Rest in Peace, Gene Wilder

Coming online to Facebook today, I came across some sad news as Hollywood lost one of its true iconic comic actors. Gene Wilder, who established himself with his amusing neurotic performances in three classic films directed by Mel Brooks and his star transforming role in "Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory", passed away early Monday morning at his home in Stanford, Conn. He was 83 years old.

Like many people in my generation, I was introduced to Gene Wilder with his eccentric role as the famous chocolate maker in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." His brilliant performance as the wizardly chocolate maker made me believe in the magic of pure imagination, even when teaching those naughty kids a lesson. Looking back at the film now, I admired his brilliance, comedic quickness, and how the film remains the first one you name when you think about Mr. Wilder. 

It wasn't until later that I watched his Mel Brooks-directed films, most recently this summer where I watched "Blazing Saddles" for the very first time. Mr Wilder has the relatively quiet role of the Waco kid, a boozy ex-gunslinger who helps the improbably black sheriff (Cleavon Little) save a town from railroad barrons and venal politicians. The raunchy, no-holds-barred spoof of Hollywood westerns might have lost its edge over the films but his next one has never grown old. 

"Young Frankenstein" showed Wilder as an American man of science and the grandson of the infamous Dr. Frankenstein. He tries to turn his back on his heritage but finds himself irresistibly drawn to Transylvania. Wilder envisioned a black-and-white film faithful to the 1931 monster classic directed by Boris Karloff. His winning chemistry with fellow comedian, Richard Pryor, in "Stir Crazy" made them a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood comedy. 

From Willy Wonka to the Waco Kid to young Frankenstein, you have entertained us for years, Mr. Wilder. Thank you for the gift of pure imagination that you presented.

You will be missed. Rest in peace, Gene.

Amazing animation boosts 'Kubo' into a summer surprise

The small-shop, stop-animation studio Laika has only released three full-length movies - Coraline, The Boxtrolls, and ParaNorman. Despite the small portfolio of films, each film has earned a Best Animated Feature Oscar nod. The studio has also built a reputation of providing a refreshingly odd alternative to the glossy squareness of most mainstream children's movies that come into theaters. I've never seen any of their three previous films so I decided to take a chance and see their fourth film...and I couldn't be more impressed. 

Kubo and the Two Strings is the epic tale of young Kubo, a young boy with only one eye, as he plays his two stringed instrument in the nearby town during the day to earn money and returning to care for his mother at night, constantly looking over his shoulder but he doesn't know why. When it turns out that the rest of his mother's family is coming after him, Kubo sets out on a hero's journey, protected by a drill sergeant monkey (Charlize Theron) and a forgetful beetle-like hybrid (Matthew McConaughey) to collect the pieces of a powerful armor to defeat his evil relatives. 

The ancient-Japan set animated film has its dark parts: a callback to the bad old days of gothic fairy tales where boogeymen lurk, parents die, and children must find the courage to be brave, strong, and resourceful to survive. Kubo is all of those things: a clever, self-sufficient boy; he goes into the town square every day and earns spare change by twanging his shamisen - a stripped down, three-stringed guitar - and telling stories with his ingeniously fashioned origami figures, channeling the magic that comes from him and playing the guitar. At the evening, he returns to a dank cave to tend to his mother. Her memory comes and goes, but the jagged scar running down her cheek - and the patch that permanently covers Kubo's left eye - reminds her that neither one of them are safe. If Kubo fails to follow her rules and stays out after dark, her estranged sisters will come to collect her son's remaining eye, and join it with the one that her father stole from him when he was born. 

As you would guess, Kubo does exactly that and, as the sun sets one day and turns into night before he can return home, his aunts (both voiced by a hauntingly-sounding Rooney Mara) arrive - witchy, terrifying twins with kabuki-white faces, black swirling shrouds as they appear in black smoke. And with that, the young Kubo is sent on a quest in the dangerous world to recover a magical suit of armor that will protect him. Along the way, many revelations, including the truth behind his mother's trauma and his Samurai father's fate, the supernatural origin of his extended family, and the mystery of the movie's title. 

First-time director Travis Knight, who served as lead animator on Laika's previous three films, gave Kubo a colorfully, solid look full of lavish depth and detail. The bickering interplay between McConaughey's Beetle and Theron's monkey protector shines bright throughout the narrative, helping balance the stakes of the tale. The animation really shines through each scene.This come not just from the animation but in the plot, themes, and film overall. The themes of family, bravery, magic, and love help transcend this hero's journey story into something that everyone of all ages can enjoy. Kubo is a marvel - a visually stunning, richly imagined paradise in a sea of Disney candy-colored safety, and one of the truly original films of this year. You can count on seeing this film in the Oscar race this year. 

