DVD Review: Taken 2

Four years ago, Taken smashed into theaters as a very good January release, a rarity, as most use the beginning of the year to catch up with the awards darlings that continue to trickle down to the little people out of their limited releases. It also officially cemented what most of us had long suspected: Liam Neeson is a total badass.

And then the sequel was announced. On the one hand, expectations were high because the first film was so damn entertaining. On the other it seemed a completely unnecessary sequel, as most are.

When we catch-up with our hero, several months have passed since the events of the first film. Bryan (Neeson) is on better speaking terms with his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), and still very protective of his teenage daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). After accepting a temporary security job in Istanbul, Bryan invites Lenore and Kim to spend a few days with him on vacation, as Lenore and her second husband are now having marital issues. Unbeknownst to Bryan, the father of one of the men that originally took Kim has vowed revenge for the death of his son, and kidnaps Bryan and Lenore, leaving Kim alone to find and save them.

Taken 2 doesn't suffer from typical sequelitis. That is to say everything isn't bigger and louder in Istanbul than Paris. The plot isn't overly complex either, as it's a rather simple tale of revenge. It just simply feels pointless.

It was slightly interesting to revisit this family and see how the events of the first film had affected them. It also makes sense that Bryan could never escape some sort of retribution from the many he killed when looking for Kim. So this second installment should have worked. Sadly, it was just dull, especially compared to the first that seemed a bit fresher for what it was.

To boil it down to a "memorability factor," the first film impressed me enough that I retained probably 95% of it four years after one screening. The sequel? Taken 2 is mostly lost in my memory bank two weeks after seeing it.

30 Days of Oscar: Day 21 - Flight

Movie: Flight
Year: 2013

Nominations: Best Actor (Denzel Washington), Best Original Screenplay (John Gatins)

Wins/Snubs: While there are still 10 days to go before the big show, we know that Denzel isn't going to take it this year.  Daniel Day-Lewis has a lock, with Bradley Cooper possibly being the dark horse.  Screenplay, too, is not going to Flight, but that one is harder to call.  

This is a great performance, don't get me wrong.  Washington has every right to be up there.  But this is not a great movie, but I'll admit I'm having trouble separating several issues I have with this film.  First, it's not my cup of tea - I'm really not a fan of watching people go through addiction, and Washington plays Whip Whitaker, an airline pilot with a SERIOUS alcohol and cocaine problem.  However, I really like his performance - he's nuanced and doesn't actually seem to care that his life is a mess.  He knows he is damned lucky to be alive with that kind of addiction, but he even says at one point, it's his choice.  And, thanks to a miraculous series of events, he saves almost everyone on a doomed flight that essentially falls from the sky, which makes him feel a little bit like he deserves to be a treated like a hero.  He even attempts to act the part by getting rid of all of this booze after the crash (partly to act the part of the hero, and partly as an attempt to really be a good guy).  
Unfortunately, I never got behind the story this movie is telling, which is why I don't think it's got a shot at Best Original Screenplay.  In the hospital, after the crash, Whip meets Nichole, a recovering addict in the hospital after an overdose, but getting clean.  He helps her out and they stick together for a little bit, until she realizes she'll never stay sober with him.  Don Cheadle did help the story a bit as the attorney for the pilot's union who has blocked some damning evidence (he was high and drunk during the crash, but that didn't cause it and may have saved the plane), and actually wants to help this guy he thinks is a hero - we get to see our own frustrations acted out in Cheadle's eyes.  Because it is frustration.  There is nothing new in this story of addiction, he falls down, he falls down some more, he makes an attempt, he fails, and eventually, like all addicts, he reforms or dies.  They didn't actually pull on the audience heartstrings by making us feel his heroism much after the first 30 minutes.  They play on it being a miracle, or luck, but only in one great scene by Cheadle do we think the save might actually something to do with Washington.  Meh.  2.5/5 stars

DVD Roundup: Biological Clock Edition

I will totally cop to being in the age bracket for these films, and a sucker for bad chick flicks. So try to be original when mocking my taste in films this time. What to Expect When You're Expecting and I Don't Know How She Does It are both about moms, the first expecting and the latter experienced. Expecting has 5 intersecting stories of women that are pregnant, by choice, design, or accident - Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) is a baby-less mommy expert married to Gary (Ben Falcone). Gary's former racecar driving father, Ramsey (Dennis Quaid) has knocked up his incredibly young second wife Skylar (Brooklyn Decker). Skylar's cousin Rosie (Anna Kendrick) drives a food truck, and has a chance meeting with Marco (Chace Crawford) and ends up preggars. One of Wendy's work partners, Holly (Jennifer Lopez) is a photographer who is about to adopt a baby. The outside story that starts us off though reconnects by the end is Jules (Cameron Diaz) a TV fitness guru who is sleeping with her "Dancing with the Stars" rip-off partner Evan (Matthew Morrison), but it's true love (even though she's a bitch). We watch them all try to deal with being pregnant - some are overjoyed, shocked, terrified, spoiled, etc. It's funny and, based on my own friends, fairly realistic.

