Review – The Hangover Part III

With Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, John Goodman. Written by Todd Phillips & Craig Mazin. Directed by Todd Phillips. Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, some violence and drug content, and brief graphic nudity. 100 minutes.

“The Hangover” and “The Hangover Part II” were big hits. Think about that for a minute. Two movies about aggressively stupid morons leaving a wake of chaos and destruction in their wake were so warmly embraced by moviegoers that we’re being offered a third helping. The ads say, “It all ends.” Promises, promises.

From the decapitation of a giraffe on a California freeway near the start of the film to an antisemitic reference at the end, THE HANGOVER PART III is tasteless, offensive, not particularly funny, and demonstrates that none of the characters have learned anything at all from their experiences. It will undoubtedly be a big hit.

After a drawn-out prologue which includes the killing of the giraffe and the death of a supporting character, the “Wolf Pack” is reunited to transport the stupidest of them – Alan (Zach Galifianakis) – to rehab. Bradley Cooper is the “too cool for the room” Phil, Ed Helms is the nervous dentist Stu, and Justin Bartha returns as Doug but who should really be named Zeppo, after the bland Marx brother who never had much to do. Here, Doug’s job is to be kidnapped by Marshall (John Goodman), a crime boss who has lost $21 million in gold to Mr. Chow (the ever-annoying Ken Jeong). Marshall says he will kill Doug unless Alan, Phil and Stu produce Mr. Chow and the missing gold in three days. Alleged hijinks ensue in Mexico before the boys find themselves back in Las Vegas after Mr. Chow betrays them. Please try not to anticipate the ending.

For those who find the “Hangover” movies the height of American film comedy, you’ll be especially pleased by the arrival of Cassie, played by Melissa McCarthy, alumna of such cinematic crimes as “Bridesmaids” and “Identity Thief.” What all these films have in common is that we’re supposed to be rooting for characters who are self-absorbed, ignorant, and arrogant, and laugh at what they do to their friends and family. It would be one thing if this was a comedy of revenge where the butts of the jokes deserve their fates, but no such luck. This is about humiliating decent people who make the mistake of caring for others. Alan and Cassie, for example, fall in love by taking turns insulting her wheelchair-bound mother.

Analogous comedies of an earlier era – think “Animal House” or “Caddyshack” – may have had dimwitted heroes but their targets were nasty, venal people who richly earned their comeuppance. By time we get to the inevitable closing credits scene here it’s not clear whether this is a final nasty attempt at humor or a threat to do “The Hangover Part IV.” Those who roared with delight at the first two films will find this one hits the same benchmarks for comedy writing and acting that the earlier ones did and dismiss this review as the carping of someone who “just doesn’t get it.”

Fair enough. Everyone else, though: don’t say you haven’t been warned.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books. His first novel, Shh! It’s A Secret: A Novel About Aliens, Hollywood and the Bartender’s Guide has just been released. He teaches at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Review – Fast & Furious 6

With Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges. Written by Chris Morgan. Directed by Justin Lin. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language. 130 minutes.

It goes without saying that as film series go on, they became pale imitations of themselves. Sometimes key cast members leave. Often the writing gets lazy since the title alone guarantees a certain return at the box office. Sometimes the first sequel is so bad it’s enough to kill off a potential series altogether. The curious and wholly unexpected exception turns out to be the “Fast & Furious” movies, which have actually gotten better.

The original 2001 film was a serviceable action flick about illegal street racing in which Dom (Vin Diesel) had a business on the side stealing electronics and Brian (Paul Walker), a local cop, went undercover to find him. In the process, Brian falls for Dom’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) and eventually goes rogue. Director Justin Lin came on with the third film in 2006 and things started to pick up. By 2011’s “Fast Five,” the series had not only accumulated an interesting recurring cast – including Dwayne Johnson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Tyrese Gibson – but the action scenes were gloriously over-the-top. The climactic chase in “Fast Five” – which included a runaway bank vault – had to be seen to be believed.