Small skirmishes and an old adversary highlight the new 'Rogue One' trailer

After the first trailer of the Star Wars spin-off, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, we got an idea on the tone and the film's primary characters, all while getting everyone excited about a new tale in the Star Wars Galaxy. But we all knew that there would be another preview would be coming. And that preview came on Thursday during the Olympics. In case you didn't watch the preview between the gymnastics and the swimming events, here is the trailer for the Star Wars war film.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story takes place prior to the events of the original Star Wars, chronicling the Rebel effort to steal the plans that will allow them to eventually destroy the moon-sized battle station of the Galactic Empire.

This time around, we get a more in-depth look at the Rebel team tasked with the suicide mission of going against the Empire, led by Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso. Characters that every fan wanted to see included Donnie Yen's spiritual, Force-faithful warrior, Chirrut Imwe, Diego Luna's Rebel Alliance Intelligence Officer Cassian Andor, and Alan Tudyk's reprogrammed Imperial droid, K-2SO.

We also see how big the shadow of the Galactic Empire has cast over the galaxy. From the shot of a large Star Destroyer over a desert settlement or one creeping from the shadows while the Death Star is built in the background, you get a sense of dread and evil by seeing the Empire establish its claim in the galaxy.

As the familiar sound of past Star Wars plays, we're treated to small scenes of action. Familiar devices of war such as the AT-AT, X-Wing, and Imperial TIE fighters make appearances. We also catch a shot of the beach battle that everyone wants to see from this movie. But there is one shot at the end that die-hard Star Wars fans breathing heavy, including me. Speaking of, there was a familiar sound at the end that still gives fans chills.

James Earl Jones is returning as the voice of Vader, who will loom large as the Emperor's Right Hand - a position that other figures in the Empire would love to take, among them Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), the head of the Death Star project. From previous articles, this will be a primary conflict to show the Empire is not a big family. No word yet on how big of a role the Sith lord will play but you know that it'll have an effect either way.

I hope everyone goes out to see this. I know I will be there on opening night. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story comes out of hyperspace and into theaters on December 16.

Negative critics reviews didn't stop fans from viewing the lukewarm 'Suicide Squad' film

Here we go, everyone!

We're into the final stretch of the summer, going into the somewhat quiet time of the early fall. There will be some gems there but they are few and far between. But, let's focus on what could be the final summer blockbuster, DC's Suicide Squad. 

If anyone has been paying attention, the embargo on the early reviews of the supervillain ensemble film was lifted a few days before the August 5th release date...and the flood gates were opened. Film review sites, mainly Rotten Tomatoes, bombarded the film with rotten and lackluster reviews. Just like it did with DC's earlier comic book outing, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, DC Comics purists and fans came to the defense of the comic book anti-hero films. A petition was even started to try and have Rotten Tomatoes shut down! Despite these early terrible reviews, these did not stop fans from going to see the film and form their own opinion. That's exactly what I did. 

Suicide Squad is an antihero ensemble film that covers an assortment of imprisoned supervillains being released to work for a secret government agency, led by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), to execute dangerous black ops missions and save the world from a powerful threat, in exchange for leaner sentences. 

For timeline purposes, this film takes place after the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice; Superman was dead and a possible threat has led Amanda Waller to create a black ops team of "metahumans" to combat any possible threats. At Belle Reve Penitentiary, Waller has her pick for her team - the deranged Harley Quin (Margot Robbie), elite hit man Deadshot (Will Smith), pyrokinetic ex-gangster El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), opportunistic thief Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), monsterous metahuman Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and specialized mercenary Slipknot (Adam Beach). They are placed under command of the patriotic but glorified babysitter in Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman). The wild card in it all and their threat comes from the witch-goddess known as Enchantress, who possesses Flag's girlfriend, June Moone (Cara Delevingne). 

Now if you have read my previous reviews, you know I don't go too much into spoilers. Don't expect a change here because I want my readers to make their own choice on seeing this or not. So the good things about this movie: the characters and the actor's performances. I love character driven stories, even if they don't feel three-dimensional. At least make me care about the characters. Mainly, the characters you really feel for is Smith's Deadshot and Robbie's Harley Quinn. Going into their origin backstories, the groundwork is laid down to care about these characters more than anyone else on the team. They dominate the majority of the film with Smith's quick humor and Robbie channeling the unbalance of the femme fatale to make them entertaining. Hernandez's Diablo was a surprising fleshed-out character, making the audience care about him and his family backstory. Other characters like Rick Flag, Killer Croc, and Captain Boomerang did not do much. I barely remembered that they were there until the action started. Overall, the characters of Deadshot and Harley Quinn and their connection carries the film rather than the possible teamwork of these comical maniacs. 