One of the funniest elements to the story is the "men's group", a group of dads, some the spouses of other supporting characters, that gathers to confess to being bad parents without getting in trouble with their wives. Chris Rock heads this group, strolling 3 kids plus one in tow. They explain the rules to some of the expectant fathers - no squealing on each other (they drop kids, screw up changing diapers, forget them, etc.). Again, it's funny and honest seeming, though probably gives dads a pretty bad rap - most of the guys I know are pretty great dads. It's a surprisingly funny movie, with good small performances. Usually movies with this broad a cast (it's got almost everyone from Bridesmaids except Wiig and Rudolph) struggle trying to give everyone a balanced storyline. This really focuses on Wendy and Jules at opposite ends of the group and gives just enough time to the others that you care about their stories, but we have something driving it along that will end in 9 months - a surprising success based on a How-To type book.

I Don't Know How She Does It was a Sarah Jessica Parker flop from last fall. I blame this mostly on the marketing - they showed the most stupid plot devices, like SJP stepping out of the story to talk to the camera (which she only does once or twice) and the times she narrated her "lists". Basically, she's a Wall Street fund manager who is good at her job, loves her family, and can pretty much do it all. Obviously, she can't, but thankfully we don't watch her screw up too big to forgive. She and Greg Kinnear have good chemistry and you actually believe that she wouldn't leave him for Pierce Brosnan. We see her attempt to succeed at work, support her husband, and deal with her kids.

The device of everyone in the story being interviewed (faux mockumentary style) doesn't work, but it's fun watching Christina Hendricks (SJP's best friend, single mother who always screws up snack) and Busy Phillips (annoying perfect mom) whine about how SJP can do anything. Brosnon is a client trying to woo SJP, and Seth Meyers in the annoying ass at her office gunning for her job. This movie succeeds because it's not nearly as bad as it should be - so rising above expectations does give it a boost it likely doesn't deserve. But I laughed and I found all of the supporting characters kind of charming. Thankfully, other than the interview and talk to the camera techniques, the movie doesn't bother.

DVD Review: The Innkeepers

Though it's the month of October, when almost every other movie blog has had multiple posts related to the horror film genre by now, you might have noticed that Reel Insight has been sorely lacking. That's because Jess and I are big fraidy cats. So you won't find a "Month of Terror" blogathon around these parts any time soon (i.e. ever), but I thought we could use at least one review related to scares. And since my dear husband has saturated my our Instant Queue with no less than 50 low budget horror flicks, I had plenty from which to choose. With last year's The Innkeepers being one of few I had actually heard of, I indulged my senses in 100 minutes of chills and thrills...well, sort of.

After a century, the once grand Yankee Pedlar Inn is closing its doors. During its final weekend of operation, the last two employees, Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy), decide to do some ghost hunting, as the hotel has a reputation of housing the spirit of a begrudged bride abandoned on her wedding night, which resulted in her supposed suicide.

For over an hour, the film builds a sense of tension, with creepy atmosphere and a haunting score. It exceeds in bringing the familiar to the audience. Most of us have been in an old building with a rich history, giving us an odd, chilling feeling, which is what ghost stories prey on. As Claire gets excited to go ghost hunting in the practically empty hotel, it took me back to hearing the ghost stories of various places I had been (college, old hotels, etc.) and I could really identify with Claire's enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, the story veers off in odd directions at times. It's mentioned several times that Claire has no direction in life, something that upsets her a bit. However, this angle does not tie into the ghost story at all. It's nothing more than filler conversation. Early in the film, a former-actress-turned-medium (Kelly McGillis) checks into the hotel, and Claire calls upon her expertise to contact the ghost, feeling as ridiculous as it sounds. And by the end, any genuine connection earlier established with Claire is lost when she turns into the stereotypical dumb blonde, who goes to investigate the odd noises in the creepy basement instead of staying put. And it's just all downhill from there, because once we see the things we've only been told about, the payoff is far from worth it.

