With indie cred, breathtaking visuals and a bizarre performance by Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer is a strange yet satisfying summer chiller.  Just expect something a bit…I don’t know…odd.

Fancy a date flick this weekend that doesn’t involve fighting robots?  Check out Chef, a mouth watering stew of good times, great food and personal discovery.  Oh and did I mention the food?  Mmmmm…

Click the uncomfortable shot of John Favreau and Miami cop sharing a bread loaf to read all about it!

A Deep and Dramatic Success Set in the Swinging 1920’s

Marion Cotillard has no idea what she’s getting into as she leaves Ellis Island with the devious Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix).

Period pieces can be funny breed. Move too much towards historical accuracy and you run the risk of losing casual audiences, move too far into fiction and the buffs loudly complain. The best historical dramas are ones who toe the line between interesting characters and genuine, realistic settings. The Immigrant, the latest film from director James Grey (We Own the Night, Two Lovers), is a perfect balancing act that blends a series of excellent performances with a solid story to create one of the most interesting and emotional films of the year thus far.

The ever exceptional Marion Cotillard plays Ewa, a Polish immigrant on her way to New York to live with her well established aunt and uncle. She is accompanied by her sister Magda (Angela Sarafyan) who is taken into custody at Ellis Island after doctors discover she has tuberculosis. Alone and with no way of getting her sister out, Ewa accepts the help of Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix), an NYC socialite. Ewa quickly learns nothing comes for free in the big city as she discovers Bruno runs an undercover cabaret and prostitution ring. Disgusted yet defiant, Ewa offers her services to the shady 1920’s pimp in the hopes of earning enough money to free her ailing sister.

As I previously mentioned, the performances are across the board terrific, starting with the always dependable Cotillard. The former Oscar winner channels her inner Scarlett O’Hara, creating a sympathetic lead of strength and conviction, even when she’s operating outside the lines. Full of depth and feeling, Cotillard delivers a subtle yet powerful performance, one of the best I’ve seen this year from a female lead.

Cotillard and Jeremy Renner share a long backstage glance in James Grey’s The Immigrant (image: collider.com)

On the other end of the spectrum is Mr. Renaissance Man himself, Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix’s character requires more of an arc than Cotillard and his swing from cocksure showman to his spoiler free emotional state is impressive and honest. Fresh from his triumph in Her, Phoenix is quickly becoming one of Hollywood most rejuvenated actors and his turn in The Immigrant is proof he’s more The Master than I’m Still Here. Jeremy Renner also makes an appearance as Bruno’s vaudevillian brother and the third part of what becomes a shaky love triangle. Quickly developing into an exceptional character actor, Renner is a breath of fresh air, delivered exactly when needed the movie needs it most.

The story itself is rock solid, providing just enough visual splash and historical realism to keep us engaged in the drama. Patiently filmed and carefully crafted, Gray uses the setting of 1920’s New York to set the tone of decadence and desperation. Underneath all of the glitz and illegal booze, our leads live in tenements and walk through dirty streets, an excellent compare /contrast to bolster the steady filmmaking.

When people think of the “good old days”, it’s either the idealism of the mid 50’s the Great Gatsby’s 20’s. The fantasy of carefree living under the economic boom of post-World War 1 is an alluring one. With The Immigrant, James Grey paints an honest picture of personal struggle under the bright lit façade of pre-Depression New York. With gripping performances, a nuanced story and sure handed direction, The Immigrant delivers a healthy dose of well-made drama that’s sure to satisfy those looking for something meatier this blockbuster season.

Score: 9 out of 10

That’s A Lot of Fish Fun!

image (www,screenrant.com)

ROOOWWWRRRR!!!