Then there is what did not work for me: the overall story and the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker (Jared Leto). The plot was weak and bogged down the good work the characters were doing. The plot of the world destruction by Enchantress is too cookie-cutter, something that you have seen in many other superhero movies. Warner Bros and DC had a prime opportunity to make this a team building sort of film with the threat surrounding them. The plot did feel rushed, choppy as far as the scenes; this probably comes from the rush work that director David Ayer did with the six week deadline that he was given. 

Then there was green haired grinning gangster. 

Jared Leto, Jared Leto. As important of a part that the Joker is to the DC Superhero world, Leto could have been given more. I wasn't given enough to actually like or hate his vision of the Joker. With Joker and Harley Quinn being on the same film, this relationship could have dominated or been a bigger part of the story. We are given a large glimpse into their backstory (Ben Affleck's Batman does appear here and with Deadshot) but maybe I would have liked to be given more to decide on the Joker. We've all heard that most of his scenes have been cut along with some of Robbie's. Who knows if these scenes could have helped make this decision? Just like the Ultimate cut of Dawn of Justice, there are some scenes that could have helped the film out; even if it makes the film longer, it'll be worth it. 

There have been parts where you can tell the studio interfered with the film, possibly due to the subpar success that came from Dawn of Justice. That fear of failure and not really knowing about these characters is crippling the DCEU. They do have a slate of films ready for the next few years and I believe that Suicide Squad's timed levity and humor along with the dark and gritty is a good balance; maybe this film is showing that the DC films can go light like their comic book counterparts. With the optimism of the upcoming Wonder Woman and Justice League films, a little lighter might be the way to go. Speaking of the League, stay seated for the mid-credits scene. While I feel like this movie was forcing us and hitting us over the head with the DCEU's next ensemble film, this scene did a better job of a set up than what Dawn of Justice did.

My opinion is that Warner Bros is the biggest enemy to DC Films, not the critics. Warner Bros should put some trust into this film division and see how they do without interference. This movie was not bad but it wasn't good either due to the muddled plot and choppy directing.  

But whether you are in the DC camp, Marvel camp, or just a superhero/comic fan, you should give this film a chance and make your own opinion. 

Matt Damon still packs a punch; 'Jason Bourne' gives you what you expect.

After The Bourne Ultimatum, we weren't sure if we would see Matt Damon again as trained assassin Jason Bourne. He's been the perfect embodiment of the lethal, parkour-leaping action hero; someone who would make the creator and author Robert Ludlum proud. After a trilogy is complete, it's difficult to convince the star to sign onto a fourth film. That's because there might be any more stories to tell. After the mixed response to the Jeremy Renner-led The Bourne Legacy, the right script came along and brought Damon and director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum) out of the shadows. 

Nine years after the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, Bourne (Damon) remains on the run from the CIA as he tries to uncover hidden truths about his past. When former CIA operative Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) hacks into the agency's databases to uncover evidence about its illegal assassination programs and of Bourne's recruitment, she tracks down Bourne to help him uncover who he really is. After the breach, CIA Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) orders CIA cyber wizard Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) to find the former operatives. 

From the start of the film, you can see how much the world has changed and Bourne has stayed off the radar, keeping himself busy with bare-knuckles fights in the desert and underground clubs. While the world has gotten more dangerous, Jason has hid. Once Parsons arrives, the action picks up as Bourne immediately gets back into action. From then on, he brawls in abandon warehouses and takes on a deadly asset, played by Vincent Cassel, who has a personal grudge with Bourne for his past with Blackbriar. Tommy Lee Jones' steely, squinty-eyed CIA director pulls the strings in the shadows to take out Bourne but overall, proves to be less crafty than his predecessors. The only interesting character is played by recent Academy-Award winner Alicia Vikander, leading the debate on what her true motives are. 

Overall, the plot has very few twists to keep audiences guessing. Director Paul Greengrass could have played up the world we currently live in more rather than the exotic locales, bang-up fistfights, and adrenalized chase scenes (because it wouldn't be a Jason Bourne movie without a destructive car chase). If the current political climate was brought up more and how it affected how the CIA conducted business or how it might have changed Bourne, it would have helped the story. But all we did was get more of the same from the previous films.

The one thing that helped carry this movie through was Matt Damon himself. Ever since The Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne has always been a man apart, haunted not only by his own hidden origin story but by the consequences of his body count along the way of finding out the truth. The mystery and the lengths that he is willing to go is enough to create a compelling enough character to sustain four films with the title character over the last 15 years. Despite the tremendous physical shape that Bourne is in, Damon did a fantastic job in conveying how the years have hardened the assassin, showing the weathered face with small strands of grey in his hair. 

Jason Bourne already gives audiences a character who is more than two-dimensional but it would have been better if we knew what he was fighting for, personally, and how it could affect the world.