Breaking In is Easy, But Not Breaking Out

From left: Daniel Zovatto, Jane Levy, and Dylan Minnette
in "Don't Breathe"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Whenever you watch a horror film or psychological thriller with a main character who has a physical handicap, you wonder how this person will navigate through the menacing events of the film.  Some examples include James Stewart as a wheelchair-bound photographer in “Rear Window,” Audrey Hepburn as a young blind woman in “Wait Until Dark,” James Caan as an injured and bedridden author in “Misery,” and Kate Siegel as a deaf author in the Netflix film “Hush,” which was released back in the spring.

Now, director Fede Alvarez does this in his horror thriller “Don’t Breathe.”  In what’s a step-up from his “Evil Dead” remake, which was his feature debut, Alvarez delivers a film that thrives on constant suspense, a simple, yet effective story, and skillful camerawork, setting an example of other mainstream horror films to follow.

Rocky (Jane Levy) is a young woman living in Detroit with her little sister, neglectful mother, and her mother’s boyfriend.  She hopes to leave with her sister someday and give her a better life in California, but needs the money to do so.  Her friend, Money (Daniel Zovatto), informs her and their other friend, Alex (Dylan Minnette), of a blind veteran (Stephen Lang) living nearby who has thousands of dollars stashed in his house.  Thinking it will be an easy robbery, the trio breaks into the man’s house.  They soon realize he’s not as defenseless as they anticipated, and when he traps them in his home, the robbers must do what they can to evade his wrath.

While the story doesn’t allow for much character development, the performances are fine for what the material requires.  However, Jane Levy is given a little more to work with as we learn about some of her background and see her home life, all of which helps us get more invested in her character as she places herself in this dangerous task.  With her performance being the best part of Alvarez’s “Evil Dead” remake and doing an equally good job here, Levy shows she could have a great career in horror movies, and should also be given more film roles in general.

The cinematography by Pedro Luque makes wonderful use of the dark.  He’s able to create considerable amount of tension with minimal lighting, while still keeping the main setting lit up enough so we can see what’s going on.  In one scene during the film’s second act, Lang’s character follows the robbers into his basement and turns off the lights, plunging his targets into darkness.  The film then switches to something resembling black-and-white night vision, and we’re put on edge as the robbers can’t see what’s around them, yet we can.

Although the screenplay by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues carries a central premise akin to Terence Young’s 1967 psychological thriller, “Wait Until Dark,” the similarities end there.  And, despite the story mostly being a cat-and-mouse chase, it still offers a couple of surprises along the way to keep the concept from getting repetitive as it plays out.

While Alvarez steeped his “Evil Dead” remake in tiresome amounts of blood and gore, he exhibits a lot more restraint in his latest film and brings us the type of horror movie of which I would like to see him make more.  He’s able to keep the suspense going throughout the runtime and gets the most out of the film’s primary location, keeping us guessing as to what shocks are hiding around each corner and in every room.  After viewing “Don’t Breathe,” I can’t wait to see what Alvarez does to scare us next. 

Final Grade: B+   

Running from the Law, Running Out of Time

Ben Foster (left) and Chris Pine in "Hell of High Water"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

I’m sure you remember the first time you watched director Arthur Penn’s 1967 crime classic, “Bonnie and Clyde.”  With the story of the two famous outlaws, played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beaty, we were transported back to the era of the Great Depression as two fugitives fell in love and robbed a series of banks.  It was a thrilling time to join them on their quest to make names for themselves; and despite them committing these crimes, we couldn’t help but be on their side because of their goal to rise above the crippling financial situation the country was facing.

Director David Mackenzie captures a similar tone with his crime drama, “Hell or High Water.”  With three great lead performances, an involving story, and tense direction, Mackenzie explores the tests the brotherhood between two criminals when confronted with the other side of the law.

Toby and Tanner Howard (Chris Pine and Ben Foster, respectively) are Texas brothers who take to robbing banks in order to save their family’s farm from foreclosure.  As their string of hold-ups progresses, they begin to be followed by Texas rangers Marcus Hamilton and Alberto Parker (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham, respectively).  With the rangers hot on their trail, Toby and Tanner will do whatever they can to evade the law and get the money they need to accomplish their task.

