A Neighborhood That Doesn't Have Much to Watch For

A comedy starring four talented funnymen protecting their town by hunting aliens like suburban Men in Black sounds like it could be an interesting clash between an intergalactic army and a small middle-class American group of friends.  But, if any aliens where going to probe this film for any brainy laughs, they would come out disappointed, and would probably have another reason for enslaving Earth.

In Akiva Schaffer's The Watch, he attempts a second feature film after directing many of the digital shorts on Saturday Night Live.  Because of his list of previous work, it would be expected to anticipate jokes that have a mix of cleverness, shock and some low-brow humor.  Instead, the film takes the easy way out with lazy jokes the whole way through that aren't good enough for the film's cast to work with.

Evan Trautwig (Ben Stiller) is known around the town of Glenview, Ohio for the various clubs he's in charge of throughout the community.  He has a loving wife (Rosemarie DeWitt) and is the manager at a local Costco store.  After a security guard is mysteriously murdered one night, Evan institutes a Neighborhood Watch group.  At the first meeting, the only new members are the fun-loving Bob (Vince Vaughn), the switchblade-wielding Franklin (Jonah Hill) and the British divorcee Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade).  As they gather clues about the murder, they begin to realize that the cause of the strange events might be linked to something not of their world.

Despite the thin material of the film, Stiller, Vaughn, Hill and Ayoade bring the only wit of the movie with their interaction of different personalities.  With Stiller's nice-guy qualities, Hill's wild-card unpredictability, Vaughn's comical over-protectiveness of his teenage daughter and Ayoade's comical foreign tendencies, their quartet is what wrings out whatever few chuckles the story has.  The presence of the four leads is mostly what the film has going for it.

The screenplay, by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Jared Stern, has a rather disheartening feel that the combined work of three writers only added up to gross-out jokes; they just go for the easy laughs. At one point, you begin to wonder if the leads told the director that they deserve more than sex-related jokes, because they do.  Even the aliens' weakness is a gag of that low caliber, and the writers' plans for the alien invasion is, unfortunately, pretty unimaginative.

There are a couple of subplots involving the personal lives of some of the Neighborhood Watch members; and, at some points, the film spends more time on these parts of the story than they should.  One of the plot lines goes into how Stiller's character can't get his wife pregnant.  Not only does this lead to more annoying sex jokes, but it doesn't even feel like it belongs in the movie.

Seeing as how director Schaffer has considerable experience working with comedic actors on SNL, he's able to work with great talents and extract highly memorable laughs out of the material that's given to him.  But, even though he has some successful actors to work with for The Watch, even Schaffer can't salvage much from this neighborhood.

Final grade: C

Batman Tries to Save a City That's Beyond Saving

With the usual overflow of big-budget summer movies, it's easy for any one of them to get lost in the shuffle.  But, there is oftentimes a filmmaker with ambition who will deliver a movie with big ideas in scope and story who doesn't shy away from wanting to make the viewers think in between action sequences.  Christopher Nolan has risen to this occasion many times before, with his two previous Batman films and the sci-fi mind-bender Inception.

Nolan has now returned to conclude his poetic, grim and gritty trilogy of the Caped Crusader with The Dark Knight Rises.  Never has a director created such superhero films that are this bleak, yet hopeful, in the troubled world that they depict.  Four years after we watched Batman ride off into the night on his batpod in the final shot of the previous installment, The Dark Knight, the savior of Gotham City has swooped in to save its citizens in the most emotional chapter of Nolan's cinematic odyssey.

Eight years have passed since Batman was accused of killing Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent.  He hasn't been seen since because Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has concealed himself in his manor and has become a recluse.  After he has an encounter with the mysterious and seductive Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), it eventually leads to a series of events that will pit Batman against the terrorist leader Bane (Tom Hardy).  In order to foil Bane's plans to bring destruction to Gotham City, Batman must embrace his destiny as a protector and come out of hiding, despite the public's anger towards him.

Christian Bale exhibits a fragility in both his characters of Bruce Wayne and Batman, giving a sense of hopelessness as we wonder if he has enough strength as he used to in order to defeat Bane.  We first see Bruce walking with the help of a cane because of damage to his legs, and in one scene, Batman is subjected to a horrifying beat-down from his nemesis.  What's most commendable about his character is that even though he seems to be losing his physical ability and the people of Gotham have labeled him as a murderer, he still feels it is his duty to save the city.  The weakness in his legs further emphasizes that he is unlike most superheroes; although he has plenty of gadgets, he doesn't have any special powers.  He is still vulnerable to pain.  He is merely an ordinary man in a costume doing extraordinary deeds.

