The Tree of Life Review

Rated PG-13 (Some Thematic Material)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 19 Minutes

Cast-

Brad Pitt-Mr. O'Brien

Jessica Chastain-Mrs. O'Brien

Sean Penn-Jack O’Brien

Hunter McCracken-Young Jack O’Brien

Laramie Eppler-R.L.

Tye Sheridan-Steve

Fiona Shaw-Grandmother O’Brien

Joanna Going-Jack's Wife

Directed by Terrence Malick

Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life," one of the best, and most polarizing, films of 2011.

Much praise was heaped on last year’s “Inception” directed by Christopher Nolan from film critics and audiences, although a small subset were frustrated and baffled as they struggled to grasp what Nolan was trying to get across about the dream-world. Structurally, “Inception” was rather straight-forward as much of how the dream-world worked was spelled out in the film’s first forty minutes. It did demand more attention from the usual summer blockbuster but the ending was what inspired fierce debate. Nolan’s film is a cake-walk compared to Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life.” Malick’s career has spanned close to four decades with his directorial debut, “Badlands,” in 1973 (he had previously made a short film titled “Lanton Mills” in 1969, although like the director, it is rarely-seen and not readily available) and since then he has only directed five films. His sixth feature has just finished filming but the title or what the film is even about is anyone’s guess. “The Tree of Life” is one of the most polarizing films of 2011 but it is also a thematically rich cinematic experience that ponders the imponderable and asks questions that has eluded even the most ardent philosophers. It is a film that will inspire fierce debate as to what point Malick is trying to reach but make no mistake, “The Tree of Life” is a film that has to be seen as it defies all conventional means of film-making to create something that is less a film and more of a hauntingly beautiful symphony that washes over you.

It’s hard to define the story in “The Tree of Life” by traditional means but the main thrust of the narrative concerns a married architect named Jack O'Brien (Sean Penn) as he reflects back on his childhood living with a domineering father (Brad Pitt) and a religious mother (Jessica Chastain) in a small, rural southern town in the United States during the 1950s. “The Tree of Life” will inspire two extremes—either you’ll see it as a masterpiece of cinema or a big pretentious nothing. While I fall into the former camp, both sides can be easily argued. The film really demands the utmost attention and effectively requires multiple viewings to grasp the full picture of Malick’s canvass. The central question is what the heck this film is about and many critics have been fumbling around in their own reviews. The following is my interpretation based on my sole viewing although it is by no means the right interpretation. In fact, there is no right or wrong answer here.

A good starting is the title and for me, the film is about life, from the smallest moments to the most grandiose moments and the sum total of all these experiences. It opens with a passage from the Book of Job that quotes God, ‘Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth…when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?’ and indeed the film does explore the existence and meaning of God but comes to the conclusion that such a divine being is incomprehensible, unknowable, and indefinable in the grand scheme of things. The first hour of the film is what will try most people’s patience as we’re shown that Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien’s son has suddenly passed away, although the specifics are kept from us. Does it even matter though? Next we’re treated to a series of breath-taking images of the birth of the universe, majestic shots of planets that drive home how insignificant we are in the vastness of space. The evolution of our planet is depicted with photorealistic dinosaurs rummaging about in their natural habitat to their demise as an asteroid collides into the Earth. All this is accompanied by a whispered narration from Chastain and an operatic score that is part-adapted from classical composers to part-composed by Alexandre Desplat. These sequences often feel less of a film and more of a visual opera and it’s good to just sit back and let it wash over you. "The Tree of Life" really is one of the most visually stunning films I’ve seen and it does this without throwing money away and bombarding us with glossy explosions or effects. The cinematography is by Emmanuel Lubezki and each shot is framed with a purpose. It’s also heavy on the symbolism. Trees are a reoccurring motif and represent life but are also strong, immovable—qualities that Mr. O’Brien wishes his son to have. Sean Penn’s grown-up Jack wanders aimlessly through buildings with innumerable windows—he can see through but is unable to cross the barrier as he struggles to reconcile his feelings with his parents.

The second hour concerns Jack as a child, played with excellence by Hunter McCracken, and it’s made up of a series of moments that I believe all people can relate to. Everyone has that domineering parent that seems unusually cruel to their eyes and another parent whom you run to as refuge. Jack’s mother narrates, ‘there are two ways through life: the way of nature and the way of grace’ and this is presented by his mother and his father, respectively. Mrs. O’Brien places her faith in God but her husband views that to get ahead in the world you have to be ruthless, almost to the point of uncaring. There’s this one scene where Mr. O’Brien orders one of his sons to not speak for thirty minutes unless he has something to say and in a whisper, the son tells him to ‘be quiet…please.’ The father cannot believe what he has heard and grabs the son, preparing to hit him. Jack stands up to defend his brother but is thrown in a closet. Although it may seem abusive to a casual viewer, Mr. O’Brien’s world view and attitude stems not from hatred but of frustration, of broken dreams. His goal was to be a classical pianist but was ‘side-tracked’ and settled for a factory job to support his family. Jack’s experiences death and suffering and despite being a child, seems to have a crisis of faith as he whispers why God would let a young boy drown for no reason at all. Similar sentiments are mentioned as Chastain grapples with the loss of her son. As an adult, Jack struggles with the resentment and love he feels for his father and on a beach full of lost souls, comes to accept him, although how he reaches this epiphany isn’t made entirely clear (or maybe I missed it) and is one of the rare weak points of the film. Despite the majestic quality of the first hour, the small moments that made up Jack’s life in the second are just as important, if not more so, and the totality of these experiences is what makes you the kind of person you are.

The acting is of the highest caliber, although the film features very minimal dialogue. Brad Pitt is amazing as the domineering father and perfectly grasps his character's internal frustrations as he takes it out on his family. However, the standouts are Jessica Chastain and Hunter McCracken, whose lines only fill a handful of pages. Since so little is actually said, the two have to convey what they’re feeling through subtle and unsubtle expressions. It takes you deeper in the film as a lot of the family tension is never spoken of. I imagine Pitt and Chastain will garner some nominations as awards season ramps up in the fall. Sean Penn has little to no lines and only appears in the scenes that bookend the film. He spends most of the time wondering the streets as he reflects back on his life.