Chris Pine and Ben Foster exhibit a strong brotherly bond on screen that draws you all the more into their plights.  The scenes they share together help in making this film as great as it is, and the brothers’ unbreakable connection that Pine and Foster display provide the film with its emotional power.  What make their relationship so interesting are the differences in their personalities.  Pine’s character is more level-headed and careful in how they carry out their robberies, traits that show the character’s responsible nature.  In opposition, Ben Foster portrays a rowdy, reckless, and unpredictable individual whose actions put the duo in even more risk than they already are.  It’s the differences in these brothers’ personalities that make their relationship more believable and has us wonder if their conflicting personas will jeopardize what they set out to do.

Jeff Bridges is an ideal actor to portray the role of an experienced Texas ranger.  What works for his role is how he doesn’t portray his character as a rough-and-tough law enforcer who appears ruthless in making sure he brings his targets to justice, but instead plays his character as a more restrained individual.  This allows us to sympathize with him more as he tries to make one last accomplishment in his position before his retirement.  When you mix this with his interesting views concerning what’s happening around him and his humorous dialogue between him and his partner, you have the makings of a compelling character.

From the opening shot of the film, we know the movie will have its share of impressive camerawork.  With cinematography by Giles Nuttgens, his methods for shooting the action-oriented scenes and more dramatic moments bring you into the story.  As I watched the first few minutes of the film, the camera movements reminded me of the opening shot of David Cronenberg’s 2005 crime film, “A History of Violence,” which was photographed by Peter Suschitzky.  Similar to that movie, Nuttgens uses a long take to follow a character, or characters, for a couple of minutes, creating a mood wherein we know something significant is going to happen.  With this, we are instantly absorbed into the film as we wait to see what event will occur to kick off the story.

The screenplay by Taylor Sheridan takes an unexpectedly slower approach to the heist narrative, which works because it allows the film to explore the brothers’ relationship in between their bank robberies.  As we go into detail about other aspects of their lives, we learn more about the stakes the brothers are up against, which encourages us to care more about the outcome of their job.  In addition to learning about their lives, we are also given scenes that go in depth with how they plan out their methods for obtaining the money; so we not only learn about their personal selves, but also their thought processes for getting what they need.

Throughout the film, the narrative goes back and forth between the brothers and the duo of rangers, so we are also given a look into the relationship between the two lawmen and their perspectives of what they’re up against, and this all assists Sheridan’s story extend his study of brotherhood to the rangers.  As the film goes on, you will spot some interesting similarities between the two sets of characters and will want to compare their actions and personalities throughout the film, all of which helps to deepen your understanding of these two duos.

As a director, Mackenzie shows he can take command of a film that’s very character-focused, but can also deliver the thrills when necessary.  In the dialogue-driven scenes, he’s able to make us feel the compassion the brothers express towards each other, making us aware of the long-surviving bond they have, which keeps them going even when circumstances look their worst.  And in the sequences displaying their encounters with the law, you can’t help but tense up as you fear for their safety.  With the journey “Hell or High Water” takes you on, you couldn’t ask for more.

Final Grade: A

Seth Rogen’s Latest Film Takes a Bite Out of Animation

From left: Brenda (Kristen Wiig), Frank (Seth Rogen),
Sammy Bagel, Jr. (Edward Norton), and Kareem Abdul Lavash
(David Krumholtz) in "Sausage Party"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com 

Over the past couple of decades, we have been given an abundance of animated films that have become classics.  To name a few, Disney gave us “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” and “The Lion King”;  Pixar gave us the “Toy Story” films, and DreamWorks gave us “Shrek,” “Shrek 2,” and “Chicken Run.”  These are films that audiences of all ages can love, and viewers who grew up with these films can enjoy passing them down to their children.

The same can’t be said for directors Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon’s computer-animated comedy, “Sausage Party,” as this film delivers the antithesis of countless animated movies we have seen before.  With its hilarious voice cast and uproariously bonkers story, this film offers some of the best laughs and shocks of 2016 cinema.