Before this film was released, it was safe to say that the Joker was the peak of villainy in the trilogy.  Although Bane isn't as terrifying of an enemy has Heath Ledger's madman, he is still an adversary worthy of a battle of physicality against the Batman.  With his menacing face mask and tall, hulking figure, he is a formidable opponent with his strength that is put side-by-side with Batman's strength, which has decreased during is leave of absence.  He wants nothing more than to promise hope, and then yank it away.  Although his motivations for dastardliness aren't as frightening as those of the Joker, towards the end, there is a secret layer to his character that is revealed that makes him surprisingly sympathetic.

Anne Hathaway is perhaps the most enigmatic character of the story.  During the first half, we're not certain which side she is playing for, seeing as she tends to make both sides either like her or hate her. She carries a greater sense of danger in her version of the character than Michelle Pheiffer did in Batman Returns.  The way she sneaks around Wayne Manor and the city hints that she has some ulterior motives other than to simply steal valuables.  She has more on her mind than just petty theft, and is rather an empowering character.

Gary Oldman's role as Commissioner James Gordon has an interesting inner conflict as he struggles to decide whether or not to reveal to Gotham that it was Harvey Dent who almost killed Gordon's family.  But, his heroism that his character exemplified in The Dark Knight isn't as prominent in this film, which is a shame, considering his high ranking in the police force.

The most poignant performance comes from the legendary Michael Caine as Bruce's noble and loyal butler Alfred.  As Bruce's long-time guardian, we get to see more of the emotional toll that comes with keeping secrets from Bruce and trying to protect him.  He's like a parent who doesn't want to see his child get into danger, but must stay on the sidelines and give sagely advice as Mr. Wayne sets out to accomplish what he believes in.


With each Batman movie, Nolan manages to impress us with new gadgets and vehicles for the hero's use, given to him by his trusty electronics aficionado, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman).  Not only do we get the return of the batpod and batmobile, but we see Batman get airborne with his jet-like mode of transportation called The Bat.  With the cinematography by Wally Pfister, a frequent collaborator with Nolan, the grand shots of Batman driving through the streets and flying between the buildings of Gotham City create an epic scale of a hero on a mission.  


Nolan smartly rejects the use of 3D for his movies, not requiring the extra dimension to assist in telling a story this size.  Instead, he uses IMAX cameras to film some of the most important scenes; appropriate enough, since he has a talent for staging detailed action sequences.  From the bone-crunching fight between Batman and Bane to the clashing armies of Gotham's cops and criminals, Nolan likes to go big, and not just for spectacle.

The screenplay by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan delves deep into its superhero character on a level unlike other comic-book characters turned into film.  In some cases, the scenes of exposition and revelations can prove more memorable than their action scenes.  It's a rather intoxicating feel to listen to these characters and hear what their views are for their city and its crumbling morals, as well as their own feelings and regrets.  The one problem is that a couple of characters either aren't around for as long as you would hope, or don't have as interesting story arcs as in the previous installments.

As a director, Christopher Nolan has a tendency to peer into the consciousnesses of his characters to help explain the choices they make.  The people in his movies are well worth analyzing in between the trips on the batpod and batmobile.  His gloomy examination of a city on the brink of destruction, troubled heroes and disturbing villains is a brave divergent from the more fluffy affair of other superhero films.  The Dark Knight Rises brings Nolan's grand trilogy to a stirring conclusion.  As soon as the screen goes black, you feel two things: the first is the distress that the journey is over, and the second is the feeling of fortune that you have witnessed an achievement in the superhero genre that might not be replicated for decades.  Bravo, Christopher Nolan, bravo.

Final grade: A-

Spider-Man Revisited

It doesn't seem like it's been 10 years since the human-arachnid superhero swung his way through the Big Apple.  But, it has.  Since then, it led to two sequels, with Spider-Man 2 becoming one of the best comic-book films of all time, and Spider-Man 3 ruining what could have been a rare great trilogy (Three villains?  An emo Peter Parker?).  After that mess of a third installment, the series called for some fine tuning.