“The Tree of Life” is currently in limited release since May 27, 2011 and is only playing in four theaters, two of which is in New York. The film has received largely positive reviews with 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics admitted that ‘Terrence Malick's singularly deliberate style may prove unrewarding for some, but for patient viewers, [the film] is an emotional as well as visual treat.’ Despite the reportedly mixed reception at the Cannes Film Festival, it received the highest honor, the Palme d'Or. One of the competing films was Lars von Trier’s latest, “Melancholia,” a science fiction/drama set to be released in November. I saw “The Tree of Life” at the Landmark Sunshine and a lot of the show-times were close to or were already sold out. The audience sat in complete silence as the film played but as the credits rolled I eavesdropped on some of the reactions as I was leaving. Some were debating what it was about while others openly mocked it as pretentious fluff and ‘couldn’t get into it.’ As expected, it’s rather mixed and at two extremes—you either love it or you hate it. The only other film to have inspired such debate was Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” which has been compared to Malick’s film due to its similarly ponderous nature, although nowadays it is widely regarded as the science-fiction masterpiece. “The Tree of Life” is certainly a masterpiece, a poetic yet frustrating experience that will invoke a mixture of emotions. I believe Roger Ebert encapsulates the film best: ‘What Malick does in [the film] is create the span of lives. Of birth, childhood, the flush of triumph, the anger of belittlement, the poison of resentment, the warmth of forgiving.’ Malick’s quest for the meaning of life will bewilder just as it awes but it is no less a journey worth taking.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

“There are two ways through life: the way of Nature, and the way of Grace. You have to choose which one you'll follow.”

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Thor Review

Rated PG-13 (Sequences of Intense Sci-Fi Action and Violence)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 55 Minutes

Cast-

Chris Hemsworth-Thor

Tom Hiddleston-Loki

Natalie Portman-Jane Foster

Anthony Hopkins-Odin, King of Asgard

Stellan Skarsgård-Dr. Erik Selvig

Kat Dennings-Darcy Lewis

Clark Gregg-Phil Coulson, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Colm Feore-Laufey, King of Jotunheim

Idris Elba-Heimdall

Jaimie Alexander-Sif

Ray Stevenson-Volstagg

Tadanobu Asano-Hogun

Josh Dallas-Fandral

Rene Russo-Frigga, Queen of Asgard

Jeremy Renner-Clint Barton/Hawkeye

Samuel L. Jackson-Nick Fury

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Director Kenneth Branagh nails the central conflict between Thor and Loki in Marvel's latest film, "Thor."

Inspired by the deity of the same name from Norse mythology and created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby, Marvel Comics' Thor, who first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 in 1963, is perhaps one of the more difficult superheroes to adapt to the big-screen and much of it has to do with humanizing a god in such a way that audiences can identify with and care about. Well, selecting Kenneth Branagh to direct was an inspired choice on Marvel's part as his background in Shakespearean adaptations gives "Thor" the dramatic heft needed to stand out from other big-budget summer blockbusters. It may not reach the cinematic heights of "Spider-Man 2" or "The Dark Knight," but Branagh's "Thor" successfully mixes humor with drama, blending classic Norse mythology with comic book action and Shakespearean undertones to create a thoroughly entertaining film that stands tall with the upper echelon of Marvel's film résumé.

"Thor" begins with a narration by Odin (Anthony Hopkins), ruler of Asgard, who recounts to his two sons, Thor and Loki, about the war with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, led by King Laufey (Colm Feore), and their eventual defeat and subsequent truce. To prevent them from starting another campaign of conquest, the Asgardians seize the power source of the Frost Giants, the Casket of Ancient Winters, and puts it under heavy guard in their armory. In the present day, Thor (Chris Hemsworth)—now a brave but reckless warrior—is preparing to ascend to the throne of Asgard in a lavish ceremony but it is interrupted when three Frost Giants sneak into the armory in an attempt to steal the Casket back. Odin uses his automaton creation, the Destroyer, and stops the theft but Thor wants to confront Laufey and demand answers. Against his father's orders, Thor, along with his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and friends Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano), travel to Jotunheim through the Bifröst Bridge. After a tense exchange, Thor's arrogance gets the better of him and he and his companions are forced to battle against a legion of Frost Giants. Odin arrives to intervene and with the truce now shattered, he takes away Thor's power and banishes him to Earth. He enchants his hammer, Mjolnir, with an unbreakable spell: 'Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.' Now powerless, Thor awakes in New Mexico and finds himself tagging along with a group of astrophysicists which includes Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), and their assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). Mjolnir lands and creates a huge crater, with the site coming under quarantine by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, led by Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg). As Thor spends time with Jane, he begins to fall in love with her and comes to realize the reason why his father banished him. Meanwhile, back in Asgard, Loki takes advantage of the situation and schemes to take the throne to eliminate his brother, and those who oppose him, once and for all.

With "Thor," Branagh has successfully mixed the fantasy elements of Asgard with the real-world, something a lesser director would've screwed up. Instead of making them out-right gods, the Asgardians are essentially an inter-dimensional race whose science and technology is misunderstood as magic by humans. The Bifröst Bridge actually leads to a massive, spherical portal-device that is activated by Heimdall's (Idris Elba) sword, transporting anyone to the world (called a realm in the film) of their choice by opening a wormhole in space. Yggdrasil, the world tree, is interpreted as a network that connects all the other realms. Despite being a massive comic book fan, I do not read Thor as religiously as Spider-Man but I do dabble from time-to-time. The central conflict has always been between Thor and his adopted brother Loki and this is where the Shakespeare inspiration is clearly felt. It is this complicated relationship that Branagh takes full advantage of, making it the driving force of the film. Loki, played with excellence by Tom Hiddleston, lacks the physical prowess of Thor and uses guile and deceit to win his battles. He is a snake who purrs wisdom in your ears but then does not hesitate to stab you in the back. He is like Iago from "Othello." Of course, the best villains are the ones who don't see themselves as evil, which is why Lex Luther has been such an enduring foil to Superman. His methods may be underhanded and occupies a moral gray area, but Loki, in his heart of hearts, genuinely believes that what he is doing is to the benefit of Asgard and his people. Branagh also balances the drama with a healthy dose of humor. Thor's time on Earth is a classic 'fish-out-of-water' experience as he struts around the fictional small town of Puente Antiguo, acting all high and mighty. He smashes cups to the floor to demand more coffee and walks into pet stores yelling, 'I NEED A HORSE!' When the owner says they only have cats, dogs, and birds, he says, 'Well...give me one of those that is big enough to ride!'

Still, "Thor" isn't a perfect film and the main issue I have is with its brevity as everything goes by too quick and certain subplots, like the romance, are rushed. An extra twenty to thirty minutes would've benefitted but you know how impatient the masses are. Thor's exile lasts only a few days and just like that, he falls in love with Jane and realizes the error of his ways. It just doesn't build up to it organically. Audiences looking for non-stop explosions will be disappointed as there are essentially only three action scenes. The film's major set-piece is at the end of the first act when Thor and his companions confront Laufey, leading to a massive battle between a seemingly unending army of Frost Giants. The other two action scenes are rather short. The Destroyer arrives to tear up the town but Thor handles him without breaking a sweat. Of course, he and Loki meet at the end and engage in a rather epic melee battle, although it's certainly smaller in scope compared to the fight with the Frost Giants. The visual effects, while nothing to write home about, is certainly impressive enough to convey that alien sense of wonder when the camera majestically sweeps around Asgard. As for the 3D, I didn't bother. Hollywood has burned me too many times with lazy post-conversions such as "Clash of the Titans" and "The Last Airbender" that it's just not worth the extra surcharge. I have read that "Thor" is another lazy conversion as the fight scenes end up being a blurry grey mess, which I'm not surprised to hear. However, seeing it in 2D may be a problem as theaters go out of their way to limit these showings to only four or five, while there are 15 to 20 showings of the 3D version, including IMAX.