With FAST & FURIOUS 6, it’s clear the participants have gotten anything but lazy. The story features several locations but is centered in London where new villain Shaw (Luke Evans) is after a computer chip that will create a terrorist superweapon (it’s explained, but don’t worry about the details). Johnson returns as Federal agent Luke Hobbs and asks Dom to get his crew together to help bring down Shaw. Shaw’s team is almost a mirror image of Dom’s, engaging in lethal, high speed action with custom built cars. What lures Dom back is that Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), his girlfriend from earlier in the series, may still be alive.

No one goes to these movies for the subtleties of plot or characterization, but Lin and screenwriter Chris Morgan ensure the characters are more than stick figures who drive fast, something that couldn’t always be said for the early films in the series. These are characters with histories and various tensions between them, and that brings some depth to the material. We actually care how things will play out.

That said, the drawing card remains the chases, and the new movie keeps upping the ante. A major chase sequence on a highway involves a tank rolling over cars and firing at the infrastructure. In any other film, this would be the climactic action scene. Here it’s merely the set up for the really big sequence to come. Special note for those of a scientific bent: the laws of physics are suspended for this movie just as they are in Road Runner cartoons.

Will there be a “Fast & Furious 7?” No question. It may not be a surprise that there’s an extra scene tucked in the closing credits, but the appearance of a new villain (and who plays him) is practically a trailer for a film that has yet to be shot. Sure, this is a “check your brain at the door” movie. If you like high speed chases, fight scenes, and explosions, “Fast & Furious 6” delivers.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books. His first novel, Shh! It’s A Secret: A Novel About Aliens, Hollywood and the Bartender’s Guide has just been released. He teaches at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Interview – Paul Laverty, Screenwriter (“The Angels’ Share”)

The sweeping Irish historical epic “The Wind That Shakes The Barley.” The entertaining midlife crisis of “Looking For Eric.” The hard-hitting take on the world’s water woes in “Even The Rain.” Paul Laverty is responsible for writing some of the most intelligent and engaging films of the last decade, a trend that he continues in his latest, the bittersweet but heartwarming comedy from director Ken Loach, the master of social realist cinema. The film is the Cannes Grand Jury Prize-winning THE ANGELS’ SHARE, a very likable tale about city outsiders in search of a better life.

Glasgow boy Robbie (newcomer Paul Brannigan), while on community service, makes three friends, all similarly cast-out from society and hard-up to make ends meet. Little does Robbie know how much a drink could change their lives – not cheap booze, mind you, but the finest of malt whiskies. Robbie’s newly-discovered palate and delicate nose lead him and his crew to a strange new world – the Scottish Highlands – and the biggest gamble of their lives when a cask only rumored to exist appears and tempts them with a big way out of their hard-knock lives.

“The story grew out of the frustration with the way that young people are treated and demonized,” Laverty explains. “The chances are that people like Robbie will never find work in their lives – or taste Scotland’s national drink. They’re frustrated and angry and often self-destructive, and it was such a fun challenge to find a balance that would depict that.”

“The Angels’ Share” marks Laverty’s 10^th feature collaboration with Loach, a relationship that Laverty characterizes as “very organic.”

“By now, there’s a lot we implicitly understand about the way each other works,” he goes on to note. “I’m there for the shoot, which is usually in the sequence in which it appears in the script [rather than being shot non-linearly]. I’m there for the editing, too, which usually leads to great discussions, and Ken is a man who is not afraid of other people’s ideas.”

Loach’s and Laverty’s work together defies conventional labels, just as “The Angels’ Share” is not really of a single genre.

“I don’t really think in terms of genres,” he says. “The tone of some of this film is definitely comic, but there are some very tough elements in it, as well. Robbie comes from a violent past, and I thought it was important to deal with it and show how the ripple effects of violence affects other people’s lives.”

A common parting comment when American audiences watch Scottish films is along the lines of “I know it was in English, but it needed English subtitles.” It seems as though someone at IFC Films, the film’s U.S. distributor, took that to heart… and subtitled “The Angels’ Share” in English.

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“It was a good idea, and it plays really really well,” Laverty opines. “There are some good belly laughs, and the film has received an overall positive reaction.”

The one-note grotesque that is “the C-word” makes some appearances in the dialog and the subtitles, but Laverty is quick to point out that he did not use the word at all in writing the screenplay.

