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

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - Dir. Lasse Hallstrom (2012)

Judging by the title, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen sounds about as exciting as a film called Paint Drying on the Wall. It's not nearly that tedious, but the movie did surprise many by scoring a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture in the Comedy or Musical category. Call it this year's The Tourist in that nobody saw it coming.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is based on a novel by Paul Torday that served as political satire. Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, who also penned The Full Monty, Slumdog Millionaire, and 127 Hours, turns the more of a story about the indomitable human spirit. Director Lasse Hallstrom gives Salmon Fishing a quaint romantic sheen that puts it in line with some of his previous pictures like The Cider House Rules and Chocolat.

The wealthy Sheikh Muhammed (Amr Waked) is a fly fishing aficionado who desires to bring the joys of salmon to the Yemeni desert. The Sheikh's financial advisor Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt) consults with fisheries expert Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor), who dismisses the idea as wholly unfeasible. However, the Prime Minister's Press Secretary, Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas), sees the project as a feel-good story to divert the public's attention from the constant stories of war and violence from the Middle East. Dr. Jones reluctantly acquiesces and soon discovers the Sheikh isn't the frivolous one-percenter he assumed.

Salmon Fishing works best when it focuses on the central story and the budding relationship between the leads. It's refreshing to see McGregor use his natural Scottish accent in his portrayal of an uptight scientist in the vein of Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby. 2012 was a banner year for Emily Blunt and although this was one of her lesser works (she was better in Looper and Your Sister's Sister), she's wonderful here. Kristin Scott Thomas is terrific as the forceful Patricia Maxwell, one of the few holdovers from the novel's original satirical bent though the character was male in the book. Thomas plays like she just sprung from the mind of Armando Ianucci. Amr Waked, who bares a strong resemblance to a young Ben Kingsley, serves as the heart of the movie and it's always nice to see a Middle Eastern actor play somebody other than a terrorist.

Unfortunately, Beaufoy overstuffs the script with too many subplots that complicate what should have been a simple romance. Jones is in a loveless marriage with a workaholic who is almost never home while Harriet has a boyfriend who is deployed in Afghanistan. The Sheikh's project is threatened by fanatical fundamentalists, which is at odds with the film's lightweight tone. What's more interesting is the finagling done to realize the Sheikh's wild dream. The engineers behind the Three Gorges Dam are called in to help design the dam and irrigation system. 10,000 salmon are needed to populate the newly created river, but depleting England's stock upsets the fishing industry. Thus, farmed salmon are used without knowing whether they will swim upstream like their brethren.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is the sort of safe and conservative arthouse fare that old folks enjoy. It's a pleasant, but listless experience that could have used a more whimsical and energetic touch.

Rating: ** (*****)

The Five-Year Engagement

The Five-Year Engagement - Dir. Nicholas Stoller (2012)

Director Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel first worked together on the short-lived television series Undeclared, which was produced by Judd Apatow. They firmly established themselves in feature film with their smash-hit comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Though Stoller worked with Segel again on "The Muppets," he was only a writer and executive producer with James Bobin of Flight of the Conchords fame directing. The Five-Year Engagement is their first official follow-up to Sarah Marshall as they once again explore the volatile minefield that is the adult relationship.

Five-Year Engagement begins where most romantic comedies end with the proposal. Tom Solomon (Segel) is a successful sous chef making a name for himself in the trendy restaurant scene of San Francisco. He's been dating psychology student Violet Barnes (Emily Blunt) for a year and pops the question during a romantic rooftop dinner with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. A wedding date is set and invitations are sent out, but things hit a snag when Violet gets accepted into the post-doctorate program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. They decide to move to the Wolverine State and postpone the nuptials until she receives her degree in two years.

Violet rises through the ranks of grad students after proposing an experiment to study self-control issues with stale donuts (an offshoot of the Stanford marshmallow experiment) that serves as an obvious metaphor. On the flip side, Tom has a miserable time dealing with the cold weather and lack of job prospects. He's stuck making sandwiches at a deli. The couple drifts further and further apart as the audience wonders whether or not these wacky kids will eventually tie the knot.

Of course, they do, which shouldn't come as a shock unless you've never seen a movie before. While the parts have been rearranged, the underlying spine of the film remains true to formula. As stated in the title, we know it will take Tom and Violet five years before they can enjoy wedded bliss. However, sometimes it's the journey that counts and not so much the destination. The Five-Year Engagement takes a meandering route towards the conclusion and falls into the trap of many Apatow productions by just being too long. The movie runs over two hours all while the story is crying out for a peppier pace.