That about says it all. All we should reasonably expect from the King of All Monsters is screaming citizens, smashing buildings and monsters beating the butt out of each other. The stories should be silly, the acting should be campy and the action should be entertaining. These aren’t social commentaries or dramas about the struggles of 1920’s Polish immigrants (teaser for a future review). It took fifteen years for the world to wash the taste of Roland Emmerich’s 1998 Godzilla from their mouths and the 2014 version is the delicious meal we’ve all been waiting for. Forget Matthew Broderick, piles of fish and screaming raptor style monster babies. Godzilla 2014 is a film made by fans, for fans and delivers almost everything we crave from an entertaining creature feature.

Godzilla sets things up during the opening credits in 1954 where we witness nuclear tests creating an ominous creature. We then fast forward to 1999 as a Japanese power plant discovers a bit of shaking where there shouldn’t be. Dr. Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) sends his wife to investigate the strange rumblings and in a sudden radiation breech, loses the love of his life. Fifteen years later, Joe’s son Ford has come home from a tour of duty to his wife (Elizabeth Olsen) and son. Ready to settle down to a comfortable civilian life, things get twisted as his unhinged dad jumps back into his life. Obsessed with circumstances of the tragic death of his wife alone, Joe reluctantly joins his pop in the research of another power plant experiencing more of those familiar rumblings.

And then Godzilla appears and bedlam ensues. The End.

Snide comment aside, the film makes a strong attempt to provide a sensible backstory to the awaiting carnage. For the most past, the cast does little more than stare wide eyed into cameras and run from green screens, but they all pull it off with believability. There’s good variation in the casting, from Bryan Cranston’s over the top aging scientist to Ken Watanabe’s brooding nuclear plant director. The main actors, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, fade nicely into the swirling action and when they try to emote, do a respectable job at it. Despite a story full of cliché’s and hacky plot points, the performances actually compliment the cheesy premise, providing a solid foundation for the fun.

Much to everyone’s dismay, Little Godzilla does not an appearance in Godzilla 2014. Sorry to disappoint. (image: antagonie.blogspot.com)

Naturally, action is what rules the day and Godzilla delivers some of the best rampage I’ve seen this year. Despite an overreliance on CGI, the stomping monsters and crumbling buildings have a classic feel to them. No crazy quick cuts, no maddening shaky cam, just solidly shot and well paced set pieces of mass destruction. It’s was a nice change of pace to sit and watch terror be inflicted without trying to guess what’s happening.

That said and at the risk of sounding like the cranky old men from The Muppet Show, I’d love to see more practical effects compliment the computer. One of my minor quibbles is a lack of monster fighting and I can’t help but wonder if a heavy effects budget limited the amount of creature brawls. I’m not saying we need to go back to guys smashing miniatures in rubber suits but some solid variety would have been nice.

Longtime fans will also find a lot to love thanks to a number of classic series Easter eggs and subtle references, a great change of pace from other reboots who wield nostalgia like a sledgehammer. The enemy monsters, called MUTO’s, look great and the main attraction has a classically cool feel with subtle modern touches. If Godzilla 2000 looked like a rejected T-Rex idea from Jurassic Park, the 2014 monster will make you a believer of modern updates to classic creatures.

The King of All Monsters has been mashing municipalities for over a half century and has traveled from Japan, to New York to the farthest reaches of space. The quintessential model for modern day camp, the franchise has died, resurfaced and perished again. With its latest reincarnation, Godzilla reminds us it’s OK to have loud, raucous fun so long as the chaos is crafted with care and skill. One of the better times you’ll have in theaters this summer.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

The well needed resurrection of a bored to death genre comes via the king of indie cool, Jim Jarmusch.  The flick is called Only Lovers Left Alive and is a great reason to believe in vampires one more time.  Click below for reading on http://www.pantheonmag.com!

Getting me back to the cinematic cool kids table, this documentary about the long lost work of photographer Vivan Maier, is an honest and revealing look into the life of a quiet genius.  Click below to read it on RevoltDaily.org!