In a supermarket named “Shopwell’s,” all of the groceries view humans as gods and dream of being purchased by them to be taken to “The Great Beyond.”  However, when a hot-dog sausage named Frank (Seth Rogen) finds out what happens to food once it goes home, he sets out on a journey to warn his friends about the fate that’s in store for them.

As the main character, Seth Rogen brings us his lovable, laid-back personality.  But even though this is a personality we’ve seen in many of his previous films, having him voice an R-rated animated character gives it a bit of freshness, as it’s something we haven’t seen him do before.  And let’s face it, who else would you picture in the starring voice role in a movie such as this?

Joining Rogen is a slew of other humorous voice performances, including Kristen Wiig as a hot-dog bun named Brenda, Michael Cera as a hot-dog sausage named Barry, Salma Hayek as a taco named Teresa, David Krumholtz as a lavash named Kareem Abdul Lavash, and Bill Hader as a bottle of liquor named Firewater.  But probably the best supporting voice role is Edward Norton as Sammy Bagel, Jr., in which Norton uses a spot-on Woody Allen impression, complete with the director’s comical neuroticism we’ve seen in his acting roles.

The score of the film is composed by Alan Menken and Christopher Lennertz, and the use of Menken is total genius.  As many of us know, he wrote the classic music and songs for many of Disney’s animated films, which makes his transition to an R-rated animated film all the more uproariously twisted.  The film’s original song, “The Great Beyond,” opens the movie as we learn about the daily ritual of song the food goes through; and although the movie isn’t a musical, starting the film with a song is a perfect way to bring us into the brilliant absurdity of the movie.

What’s great about the screenplay from Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Kyle Hunter, and Ariel Shaffir is that, instead of just coasting on the concept of an R-rated film focusing on talking grocery products, there is a degree of cleverness and intelligence embedded in the story.  Although the film’s message may not be particularly subtle, it’s nevertheless executed in a such a way that’s original and consistently funny.

One of the best aspects of the film is its all-inclusive offensiveness.  Much akin to Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s long-running animated television show, “South Park,” the screenwriters are indiscriminate in whom they target for jokes.  You may feel bad at times for laughing at what you’re watching, but you’ll find it impossible not to crack up.

What directors Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon do is take years of family-friendly animated films, gleefully toss the wholesomeness out the window.  With a concept as out-there as this, Tiernan and Vernon succeed in doing whatever they can to get the most out of it, and they deliver the laughs at a ferocious pace.

While the movie as a whole is hysterical, the directors crank it up considerably in the last five minutes of the film, just when you think the story can’t get any more outrageous than it already is.  In those minutes, there’s a sequence that is so unrestrained in its R-rated humor, you will be shocked and unable to breath from laughing until the scene ends. 

It’s rare that a movie makes me laugh as much as “Sausage Party” did.  And as the comedy of the summer, it’s deliciously tasteless.

Final Grade: A-

This Time, It’s the Villains’ Turn to Save the World

From left: Jay Hernandez, Jai Courtney, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje,
Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Joel Kinnaman,
and Karen Fukuhara in "Suicide Squad"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

In 2013, DC Comics began their extended universe with director Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel.”  While it was a somewhat fun return of Superman, it ultimately suffered from being a style-over-substance film with overblown CGI.  

Then, back in March, we got the second installment of the DCEU movies with “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which was also directed by Snyder.  This one had even more problems than “Man of Steel”; besides the barrage of CGI, it suffered from an unfocused screenplay, an anticlimactic ending, and Jesse Eisenberg’s cringeworthy portrayal of the villainous Lex Luthor (the less said about his performance, the better).

After those two films failed to live up to their potential, the DCEU needed something to get them back on track, and director David Ayer’s “Suicide Squad” looked like it would be the offbeat genre-twister that could pull it off.  Unfortunately, despite some decent action and a few standout performances from its large ensemble cast, this is another DCEU film that did not reach the heights to which it should have.