The Innkeepers boils down to a simple ghost story that's been told a thousand times over for any building more than 50 years old. Sadly, despite a decent build of tension, The Innkeepers falls very short and doesn't bring anything new to a story that would've felt perfectly comfortable on a half-hour episode of Nickelodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"

DVD Review: John Carter

I'm a sympathetic movie-goer.  Like a sympathetic cryer, I try to get on board with whatever other people are doing.  Oftentimes that means I end up liking movies other people don't like.  I find myself finishing a lot of movies lately saying "I see what they were trying to do, but I don't think they made it" or "I liked a lot of the parts of that movie, but it didn't come together well."  I tell you this so you'll understand why I'm not totally panning Disney's John Carter, which it probably deserves as a whole.  The story is kind of inexplicable: John Carter, a cavalryman from the Civil War from Virginia, stumbles upon a sacred cave and is beamed to Barsoom (the planet Mars) where he is strong and can almost fly.  He meets some green 4-armed Martians who think he's pretty darn cool, and some white ape Martians who think he's pretty sexy.  Some of the white ape Martians are at war with each other and John Carter eventually agrees to fight again.  And it all works out in the end.  See, insane!  Makes almost no sense.  But there are things I liked about it and other things that are totally ridiculous and brought down the whole thing.

Things I liked: Taylor Kitsch as John Carter was actually really good.  His broody, "my life is much more complicated than I could possibly explain, but I'm moving on anyway" attitude, which he cultivated particularly well during "Friday Night Lights", works REALLY well to persuade us that he doesn't want to get involved in Martian politics because he's done enough fighting for a lifetime.  Oh, and he's pretty hot too. And fairly exceptionally badass given his Martian superpowers.  Second thing I liked: I really liked the underlying mystery that is the method of storytelling.  We begin the story with Carter's death, and we follow his nephew reading his journal to tell us the story.  I'm a sucker for this kind of storytelling because I never guess the ending.  It's complicated and convoluted, but allows for gaps in the time line really well (no one writes every second of every day in their journal).  And we find out the action along with a character as opposed to being force fed a lot of the material.  

Things I didn't like:  The insanely complicated Martian politics: There are two groups of humans, one led by Dominic West who has been given a super weapon and is out to destroy the cities of Mars.  The other led by Ciaran Hinds and his daughter Lynn Collins.  They are fighting over control of the cities.  But there are also the 4-armed green Martians who choose not to get involved.  We get no good vs evil back story, so it's hard to care who to root for.  The second thing that DROVE ME NUTS: The character names - seriously, these are the names.  Say them out loud, see if you can even tell them apart: Dejah Thoris, Kantos Kan, Tardos Mors, Tars Tarkus, Tal Hajus, Sarkoja, Tal Hejus, Matai Shang.  The first three are human, the next 3 are green aliens, and the last 2 are beings who work for the goddess.  Can you tell ANY of them apart?  No, me neither and I watched the movie.  

Overall, the movie is a strange mix of Star Wars Episode 1 (Jar Jar isn't far from the green 4-armed Martians), and Troy, with a dollop of Cold Mountain and a lot of Indiana Jones spiciness.  Yes, it's as odd as that sounds.

DVD Review: Chronicle

Ever wonder what Peter Parker would've been like had he not become a crime fighting superhero with his new found powers? On a small scale, Chronicle shows us.

The film centers around a trio of teens: bullied and abused Andrew (Dane DeHaan), his cooler cousin, Matt (Alex Russell) and the big man on campus, Steve (Michael B. Jordan). The guys happen upon an assumed alien presence (a glowing crystal) one night, contact with which gives the boys extreme telekinetic powers. However, these three do not go out and fight crime. Instead they goof off practicing their new abilities in the back yard until they become very powerful. So powerful that Andrew decides he's not going to be stepped on anymore.

Chronicle is a short film (83 minutes) with a long slow burn. First we're introduced to Andrew and his troubles at home and school as he documents everything with his new video camera. We're set up to feel sorry for the guy, so when he becomes an all out villain in the final act, we should understand his motives better as his cousin Matt steps up as the actual hero. It possibly could have worked if the film wasn't so set on the atrocious "found footage" angle. Had it been a simple narrative story, I could see myself getting behind these characters, but once the climatic battle is in full swing and we're still watching this story cheaply play out through news feed and random video phones, quickly losing my interest.

The style actually works logically for the first part of the film, as the boys are having a good, relatively harmless time exploring their new powers. I must say these three young actors had fantastic chemistry together which is why it's a delight to watch them horsing around. But once Andrew's mind starts going down the darker path, I have to wonder why anyone would still have the camera rolling. Even worse is the film's commitment to this style through Matt's girlfriend, Casey (Ashley Hinshaw), who insists on documenting every detail of her life simply to "post on a blog."

Through Chronicle's relentless use of found footage, the camera becomes more of character than the actual people with lines, and by the end it all feels so forced that any good momentum from the first two-thirds is wasted in a lacking climax that left me wanting good ol' Peter Parker fighting crime once again.