“The kids threw it in during filming. Paul managed to turn it into a term of affection. The use of [the F-word] as well is like grammar – like a comma. Not all life in the UK is proper like Wimbledon or tea with the queen. That’s the way the kids speak, and while it’s not something my mother would like to hear, the kids recognize themselves in it.”

And speaking of language, the film’s title comes from what Laverty calls “a delightful notion: that precious per cent that [evaporates and] drifts off by itself to escape homo sapiens and the tax man. The poetic and the bullshit rub up against one another, the mythical, the marketing, the professionalism, the phoney, the snobbery, and of course the sheer genuine pleasure of it all, make for a wonderful concoction with many levels.”•••

“The Angels’ Share” plays at The Cape Ann Community Cinema in Gloucester from May 17 through May 28th.

Robert Newton is the Creative Director of The Cape Ann Community Cinema, which this year celebrates its 5th year serving the North Shore.

Review – Star Trek Into Darkness

With Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch. Written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof. Directed by J.J. Abrams. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence. 132 minutes.

Open letter to the top executives at Paramount: Yes, everyone knows that the “Star Trek” franchise is a very important part of your company and that STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS – the second in the rebooted film series – is crucial to your success not only this summer but this year. However, the cowards and cretins in your publicity department seem to think that unless the media is “managed,” the legion of Trek fans around the world won’t go. Have you learned nothing from the fact that people even went to see the “Star Wars” prequels? By allowing some “special” critics to see the movie early while making most of us in the U.S. wait until the film’s opening night – even as reviews were already pouring in from overseas – all you have done is made a lot of critics angry, ensuring that whatever negative reviews the film gets will be even nastier than they might have been. Fire these idiots. They obviously know nothing about “Star Trek,” its viewers or, indeed, the movie industry.

As for the film itself, it’s nice to report that the movie didn’t need to be “managed” at all. It is, in fact, precisely what was needed after the reboot four years ago. The 2009 “Star Trek” worked despite a weak and confusing script, because the casting and characterization was so spot on. Chris Pine was fine as the impetuous young James Kirk, Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban were astounding as Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy, and the rest of the crew – Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin – were entirely in sync with their roles. Audiences accepted it because it was a fresh introduction to iconic characters. Director J. J. Abrams and his collaborators neatly got the franchise out from under the burden of four decades of what was or wasn’t “canon” by hitting the reset button.

Having served, in effect, as the pilot for the new series, the next film had to develop a solid story. It does, and details will not be spoiled here. After a mysterious man known as Hamilton (Benedict Cumberbatch) launches a deadly attack on Starfleet headquarters on Earth, Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) sends the Enterprise off to a supposedly uninhabited area in Klingon space to take him out. It’s a delicate matter because the Federation can’t risk launching an attack in the area and getting caught. Then it gets complicated.

Pine, Quinto and Urban do a marvelous job of bringing new life to the Kirk/Spock/McCoy tensions even as it will seem familiar to longtime fans. Cho as Sulu and Yelchin as Chekhov are a bit underused in this outing, but get their moments. Saldana, as communications officer Uhura, and Pegg, chief engineer Scott, have slightly more substantial roles.

As the story develops, fans will figure out where it’s going, which is why the new twists on the material keep it entertaining. It’s not simply a story we know with a new cast and more up-to-date special effects.  It’s a reshuffle that has a few surprises in store. By film’s end, it is clear that Abrams really needed two films to fully complete his reboot. The next “Star Trek” movie will be even more eagerly anticipated because the elements are all in place now, and future editions will have more room to maneuver having convinced the fans that this is the real deal.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or a newcomer, “Star Trek Into Darkness” delivers. Now if we can only convince the idiots at Paramount that there’s a reason the “Star Trek” franchise has survived for nearly fifty years. Big hint: it’s not because the movies and TV shows were kept from the critics, many of whom are eager to celebrate Gene Roddenberry’s bold vision when given the chance.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books. His first novel, Shh! It’s A Secret: A Novel About Aliens, Hollywood and the Bartender’s Guide has just been released. He teaches at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Review – The Great Gatsby

With Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki. Written by Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce. Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language. 143 minutes.