Depending on how you look at it, you may think it is or isn't too soon to start over with Spider-Man's story.  No matter what, comparisons will be made.  In director Marc Webb's retelling, The Amazing Spider-Man, he follows the same basic outline of the hero's origins.  But, thankfully, there are a few significant differences that prevent this from being a lazy copy of the original.

After his parents leave him for undisclosed reasons, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) now lives with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May (Martin Sheen and Sally Field).  His life at school isn't the best; he doesn't have many friends and is picked on almost every day.  His secret crush Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) is the only student who truly acknowledges him.  After he finds his father's mysterious briefcase in his basement, the contents lead him to Oscorp, where he meets the one-armed Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) who may have answers concerning his parents' deaths.  After Peter gets bitten by a genetically-altered spider, he begins to exhibit enhanced physical abilities that turn him into the titular superhero.  Meanwhile, Dr. Connors is developing a serum that has the potential to regenerate limbs based on Lizard DNA.  After he tests it on himself, he soon becomes Spider-Man's enemy: The Lizard.

Inevitably, the main comparison between this film and the 2002 original concerns the performances of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.  The two actors have considerably different takes on the character.  While Maguire's version was the traditionally geeky Peter Parker of the comics, Garfield's is still a loner and brainy, but more of a skater dude.  Although the nerdy version of the original Peter is more faithful, Garfield makes it his own with a more edgy take.  In his first scene as Spider-Man, Garfield plays him as annoyingly cocky that's meant for laughs, but is rather unfunny.  At this point, I was wishing for Maguire to come back because he had a more serious approach.  Later on, however, he drops his show-off sensibilities and embraces the less humorous side of his alter ego, making him more adult.

Emma Stone is a more fleshed-out Gwen Stacy than Bryce Dallas Howard was in Spider-Man 3.  Her role as Gwen is stronger than Howard's; Stone's is more intelligent, being the head intern at Oscorp, whereas Howard's always looked to Peter for help with her schoolwork.  Stone's Gwen Stacey actually helps Peter with his troubles, while Howard's Gwen Stacey did nothing more than hit on Peter and need saving.  Judging by this film, the romance between Stone and Garfield has the potential to reach the level of Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in future installments, but I still don't think anything can top the upside-down kiss from the 2002 film.

Rhys Ifans is the second best villain in the Spider-Man franchise, behind Alfred Molina as Doc Ock.  He is a composed and puzzling scientist who knows more about Peter than he's letting on.  His villainous alter ego, The Lizard, doesn't appear until the later half of the film, so this allows us to see who Dr. Connors is as a person before he becomes a monster.

Sally Field and Martin Sheen are respectable replacements as Peter's aunt and uncle, who were wonderfully played by Rosemary Harris and Cliff Robertson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.  They provide their wisdom, just like the previous pair, and they treat Peter like he's their own child with the endless love and care they give him.  Field shows admirable motherly concern when she sees Peter coming home with injuries from crime-fighting, and Sheen has a very funny scene with Garfield and Stone concerning Peter's love for Gwen.

The screenplay by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves devote enough time for this film to let the audience get used to the reboot's version of these characters before the big action starts.  The sufficient time that Peter spends with Gwen, Aunt May, Uncle Ben and Dr. Connors throughout the film help develop his relationships with his friends, family and enemies.  The second half has the action scenes that present the new Spider-Man in combat during his latest battle against a powerful enemy.

It was a relief to see director Marc Webb avoid creating a complete copy of the original film.  He brings an air of mystery to the story with the addition of the question of what happened to Peter's parents.  The main problem is that he has an inconsistent tone throughout the first half of the film, usually jumping from serious to comical and back again.  The comical bits include some dialogue that is meant to be funny, but isn't, as well as a scene where Peter tries to show up a school bully that's meant for comedic purposes, but falls flat with its execution and bad music.  He does, however, bring back the feel of the other Spider-Man films with the hero's fights against The Lizard, especially in the final showdown atop the Oscorp tower.

There is a suspenseful scene during the credits that suggests we will find out more about Peter's mom and dad in the sequel.  Although it still feels a little too soon for a new Spider-Man franchise, the cast and crew have shown that they don't have any intention of ripping off what has already been done, but instead want to do their own thing.  The Amazing Spider-Man is a reboot with surprising promise.

Final grade: B

A Toy Story for Adults Only

We all remember when we first watched Woody and Buzz Lightyear come alive when their owner, Andy, wasn't around.  They, and the rest of the toys, would engage in adventures outside of their usual playtime.

