Joe

Joe - Dir. David Gordon Green (2014)

Indie auteur David Gordon Green won critical acclaim for his first two films George Washington and All the Real Girls. The films were praised for their solemn depiction of small town America and beautiful, yet haunting, imagery reminiscent of Terrence Malick. It shouldn't be a surprise that Malick served as an executive producer on Green's Undertow, which owed a slight debt to Badlands and Days of Heaven. Green gained access to a star-studded cast that included Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale on the low-budget tragedy Snow Angels. Then, Green did a complete 180 and moved into the realm of mainstream comedy. He directed Seth Rogen and James Franco in the smash hit Pineapple Express, but neither of his follow-ups, Your Highness or The Sitter, met with similar success. Cinephiles eagerly hoped Green would return to his roots, which he thankfully did with Prince Avalanche, a remake of a 2011 Icelandic comedy. Green's latest production, Joe, is much darker fare.

Joe is based on the 1991 novel by Larry Brown and centers on the titular Joe Ransom (Nicolas Cage), an ex-con who served time for assaulting a police officer. Joe is content with being a hard-working, blue collar, well…Joe. He's foreman for a group of day laborers whose job is to poison trees in order for the lumber company to chop them down and replace them with stronger pines that will yield a bigger profit. These men see nothing wrong with what they do; it's honest pay for an honest day's work. Nobody sees the irony either in removing the undesirable as deemed by those above their station.

Gary (Tye Sheridan) and his family have just arrived in town and are squatting in an old abandoned house. Gary gets a job working for Joe in order to support his strung out mother and his mute younger sister. They'll get no help from patriarch Wade (Gary Poulter), a drunken lout with a frightening propensity for cruelty and violence. He regularly beats Gary in order to take his wages. What Wade does to a homeless man just to get a swig of cheap liquor is truly chilling.

Just as he did with George Washington and All the Real Girls, Gordon has captured all the beauty and loneliness of this rural area in Texas. The sun baked cinematography of Tim Orr accentuates the countryside full of abandoned cars, rusted railroad tracks, and snarling dogs.

If this is a return to form for Green, it's also a welcome return to the Nicolas Cage of old, the one who scooped up numerous awards for his turn as a self-destructive alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas. Cage has become a punch line due to his outlandish performances in turkeys like Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance or the infamous Wicker Man remake. It's the rare filmmaker who can channel Cage's lunacy into positive directions as Werner Herzog did in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans. Here, Cage knows when to restrain himself and when to let loose. He becomes the kindly father figure Gary desperately needs. There's a tender sequence in which the pair bond while searching for Joe's runaway pitbull. Yet, Joe possesses a seething rage that even he is afraid of. Joe can barely contain his own base impulses when confronted by law enforcement or his scarred and violent rival Willie-Russell (Ronnie Gene Blevins).

Tye Sheridan has quickly become one of the finest young actors working today. He's excelled at playing these southern boys in troubled relationships with their father since debuting in Malick's Tree of Life. Everything about his performance is natural. The same can be said for the non-professional actors Green hired to provide local color to the supporting cast. Each one of them has a face that conveys a lifetime of hardships that the most poetic dialogue in the world could never accomplish. Some of the best moments in Joe come when the day laborers are just hanging around and shooting the breeze. There's an easy camaraderie to these scenes that serve as a balm for the heartbreak that is to come.

That heartbreak, both on and off-screen, comes from Gary Poulter, a homeless man the casting director discovered at a bus stop in Austin. Poulter had never acted before and his legitimate alcoholism was a concern for the filmmakers, but he managed to turn in one hell of a performance as the monstrous Wade. Sadly, Poulter's demons got the better of him. He was found dead in February of 2013, two months after the film wrapped. No question Poulter bared his soul. He even got the chance to show off his surprising pop locking skills in a playful scene with Sheridan, which makes their violent relationship so much sadder. Imagine if this man weren't such a monster.

Joe is a prime example of exceptional filmmaking anchored by three outstanding lead performances. Critics have taken to calling the genre "New American Realism," these indie dramas about the underclass that have fallen through the cracks of society. This would unquestionably make for a fine movie marathon with Winter's Bone and Mud.

Rating: *** ½ (*****)

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa - Dir. Declan Lowney (2013)

The name is Partridge, Alan Partridge.

The signature character of Steve Coogan may not be familiar to American audiences, but he's been a staple in British comedy for twenty years. He first appeared as an inept sports reporter on On the Hour, a spoof of the news broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Since then, Partridge has graduated from recurring character to lead on his own shows across radio and television along with his very own an autobiography I, Partridge. Coogan's portrayal of Partridge was certainly an influence in his brilliant turn as Tony Wilson in Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People, a comedic account of the burgeoning Manchester music scene. Now, Partridge has graduated to feature films with a self-titled comedy directed by TV vet Declan Lowney with a script by Coogan, Armando Ianucci (creator of The Thick of It and Veep), Peter Baynham (a co-writer of Borat), and Neil & Rob Gibbons.