When it comes to superhero films, one of the great things is that it can turn unknown actors/actresses into overnight stars. Chris Hemsworth, last seen as Captain James T. Kirk's father in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot, nails the role of Thor with aplomb. He is arrogant and does not think of the consequences of his actions, driven more by anger than forethought. While his change is a little abrupt, it is his sincere delivery that convinces us. Even more impressive is Tom Hiddleston as Loki. He doesn't play him as full-on evil but as an outcast desperate to leave his brother's shadow and convince his father that he is every bit as capable in leading Asgard as Thor. In fact, Hiddleston makes Loki sympathetic as he only wants to do what he feels is right, even if it is not morally right. The rest of the supporting cast isn't given much to work with however and it's more to do with the script than their actual performances. Natalie Portman giggles and acts all flustered but is not convincing as an astrophysicist. I can buy that she and Thor are attracted to each other but a full-on romance? The film's running time just isn't long enough for it to develop. As Jane's mentor, Stellan Skarsgård delivers some sage advice while Kat Dennings serves as the film's comic relief. Anthony Hopkin's presence adds some gravitas to the proceedings but his role doesn't grow beyond that of a stern father. Thor's comrades-in-arms, played by Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, Joshua Dallas, and Tadanobu Asano also have limited screen-time but at least their camaraderie results in some funny moments.

"Thor" was released on May 6, 2011 and officially kicks off the summer movie season. Reviews have been positive, with a solid 79% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics called the film 'a dazzling blockbuster that tempers its sweeping scope with wit, humor, and human drama.' The real test is at the box office and whether audiences will accept "Thor," seeing as he is not as popular as Spider-Man or Batman. Well, it looks like they have as the film has grossed $26 million on Friday, on its way for a $60 to $65 million weekend total. It has already made an additional $133 million from foreign grosses. While this may not seem impressive compared to last weekend's "Fast Five," "Thor" has more hurdles to overcome. Also, "Fast Five" is what I call a 'junk food film': easily digestible entertainment for the masses but lacks soul. A lot of things could have gone wrong with "Thor" and it could have a been cheesy farce but Branagh skillfully grounds the fantastical elements in a way that we can actually believe that such a world like Asgard can exist, whose inhabitants, despite wielding extraordinary powers, are just as human as you and me. That is what Branagh has done and makes "Thor" another winner for Marvel.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

"For the first time in my life, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do..."

Note: Make sure to stay after the credits for a special scene involving a certain 'cube' with 'cosmic' repercussions in the upcoming film, "The Avengers," coming to theaters May 4, 2012!

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Fast Five Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, Sexual Content and Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 10 Minutes

Cast:

Vin Diesel-Dominic Toretto

Paul Walker-Brian O'Conner

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson-Lucas ‘Luke’ Hobbs

Jordana Brewster-Mia Toretto

Tyrese Gibson-Roman Pearce

Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges-Tej Parker

Sung Kang-Han Lue

Matt Schulze-Vince

Gal Gadot-Gisele Harabo

Tego Calderon-Tego Leo

Don Omar-Rico Santos

Elsa Pataky-Officer Elena Neves

Joaquim de Almeida-Hernan Reyes

Michael Irby-Zizi

Eva Mendes-Monica Fuentes

Directed by Justin Lin

What, you think you can out-sweat me?!

For once, the trailers delivered exactly as promised: summer has indeed arrived early with the highly anticipated “Fast Five,” the fifth installment of “The Fast & the Furious” franchise. I’ve made it pretty clear that I don’t think very highly of this series, I mean it’s loud, obnoxious, and dumb ninety percent of the time but the previews showed promise and I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. And you know what? I came away genuinely pleased as “Fast Five” is the best of the series by far, although that’s not exactly high praise considering that it took five attempts to get it right. The writing is still sloppy, the characters still paper-thin, and the action still cartoonishly over-the-top but “Fast Five” is the most story-driven and benefits most from the camaraderie of its multicultural, ensemble cast. Let’s not also forget about the brawl of the century between Vin Diesel and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, whose no-holds-barred fight scene is worth the price of admission alone.

Picking up immediately after “Fast & Furious,” Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is on a prison bus destined for Lompoc Penitentiary, sentenced to 25 years to life for his crimes. Former FBI agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), along with Dom’s sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), Tego Leo (Tego Calderon) and Rico Santos (Don Omar) free Dom by forcing the bus to flip over. The group splits up for an unspecified period of time and eventually meets up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dom’s childhood friend Vince (Matt Schulze) has been living in Rio supporting his wife and son. He enlists Brian and Mia’s aid for an ‘easy’ job to steal three cars from a moving train. Dom arrives to help out but the job quickly goes awry when the crew he hired betrays them, as their goal was to steal only one of the cars, a Ford GT40, for corrupt businessman Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). Mia drives away with the car but Dom and Brian are captured and brought before Reyes. They escape and manage to make it back to the safehouse where Mia is waiting. Vince is revealed to be working for Reyes and is forced to leave. Brian discovers that the car has a hidden computer chip that contains a record of all of Reyes' illicit business activities, including the location of over $100 million divided up into various safehouses. To avoid running for the rest of their lives, Dom plans for one last heist to take Reyes’ $100 million and assembles a team which includes Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges), Han Lue (Sung Kang), Gisele Harabo (Gal Gadot), Tego Leo, and Rico Santos. Meanwhile, Diplomatic Security Service agent Lucas ‘Luke’ Hobbs (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson) and his team, assisted by local officer Elena Neves (Elsa Pataky), is sent in to capture Dom and Brian and bring them to justice, by any means necessary.

“Fast Five” is an incredibly loud movie that revels in its testosterone-fueled action but director Justin Lin, in his third outing, wisely switches gears and moves the focus away from street racing to avoid a rehash, turning this entry into a heist film ala “Ocean’s Eleven,” only less suave and sophisticated. While street racing is still touched upon, it is no longer the heart of the series. Originality will be hard to find and the scenes revolving around the planning of the heist feel workmanlike and uninspired. One scene is even ripped straight out of Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster.” Later on, most of the intricate planning gets thrown out the window in favor of a ridiculous action set-piece that completely disregards real-world physics! Isacc Newton must be rolling in his grave right about now. The writing is also sloppy and often ‘cheats.’ One such example is when the crew receives a replica of the massive bank vault housing Reyes’ money and we wonder how they even managed to acquire it. This is simply explained away with a throwaway line. Some attempt at ‘drama’ is made but it is poorly paced, often coming right after a major action scene. The film also runs a little long, clocking in at over two hours with a drawn out epilogue for each of the characters.

