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Monsters come in many forms

Poster tag line

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10 CLOVERFIELD LANE

Opens Today, Friday March 11th EVERYWHERE!

Rated PG-13

1 hour, 45 minutes

Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr. and John Goodman

Directed by: Dan Trachtenberg

Check out the official movie site: http://www.10cloverfieldlane.com/

Girl has left her boyfriend and is driving away. Girl gets into a violent car crash. Girl wakes up chained to a makeshift bed in a bunker somewhere. Girl is held captive against her will. This is the premise of the insanely mysterious 10 Cloverfield Lane, from producer J.J. Abrams, who gave us the monster movie Cloverfield, just a few years ago. What’s the relationship between the two films? We still don’t know. And probably we won’t. I applaud Paramount Pictures for keeping the plot of 10 Cloverfield Lane under wraps (heck, the entire movie was kept a secret until the marketing campaign started) and not divulging even an iota of any spoilers in their marketing campaign. I’ll say this… the film could be an 3-person stage play of the wondrous kind. Howard (John Goodman in his creepiest performance yet) is holding the injured Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) hostage in an underground bunker. A neighbor, Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), is also hiding in the bunker, but by choice. What is going on above ground? As far as Howard knows, there’s been attack of some sort. A chemical has been unleased into the air making people very sick. But what caused it? Michelle wants to find out. So she tries to get out. But she’s being held against her will. Okay, I’ve said too much already. Not only is Goodman very good here, but so is Mary Elizabeth Winstead. She’s a standout. This is really a great performance. She’s a strong female heroine; someone James Cameron would be ecstatic about casting in his next movie. First time director Dan Trachtenberg has followed closely the work of Alfred Hitchcock. It’s got that kind of suspense throughout. Is Howard going to find out what Michelle has been up to? How does she try to escape? Why are they hidden underground? What is happening up above? Why are all forms of communication down? I won’t spoil anything for you… other than to say, if you liked Misery or Room or Steven Spielberg’s remake of War of the Worlds, then this movie is for you. Okay, maybe that was a little spoiler. 3 ½ stars out of 5.

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You bunnies, so emotional.

Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman)

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ZOOTOPIA

Opens Friday March 4th EVERYWHERE!

Rated PG

1 hours, 48 minutes

Starring the voice talents of: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Bonnie Hunt, Tommy Chong, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer and Shakira

Directed by: Byron Howard and Rich Moore

Check out the official movie site: http://movies.disney.com/zootopia

The Walt Disney Animation Studios has done something pretty phenomenal. They have made one of the best animated films in at least a decade.  The Good Dinosaur, which came out during the summer of 2015, was a near masterpiece. But that had Pixar’s touch all over it and they’ve set the bar high enough for all other animated films to reach. So it’s surprising that Disney, the studio which has had its ups and downs over the years, has reached a zenith with the brilliant Zootopia, one of the funniest and most gorgeous films that will no doubt become an instant classic. A metropolis city called Zootopia is made up of every type of animal imaginable living among species that normally wouldn’t co-habitat. A career-focused bunny rabbit named Judy Hopps (voice by Ginnifer Goodwin) has aspirations of becoming the first rabbit officer. When she arrives in this massive city, she soon discovers that she’ll need to prove herself to the other crew, who are big, tough and overpowering animals (think bison, buffalo and elephants). She comes across a scam-artist fox (Jason Bateman) named Nick Wilde who end up working together to solve a deep mystery running underground in Zootopia.

Yes, there’s a message in the film. Several of them actually. One of the most ingenious themes is celebrating diversity within all of these animals; the themes of prejudice and racism are subtle enough to where even the young will catch on to their importance. Sure, Zootopia is a movie geared for kids, but adults will definitely appreciate the artistry, the comedy and definitely the messages of social issues running throughout the film. Did I mention how funny the film was? Let me say it again… Zootopia is damn funny. One of the biggest laugh-out-loud moments (the entire audience at the screening I attended was in hysterics) was when Judy and Nick walk into a DMV and sloths are working behind the counter. For anyone who’s experienced a trip to the DMV, you know the waiting period is tedious. Throw sloths into the mix (sloths are pretty slow moving animals) and you get one of the funniest sequences ever in an animated film. “The Godfather” riff, too, had the entire audience in hysterics. Watching Zootopia in 3D, you get the marvel of lots of great animation that pops out. With the additional voice talents of British actor, Idris Elba, Bonnie Hunt, J.K. Simmons and the laid back Tommy Chong, Zootopia is one of the best animated films ever… and most certainly one of the most fun times I’ve had at the movies.   5 stars out of 5.

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You're not fit to be king... it's my turn now.