Originally released last year in England as Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, the movie finds Alan Partridge as the host of Mid-Morning Matters, an innocuous radio program on North Norfolk Digital. The station has just been bought by the massive conglomerate of Gordale Media. Fellow DJ Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney), who works the late night shift, is worried about his job and asks Partridge to speak with the new head honchos. When Partridge discovers the pink slip is going to either he or Farrell, he immediately throws his pal under the bus. He even writes "Just Sack Pat" in bold, red letters. Unfortunately, a disgruntled Farrell returns later that night brandishing a shotgun and taking the radio staff hostage. Unaware of his friend's duplicity, Farrell insists Partridge serve as an intermediary for the police's negotiators. Partridge may be woefully unqualified for the job, but that doesn't stop him from turning the tense situation into an opportunity to elevate his star status.

The plot is a bit slight and the hostage situation was clearly the type of action and drama that was necessary to carry the story to a feature length run time. Also, they're late in the game when it comes to lampooning corporate-owned media and awful morning talk radio. The movie really shines when it unleashes Coogan and allows Alan Partridge to just be Alan Partridge. Here's a guy who is self-serving, narcissistic, and with an overinflated opinion of himself. He's a precursor to the oblivious obnoxiousness of Ricky Gervais's David Brent on The Office. Coogan is on top of his game rifling off one-liners and non sequiturs, such as when he fills airtime with inane chatter ("We're asking, what is the worst monger? Iron, fish, rumor, or war?") or offering advice to his flunky Sidekick Simon (Tim Key) ("Never, ever criticize Muslims. Christians only and…sometimes Jews."). Coogan doesn't shy away from slapstick either. In one scene, he accidentally wanders out of the station and attempts to get back in and winds up standing like Buffalo Bill without his trousers.

Colm Meaney gives a wonderfully understated performance as the unstable Pat Farrell. Plus, the supporting cast includes Monica Dolan as a kindly co-worker inexplicably sweet on Partridge and Sean Pertwee as a humorless SWAT team leader.

Alan Partridge doesn't require any previous knowledge of the character. Coogan hits the ground running and you immediately get a sense of who this guy is. Best of all, the screenwriters didn't feel the urge for Partridge to grow as a human being or learn a valuable lesson. He's every bit the buffoon before and after.

Rating: *** (*****)

Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow - Dir. Doug Liman (2014)

Live. Die. Repeat.

If you ever thought Groundhog Day would be infinitely improved if it had explosions, robotic mech suits, aliens, and a massive body count, then Edge of Tomorrow is the movie for you. The latest action opus starring Tom Cruise was based on the novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, which was also adapted into a manga by Viz Media.

The Earth has been invaded by an alien race known as the Mimics. Nearly the entire continent of Europe has fallen to the relentless extraterrestrials. The United Defense Forces hope they will be able to turn the tide with new high-tech exoskeletons. Major William Cage (Cruise) is a glorified publicist for the military. His job is to sell the war and boost enlistment numbers. However, he's never been in combat and when General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson) orders him to the combat zone, Cage attempts to blackmail his way out. Brigham has him arrested, stripped of his rank, and labeled a deserter.

Sent to the frontlines in Normandy, Cage is exposed to the blood of an Alpha Mimic and gains the ability to reset time. Whenever he dies, he goes back to the morning when he awakens at the forward operating base in Heathrow. Of course, nobody will believe him with the exception of Sgt. Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), alternately nicknamed the "Angel of Verdun" and the "Full Metal Bitch. Vrataski has become the face of the military propaganda after leading the human forces to their first victory against the Mimics. As it turns out, Vrataski had temporal powers too, which were lost following a blood transfusion.

Edge of Tomorrow might be the best video game movie ever made that's not actually based on a video game. The screenplay by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (with a rewrite by Christopher McQuarrie) plays with video game conventions by allowing their protagonist to respawn and begin the level all over again. This allows Cage to train indefinitely under the tutelage of Vrataski. He attempts to survive while saving his fellow troops through trial and error, memorizing situations and enemy movements. Despite some sequences being repeated, the movie never feels repetitive. The filmmakers find unique methods to double back over specific scenes to convey new information or show it from a different perspective. They are able to keep the audience on their toes by keeping them guessing as to whether or not Cage has done this a hundred times or just once.