THE GREAT GATSBY in 3D. Just like F. Scott Fitzgerald intended, right? Two things you need to know right up front: First, the movie is no masterpiece, but it’s not the train wreck it might have been. Second, do not waste your money on the 3D version. It’s interesting in a few scenes – like the parties at Gatsby’s mansion – and is otherwise wholly unnecessary. It’s a gimmick to part you from your money as are most 3D films, and it’s not worth it.

As to the film itself, one wishes Baz Luhrmann had pursued a career as an art director rather than as a filmmaker. In many ways the film is a visual feast, with costumes and sets that bring to life the 1920’s New York of our collective unconscious. Unfortunately, this is the same director who gave us such movies as “Romeo + Juliet,” “Moulin Rouge” and “Australia.” His famous debut, “Strictly Ballroom” is now over twenty years old. When you hear the soundtrack which mixes period music by the likes of Cole Porter and George Gershwin with selections by rap star Jay-Z, you know you’re dealing with someone whose agenda has little to do with fidelity to the story he is telling.

For those who haven’t read the book or seen the four previous film versions of the story, our focus is Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), an everyman who was born with the right bloodlines. He’s not wealthy, but he comes from good stock, went to Yale, and now works on Wall Street. His cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) married Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton) and they live among the old money in East Egg on Long Island. Nick lives in West Egg, among the nouveau riche, right next door to the mysterious Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Fitzgerald’s classic novel works on multiple levels, and the film hits the key moments and memorable lines like the Stations of the Cross. From Gatsby’s belief that he can continually reinvent himself to Nick’s selflessness to the self-absorption of Daisy and Tom, Luhrmann and co-screenwriter Craig Pearce make sure you get what you’re expecting. Look, there’s Gatsby showering Daisy with his custom-made shirts. There’s the sinister Jewish gangster Meyer Wolfsheim – who “fixed” the World Series – oddly, played by Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan.

While the film is not a total disaster, it fails in some ways. It’s too long. The 3D is wholly unnecessary. DiCaprio ‘s line reading of Gatsby’s calling everyone “old sport” – something he picked up in his social climbing – sounds like “old spore,” as if he expects them to turn into ferns. Luhrmann’s visuals, stunning as they are, rely too much on CGI effects. When characters race from Long Island to Manhattan, as they do repeatedly through the film, we’re always aware that most of their journey is computer magic as the 3D actors stand out against their 2D green screen backdrops. Seeing this in actual 2D could only improve its realism.

As for the cast, they were desperately in need of a director who could guide their performances. DiCaprio’s entrance as Gatsby a half hour into the movie is masterful… until he opens his mouth. A director like Martin Scorsese (who directed DiCaprio in such films as “The Gangs of New York” and “The Departed”) would have done a much better job collaborating with the actor.

Ultimately, “The Great Gatsby” is about shallow people. Nick, the great observer, watches them self-destruct or run away from any responsibility. In spite of this being the fifth film version, perhaps no movie can really do it justice. Baz Luhrmann is the latest director to take on the challenge, but the result is a movie that might play best with the sound off. Ironically, the first “Gatsby” movie was a silent.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books. His first novel, Shh! It’s A Secret: A Novel About Aliens, Hollywood and the Bartender’s Guide has just been released. He teaches at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Review – Iron Man 3

With Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley. Written by Drew Pearce & Shane Black. Directed by Shane Black. Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content. 130 minutes.

There’s a certain pleasure in being able to say of a comic book action hero movie that one doesn’t want to give away too much of the plot to avoid revealing the numerous twists in the screenplay. After the disappointing “Iron Man 2” – which was the usual sequel that redid the first film only louder – IRON MAN 3 seems to have learned the lessons of last summer’s “The Avengers.” By making us care about its superhero as a person, we’re willing to go along for the ride about almost everything else.

It’s several months after “The Avengers” and Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. If people start talking about “aliens” or “New York” he starts to hyperventilate and lose focus. Indeed, he goes days at a time unable to sleep, a seemingly minor plot point that eventually pays off in a big way.

Stark has scaled back his involvement in his business, leaving it to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to run, and seems to have retired from the superhero business as well. He has been replaced by his friend Col. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) who wore a similar Iron Man suit as “War Machine” but is now renamed “Iron Patriot.” However Tony finds himself drawn back into the fight when his security chief and former bodyguard Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau, director of the first two “Iron Man” movies) is put into a coma following a mysterious explosion. Claiming credit for a series of violent attacks is a mysterious international terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), who may or may not have some connection with the equally mysterious industrialist/scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce).