After the events of “Batman v Superman,” intelligence operative Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) decides to bring together a team of criminals she believes the government can use as disposable assets for dangerous missions, in exchange for reduced prison sentences.  This team includes the crazy Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), hit man Deadshot (Will Smith), pyro-kinetic El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), expert thief Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), beastly Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and mercenary Slipknot (Adam Beach).  When an ancient evil emerges, the criminals are put under the command of Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), and, along with his bodyguard, Katana (Karen Fukuhara), are thrown into action to battle the new threat.

Margot Robbie offers a very entertaining portrayal of Harley Quinn.  She looks as though she’s having a blast with the role, bringing humor, a touch of derangement, and deadly charm to a character who easily steals the movie whenever she’s on screen.  Robbie doesn’t go too cartoony with the role, but instead imbues just the right amount of fiendish, devil-may-care attitude without hogging the attention from her co-stars.

With his magnetic performance as The Joker, Jared Leto joins the ranks of Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger for actors who have successfully brought their own distinct interpretations of the character to the big screen.  In what only amounts to probably 10 minutes of screen time, Leto certainly makes a lasting impression, as he shows full commitment to the part of a disturbed, smooth-talking maniac.  Actually, the scenes between Leto and Robbie had me wishing for a Joker-Harley Quinn movie instead of the film we were given, seeing as these two characters are really the only other interesting ones in the story, besides Amanda Waller.

Viola Davis excels in a role that’s pretty different from what we’ve seen her do before.  Her character is an interesting mix of someone who believes in the good she’s doing, but will do whatever she can to get what she wants.  With a don’t-mess-with-me attitude and steel will to make sure she meets her accomplishments, this is definitely a character who deserves to be seen more of in future sequels, especially with an actress as talented as Davis playing the part.

Will Smith offers a fairly comedic performance as Deadshot, although his wisecracks are rather hit-or-miss.

The screenplay by Ayer has some difficulty in juggling all of the characters, as some are given considerable focus, while others are barely developed.  We are given introductory scenes for each of the squad members in the beginning of the film, but then it mainly becomes Harley Quinn and Deadshot’s movie as the rest of the characters provide little impact with a couple of quips and/or hokey backstories.

Speaking of some characters not getting appropriate arcs, the main antagonist is the worst offender.  Seeing as the film follows a team of bad guys, I was curious to see how they would go up against their own villain (about whom I will not go into detail, for fear of spoilers) that is more dangerous than they are.  Sadly, the story offers an antagonist that’s as one-dimensional and forgettable as they come.

Considering how this film is a very unconventional superhero film, it’s a shame the story is fairly generic.  You won’t be blamed for forgetting bits of the plot as the film goes on, because it comes to the point where you want to arrive at the next fight scene to get some excitement from the film.

Just as “Deadpool” proved back in February, R-rated comic-book movies can be hits, both critically and commercially.  I’m not saying a comic-book movie has to have that rating to be successful, but for a superhero film such as this (which was given a PG-13 rating), you have characters who are practically begging to break out and do outrageous things.  It seems like a missed opportunity, one that I hope the filmmakers will take a chance on for the sequel; but we all know the studio probably won’t let that happen.

Even with some questionable CGI, Ayer handles the action sequences well enough.  Although these scenes could have been a little more imaginative in their execution, they still bring some thrills that are missing from the rest of the story, making these scenes more fitting for a better film.

The next movie in the DCEU is director Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman,” which is set to be released in June 2017.  After three films that could have been a lot better than they were, it would be tremendous if this turned out to be great, especially since this will be the first female-led comic-book film since 2005’s “Elektra” (I apologize for bringing up memories of that film).

While “Suicide Squad” is a small step up from “Batman v Superman,” the DCEU has some work to do to recover from its first three films.  These villains may have done some good this time around, but DC needs to do better.

Final Grade: C

Back in Action, But Without Much of a Reason

Matt Damon and Julia Stiles in "Jason Bourne"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

In 2002, director Doug Liman brought author Robert Ludlum’s amnesiac, black-ops agent, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), to the big screen with “The Bourne Identity.”  The events of that film hinted at something more that would follow, and we were given “The Bourne Supremacy” (2004) and “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2007), both of which were directed by Paul Greengrass.  With these three films, we were given a rare trilogy where each film was better than the last.  