The budding relationship between Cage and Vrataski serves as the heart of the film, a love story that doesn't fall into the standard issue clichés. They share a bond due to circumstances only the two of them could understand, the burden of dying and watching others die countless times. Vrataski is one of the best female characters to be featured in a major blockbuster in a long while. Emily Blunt is more than up to the task to simultaneously portray fierce and vulnerable, not to mention she's drop dead gorgeous. Meanwhile, Cage fits into the two personas that Cruise has excelled at for decades. Cruise isn't ashamed to start Cage as a smarmy and cowardly individual. This is the smirking, cocksure pretty boy we've seen before in Top Gun, Rain Man, The Color of Money, and many more. With Vrataski's help, he transforms into the steely action hero from Mission: Impossible and Jack Reacher. While the supporting cast has a few colorful characters, only Bill Paxton's Master Sgt. Farell stands out. He's a good ol' boy from Kentucky with a sharp tongue and little patience for shirkers.

Doug Liman cut his teeth on low-budget comedies Swingers and Go, before emerging as an incredible action director with The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Unfortunately, production problems on those pictures along with the failure of Jumper left Liman struggling to hit a home run. He does so with Edge of Tomorrow, which he'll follow up with a big-budget version of Splinter Cell. Liman's direction is energetic and enhanced by the gritty cinematography of Oscar winner Dion Beebe. There's a clear homage to Saving Private Ryan with the chaotic invasion of Normandy and it's no coincidence the movie was released on the battle's 70^th anniversary. Aliens is briefly referenced when Farell and his J Squad are surrounded by blips that happen to be coming from underneath their position. The digital effects are realistically rendered and the Mimic designed as undulating masses of tendrils ala the squiddies from The Matrix Reloaded.

There's a surprising layer of humor to Edge of Tomorrow that adds to the overall experience. Cruise becomes a human Wile E. Coyote as the film finds interesting ways for him to die. At one point, Cage tries to roll away only to be crushed by a passing truck. When he suffers a debilitating injury, Vrataski casually puts him out of his misery with a bullet to the head.

Edge of Tomorrow is easily the best blockbuster to emerge during this summer's always crowded marketplace. There's action, drama, and comedy built around two stellar performances from Cruise and Blunt. It's a shame the movie hasn't gained any traction at the box office likely due to the general public being burnt out on Tom Cruise. Or maybe it's the generic title, which sounds like the name of a daytime soap. Edge of Tomorrow deserves to be seen by a wider audience.

Rating: **** (*****)

Godzilla

Godzilla - Dir. Gareth Edwards (2014)

“The arrogance of men is thinking nature is in their control and not the other way around.”

He was an entire nation’s anxiety about Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the atomic age distilled into one giant monster. His name was Gojira or Godzilla, as he is more commonly known. His debut film in 1954, released by Toho, spawned dozens of sequels, comic books, action figures, video games, and a host of knockoffs though only Gamera, created by Daiei, would come close to rivaling the big guy’s popularity. Though there’s a general awareness of Godzilla in the States, he doesn’t have the prolific presence he does in Japan. The original movie was released in the U.S. with American actors (such as Raymond Burr) edited in. There was an awful animated series from Hanna-Barbera, which featured the annoying presence of the ultra-cutesy Godzuki. Of course, nobody could forget the disastrous 1998 remake by Roland Emmerich, as much as we want to. So, the bar wasn’t set too high for the new 2014 attempt from Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures.

Warner surprised Comic-Con attendees in 2012 with a specially made Godzilla teaser utilizing ominous voice-over by Robert Oppenheimer (“Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds”). To direct, WB chose Gareth Edwards whose previous film, Monsters, was made on a budget of $500,000 with Edwards personally editing and creating visual effects on a laptop. Just how does he fare with a budget over 300 times bigger?

Godzilla starts promisingly enough with newsreel footage of bomb testing and redacted documents. From there, we’re taken to the Philippines in 1999 where scientists Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins) are called to investigate a mining collapse. There, they discover a massive skeleton and two egg-shaped pods, one of which has just hatched. The creature, eventually dubbed a MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism), makes its way to the Janjira nuclear power plant in Japan. The MUTO causes a violent earthquake as it feeds on the power. Plant supervisor Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) orders an immediate evacuation, but is forced to watch his wife Sandra (Juliette Binoche) die while attempting to shut down the reactor.

In the present, Joe has become obsessed with the tragic accident that the government has written up as a natural disaster. His son, Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), has tried to move on with his life. He’s a bomb disposal expert in the Navy with a beautiful wife Elle (Elizabeth Olsen) and a son named Sam (Carson Bolde). Ford is forced to fly to Japan when his dad is arrested for trespassing. Together, they break into the plant to retrieve research from their old home only to discover a research facility has been built around a cocoon.  A fully formed MUTO springs forth and Joe is killed in the resulting chaos. The other MUTO, a female kept at a repository outside Las Vegas, has also hatched with the two creatures looking to mate and breed. Their presence has awakened an alpha predator in Godzilla, who has slumbered deep beneath the ocean.