What “Fast Five” excels at is the action set-pieces and this time around, there’s a confidence behind Lin’s direction. There are still flashy cars and bikini-clad women walking in slo-mo to please the male fan-base but they are not as excessively overdone as in the previous entries. The opening scene sets the tone with a massive prison bus flipped over that happens to leave no one hurt! During the attempt to steal the cars on a fast-moving a train, a flatbed truck is driven beside it where one person cuts into the side using nothing but an acetylene torch. The cars are pulled onto the flatbed, which tilt up and are then driven away. It all seems awfully complicated but Lin polishes it to perfection. Of course, everything starts going boom when things go wrong and the flatbed ends up ramming itself onto the side of a train with Dom and Brian escaping by driving off a deep ravine and hitting the water below. There are also intense shootouts between Hobbs and Reyes’ men and they way they’re staged recall the favela levels in Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. The highlight is the brawl between Diesel and Johnson and while it ends quickly, it does not disappoint. It builds up to it and finally lets loose as the two pummel each other like two incredible Hulks, throwing each other into walls and causing untold amounts of damage. “Fast Five” ends with a car chase that really defies description and has to be seen to be believed. Let’s just say it involves two cars dragging a giant bank vault with high-tension wire through the streets of Rio and smashing into many buildings and cars.

The ‘acting’ largely involves shouted lines of dialogue and tons of male posturing. It seems like Vin Diesel and Paul Walker’s career has been reduced to this franchise. Diesel’s larger-than-life presence is always welcome but Walker comes off as useless. The large ensemble cast limits how much screen-time each gets but makes up for it with their humorous camaraderie, especially between Gibson, Bridges, and Kang. Johnson really runs with his tough officer role and he’s so tough that he’s always drenched in sweat in every scene he appears in. The remaining female cast doesn’t amount to much. Jordana Brewster spends much of the film behind a computer screen, serving as the team’s Oracle like Batman. Gal Gadot only has one memorable scene and yes, it involves dropping her towel and revealing her supermodel body. Elsa Pataky is the rookie cop assisting Hobbs and is one of the more fleshed-out characters. Finally there’s Joaquim de Almeida as corrupt businessman Hernan Reyes, who’s just another in a long line of clichéd and generic villains.

Released on April 29, 2011 into regular theaters and IMAX, “Fast Five” has received a positive reception with 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, the best reviews the franchise has ever received since the original’s release in 2001 and an absolute rarity for fourth sequels. Critics called it ‘sleek, loud, and over the top, [the film] proudly embraces its brainless action thrills.’ Since the beginning of 2011, the box office has been down and although it received a slight uptick this month, this is the weekend that it might finally show positive growth. Actually, it already has as “Fast Five” has grossed a muscular $33 million on Friday on its way to an estimated $75 to $80 million weekend total. It doesn’t seem like the franchise will be put into the garage anytime soon if the post-credits scene is any indication and for the first time, I’m actually intrigued to see what happens next! Audience reaction was overwhelmingly positive and many seemed absolutely excited for a sixth entry. “Fast Five” straddles the line between outright stupidity and high entertainment, although thankfully it leans more toward the latter.  It offers what you would expect but there’s an assured confidence behind the proceedings with Lin’s direction and for the first time, the franchise has finally found its groove despite its lazy story-telling.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

“Chances are sooner or later, we’re gonna end up behind bars or buried in a ditch somewhere…but not today.”

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The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG-13 (Reckless and Illegal Behavior involving Teens, Violence, Language and Sexual Content)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 44 Minutes

Cast:

Lucas Black-Sean Boswell

Shad Gregory Moss/Bow Wow-Twinkie

Nathalie Kelley-Neela

Sung Kang-Han Lue

Brian Tee-Takashi/”Drift King”

Sonny Chiba-Kamata

Leonardo Nam-Morimoto

Jason Tobin-Earl

Keiko Kitagawa-Reiko

Lynda Boyd-Ms. Boswell/Sean’s Mother

Brian Goodman-Major Boswell/Sean’s Father

Vin Diesel-Dominic Toretto

Directed by Justin Lin

They moved the action to Japan but it's still the same damn film.

Note: Part of "The Fast and the Furious Trilogy" Blu-Ray set.

“The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” the third entry in the famed car porn franchise is a sequel in-name only, lacking any connection to the previous two films and seems like it was meant for the direct-to-DVD market with its no-name cast. The film’s only high point in this dull, uninspired affair is a surprise cameo at the end but you can hardly call it a surprise when it was spoiled in the film’s promotional material. In fact, its release just reeks of desperation on Universal’s part as they were willing to move ahead and discard all of the main characters just to make a quick buck from gullible moviegoers. Yes, there are flashy cars and scantily-clad young women but that’s all this film, and the franchise as a whole, has to offer. Fans will eat up “Tokyo Drift” like ice cream but for everyone else, this is a laughably bad film with weak performances and a clichéd story. It even botches its one saving grace with choppily edited, repetitive racing scenes.

Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) is your typical, everyday American teen who loves cars a little too much. Unable to keep his ego in check, Sean gets into a street race with a local jock but both end up totaling their cars in the process and are arrested by the police. The jock is quickly released thanks to his wealthy parents but Sean is faced with jail-time as this is his third offense. To avoid going to prison, Sean’s mother sends him off to Tokyo, Japan to live with his father, who is stationed there as a U.S. naval officer. Sean is warned by his father not to stir up any trouble or he will be sent back to the U.S. to serve his sentence. After some minor culture shock, Sean makes a new friend nicknamed ‘Twinkie’ (Shad Gregory Moss/Bow Wow) at school, who peddles American goods and introduces him to the underground street racing scene. While there, he strikes up a conversation with a pretty girl from class named Neela (Nathalie Kelley) but her boyfriend, Takashi (Brian Tee), the nephew of a local Yakuza boss, warns him away. Sean does not back down and Takashi challenges him to a race. His associate, Han Lue (Sung Kang), gives Sean his car to use. The race goes badly for Sean as he lacks the expertise to ‘drift,’ which involves intentionally over-steering with the car skidding sideways while braking and accelerating in tight turns. Han meets Sean at school the next day and explains that he’ll be working for him to repay the debt for damaging his car. The two become fast friends and Han begins teaching Sean how to drift. Neela and Sean grow closer but when a jealous Takashi discovers that Han has been stealing money from him, he vows to take him and Sean down.