In 2012, there was “The Bourne Legacy” (directed by Tony Gilroy), which replaced Damon with Jeremy Renner, who played a different agent in a film that took place concurrently with the events of “Ultimatum.”  While that one definitely wasn’t as good as the first three, it still provided an interesting angle from which to view the ongoing story of these black-ops recruits.

Nine years after directing “Ultimatum,” Paul Greengrass returns to helm “Jason Bourne.”  Although “Ultimatum” finished the main story well enough, it was enticing to think what the filmmaker would come up with next for this series of spy thrillers.  However, despite well-shot action and the return of Damon and Greengrass, this is a rather unnecessary, been-there-done-that sequel.

Nearly a decade after the events of “Ultimatum,” Jason Bourne has recovered from his amnesia and is living in solitude, earning wages from illegal fighting rings.  Meanwhile, CIA operative-turned whistleblower Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) is looking to expose the CIA’s series of black-ops programs and soon finds information about Bourne’s past she believes could jeopardize his safety, and she sets out to warn him.  Meanwhile, CIA Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) and Cyber-Ops Division Head Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) work to do whatever they can to bring in Bourne before the agency’s secrets get out.

Despite almost 10 years passing since Matt Damon played Jason Bourne, he transitions easily back into the role, bringing this ruthless, focused, and resourceful character to life, and is fully capable of performing in the actions scenes that required of him.  However, I couldn't help but sometimes feel he was just going through the motions at certain points.  Not that his performance is bad, but Damon seems a little more into it throughout the original trilogy than in this latest installment.

Similar to Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, and David Strathairn in the original Bourne films, Tommy Lee Jones offers a fine performance of a determined adversary who will do anything necessary to take down Bourne, and is easily the most memorable new character in the film.

While Alicia Vikander gets one or two okay scenes, an actress of her talent should have been given a meatier part in a popular franchise such as this, especially considering she’s a recent Oscar-winner.  I was hoping she would get a role akin to Joan Allen’s when she played no-nonsense CIA Deputy Director Pamela Landy in “Supremacy” and “Ultimatum,” but Vikander isn’t given much of a chance to show the grit her character may have been capable of.

The screenplay by Greengrass and Christopher Rouse (who worked as an editor for “Supremacy,” “Ultimatum,” and “Jason Bourne”), updates its story by including relevant factors such as social media, surveillance, and privacy in the age of Edward Snowden, and also offers a revelation concerning the Treadstone black-ops program from the first film.  However, the overall unnecessariness of the film makes these themes and plot points not as impactful as they should be, seeing as most of the film doesn’t have the intensity of the original trilogy, and we’re constantly reminded of how much more exciting that trilogy was.

In terms of the film feeling more of the same as what we’ve seen before, you can bring that argument over to the original three movies, but it doesn’t hold too much merit.  When you compare those films to each other, yes, you do get similar events throughout those stories; but the thing is, each film in that trilogy was building towards something more, to Bourne finding out his history as a black-ops agent; wheres this new film doesn’t feel needed, especially because of how well “Ultimatum” concluded Bourne’s narrative.  It all has the feeling of a story that doesn’t have to be extended passed what we already have.

Greengrass and cinematographer Barry Ackroyd bring the series’ usual energetic action to life, particularly in the film’s two biggest set pieces, one a motorcycle/car chase during a protest in Athens, and the other a car chase in Las Vegas.  Yes, these chase scenes are more or less the same of what we’ve seen before, but even if the story isn’t as gripping as what we saw in the original trilogy, Greengrass shows he can still stage great action, even if these sequences don’t quite reach the thrilling heights of “Ultimatum”’s London Waterloo station scene or chase through Tangiers.

While having Damon and Greengrass return to the franchise is an upside after their absence from “The Bourne Legacy,” we still should have been given something better after waiting nine years for their reunion following “Ultimatum.”  Although you have to admire this franchise for enduring since 2002, it may be time for Jason Bourne to go back off the grid.

Final Grade: C+