Edwards proves he is up for the daunting task of revamping Godzilla. Godzilla still remains relevant as a metaphor for the destructive power of Mother Nature thanks to the Fukushima meltdown, Hurricane Katrina, and the Indian Ocean tsunami, among other recent disasters. Spielberg is a clear influence on Edwards’ directorial choices (Ford Brody? C’mon!) as he teases and teases the ultimate reveal of the King of the Monsters almost to the point of frustration.  The first glimpses we see of Godzilla in the film are back spikes cutting through the Pacific Ocean and passing underneath naval ships. Just as Godzilla tussles with a MUTO, Edwards boldly cuts to news footage of the wrestling match of the century. When Edwards finally lets go of the reins, the action is everything you want from a monster movie. Godzilla whips a MUTO against a skyscraper with his tail and breathes atomic fire. And Godzilla’s eardrum shattering roar must be heard through an IMAX sound system. There are great beats throughout Godzilla, such as a chain reaction of explosions at a Honolulu airport or the sight of red smoke trailing a squad of paratroopers.

Godzilla stumbles when it comes to character development. The screenplay is credited to newcomer Max Borenstein, but featured rewrites from David S. Goyer, Drew Pearce, and Frank Darabont. This is a surprising fact given just how thin the characterizations are. Everyone is a standard archetype from the scientists and soldiers to Elizabeth Olsen as the wife worried for her husband’s safety. Olsen’s beautiful and expressive eyes are perfect to look up in fear at the mere sight of Godzilla. Yet, she’s wasted in the movie along with her fellow female cast members: Juliette Binoche, who’s barely in the thing, and Sally Hawkins, who’s only there to spout exposition. While the trailers make it appear that Bryan Cranston is the main protagonist, he’s merely a supporting character, which is a shame because his loony conspiracy theorist is one of the highlights. The lead goes to Aaron Taylor-Johnson, a fine actor playing one of the blandest heroes to date.

Godzilla starts off strong and packs a powerful third act, but everything in between is shaky. However, the film remains the type of pure spectacle you have come to expect from a summer blockbuster.

Rating: *** (*****)

Grand Piano

Grand Piano - Dir. Eugenio Mira (2014)

Tom Selznick (Elijah Wood) was a brilliant piano prodigy until he had a nervous breakdown while attempting to play a daunting piece composed by his mentor. Five years later, Selznick is set for his comeback performance with a piano custom made for his now-deceased teacher, who unfortunately went all Howard Hughes in his twilight years. The concert itself would be stressful enough without smarmy radio interviewers (voiced by Dee Wallace), snide comments from backstage workers, and Selznick being overshadowed by his gorgeous movie star wife Emma (Kerry Bishé). Then, the real bombshell drops when Selznick sees a warning in his music sheets written in bold, red letters. If he misses one note, he will die. If he attempts to warn anyone, his wife will die. Selznick finds out the hard way that there’s a sniper (John Cusack) in the box seats and he means business. Much of the story unfolds afterwards in real time.

That’s the premise for Grand Piano, which may remind you of Phone Booth or Speed on a stage. Yes, the concept is ludicrous and there are plenty of plot points that don’t make sense if you stick down to truly think about them. However, none of that matters because Grand Piano is just so damn fun. Damien Chazelle, who has recently earned acclaim for film festival darling Whiplash, wrote the script with direction by Eugenio Mira, who has clearly been studying his Hitchcock and DePalma. Grand Piano is the type of thriller Hitchcock plied his trade in and the concert hall setting is reminiscent of the climax to The Man Who Knew Too Much. Mira pays homage to DePalma, another Hitchcockian disciple, with split screens and several dazzling tracking shots, including one that follows Selznick through the backstage hallways and another that spins around him on stage. Mira stylishly pans from the orchestra pit and up into the catwalks. Everything is so impeccably blocked so that the audience is never confused about the geography.

Elijah Wood is perfect as Selznick and his doe-eyed expressions are exactly what is needed to convey fear and panic. There’s a great joy in seeing John Cusack cast against type as the obsessed sniper, imagine if his charming hitman from Grosse Pointe Blank went bad. Cusack doesn't appear on screen until the final act, before then he's just a menacing voice speaking through an earpiece Selznick is forced to grab in between movement breaks. Rounding out the cast are character actor Don McManus as the conductor, Downton Abbey's Allen Leech as one of Emma's friends, and Alex Winter of Bill & Ted fame as an all-too friendly security guard.

Grand Piano shouldn't be taken too seriously and the filmmakers luckily realize that too. This is an enjoyable B-movie stylishly made and perfect for midnight madness screenings.