The only thing that “Tokyo Drift” does right is setting the film in Tokyo and director Justin Lin takes full advantage of showing off the neon-drenched city every chance he gets. The rest of the film is generic and forgettable. In fact, it becomes unintentionally hilarious as everything is treated too seriously. Lin throws in some ‘drama’ about outsiders sticking together and taking responsibility for your actions but it comes across as pandering rather than empowering. It even makes some big statement about how drifting makes you alive and is such a life changing experience! That last part was sarcasm. The film comes off as hypocritical even as it clumsily imparts moral lessons while reveling in its loose values and materialism. We have the prerequisite rebel who is out of his league in a culture he does not understand (and makes little attempt to) who runs afoul of the local gang and has to beat him at his own game to win the girl. It all comes off like a flashy, sexualized version of “The Karate Kid,” only with cars. Han even quotes Mr. Miyagi at one point! The film also fetishizes young Japanese women to appeal to the wet dreams of Caucasian men, as all of them are dolled up wearing small-sized clothes and mini-skirts as if it this were a hentai. What of the races themselves? Well, the only praise I can muster is that it feels more grounded compared to the physics-defying stupidity of “2 Fast 2 Furious.” However, they’re poorly edited together with constant cuts of the cars skidding around and a shot of the driver looking overly-serious. All the races end up looking the same because Lin employs this style for all of them.

The cast are merely accessories to the cars and as such, deliver weak performances. It doesn’t help that the characters are vapid and paper-thin to begin with. Lucas Black’s cowboy routine comes off as annoying and his Southern drawl makes him sound like a drunk. Bow Wow’s ‘Twinkie’ (where do they come up with these names?!) serves absolutely no purpose at all. Nathalie Kelley is the obligatory love interest who bats her eyes and recites cringe-inducing dialogue about cars and the nature of life. Brian Tee is your stereotypical Asian gangster, who leers and grimaces in every scene he’s in. Finally, there’s Sung Kang as Han Lue, who looks like he’s ready to fall asleep.

In contrast to the film, “Tokyo Drift” looks and sounds amazing on Blu-Ray. This is a very colorful film with a pristine transfer that shows off the sheen on every car and the day-glo lights that pervade the Tokyo cityscape. Blacks are inky and deep although flesh tones do lean toward a slight yellowish hue. Audio is loud but not aggressive with all the cars skidding about. Sound effects such as the clicking of gears or the turning of the brakes are never drowned out amidst the noise. Dialogue is also crisp and clear although sometimes the accents make it hard to understand what is being said. This is another demo-worthy disc from Universal. The special features are largely fluff pieces with the only piece of interest being the over-enthusiastic audio commentary delivered by Justin Lin. He even outright admits that’s its nothing but a bunch of races strung together by a threadbare plot. At least we know he set his standards pretty low from the start.

“The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift” was released on June 16, 2006 to negative reviews with 35% on Rotten Tomatoes. It failed to ignite the box office, coming in at third place in its weekend debut with $24 million, a far cry from the previous entries. The film still made a respectable gross of $158 million worldwide, enough to convince Universal to green-light a fourth film which finally reunited the entire original cast. Of course, now the franchise is as strong as ever if bereft of any artistry, imagination, you know, things that make a good film. About the only praise I can muster is that “The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift” is not as mind-numbingly dumb as the last film but quoting the Angry Video Game Nerd, ‘that's like saying the sh*t that I took last night was better than the sh*t I took the day before.’ The franchise never rose above mediocrity in the first place and this film continues the tread. Hypocritical story, weak performances, and poorly edited races make “Tokyo Drift” a waste of everyone’s time and should’ve been dumped in the DVD bargain bin where it belongs.

Final Rating: 1.5 out of 5

“I have money, its trust and character I need around me. You know, who you choose to be around you lets you know who you are. One car in exchange for knowing what a man's made of? That's a price I can live with.”

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2 Fast 2 Furious Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG-13 (Street Racing, Violence, Language and some Sensuality)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 47 Minutes

Cast:

Paul Walker-Brian O'Conner

Tyrese Gibson-Roman ‘Rome’ Pearce

Eva Mendes-Monica Fuentes

Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges-Tej Parker

Devon Aoki-Suki

Cole Hauser-Carter Verone

Thom Barry-FBI Special Agent Bilkins

James Remar-U.S. Customs Agent Markham

Jin Auyeung-Jimmy

Amaury Nolasco-Orange Julius

Michael Ealy-Slap Jack

Mark Boone Junior-Detective Whitworth

Matt Gallini-Enrique

Roberto 'Sanz' Sanchez-Roberto

Directed by John Singleton

Who cares about the actors when you have flashy cars?

Note: Part of "The Fast and the Furious Trilogy" Blu-Ray set.

With the unexpected box office success of “The Fast & the Furious” in 2001, Universal was quick to announce a sequel. After all they had a new moneymaker on their hands and that’s the only thing that counts in Hollywood these days! However, both Vin Diesel and director Rob Cohen were unavailable as its production schedule conflicted with their action film, “xXx,” at the time. For the sequel, most of the cast was replaced with new characters with John Singleton set to direct. Singleton is famous for his critically-acclaimed 1991 film, “Boyz n the Hood,” which depicted African American life in poor South Central Los Angeles. For his work, Singleton was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the 1992 Academy Awards, making him the youngest (at age 24) and the first African American to be nominated. I do not know what motivated Singleton to direct “2 Fast 2 Furious” but it makes the tepid achievement of the original look like a masterpiece. The film is nothing more than a cash-in with a retread plot and mind-numbingly dumb dialogue and action scenes. A more appropriate name would be “2 Dumb 2 Stupid.”

After the events of the first film, Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) is a cop no more and now makes a living in Miami by participating in illegal street races through his friend, Tej Parker (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges). After winning one such race, the police arrive and Brian is promptly arrested. He is brought before U.S. Customs Agent Markham (James Remar) and his former handler FBI Special Agent Bilkins (Thom Berry), who offers him a deal: his criminal record will be wiped clean if he agrees to work with them to infiltrate and take down a ruthless drug lord named Carter Verone (Cole Hauser). Brian agrees on one condition: he gets to pick who he works with. This person happens to be a former childhood friend named Roman ‘Rome’ Pearce (Tyrese Gibson). Their reunion ends in a fist fight but eager to have his record wiped as well, Roman agrees. The two are assisted by another undercover agent, Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes), who liaisons as Verone’s girlfriend. To take Verone down, Brian and Roman must put aside their differences if they are to come out of their mission alive.