Downey’s performance is impeccable. He gets that he’s not simply playing a comic book character for the fourth time but a character who is evolving. He’s as snarky as ever, but now he’s realizing that his actions affect other people, often people about whom he cares about deeply. His interactions with a young boy (Ty Simpkins) who becomes crucial to the plot are priceless. The cast as a whole works quite well but to say anything further would give away too much. Likewise the script by director Shane Black and Drew Pearce constantly surprises. There will be one or more moments where your reaction will be, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming.” Of course you will be expecting a gag scene at the end of the closing credits, and you won’t be disappointed.

The action scenes are also top notch, including a rescue of a group of people in free fall from a plane that has to be seen to be believed. As with the climactic action set piece, we assume that at least some of what we are seeing is special effects, but Black avoids the mistake too often made in such movies. We see that the actors were clearly there and strenuously playing their roles at least some of the time. The only flaw is the unnecessary post-production 3D conversion which adds nothing to the film.  Don’t waste your money on it.

“Iron Man 3” kicks off the summer movie blockbuster season, even though summer is weeks away. Like the first robin of spring, we can only hope this is a sign of more good things to come.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books. His first novel, Shh! It’s A Secret: A Novel About Aliens, Hollywood and the Bartender’s Guide has just been released. He teaches at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Review – Pain & Gain

With Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris. Written by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely. Directed by Michael Bay. Rated R for bloody violence, crude sexual content, nudity, language throughout and drug use. 120 minutes.

One guesses that the real life crime story – involving kidnapping, extortion, and murder – wasn’t anywhere near as amusing as depicted in PAIN & GAIN. Taking a break from his special effects-driven “Transformers” movies, director Michael Bay has crafted a violent action comedy that has the advantage of having a strong cast.

Mark Wahlberg plays Daniel Lugo, the “mastermind” of a plot to kidnap Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub) and steal everything he owns. Lugo works at a Miami-based gym as a personal trainer but believe he deserves more, especially after going to one of those “how to be a millionaire” self-help meetings. He recruits fellow body builder Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson), an ex-con who has found Jesus.

The first part of the film is their working their way up to the crime and then pulling it off, although they are utterly inept. The comedy is on the dark side, though, and since we know that real people were injured or died in the course of their crimes, it’s not always easy to keep things light. Matters get more complicated when the money starts running out and the trio need to pull off a second operation, this one involving a porn king (Michael Rispoli). At this point the now-penniless Kershaw is in hiding, since the Miami police refuse to believe the bizarre story of what happened to him. Instead he tries to interest a retired detective (Ed Harris) to take on the investigation.

At two hours, the movies seems a bit long, but Bay does know how to film action whether it’s straight-ahead drama or a darkly ironic sequence as when they try to murder Kershaw. Bay keeps the film moving. What engages in the audience is the portrayal of the kidnappers as nice guys who stupidly turn to violent crime even though they’re bad at it. Since the film opens with Lugo surrounded by cops we already know where the story is going.

Wahlberg manages to pull off the trick of making us believe his character is utterly clueless. He’s motivated to succeed but can’t see more than a step or two ahead. Mackie’s character is so overdosed on steroids that he has to go to a clinic to deal with chronic impotence, which is where he meets his romantic interest (Rebel Wilson). Stealing the picture is Johnson who once again goes off in a new direction as an actor. He manages to juggle Doyle’s violence, his sweetness, his lack of intelligence, and his sincere religious beliefs in one complicated but nevertheless interesting mix. Shalhoub and Harris also turn in solid performances.

Audiences willing to put up with the violence – which includes cutting up and destroying body parts – may find the dark humor here appealing. However it should be noted that given the recent events here, inept criminals involved in maiming and killing don’t seem terribly funny at the moment. “Pain & Gain” may find its audience, but this might not have been the best week for it.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books. His first novel, Shh! It’s A Secret: A Novel About Aliens, Hollywood and the Bartender’s Guide has just been released. He teaches at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.