DVD Review: One for the Money

I should have known this wasn't going to be as good as I'd hoped.  I've read ALL 18 of the books in this series and loved them all.  Total beach trashy fiction, but well worth every read.  But, when the movie's release date was moved from August 2011 to January 2012, I should have known nothing great was coming.  Sadly, it was true.

One for the Money and the rest of the series by author Janet Evanovich follows a down on her luck Trenton native named Stephanie Plum.  She loses her job selling lingerie at Macy's and her cousin hires her to be a bounty hunter (basically assuming she'll cause no trouble and their mutual grandmother will leave him alone).  However, Stephanie has more spunk, curiosity and a knowledge of the actual workings of the gossip network in the neighborhoods she grew up in.  That, and a total ineptitude and tons of luck means she's pretty funny to follow on these quests to make a living by bringing in bad guys who skipped on bail.

Katherine Heigl plays Stephanie - with a good attempt at a NJ accent, and the brown curly hair from the book.  I've always thought of Stephanie as attractive, so once I actually saw Heigl in character I was sold (despite misgivings going in).  However, none of the other characters in the movie come as close to living up to their literary counterparts.  Plum's on-again/off-again future boyfriend Morelli is played by Jason O'Mara, and while good looking isn't the rough Italian Trenton cop from the book.  He's good, but doesn't capture the character particularly well.  The other love interest is relatively minor in the first book, Ranger (Daniel Sunjata), isn't given enough time to smolder like Ranger does in the book.  While good looking, sexy, and obviously in charge, he doesn't quite get to sex-on-a-stick like literary Ranger whose mode of flirting is to just look at Stephanie and say "babe" and she melts.  An actor must have a certain charisma to pull that off.

The story is pretty simple - Stephanie needs money and Morelli is on the run after being accused of murder.  She tracks him down while attempting to avoid having sex with him too.  She enlists Ranger's help to learn how to shoot a gun, etc.  Another person who helps her (and has a much larger role in later books) is Lula (Sherri Shepherd) - a self-professed 'ho in the worst part of town.  She helps Stephanie and in later books they become friends.  Lula is large, crazy, dresses like a 'ho, and insists on donuts and fried chicken whenever life doesn't go her way.

Overall, the movie failed to capture how lucky Stephanie is to survive all the mishaps - her cars frequently get blown up, people break into her apartment constantly, etc.  She's basically barely able to get by picking up the easy cases, but often wins big as something is dumped in her lap.  She's funny, sassy, and inspires devotion in too many people.  The movie was fine - it captured some of the moments from the book well.  But overall, it DEFINITELY doesn't make you want to see another 17 versions.  Best Heigl in a while, but that's really not saying much.

New Release: American Reunion

I had the honor of seeing this with a friend who is a little older than I am.  As we were leaving the movie he put the math together and realized that essentially I am the same age as the American Pie franchise kids.  Actually I'm 2 years older, but yes, these kids went to school about the exact same time I did, so the music references, clothing references, etc. were not lost on me.  All of that is good because this movie relies REALLY heavily on the nostalgia factor of people at their 13th reunion.  21 Jump Street recently relied on this kind of nostalgia as well - comparing "kids today" to what high school was like in the early 90s - including "remembering" almost every single joke from the previous films.  "Remember that one time, at band camp ..."

Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Allyson Hannigan) have been married for a while now and have a toddler.  They used to be an oversexed couple, but have resorted to self-pleasure since their son was born, to the detriment of their marriage.  They return to their hometown for their 13th reunion, with all the characters from the original.  Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), who used to date Vicki (Tara Reid) is now married and a stay at home husband who watches "Housewives", "The Bachelor" and "Kathy Lee and Hoda".  Oz (Chris Klein) is now a commentator for a sports show and did a knock off of "Dancing with the Stars" and has become pretty famous.  He runs into Heather "Choir Chick" (Mena Suvari) and realizes, as he did in high school, that he doesn't like the person he has become since they stopped dating.  Meanwhile Finch arrives relating stories of his many adventures.  So they're all kind of successful.  Then we see Stiffler (Seann William Scott), who really hasn't made anything of his life because life has changed since high school, but of course he hasn't.

They realize, of course, that you can't go home again and that while high school might have been great, your own life is pretty good too.  There is a fair amount of new humor - Jim's 18-year-old neighbor gets drunk and hits on Jim, and a good supply of actual problems and discussion, but most of the movie relives the glory days of the previous films.  The best parts of the movie are almost all Eugene Levy as Jim's dad.  Either his discussions with Jim about how to fix his marriage or getting drunk with Stiffler and finding Stiffler's mom pretty attractive.  Otherwise, there just isn't enough new heart or information to actually like the characters.  I suppose they succeeded with what almost everyone realizes after attending their own reunions - high school was good, but you don't want to do it again.  The filmmakers should stick to that idea when pondering another installment.