Forgive me for being vulgar, but the plot of “2 Fast 2 Furious” is a pile of sh*t. Vin Diesel’s presence in the first film made it bearable to watch but with him gone, there’s just no reason for this sequel to exist other than to reap money from brain-dead movie-goers. It’s all a tired retread but with a different set of characters who manage to come off even less compelling compared to the original cast. Of course, the real reason for everyone to watch is the races. As always they are flashy and overdone, with its MTV-style editing, rap music and numerous scantily-clad women gyrating around. It just borders on being ridiculous, no wait, it is ridiculous with the cars breaking every law of physics. I bet Isaac Newton is rolling in his grave now. Dialogue is also laughable with every other word being “man” or “brother.” Maybe it’s too much to expect a bunch of street racers to actually speak in proper English when they’re all cartoonish racial stereotypes. Like the original, I find myself struggling to say much about “2 Fast 2 Furious” with its nowhere plot, dull characters and loud races that serve nothing more than to turn our brains into mashed stew.

Paul Walker is the only main cast member returning and his acting ability has not improved one iota. His attempts to act ‘hip’ or ‘gangster’ is cringe-inducing to watch. Model-turned-actor Tyrese Gibson fares better as Roman; he has a lot of energy and seems to genuinely enjoy his role. I would probably be more lenient on this film if it just featured him. Eva Mendes serves no purpose other than to shake her assets and provide eye-candy to horny thirteen year old boys. Devon Aoki…also serves no purpose other than to shake her assets and provide eye-candy to horny thirteen year old boys with an Asian fetish. Cole Hauser comes off as some sort of James Bond villain reject as he orders his minions and tortures crooked cops with rats in a bucket. Yes, rats in a bucket. I wonder why the villains are always drug lords in these types of films. Are they victims of the economic crisis that they cannot find any other illegal profession to work in? There’s also Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges as Tej Parker, Brian’s partner-in-crime who probably signed on due to the amount of bikini-clad female extras on the set.

As part of “The Fast & the Furious” trilogy box-set on Blu-Ray, “2 Fast 2 Furious” looks every bit as good as its predecessor. Stylistically, the sequel looks indistinguishable from the original; there’s still some slight film grain and the colorful cars pop out of the screen with visual splendor. Flesh tones still lean toward a ‘hot’ orange hue. As if it couldn’t get louder, this film ups the ante in the audio department with cars whizzing by with their engines revved up. It’s an aural experience that will thrill fans of the film. The special features look extensive but they all end up being glorified commercials. The only thing worth a listen is the audio commentary from director John Singleton, who sounds like he had fun making the fun. His enthusiasm tapers off at the end though. To appeal to the series’ primarily male fan-base, there’s even a featurette called Tricking Out a Hot Import Car and is hosted by Playboy Playmate Dalene Kurtis. Yes, expect intelligent and detailed analysis from her.

Released on June 6, 2003, “2 Fast 2 Furious” received negative reviews with 36% on Rotten Tomatoes. It did exceed the box office gross of the original with $236 million worldwide so yes, another pointless sequel was made, released in 2006, this time featuring none of the main characters from the original! I believe online film critic James Berardinelli speaks for all of us when he remarks, ‘The mind-numbing stupidity of Hollywood decision-makers never ceases to amaze me,’ although at this point it shouldn’t be a surprise. If you love car porn and women flaunting their assets and hate to use your brain, “2 Fast 2 Furious” is the film for you. For everyone else, if you possess a modicum of intelligence, avoid this flick like the plague. It’s not even like we have high expectations; we just want to be entertained for two hours, not treated like morons.

Final Rating: 1 out of 5

“Come on, man. Guns, murderers and crooked cops? I was made for this, bro!”

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The Fast & the Furious Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG-13 (Violence, Sexual Content and Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 47 Minutes

Cast:

Vin Diesel-Dominic Toretto

Paul Walker-Brian O'Conner

Michelle Rodriguez-Leticia ‘Letty’ Ortiz

Jordana Brewster-Mia Toretto

Rick Yune-Johnny Tran

Matt Schulze-Vince

Johnny Strong-Leon

Chad Lindberg-Jesse

Jeffrey Atkins (Ja Rule)-Edwin

Noel Guglielmi-Hector

Ted Levine-Sergeant Tanner

Thom Barry-FBI Special Agent Bilkins

Stanton Rutledge-Muse

Reggie Lee-Lance Nguyen

Directed by Rob Cohen

 

Little did they know that this film would be the only thing keeping their careers alive...

Note: Part of "The Fast and the Furious Trilogy" Blu-Ray set.

Boy, Hollywood sure makes a lot of pointless sequels and no other franchise is as pointless as “The Fast & the Furious.” The original film was released during the summer of 2001 and raked in the dough at the box office with $207 million worldwide against an estimated $38 million production budget. Seeing it as a goldmine, Universal made a sequel, and another, and another, until now we have “Fast Five” (Why do the titles keep getting shorter? Is the sixth one just going to be called “Fast”?), the fifth installment to be released on April 29, 2011, the weekend before the official summer movie season begins. “The Fast & the Furious” is the epitome of style over substance. Sure, the cars and women are good looking but it all adds up to a vapid and yawn-inducing experience due to its paper-thin plot and poorly developed characters.

Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) is an undercover cop working for an LAPD-FBI joint operation to investigate the world of illegal street racing. There have been a number of high-profile, semi-trailer truck hijackings where millions of dollars of merchandise has been stolen. Brian is to find the perpetrator and bring him or her to justice before the truck drivers take matters into their own hands. Using his job at an aftermarket auto parts store known as The Racer’s Edge, Brian makes contact with Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), an elite street racer who leads a motley crew that includes his girlfriend, Leticia ‘Letty’ Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), his two friends Vince (Matt Schulze) and Leon (Johnny Strong), and mechanic Jesse (Chad Lindberg). Brian enters into an illegal race with Dom and two other racers but loses. The police arrive and Brian manages to get into Dom’s good graces when he saves him from being apprehended. Dom accepts Brian as part of the team and begins helping him repair a badly damaged 1994 Toyota Supra as repayment of his debt for losing the race. Brian at first suspects Dom’s rival, Johnny Tran (Rick Yune), of committing the hijackings but when he turns out to be innocent, evidence points to Dom as the perpetrator. However, Brian’s mission becomes complicated when he falls in love with Dom’s sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster) and he becomes torn between bringing Dom to justice and betraying his new-found friends.

That little summary makes “The Fast & the Furious” a lot more complicated than it seems and in fact, the story is so simple, uninspired, and generic that it could only be written by thirteen-year-old boys driven by testosterone. I was not expecting something that was going to win Academy Awards but when you start finding the street races themselves boring, you’re in trouble. I’ll admit the races are slickly directed with confidence by Rob Cohen (and they’re packed with scantily-clad women) and those who have a strong interest in cars will come away with a smile but they all start blurring together and look the same by the second hour. Still, they’ll keep you awake but once the wheels stop spinning and the ‘plot’ takes center-stage, everything falls apart because nothing is compelling at all. The film harps about brotherhood and sticking by your friends no matter who they are and what they do but the relationships are so superficial that I could care less about what happens to them. The editing is of the MTV-variety; there are lots of quick cuts, flashy effects, slow motion, and a soundtrack that will only appeal to urban audiences. I find myself struggling to say much about “The Fast & the Furious.” It’s purely an audiovisual experience and if that’s what you’re looking for, than you’ll come away satisfied but for everyone else, this is an empty, soulless experience that is so pre-occupied with looking ‘hip’ and ‘cool’ to the detriment of everything else.