Segel and Blunt have previously played romantic interests in the embarrassingly bad Jack Black vehicle, Gulliver's Travels. Luckily, they get better material here and display an easy chemistry with each other. The script is even keeled and doesn't paint either one of them as the villain in the relationship. However, they are written rather blandly until the comedy is ratcheted up into slapstick realm. At one point, Tom descends into a self-pitying spiral to the point he's grown muttonchops and shuffles around in a bunny suit.

Engagement scores major points thanks to a supporting cast flush with talented performers. First and foremost are Chris Pratt as Tom's best friend, Alex, and Alison Brie as Violet's younger sister, Suzie. Their impulsive affair acts as a counterpoint to the cautious relationship of the protagonists. Pratt is the overgrown man-child that is the classic Apatow archetype, but he's a nice guy deep down and not nearly as dim as the character he plays on Parks and Recreation. Though it's disconcerting to hear Brie speak with a British accent, she displays the same comedic gifts that have made her a hit on Community. Pratt and Brie also have great chemistry together and it almost makes you wish the movie had been about them instead. Brie and Blunt participate in the picture's most inspired gag in which they argue in the voices of Elmo and Cookie Monster. Second place goes to a running joke where the passage of time is marked by the death of one of Violet's grandparents.

Another NBC alumnus Mindy Kaling shines as one of Violet's fellow grad students along with Kevin Hart, Randall Park, and Rhys Ifans as their professor. Some of the funniest lines come from Tom's new Michigan friends, Brian Posehn as a geeky co-worker with an encyclopedic knowledge of pickles and Chris Parnell as a domesticated husband teaches Tom the delights of deer hunting and knitting. Rounding out the ensemble are Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver as Violet's mom, David Paymer & Mimi Kennedy as Tom's parents, and Dakota Johnson as a young and sexy party girl. Plus, watch out for cameos by Kumail Nanjiani, Molly Shannon, and Tim Heidecker from Tim & Eric's Awesome Show.

The Five-Year Engagement could have benefited from some judicious editing and a quicker pace. Also, anyone thinking this will be as rambunctious as Bridesmaids may be in for a disappointment. Still, the winning cast and some humorous moments sprinkled throughout make it a notch above the standard rom-coms.

Rating: ** (*****)

The Muppets

The Muppets - Dir. James Bobin (2011)

It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
It's time to meet the Muppets
On the Muppet Show tonight.

When Jason Segel met with Disney executives about making a new Muppet movie, they thought he was joking. Segel's life-long love for the characters shined through in the Dracula-themed musical from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Segel and Marshall director Nicholas Stoller co-wrote this revival of the franchise that attempts to introduce the Muppets to a whole new audience.

Gary (Segel) and his twin brother Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) have lived all their lives in the happy Midwest burg of Smalltown, USA. Never mind the fact that Gary is a human and Walter is a puppet. Gary and his girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams), are planning a trip to Hollywood. The romantic trip for two becomes a three's a company situation when Gary invites diehard Muppet fan Walter along to see the Muppets Studio. They are saddened to see it has been abandoned and left in disrepair. Walter is even more shocked when he overhears evil tycoon Tex Richman plans to tear down it down and drill for oil.

Walter, Gary, and Mary convince Kermit the Frog to reunite the Muppets and put on a show in order to save the studio. No easy task as everyone has gone their separate ways. Miss Piggy is living in Paris as the editor-in-chief for the French edition of Vogue. Gonzo is a successful manufacturer of bathroom fixtures, Fozzie plays with a tribute band called the Moopets, and Animal is in anger management.

While Segel should be commended for ushering in the return of the Muppets, the movie does get sidetracked by the human characters played by him and Adams. Both tackle their roles with an endearing earnestness, but the movie is called The Muppets for a reason. The complications in the romance between Gary and Mary aren't nearly as interesting as the on-again/off-again love story between Kermit and Miss Piggy. At times, Walter feels like a bland fan-fiction character that's being forced on the public, but his innocent charm is all that saves him from being a major annoyance.