Rating: *** (*****)

3 Days To Kill

3 Days To Kill - Dir. McG (2014)

Luc Besson is partially responsible for Liam Neeson’s renaissance as an action hero. Now, the prolific French auteur has turned his sights on another aging screen idol in Kevin Costner. Besson serves as writer and producer on 3 Days to Kill while handing over directorial duties to the modern day Renny Harlin, McG.

Costner is CIA agent Ethan Renner, who just recently transferred to Paris to repair his estranged relationship with his ex-wife Christine (Connie Nielsen) and their daughter Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld). An assignment goes tragically wrong when Renner and his team are tasked with taking down the Albino (Tomas Lemarquis), a lieutenant in an organization led by the mysterious Wolf (Richard Sammel). Several agents are killed, a hotel explodes, and the Albino escapes when Ethan collapses in the street.

Doctors alert Ethan that he has an inoperable brain tumor and only has a few months to live. He wishes to spend what little time he has left with reconnecting with Zoey, who isn’t too eager to be with her formerly absentee father. Ethan is soon given an offer he cannot refuse. Vivi (Amber Heard) has been sent by her CIA handlers to kill the Wolf and offers Ethan an experimental serum that can extend his life in exchange for his assistance.

The script by Besson and Adi Hasak is overstuffed with subplots and scattershot in tone. 3 Days to Kill floats between being an action flick, a comedy, and a maudlin drama. In addition to Ethan’s troubles with terrorists and a rebellious daughter, he’s also got a family of Malian squatters in his apartment leading to some cutesy scenes between Costner and a little boy asking for high fives. Amber Heard appears as the femme fatale with an all-too convenient panacea. There’s really nothing to her character aside from a blatantly salacious scene where Ethan meets Vivi while she receives a private show with a stripper. Hailee Steinfeld is good, but you wish she had followed up her big debut in True Grit with movies on a similar level. The action itself isn’t memorable at all and the villains are just generic Euro-trash.

Costner’s sheer presence is the one thing that binds the mish-mash of Besson’s disparate ideas together. He doesn’t possess the physically imposing stature of Neeson, but he conveys the same world weariness with the folksy charm seen in Field of Dreams. When Costner rescues his daughter from would-be rapists and carries her off in his arms, you half-expect the soundtrack to start blaring Whitney Houston.

Costner’s performance is enough to save 3 Days to Kill from being a complete dud, but it’s certainly not enough to recommend.

Rating: ** (*****)

Non-Stop

Non-Stop - Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra (2014)

"If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it…But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

"I'm Martin Harris…I didn't forget everything."

"I'm not hijacking this plane. I'm trying to save it!"

Despite entering into his 60's, Liam Neeson has remade himself into one of Hollywood's premier action heroes. Standing at 6'4, Neeson certainly possesses the physicality needed to be a believable ass kicking machine. Years of dramatic experience has given him the credibility and gravitas that many of his compatriots lack. He'll need every bit of those talents for Non-Stop, a movie every bit as ridiculous as Neeson's last couple efforts Unknown and Taken 2.

Neeson is Bill Marks, a Federal Air Marshal who has descended into alcoholism following the death of his daughter and the dissolution of his marriage. Marks is in the last place he wants to be, a non-stop international flight from New York to London. Things only get worse when he receives a threatening text message that someone on the plane will die every twenty minutes unless $150 million is transferred to their account. The mysterious mastermind has it all figured out to the point that for every step Marks takes to protect the passengers, the more it looks like he is the one hijacking the flight.

The screenplay, credited to John W. Richardson, Chris Roach, and Ryan Engle, is filled with plot twists, each one more unbelievable than the rest. In spite of all the plot holes and logic gaps, Non-Stop never experiences explosive decompression as director Jaume Collet-Serra (who previously teamed with Neeson on Unknown) knows how to ratchet up the tension. Collet-Serra frames his close-ups and medium shots to accentuate the claustrophobic feel of being trapped in a flying metal tube. Text messages appear as pop-up graphics to ensure the audience isn't just watching people stare at their phones. The action is perfectly adequate with Neeson bulldozing through opponents with the same martial arts blows he's previously employed. He doesn't leap into the air while firing two guns at once, but he does fly through the air and catches a gun as the plane rapidly descends.

This is a finely tuned whodunit and there is no shortage of suspects. The filmmakers wisely filled the supporting cast with tremendous ensemble and no single person stands out as the obvious villain. There's Julianne Moore as a friendly frequent flyer, Corey Stoll from House of Cards as an NYPD officer, Nate Parker as a tech expert, Scoot McNairy as a school teacher on his way to Amsterdam, Anson Mount as a fellow air marshal, supermodel Bar Paly, and Linus Roache as the captain. Plus, you have Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery fame and recent Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o as flight attendants though the latter only gets a handful of lines. Top it all off with a freckle faced little girl to really lay it on thick.