None of the cast is required to do any actual acting other than to look good on-camera. That being said, Vin Diesel’s larger-than-life presence and deep baritone voice make the film somewhat bearable to watch. Paul Walker is just the pretty, blond boy who can’t act if his life depended on it. He seems to speak all his dialogue as if he were some low-level gangster. Michelle Rodriguez is once again playing the tough chick but she leaves little to no impression in her underwritten role. While Jordana Brewster does bring a wide-eyed innocence, she is nothing more than the token love interest dressed as if she’s going to a party.

“The Fast & the Furious” arrived on Blu-Ray in a trilogy box-set in 2009 that includes “2 Fast 2 Furious” and “The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” The picture quality looks excellent, if overly processed. Slight film grain is present and while flesh tones lean toward a ‘hot’ orange, the colors are very vibrant thanks to the numerous cars on display. Detail is excellent whenever someone pops the hood and we get to see all the doodads inside. This is a very loud film with heavy bass due to its soundtrack and the constant revving of engines. If you have a nice surround sound system set up, this would be nice demo material to show off to your friends. There’s a healthy dose of special features. There’s an audio commentary or if you so please, you can activate a feature where an icon would show up and if selected, it takes you to a short video clip of Cohen commenting on the scene being shown. The making-of is only a paltry eighteen minutes, followed by various fluff pieces on the editing, visual effects, deleted scenes and music videos.

“The Fast & the Furious” was released on June 22, 2001 to mixed reviews, with 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. Some critics accepted it as a guilty pleasure while others just wrote off the film as being another dumb summer flick. As mentioned at the beginning, the film was a box office success with $207 million worldwide, enough to warrant a sequel or two (or four). People do enjoy these films but I’m not one of them. It’ll take a lot more than flashy cars and under-dressed women to impress me. “The Fast & the Furious” offers little else to anyone other than action junkies and car fanatics, and despite the well-made car chases, it is just not enough to make this film rise above mediocrity.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5

“I live my life a quarter mile at a time. Nothing else matters: not the mortgage, not the store, not my team and all their bullsh*t. For those ten seconds or less, I'm free.”

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Super Review

Rated R (Scenes of Graphic Violence, Language, Some Sexual Content and Drug Use)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 36 Minutes

Cast-

Rainn Wilson-Frank D'Arbo/The Crimson Bolt

Ellen Page-Libby/Boltie

Liv Tyler-Sarah Helgeland

Kevin Bacon-Jacques

Nathan Fillion-The Holy Avenger

Gregg Henry-Detective John Felkner

Andre Royo-Hamilton

Michael Rooker-Abe

Sean Gunn-Toby

Stephen Blackehart-Quill

Don Mac-Mr. Range

Rob Zombie (voice)-God

Directed by James Gunn

Before the Guardians of the Galaxy, there was...the Crimson Bolt!

James Gunn’s latest film, “Super,” is all kinds of f*cked up in that it makes “Kick-Ass” look like it was made for babies. While both bear some passing similarities in their exploration of ordinary, everyday people dressing up as superheroes, Gunn’s film is a different beast altogether as it’s not afraid to offend and push the envelope. Gleefully hilarious with its dark comedy and shockingly brutal violence, “Super” unfortunately falls short due to its disjointed tone, leaving its themes ultimately muddled.

Frank D'Arbo (Rainn Wilson) is an oddball loser who works as a short-order fry cook at a local diner. As indicated by his color-penciled drawings, the two happiest moments in his life is his marriage to Sarah (Liv Tyler) and when he assisted a police officer in apprehending a purse-snatcher. However, Frank’s life comes crashing down when his wife, a recovering drug addict/alcoholic, relapses into her old ways and leaves him for Jacques (Kevin Bacon), a strip club owner and drug dealer. He does everything to try to get his wife back but all it gets him is a butt-whooping by Jacques’ goons. After praying one night, Frank has a surreal dream where he is literally touched by the finger of God and meets a television superhero called the ‘Holy Avenger’ (Nathan Fillion). Taking this as a sign to battle evil, Frank creates a homemade costume and calls himself ‘The Crimson Bolt!’ His motto: ‘SHUT UP, CRIME!’ His first foray into crime-fighting ends in disaster and he goes to the local comic book store to research on superheroes without any powers. He picks a giant pipe wrench as his weapon and brutally beats up criminals, no matter how small their crime. Frank’s goal is to use his costumed persona to take down Jacques and get his wife back. Things get even crazier when the comic book store clerk, Libby (Ellen Page), teams up with Frank as his kid sidekick ‘Boltie.’

“Super” is all kinds of crazy rolled into one. “Watchmen” explored the thin line between hero and sociopath but this film just kicks that line to the curb and revels in its violence. Once Frank puts on the suit and becomes the Crimson Bolt, he just loses it as he whacks people with his pipe wrench or dropping cinder blocks on their faces, screaming, ‘Don’t steal, don’t deal drugs, and don’t molest kids!’ Frank takes this so seriously that when he sees someone cutting the line at the movie theater, he suits up and gives him a good ol’ trashing. When a woman comes to defend the person, she gets hit in the face too! It’s all hysterical stuff yet slightly uncomfortable, and I like the fact that Gunn is unafraid to pull his punches. Libby one-ups Frank in sheer craziness once she becomes Boltie, cackling manically as they deal with criminals. At one point, she repeatedly stabs someone with claws resembling X-23 and dressed in nothing but her bra and pants, she slams a car into a thug about to shoot Frank, breaking his legs. Her immense joy at doing this cannot be described! She definitely has a couple of screws loose and that’s already a big understatement. Ultimately, Frank becoming a mentally unhinged superhero is his way of dealing with his wife leaving him and his sudden loneliness. He did everything right but is unable to see what went wrong in his marriage. Being the Crimson Bolt gives him a temporary sense of purpose, a measure of control over his directionless life but after getting his wife back, then what? Did it ever occur to him that she may not him back? Gunn tries to walk the fine line between dark comedy and drama but does not entirely succeed, leaving many of its themes buried under a sea of violence. The constant tonal shifts gives “Super” a disjointed feel as it is unable to decide whether it wants to be a dark superhero satire or an exploration into a person’s total nervous breakdown.