Nitpicks aside, The Muppets is a witty and joyous picture strengthened by infectious musical numbers and clever meta-textual humor. The characters break the fourth wall on numerous occasions with jokes about montages and traveling by map ala Indiana Jones. Segel and Stoller's screenplay pays service to older fans with several references to The Muppet Movie, such as Sweetums appearance at the car dealership and Kermit's "standard rich and famous" contract. Segel also utilizes all the popular Muppets like Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, and the Swedish Chef and even some of the obscure ones like Lew Zealand and Uncle Deadly.

The new music of The Muppets won't stand the test of time the way "Rainbow Connection" has, but they are energetic and irreverent thanks to the supervision of Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords. Conchords' director James Bobin also helmed the film. The opening number, "Life's a Happy Song," sets the stage for the rest of the movie with its old-fashioned, Music Man-style feel. The soundtrack also features the forlorn "Pictures in My Head" and the disco flavored "Me Party" sung by Miss Piggy and the delightful Amy Adams. There's also the bizarre experience of watching Chris Cooper rap about his villainous scheme with "Let's Talk About Me." They are bolstered by Muppet infused covers like a barbershop take on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and a version of Cee-Lo Green's "F*ck You" sung by chickens ("Cluck You?"). Without a doubt, the number the best song on the soundtrack is the existential ballad, "Man or Muppet?" with a surprise cameo that received a rousing reaction from my audience.

Speaking of cameos, in grand Muppet tradition, The Muppets is littered with cameos that include Mickey Rooney, Zach Galifianakis, Neil Patrick Harris, and Sarah Silverman with James Carville as the most random. Some of the better cameos were Alan Arkin as a sardonic tour guide, Dave Grohl as the Moopets' drummer, and Emily Blunt essentially reprising her role from The Devil Wears Prada. Even more cameos from folks like Lady Gaga, Danny Trejo, and Ricky Gervais were left on the cutting room floor.

Despite a few minor quibbles, The Muppets is one of the most joyous cinematic experiences of the year. After modern missteps like Muppets from Space and the made-for-TV The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Segel's Muppets puts Jim Henson's beloved creations on the right track and hearkens back to the heyday of The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan.

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

The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau - Dir. George Nolfi (2011)

The Adjustment Bureau is a love story set against the back drop of lofty, metaphysical ideas. The film is very loosely based on a short story by Philip K. Dick and deals with the same recurring themes of free will and destiny found in his work.

Matt Damon plays David Norris, a rising star in political circles, who has just lost a bid for the New York state senate due to some embarrassing photos making the media rounds (he drunkenly mooned people in college). David hides in the men's room of the Waldorf Astoria while trying to come up with his concession speech. There, he meets Elise (Emily Blunt), a beautiful dancer hiding out from security after a crashing a party. David is inspired by her candor and free spirit, but fails to get her number before she splits. By pure chance, he pumps into Elise months later while catching the bus to work. He also happens to stumble on a group of mysterious men who have frozen his co-workers in time.

These dapper men dressed in well-tailored suits and fedoras are the Adjustment Bureau and they have been empowered by the "Chairman" to guide mankind on the proper path. Sometimes slight adjustments are called upon to correct the course. Whenever you lose your car keys, spill coffee, or forget to set the alarm clock, blame the Adjustment Bureau. They can also magically use ordinary doorways to travel great distances. The Bureau threatens to reset (lobotomize) David's mind should be attempt to expose or discuss what he's seen. They also tell him he can never see Elise again. As it turns out, David and Elise were never supposed to meet again. Their union was not meant to be and any potential romance between the two will lead to ruin for both parties.

Naturally, David disobeys the ominous warnings of the Bureau to be with his one, true love.

The Adjustment Bureau is entirely beholden to its outlandish premise. There are a lot of silly and arbitrary rules to explain the powers of the Bureau. Most of it won't make a lick of sense if you actually sat down to think about it. Luckily, the film doesn't get too wrapped up in wild concepts, instead choosing to focus on the romance between its leads. Matt Damon is likeable and charming enough to carry the movie as the protagonist. It's not as showy as his roles in True Grit or The Informant, but it’s a strong performance. As his love interest, Emily Blunt is sexy and free-spirited without devolving into the manic pixie dream girl archetype. However, you can pair up to of the most talented actors in the world and it won't amount to a thing without chemistry (The Tourist, anyone?). That isn't the case here as Damon and Blunt work exceptionally well together.

The supporting cast is great as well with Anthony Mackie as a sympathetic member of the Bureau who teaches David a few new tricks and Terence Stamp as a no-nonsense trouble shooter who is eventually called in. To no surprise, Mad Men's John Slattery fits right in with the retro-50's look.