Now, there is Ted, the foul-mouthed, marijuana-smoking party animal who happens to be a stuffed bear, and he is very much alive.

When playing with our toys, as children, we would lend our own voices to our action figures and dolls, and proceed to set up dialogues between them.  In the case of Ted, he isn't afraid to speak for himself, no matter how casually offensive.

In Seth MacFarlane's directorial film debut, Ted, the creator of Family Guy brings the childhood dream of having one's favorite toy come to life, but in a considerably more mature light.  With a teddy bear that relishes in inappropriate behavior, the film is a perfect cinematic vehicle for MacFarlane.  But, just like several few episodes of his hit television show, Ted has its bursts of brilliance, and it's periods of unevenness.

John Bennett is a lonely boy in his suburb.  He doesn't have any siblings, and none of the neighborhood children want to be his friend.  One Christmas morning, he receives a teddy bear, and instantly becomes attached to him.  Then one night, John wishes that his bear could talk, and the next morning, the bear does exactly that.  Soon, Ted becomes a national phenomenon.  Years later, John (Mark Wahlberg) lives with Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), works at a dead-end job and is trying to maintain his relationship with his successful girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis).  She recommends to John that he ask Ted to move out, in order for her and John to move on with their lives.  Because of Ted's and John's 27-year-long time together, separating might be harder than both of them think.

Mark Wahlberg's performance shows that he is totally game for whatever comedy he is asked to do.  He reminded me of a grown-up version of Andy from Toy Story if he realized his toys came alive and bummed around with them with some beers and a bong.  His excellent ability to interact with the CGI bear reflects on the connection that the two characters have.  The time the two share together calls to mind MacFarlane's character of baby Stewie from Family Guy always talking to his own stuffed bear.  This relationship goes back to John's state of stunted growth, in the mental sense, and Wahlberg is able to bring out the sense of a boy trapped in a man's body.  His Boston accent and tough-guy build make, along with his dependency on a stuffed bear's company, an ironic pairing.

Ted is a delightfully twisted entity of a children's toy instigating partying and full-on debauchery; he's not afraid to go too far.  He is an example of a childhood wish gone both right and wrong; right, because John's wish came true, and wrong because he's one of the factors in John being unable to take his life seriously as a grown-up.  MacFarlane uses the same voice as he does for Peter Griffin, but you're willing to forgive it because the voice fits Ted's character since, just like Peter, his lovable obnoxiousness doesn't have any boundaries.

Although Mila Kunis' character is written to have her as the serious, goal-oriented girlfriend, she doesn't get the opportunity to participate in the film's more wildly witty scenes.  We know she can do comedy without the slightest difficulty.  But, when you're in a film about a raunchy teddy bear and his man-child owner, you would want to get in on all of the fun that everyone else is having.

MacFarlene's, Alec Sulkin's and Wellesley Wild's screenplay is divided into a fearlessly funny first half and an underwhelming second half.  The first half contains many of the film's standout moments, including Ted engaging in highly inappropriate behavior at his job, an out-of-control party in Ted's new apartment, complete with Sam J. Jones of Flash Gordon, and a furniture-wrecking fight between Ted and John in a hotel room.  The second half falters because it focuses on an underdeveloped and rushed subplot of a creepy father (Giovanni Ribisi) trying to steal Ted for his son.  The film could have done without it, and instead, make the whole story about John trying to come to terms with being an adult and balancing his relationships with Ted and Lori.  However, MacFarlane should be commended for restraining himself from using too many cutaway gags that have become more excessive with each passing season of Family Guy.

As a director, MacFarlane has his characters say hilariously unexpected things and brings in his signature love of the '80s by using pop culture references, such as nods to Top Gun, Airplane! and Flash Gordon.  With this being his first directing job for a feature film, it's an admirable effort with another storytelling medium.  He just has to work on some pacing issues that this film had, like introducing certain subplots, and then not revisiting them until much later.  Also, working with more people who he hasn't worked with before can help him expand (Mila Kunis, Patrick Warburton and Alex Borstein all appear in the movie, and already work with MacFarlane on Family Guy, as do score composer Walter Murphy, and screenwriters Sulkin and Wild).

Although Ted as a whole isn't as hysterical as the premise justifies, seeing it just for the first half is entirely worth it.  Watching a stuffed animal fall into R-rated shenanigans is a novelty in the comedy genre, and I wouldn't mind having MacFarlane pull Ted out of the toy box again.

Final grade: B