Non-Stop isn't exactly thought provoking cinema. It is an entertaining action flick and if you've enjoyed Liam Neeson's other offerings, this is an easy recommend.

Rating: *** (*****)

Lone Survivor

Lone Survivor - Dir. Peter Berg (2013)

Operation Red Wing was a 2005 military operation in which a four man SEAL team stationed in Afghanistan was tasked with eliminating Ahmad Shah, a high-level Taliban target. The mission went tragically awry and only Marcus Luttrell survived to tell the tale. Another sixteen troops were killed when their helicopter was shot down during an attempted rescue. Along with novelist Patrick Robinson, Luttrell co-authored Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10, his account of the undertaking, which was quickly optioned by writer/director/producer Peter Berg, who was coming off the box office flop of Battleship.

In Lone Survivor, Luttrell, a hospital corpsman, is assigned the mission along with team leader Lt. Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), communications specialist Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch), and sniper Matthew Axelson (Ben Foster). The SEALs are dropped into the mountainous Hindu Kush region, but are eventually spotted by an elderly goat herder and two young boys. The SEALs choose to release them, despite knowing the civilians will alert Taliban forces to their presence. Sure enough, they are on the run, severely outnumbered and outgunned.

With a title like Lone Survivor, there's little doubt left to the ending, even if you aren't familiar with the real-life events. However, it's the journey that's important and Lone Survivor takes us on one harrowing ride. The film begins innocuously enough as the protagonists enjoy their down time by discussing wedding gifts, kitchen tiles, and hazing the new guy. Once the action begins, it almost never lets up as the movie becomes an extended firefight.

Berg is no stranger to kinetic action as seen in 2007's The Kingdom, which helped him earn credibility with Luttrell. Berg drops you right into the thick of things without relying heavily on the shaky cam that so many American directors employ. Yes, there are handheld shots, but not enough to make you confused as to what's happening on screen. He makes you feel every bone breaking hit when the SEALs tumble down a mountainside. And Berg doesn't shy away from the gorier bits as a bullet rips through a man's body in slow motion.

The acting is on point, particularly the always intense Ben Foster. The leads are called upon to convey distinct personalities with very little material. Berg doesn't attempt to shoehorn in back stories for each character; he's only interested in the here and now.

This being a Hollywood production, Lone Survivor does embellish the events for dramatic purposes. The film sees Luttrell's unit facing an enemy force of over a hundred while military reports list the number as anywhere from a dozen to the thirties. While Luttrell found safe harbor in a Pashtun village, the climatic shootout against Shah and his men never happened.

Lone Survivor is a realistic and brutal portrayal of war. It's gripping and action-packed while remaining respectful to those who lived and died during the actual events.

Rating: *** (*****)

Chef

Chef - Dir. Jon Favreau (2014)

Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) is the head chef of a trendy bistro in Venice Beach and things are looking up for him. He's about unveil a brand new menu to herald the arrival of renowned food critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt, whose brother, Adam, is a food critic for New York magazine), the blogger who raved about Casper's work a decade ago. Alas, the restaurant's owner Riva (Dustin Hoffman) demands Casper stick to the regular menu, which includes caviar-topped egg and a chocolate lava cake. It backfires as Michel lambasts the stale food and manages to insult Casper's weight, "…he must be eating all the food sent back to the kitchen."

Casper storms into the restaurant when Michel returns and launches into a heated tirade that is captured by numerous cell phones and uploaded to YouTube. He becomes persona non grata in the LA food scene just as he becomes an internet sensation. Looking for a fresh start, Casper reluctantly accompanies his ex-wife, Inez (Sofia Vergara), and son, Percy (EmJay Anthony), on a trip to Miami. Once there, he purchases a decrepit food truck and turns it into the snazzy El Jefe, serving up cubanos and arroz con pollo. This new venture reinvigorates Chef Casper's passion for cooking as well as repairing his strained relationship with Percy as they make the cross-country trip back to the west coast.

The plot of Chef draws immediate parallels to Jon Favreau's own career as a filmmaker. He made a splash as the writer and producer of Swingers before following it up with his directorial debut Made. Since then, his profile in commercial films has grown with Elf and the runaway success of Iron Man, which set the foundation for Marvel's cinematic universe. However, it was clear Favreau was not the primary decision maker anymore for Iron Man 2 and Cowboys & Aliens met with tepid reactions from audiences and critics alike. With Chef, Favreau has returned to his indie roots and created a comedy/drama driven by rich characters rather than expensive CGI.