A Slashing Good Time

The newest crop of mutant youngbloods stare down the Sentinels in Z-Men: Days of Future Past (source: http://www.screenrant.com)

It’s only May and I’m already sick of superheroes. Every summer, it’s the same damn thing. For a few short months, Marvel and DC rule the popular landscape, dominating Internet trailers, Twitter feeds and movie screens around the globe. The only saving grace is a base level of watchable quality. It’s not like the early 2000’s where Catwoman, Daredevil and The Punisher were your only options. 21^st century adaptations are at the very least “C grade” popcorn entertainment. If the deliciously bad R.I.P.D was your biggest disappointment of last year, watch 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and let me know which was worse.  2014 boasts five hero flicks, the third being X-Men: Days of Future Past and with smart writing, good action and a solidly built story, it exceeds the high bar set by the 2011 series reboot.

The film opens in a standard Hollywood dystopian future. Buildings are crumbling, mankind is in bondage and the last remaining mutants are on the run. The creatures in hot pursuit are the Sentinels, robotic army drones designed to hunt down and destroy our genetically altered friends. Clinging to the last stand of a desperate battle, Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) decide to send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time. If they can alter the past, they have a chance to save the future. His mission is to convince the younger X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to be buddies with the human race, forgoing the need to create the mutant exterminating Sentinels in the first place.

There’s a ton of parentheses in the above paragraph and with an ensemble cast of over twenty dialogued characters, the list goes on and on. With Stewart and McKellen now relegated to supporting roles, the heavy lifting is again done by McAvoy, Fassbender and series stalwart Hugh Jackman. The meat of the drama is focused on Wolverine’s attempts to get a disheartened Professor X to care about the mutant struggle and both actors pull great performances. McAvoy’s Professor X is unhinged yet sympathetic while Wolverine’s role reversal from team bad boy to reluctant mentor adds depth to the steel clawed wild man.

Fun Fact: Hugh Jackman has played Wolverine seven times, more than any actor has reprised a superhero role in the history of ever (source: my own math skills – image source: http://www.empireonline.com)

Every hero needs a nemesis and the baddies at play are the shape shifting Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), a military scientist who’s trying to push the Sentinels project onto a Congress in fear for their own survival. The conflict is interesting as it pits humanity’s fear of the mutants against Trask’s ambitions, leaving the X-People in the middle. Lawrence is again sleek and seductively evil as Mystique, but her motivations of revenge come off as an excuse for her to be make mayhem and move the plot forward. Several other series stars make cameos but in the interest of avoiding spoilers, I’ll leave it you to see for yourself.

Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects) jumps behind the camera for the third time in series history and once again lends some visual flair to the action. While much of the story plays out like a drama, a smart mix of giant, unnecessary set pieces and solid hand to hand action injects adrenaline where needed. The opening scene of the new X-Kids battling the Sentinels is especially good, providing a nice glimpse into what 2016’s X-Men Apocolypse may bring. The character and costume design also has some nice touches such as Wolverine’s bony claws and the completely cool Sentinels.

Even my most hated of film devices, time travel, is handled properly. Often used to clumsily move plot pieces and explain the impossible, the script keeps it simple, jumping back and forth only when a scenery change is needed. This is mainly due to the bland past tense setting of 1973 which doesn’t add much in the way of visual variety. While it makes story sense, I would have liked to see a little more done with the time period.

Over the last ten years, I’ve seen more superhero flicks than I care to count. Luckily, the number of terrible ones can be counted on two hands. If nothing else, Hollywood has discovered the formula for making a solid Avengers, Batman or X-Men movie. If you’re unlike me and can handle only one piece of popcorn indulgence this season, right now X-Men: Days of Future Past would be my pick to check out. If I have to have a genre stuffed down my throat, it might as well be tasty and Bryan Singer’s latest mutant adventure is the meatiest meal released so far this year.

Score 8.5 out of 10

NOTE: This 3D elements of the film are minimal so if you have the choice and want to save a few bucks, standard 2D is perfectly fine.