or a date for a chick flick? I do it al the time! I love movies so much, I would have gone to "How to Train your Dragon" by myself. Luckily, in that case, I had  a roommate and friends with a son with me. My advise -  as long as you are not "creepy", going to movies solo should not be taboo.

SYNOPSIS:  A boring, New Jersey couple decide they need to liven things up with a posh dinner in Manhattan. By taking the reservation of another couple, they open themselves up to mistaken identity, car chases, bullets, run ins with corrupt cops, mob bosses and strippers.

Tina Fey and Steve Carrell bring their small screen style of comedy to the big screen in "Date Night". Fans of both Fey and Carrell will enjoy them as a married couple, struggling to keep the spark alive with work and the raising of two kids. They are funny, snarky and intelligent as Phil and Claire Foster, spotlighting the all too real issues of comfortable married life. When they find out that one of their married couple friends are separating, Phil realizes that he needs to make a more romantic gesture to keep their marriage on solid ground. When they can't get a table at an exclusive restaurant, Phil takes the reservation for the absent Triplehorns, leading to Phil and Claire being pursued by cops on the take looking for the "real" Triplehorns and their incriminating flash drive. During their escapades, they dodge bullets, take part in an unique high speed chase involving an Audi and a taxi, enlist the help of ex-military hunk Holbrooke (Mark Wahlberg), track down the Triplehorns (James Franco and Mila Kunis) and have their best moments as a stripper and a pimp working undercover on the pole. But the real laughs come not only with Fey and Carrell, but the supporting cast as well.

Mark Wahlberg's Grant Holbrooke provides a great shirtless straight man for Fey and Carrell to riff off of. Franco as "Taste" and Kunis as "Whippit" give a ghetto voice to what plagues Phil and Claire, to comic effect. Franco in his last couple comic roles, from "The Pineapple Express" to his host stint on SNL is proving he truly has the comic chops to compete with Fey, Kunis and Carrell. "Date Night" primarily goes with the smiles and laughs, but does supply a enough action to keep the story racing along. J.B Smoove proves both the funny and the frantic as the cab driver unwittingly connected to the Fosters during their chase to ditch the cops on their tail. 

With intrigue, smiles and action, "Date Night" is a nice date night movie. Will the younger demographic enjoy it? Maybe not as much as some of the other flicks out there. But anyone married can definitely relate to the Foster's situation. Well, maybe not the flash drives and sideways gun "kill shots", but definitely everything else!

Worth: Matinee and DVD