At the heart of Chef is the relationship between father and son, the latter of whom is played without a hint of precociousness by EmJay Anthony. To Favreau's credit, he doesn't go the easy route by painting Casper as an insensitive prick. He's just a workaholic and a little oblivious from time to time. Watching the two together is just one of the joys of Chef, along with Casper's interactions with other characters, such as Bobby Cannavale and John Leguizamo as two of his kitchen comrades or Scarlett Johansson in a small role as a comely hostess. Sofia Vergera gives a more natural performance as compared to the over-the-top antics we usually see from her on Modern Family. Favreau also made sure to call in Iron Man for assistance as Robert Downey Jr. pops in for a cameo as Inez's eccentric ex-husband. He makes everyone who visits his office wear surgical booties over their shoes, including his leggy assistant's six-inch stilettos. Amy Sedaris should not be overlooked for her cameo as an overly tanned publicist trying to get Casper to sign on to a cheesy reality show ala Gordon Ramsay.

Of course, what would any self-respecting chef movie be without mouth-watering cuisine? Chef is food porn cinema right up there with Eat Drink Man Woman, Tampopo, and Big Night. Chef Roy Choi of Kogi BBQ fame not only served as a consultant, but tutored Favreau in gastronomical ways. The director lovingly preps, cooks, and plates numerous delicacies and these sequences are intricately shot and cut, even for something as simple as a grilled cheese sandwich. You'll want to toss those stale movie theater concessions to the sticky floor when you watch Favreau slice into a juicy, rare steak or curl pasta around his fork. Chef brings the local flavor by shooting on location in Miami, New Orleans, and Austin with El Jefe tailoring their menu to each city. You'll get fresh beignets in the French Quarter and beef brisket for you fanatics of Texas barbecue.

Dustin Hoffman makes an excellent point when he tells Casper that people would riot at a Rolling Stones concert if Mick Jagger didn't sing "Satisfaction." While Favreau clearly enjoyed the freedom of independent film, he never lambastes the idea of playing it safe or sticking to the hits. Chef is comfort food, a pleasant, lightweight comedy. There are no high stakes and very little conflict, which isn't a bad thing though the ending is too pat and hews too closely to Ratatouille.

Rating: *** (*****)

Bushido Man

Bushido Man - Dir. Takanori Tsujimoto (2013)

There have been plenty of good martial arts films in the last several years, but it's rare for one to really blow my mind away. Chalk that up to seeing hundreds upon hundreds of them in my lifetime. Ong-Bak and The Raid: Redemption are two movies that stand on completely different pedestals from the competition. It wouldn't be right to compare Bushido Man with those two pictures. For one thing Bushido Man is a low-budget production without any elaborate stunts or widescreen mayhem. Still, you wish there were more movies like it. Writer/director Takanori Tsujimoto has managed to distill the genre to its very best and basic elements.

Toramaru (Mitsuki Koga) has embarked on a journey across Japan to master every form of martial arts into a discipline he calls the Cosmic Way. To do so, Toramaru must defeat the top martial artist of each fighting style. He recounts each hard fought battle to his sensei Gensai (Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi) and presents him with a scroll taken from his opponents as proof of victory.

Toramaru has faced a variety of combatants with the first being Yuan Jian (Kensuke Sonomura, who also worked as fight choreographer), a master of kung fu, followed by Mokunen (Naohiro Kawamoto), highly skilled with the bo staff. Other challenges aren't so conventional such as Muso (Kazuki Tsujimoto) the blind swordsman, Eiji Mimoto (Masanori Mimoto), a fierce yakuza gangster wielding a dagger, and Pistol Billy Kentaro Shimazu), a lover of the Wild West with a pair of revolvers.

Tsujimoto and Sonomura have crafted a series of well-choreographed action scenes featuring everything from fists, swords, knives, nunchucks, and guns. At one point, Toramaru runs into a woman with laser scoped wrist guns, played by Miki Mizuno, the star of Tsujimoto's ultra-violent Hard Revenge Milly. Time doesn't seem to concern Tsujimoto yet, the anachronisms only add to the charm of Bushido Man. Toramaru walks the streets of modern day Tokyo in a traditional hakama while his fights with Mokunen and Muso could well have taken place during the feudal era. The initial battle with Yuan Jian was probably lifted right out of a Shaw Brothers flick and that's no coincidence as the plot definitely pays homage to the kung fu classic Heroes of the East, which also featured a protagonist on a similar quest. Later fights take place in a post-apocalyptic Yokohama ravaged by earthquakes. Citizens are allowed to carry any weapons they choose and must wear gas masks due to the polluted air.

Bushido Man isn't all about hard hitting body blows. Toramaru believes in the tenet that you must know your opponent through his food. There are interludes where Toramaru chows down on everything from pre-packaged, convenient store snacks to hearty meals of sushi and noodles or dumplings with chili oil. Throughout it all, Gensai reacts in a humorous manner as Toramaru whets his appetite as well as the viewer's.