The film is filled with some great performances and Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute from NBC's "The Office") is perfect as Frank D'Arbo. There’s a bit of Schrute in Frank with his deadpan delivery but Wilson digs deeper to find the right mixture of quirky desperation and loneliness that actually makes us sympathize with him. Ellen Page has been typecast in ‘smart aleck’ roles but here she’s something totally different and takes the psychotic angle to the max, stealing the film. Libby is a lonely soul like Frank and her scenes where she clumsily tries to seduce him are funny and a little sad. She pokes her…lady-parts and remarks, ‘It’s all gushy!’ and practically rapes Frank but it’s presented in a tongue-in-cheek way. I must also say that she looks quite sexy in spandex. Kevin Bacon is always good in any role and it’s no different here as slime-ball Jacques. The weakest link is Liv Tyler, who isn’t convincing as a recovering drug addict; she’s just…too good-looking. Nathan Fillion, who starred in Gunn’s “Slither” back in 2006, also makes an appearance as a ridiculous Christian-themed superhero called the Holy Avenger. There are a few jabs at Christianity but in a rare instance, the jokes end up falling flat.

“Super” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2010 and is in limited release since April 1, 2011. If you live in New York City, the film is only playing in two theaters and will hit video-on-demand on April 13. Reviews have been mixed with 44% on Rotten Tomatoes as critics found the tone wildly uneven. Made on a small budget of approximately $2.5 million, “Super” is rough around the edges and will most likely break even once it arrives on Blu-Ray and DVD. It didn’t seem like many were interested as the theater only had about twenty to thirty people. “Super” is not for everyone and most will be put-off or outright offended at its violence. Gunn is unable to maintain a consistent tone but there’s enough to like in this twisted little film to give it eventual cult status.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

“SHUT UP, CRIME!”

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Insidious Review

Rated PG-13 (Thematic Material, Violence, Terror and Frightening Images, and Brief Strong Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 43 Minutes

Cast:

Patrick Wilson-Josh Lambert

Rose Byrne-Renai Lambert

Barbara Hershey-Lorraine Lambert

Lin Shaye-Elise Rainier

Leigh Whannell-Specs

Angus Sampson-Tucker

Ty Simpkins-Dalton Lambert

Andrew Astor-Foster Lambert

Directed by James Wan

"It's not the house that is haunted. It's your son."

When director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell made their debut in 2004 with the film "Saw," it was a breath of fresh air thanks to its unique premise and introduced us to a new horror icon, Jigsaw, played by Tobin Bell. With a $103 million worldwide gross against a measly $1.2 million production budget, "Saw" jumpstarted a new horror franchise with six sequels but unfortunately it devolved into gratuitous blood and gore, losing what made the original so well-regarded in the first place. Part of it might have been Wan exiting as director and only staying on as executive producer with Whannell. Wan’s next films, "Dead Silence" and "Death Sentence," both released in 2007, received negative reviews and failed to repeat the box office success of "Saw." Now, Wan and Whannell reteam for "Insidious," a film that returns to the tried-and-true Haunted House theme with a few wrinkles thrown in. "Insidious" is not entirely original but with its strong cast and tense atmosphere, Wan has created a truly frightening experience that mixes the best elements of "Paranormal Activity," "The Exorcist," and "Drag Me To Hell."  

Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) are a happily married couple with three children, one baby daughter and two sons named Dalton (Ty Simpkins) and Foster (Andrew Astor). They have just recently moved into a new home but their optimism is short-lived as one morning, Josh finds that he is unable to wake up Dalton. The doctors say there is nothing neurologically wrong but for some strange reason, he is trapped in a deep coma-like sleep. Three months later and their son’s condition have not improved but strange occurrences begin to take place at the house. They start off small, like objects moving and doors being opened but they soon escalate, with a demonic voice heard on the baby monitor and ghostly apparitions appearing out of nowhere. Renai becomes so frightened that the family is forced to move to a new house but the paranormal occurrences still continue. Josh’s mother Lorraine (Barbara Hershey) contacts her friend, who happens to be a psychic and an exorcist named Elise (Lin Shaye). After investigating the house, Elise reveals that it is not the house that is haunted, but her son and that a demon seeks to possess his body.

Stylistically, "Insidious" bears a resemblance to Sam Raimi’s 2009’s "Drag Me To Hell" in that it uses sound effects to build a suspenseful atmosphere rather than spilling buckets of blood. For the most part, the film relies on tried-and-true Haunted House clichés during the first half and the inspiration from "Paranormal Activity" (Oren Peli serves as producer) is clearly felt as the strange occurrences start off small and escalate further. What sets it apart is the ‘Boo!’ moments and you’ll certainly jump out of your seat, exclaiming 'Holy Sh*t!' There's no traditional music build-up and it all happens in the most innocuous scenes where it's just people conversing, you relax your guard and bam, it hits you full force with a blaring, dissonant noise. This keeps us on edge as we don't know what Wan might throw at us next. "Insidious" also isn't afraid to get a little ridiculous and there's a nice humorous moment when we're introduced to two ghost hunters named 'Specs' (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson), who clumsily comb over the house using their fancy doo-dads. Things get even more far-fetched once Elise arrives and explains what's happening (it involves astral projection), culminating in a crazy séance like Raimi's film. There's also a palpable sense of drama as Josh and Renai are unable to grasp what's going on and feel terrified but more importantly, helpless to save their son. "Insidious" utilizes many elements that have been done to death in other horror films but Wan polishes them to maximum effect and adds a few wrinkles to create a unique experience. What's even more astonishing is that he made this film with less than a million dollars! Once again it goes to show what you can do with only a handful of money combined with a creative vision.

The acting is above-average for a horror film and Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are entirely convincing as a married couple who finds their lives abruptly disrupted, recalling Ellen Burstyn's role in "The Exorcist." Barbara Hershey (last seen in "Black Swan") is Josh's mother, who knows more than she's letting on and despite the role being way out there, Lin Shaye manages to play Elise with an entirely straight face. The rest of the cast includes Leigh Whannell (who serves as writer) and Angus Sampson as amateur Ghostbusters who inject some levity into what is a bleak and hopeless situation.

Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2010 and released on April 1, 2011, "Insidious" has received somewhat mixed reviews with 59% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found the third act shaky but it still remains as 'a very scary and very fun haunted house thrill ride.' It is competing with two other films, Duncan Jones' sophomore effort "Source Code" and the live-animation flick "Hop." While it may not set the box office on fire, the film should come in at third or fourth place with approximately $10 to $15 million and seeing as it's made on the cheap, that's already a resounding success. There was a respectable turn-out at the theater but like all horror films, it was plagued by teens who just couldn't keep their f*cking mouths shut. Not a single drop of blood was spilled but Wan has taken a less-is-more approach with "Insidious" and while his ideas aren't all that original, he utilizes all the right elements and manages to surprise us once again!

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

"It's not the house that is haunted. It's your son."

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