Screenwriter George Nolfi, who worked on Ocean's Twelve and The Bourne Ultimatum, makes his directorial debut and does a solid job. He's helped greatly by veteran cinematographer John Toll, who gives New York City a slick look reminiscent of Inception. Many critics have complained that the stakes of the romance weren't high enough. That their dreams would be shattered was not enough to build dramatic tension. Personally, I found it more than adequate and didn't feel the need for something more melodramatic, such as their kid becomes the next Hitler. The one spot where Nolfi truly stumbles is the anti-climactic resolution. The film builds to an exciting foot chase as David and Elise jump from famous NY landmarks (Yankee Stadium, Liberty Island) with the Bureau doggedly on their trail. From there, it fizzles out as Nolfi scrambles to find a way out and chooses to go with the very definition of a deus ex machina.

The Adjustment Bureau could best be described as Dark City with the creepy goth atmosphere replaced by modern Manhattan chic. Despite a weak ending, the film is worth checking out due to its strong cast and great production values. As Philip K. Dick adaptations go, it's no Blade Runner, but it's way better than Paycheck or Next.

Rating: ** ½ (*****)

The Wolfman

The Wolfman - Dir. Joe Johnston (2010)


”Terrible things, Lawrence. You’ve done terrible things…”

Werewolves haven’t received as much cinematic attention as their bloodsucking brethren. Right off the top of my head, I can name several great vampire films. Let the Right One In, The Hunger, The Lost Boys, Nosferatu, Innocent Blood, Near Dark, etc. I can come up with maybe two great werewolf movies, the 1941 version of Wolfman with Lon Cheney, Jr. and John Landis’s An American Werewolf in London. Joe Johnston’s remake of the 1941 film will not be counted as one of them.

Set in the 1800’s, Benicio Del Toro is Lawrence Talbot, a traveling stage actor, who returns home upon the murder of his brother after years of absence. Talbot is still haunted by the suicide of his mother and is less than enthusiastic about revisiting Stately Talbot Manor. But, he is welcomed by his eccentric father Sir John (Anthony Hopkins) and his brother’s beautiful fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt). Investigating his brother’s demise, Lawrence follows the trail to a gypsy encampment just as it is being attacked by an angry and superstitious mob, complete with torches and pitchforks. And just to turn it into an all-out melee, a werewolf tears through anyone in his path, including Lawrence.

Bitten by the creature, Lawrence finds himself transformed into a beast on each night of the full moon. He desperately attempts to send Gwen away for her own safety while deep-rooted secrets about his family and his father come to light. Toss in a dash of Hugo Weaving as an inspector for Scotland Yard’s special muttonchops division.

The Wolfman has been mired with production problems beginning in 2008 with the departure of original director Mark Romanek. Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Jumanji) stepped in and filming was completed that spring. The movie was initially set for release November 2008, but that date was continually pushed back before finally hitting theaters this February. The opening months of the year are generally a dumping ground for the studios. The score by Danny Elfman was replaced by another composer’s work before filmmakers decided to go back to Elfman’s. The indecision about the release date and music are indicative of the troubled production. No one seemed to know which direction to take the movie.

To Johnston’s credit, he has crafted a moody and atmospheric picture aided by the fantastic make-up by Rick Baker, the artist who also worked on American Werewolf in London. You marvel at the costumes and the sets until someone gets disemboweled. When the wolf strikes, limbs are ripped off and intestines are strewn about repeatedly. In Wolfman’s best sequence, Del Toro is strapped to a gurney in a sanitarium as his doctor obliviously lectures his colleagues on Talbot’s delusions. Of course, Talbot morphs into the wolfman freaking out the entire room. It’s not long before someone gets impaled and we watch a CGI wolfman tear-assing through London.

The movie switches back and forth from an old-fashioned slower pace to a modern, action-oriented approach. In the end, all of Baker’s wonderful practical effects are for naught as the climax involves two badly rendered CGI furballs ripping into each other. Come for The Wolfman, stay for Van Helsing?

On the surface, The Wolfman appears to be a picture deserving of being a tentpole release. It has an A-list cast. The acting is more than adequate with Hopkins bringing those same hammy sensibilities left over from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Instead, it’s a forgettable popcorn movie, passable for a rent. Well, at least it’s better than Teen Wolf.

Rating: **