Don't expect a heavy amount of plot or any elaborate backstories to all the characters. There are no true heroes or villains in the movie, which is refreshing. Bushido Man trims the fat and offers the martial arts fan exactly what he wants in a martial arts movie: fight after fight after fight. Bushido Man is a fun and inventive take on the genre.

Rating: *** (*****) 

Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy - Dir. Mark Waters (2014)

The literary graveyard is strewn with the corpses of young adult novels that failed to become lucrative movie franchises. Hollywood studios have scoured the bookshelves looking for the next big thing. But, for every Hunger Games that becomes a box office sensation, there are a dozen also-rans like The Golden Compass, City of Ember, Beautiful Creatures, The Host, and The Mortal Instruments. These flops haven't scared the movers and shakers as 2014 has seen the release of Divergent as well as the upcoming The Giver and The Maze Runner. While Divergent was another big get for Summit Entertainment, Vampire Academy was nothing short of a misfire for the Weinstein Company.

The trailers for Vampire Academy made it appear to be another parody from the bankrupt minds of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. The movie culled obvious elements from Twilight, Mean Girls, and Harry Potter. Alas, Vampire Academy is actually based on a series of books by Richelle Mead.

In the world of Vampire Academy, there are three types of vampires. The Moroi are peaceful vampires who drink blood from willing subjects and only enough to sustain themselves. Sunlight is a weakness, but they don't burst into flames. They don't sparkle either. The Dhampir are half-human and half-vampire. They train and serve as the bodyguards for the Moroi elite. Then, there are the Strigoi, which are the vampires we have come to know and love. When a Moroi kills while feeding, they become an undead creature with a violent thirst for blood. Strigoi can only be killed by s silver stake.

Lissa Dragomir (Lucy Fry) is Moroi royalty who survived a deadly car accident that killed her parents and brother. The only other survivor is Lissa's best friend, Rose Hathaway (Zoey Deutch), a guardian in training. Due to this tragedy, the pair has developed a psychic bond that allows Rose to keep tabs on her charge.

The film picks up with Lissa and Rose on the run having fled the sanctuary of St. Vladimir's Academy two years ago. They are quickly caught and brought back to the boarding school by a group of guardians led by Dimitri Belikov (Danila Kozlovsky). Thrust back into the fold, Lissa and Rose must navigate the perilous waters of high school. On top of death threats and nasty rumors, there's young love as Lissa falls for Christian Ozera (Dominic Sherwood), an outcast whose parents were hunted down after turning Strigoi. Meanwhile, Rose tries to fight her feelings for her mentor Dimitri. No mention at all how creepy it is for the brooding warrior to be pining for an underage student.

It's easy to see why Vampire Academy would appeal to its target audience. The story revolves around two teenage girls with a focus on their friendship with romance as a side dish. Unlike Bella, Lissa and Rose are not passive protagonists and neither is defined by the men in their lives. Unfortunately, the script buries their relationship underneath a mountain of clumsy exposition and groan inducing dialogue. It feels as if the first half of the movie is spent entirely on establishing the rules of the world, the hierarchy of the vampires, and the backstories of our heroes. Nobody talks like a real human being, which is a shock since the screenplay was written by Daniel Waters, who penned the 80's teen comedy Heathers. The director is his brother, Mark Waters, who also helmed Mean Girls and another YA adaptation The Spiderwick Chronicles.

You wouldn't think established filmmakers had a hand in the making of Vampire Academy, more like a bunch of marketing firms piecing together a movie out of current trends and best sellers at Hot Topic. St. Vladimir's might be confused with Hogwarts if the latter didn't have a budget five times larger. None of the students learn about calculus or Shakespeare. They study magic, of course. Moroi have the ability to control the elements of earth, fire, wind, and water. It's up to the individual to decide which they wish to concentrate on. Lissa, being cut from the mold of the most special girl in the world, effortlessly controls all four along with the ability of Spirit that allows her to heal and join Captain Planet and the Planeteers. The Waters Brothers certainly get no love for forcing an actor of the caliber of Gabriel Byrne to speak awful lines such as, "She's a few corpuscles shy of a full artery."

Gabriel Byrne is absolutely wasted as the elderly vampire as are Olga Kurylenko as the school's headmistress and Joely Richardson in a throwaway role as the vampire queen. Zoey Deutch is quite charming and has drawn comparisons to Ellen Page in her delivery of one-liners, even if they consist of tired pop culture references. Deutch herself is 80's royalty being the daughter of Lea Thompson and Howard Deutch, the director of Some Kind of Wonderful and Pretty in Pink. Pink gets a shout out as Rose cavalierly calls her platonic guy friend, "Duckie."

Vampire Academy is an utterly unoriginal take on the genre. Yes, this movie sucks in more ways than one.

Rating: * (*****)