Set (Gerard Butler)

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GODS OF EGYPT

Opens Today, February 26th EVERYWHERE!

Rated PG-13

2 hours, 7 minutes

Starring: Brenton Thwaites, Courtney Eaton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Bryan Brown, Gerard Butler and Geoffrey Rush

Directed by: Alex Proyas (Knowing, I, Robot, Dark City, The Crow)

Check out the official movie site: http://www.godsofegypt.movie/home

Oh, for the love of the movie gods, why did you rain down on us with this monstrosity of a film called Gods Of Egypt? Let me see if I can explain the plot to you mortal beings. In this fantasy adventure, Egyptian gods (who are twice the size of humans) live among the human race who rule kingdoms near and far. King Osiris (Bryan Brown) is about to hand over the reign of the Egyptian kingdom to his nephew Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau from HBO’s “Game of Thrones”). Set (Gerard Butler), the merciless god of darkness, arrives just in time to wreak havoc on the coronation sending Horus into exile disabling him by blindness, which of course, sends the thriving kingdom into chaos. A young thief named Bek (Brenton Thwaites, a nice-looking young actor with a really bad wig) somehow gets into the mess of things and helps Horus to restore order, all the while, trying to save his girlfriend, Zaya (Courtney Eaton) from the depths of eternal death.

 Trust me when I say that Gods of Egypt really makes no sense whatsoever. It is comically bad. Even with Egyptian mythology tossed in, this movie is lifeless and was just one long video game. There’s so much green screen (where actors act against visual effects) work here that it got to be too much. Even Geoffrey Rush who plays the god Ra - the god who is most associated with the sun and who created everything - can’t bring any life to this dreadful movie. I’m not even going to discuss the “whitewashing” of these Egyptians, who all happen to be Caucasian British and Irish people. What’s the point. Gods Of Egypt is dull, visually unimpressive and is already in the running for worst movie of the year. 1 ½ stars out of 5.

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I have seen two things which cannot reconcile: A man dead without question, and that same man alive again. I pursue Him, the Nazarene, to ferret the truth.

Clavius (Joseph Fiennes)

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RISEN

Opens Friday, February 19th EVERYWHERE!

Rated PG-13

1 hour, 47 minutes

Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Peter Firth, Maria Botto and Cliff Curtis

Directed by: Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) and Paul Aiello

Check out the official movie site: http://www.risen-movie.com/

“The greatest story ever told” gets a rebirth of some sorts in the new biblical film, Risen, which tells the story of a Roman soldier named Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) who, on the orders of Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth), is told to investigate the rumors of a risen Jewish Messiah, and so ‘the most important manhunt in history’ is pursued. Risen opens as Jesus of Nazareth (Cliff Curtis) or Yeshua as he is referred to, is crucified along with two robbers. This is the story of the first forty days after the Resurrection as told through the eyes of Clavius. He’s a tired soldier having just come from the battlefield. The weight of such an investigation weighs heavily on him. The poor guy always seems to be summoned to Pilate’s chambers. He has a small army to assist him; a young soldier protégé named Lucius (Tom Felton from the Harry Potter films) has been assigned to help him capture this rumored Messiah. Obviously, Clavius doesn’t believe the rumors but as he captures and questions the locals, he questions his own doubts. Once he encounters the Apostles, his doubts are washed away when this Pagan sees for himself, the living Christ, in the flesh. This poignant moment, for me, is what makes Risen one of the best “faith based” films to date. Fiennes does such a fantastic job; he’s clearly picked up on some of his brother’s (Academy Award nominee and Lord Voldemort himself, Ralph Fiennes) acting chops.

Shot in the deserts of Malta and in some areas of Spain, Risen has that authentic biblical feel, the same way that Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ did. With its dusty landscapes, Roman architecture and the mud houses of Jerusalem, this is a beautiful film. The strong unknown cast includes one of the best Mary Magdalene portrayals in Argentinian-born actress Maria Botto. Her performance is both subtle and heartbreaking. Kudos to director Kevin Reynolds, who after the disastrous Waterworld, has had to climb back up into the Director’s Chair, for taking on such a touchy subject. Did Jesus actually have interactions with nonbelievers or with just his apostles? No one really knows. Catholics and Christians and most anyone else religious will be content with Risen. It may be cliché to say that Risen is a blessed film, which actually it is.  But it’s also an entertaining one whether it be historical fiction or not. It may not be The Ten Commandments or Ben-Hur or even The Passion Of The Christ but it certainly rises above the rest. With a strong cast and its gorgeous cinematography, Risen is a well-crafted film and definitely worth watching, even for non-believers. 3 ½ stars out of 5.