Review: "Last Vegas"

After a spur of the moment proposal that took even him by surprise, perpetual playboy Billy (Michael Douglas) is finally getting hitched to a woman less than half his age. Aiming for a quick and simple ceremony in Vegas, he gathers his three best childhood friends for a little bachelor party fun in Sin City.

Archie (Morgan Freeman) has recently recovered from a stroke and feels suffocated by the oversight of his protective pill-doling son, while Sam (Kevin Kline, where have you been?) is withering away in retirement community hell. Both are excited at the prospect of getting away from their lives for a few days, and are each aiming for a different type of enjoyment. Paddy (Robert De Niro), on the other hand, is cocooned up in his Brooklyn apartment, with no desire to frolic like a teenager any longer. A recent widower, Paddy is still bitter over the loss of his wife and very angry at Billy for not showing up for her funeral.

Once in Vegas, they meet Diana (Mary Steenburgen, striking even at 60), a divorced empty-nester trying to make it as a lounge singer. Right away, it's clear that both Paddy and Billy are taken with her, and she could easily be just the thing Paddy needs to get back to living, or perhaps, the first woman of his own age that Billy could have a relationship with. Either way, she could be the thing to tear them apart forever. Meanwhile, Archie is busy winning enough money at blackjack to get the boys a free suite for the weekend, and Sam -- little blue pill burning a hole in his pocket -- mistakenly hits on the cross-dressing Madonna-lookalike Maurice (Roger Bart), while trying to get laid.

The rest of the movie goes pretty much the way you would expect -- lots of old age jokes turn into "old school" cool by the end as these guys work out their differences and rule the Vegas strip like men half their age. I laughed a good bit, but felt that the humor was better punctuated in the trailers than played out in the film. Performances are solid, but it's disappointing that there are no surprises here. Beat for beat, director Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure) knows what the audience expects, and for better or worse, delivers it every scene. This is harmless fun, but not the sort of material that befits the abilities of such heavy-hitters.

STF Podcast Episode 5 - Gravity, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and more!

For this episode, I am again joined by Cesar Alejandro from Film Smash to discuss Alfonso Cuaron's amazing new film, Gravity, as well as Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (during which we speculate about a potentially major spoiler, so consider yourself warned), my feelings on 3D use in modern movies, and much more! It's been months since we recorded a podcast and you'll be able to tell that we're a bit rusty, but we fall back into our groove by the end of the episode. Check it out by clicking here or visit us on iTunes.

The Cover Photo: Poltergeist (1982)

Insidious: Chapter 2 was released to theaters this weekend, and that got me thinking of this film again.

It's always difficult for me to pick just one image from a film when choosing a screenshot for my Facebook cover photo. In the case of Poltergeist, it was very hard not to pick Carol Ann (Heather O'Rourke) with the television set, which is easily the most iconic image of the film -- and that would have been a good one. The shot below, however, has always stuck with me. It's a kiss that might have been their last one ever, but it gives Steve (Craig T. Nelson) the courage to let his determined wife, Diane (Jo Beth Williams), enter into the great unknown to save their child. It's the scariest moment of their lives, and yet for us, it's the most reassuring moment in an amazing film.

BLIND PICK: The Magus (1968)

People love to shop online, but for me, nothing beats rummaging through the bins at my local movie store. It's a voyage of discovery every time, and not something I'm likely to give up for the convenience of a mouse click. BLIND PICK is a new feature where I'll grab an interesting title that I've never seen, one that I didn't intend to buy until coming across it on the rack, and do a quick review.

The Magus (1968)
Released by: 20th Century Fox
Dir: Guy Green
Starring: Michael Caine, Anthony Quinn, Candice Bergen, Anna Karina

Why did I buy it? Well, between that great title ("Magus" means magician, or sorcerer), the retro cover art, and the talent involved, picking this one up was an easy decision. I didn't even bother to read the back cover before adding it to my pile.

What's the story? Nicholas Urfe (Caine) is an Englishman who skips town on a relationship that's getting too serious for a teaching position on a small Greek island. He is befriended by the charismatic Maurice (Quinn) and falls under the spell of the beautiful Lily (Bergen), a mysterious woman who resides in Maurice's home. But, who is Lily really? Is she Maurice's lover, or his prisoner? Is she a damsel in distress, or a bored temptress? Nothing is what it seems, and Maurice's mind games pull Nicholas deeper into a web of deception that may have dire consequences. He's given one last shot at returning to normal life when ex-lover Anne (Karina) visits Greece, but his curiosity and attraction to Lily is too strong, compelling him to continue in the magus' game.

Non-spoilery thoughts? Directed by Guy Green -- best known as the cinematographer on David Lean's Great Expectations and Oliver Twist -- the film bounces between romantic comedy, melodrama, and surrealism. It's wildly uneven, as are the performances of its three leads, and the camerawork and editing is often spotty. Plus, it features, perhaps, the worst music score imaginable. (Seriously, some of the music cues are laughable.) Without spoiling the secrets of the film's final act, it's difficult to reveal my complex feelings about the story. But, I'd say the last 20-30 minutes is easily the best that the film has to offer, including a surprisingly great flashback for Quinn's character, an elaborate dream sequence, and the revelation of the magus' endgame.

Final verdict? Disappointing, given the talent involved, but it's mysterious and bizarre, and has some cool ideas, making it an interesting footnote in some great careers. Watching this movie with a large midnight crowd could be fun, if Fox were to make it available for revival.

Review: "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters"

When 20th Century Fox made Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in 2010, it was just another in a long line of youth fantasy films for the studio -- including franchise non-starters Eragon, The Seeker: The Dark is Rising, and City of Ember -- that was designed to cash in on Potter-mania. As you can imagine, it was quite a coup for them to get Chris Columbus in the director's chair; Columbus had helmed the first two Harry Potter films, and was instrumental in bringing J.K. Rowling's beloved books to life on screen for Warner Brothers. His involvement with Percy Jackson lent a legitimacy and creative weight that none of Fox's other Young Adult projects had. The end result was a well-produced, well-cast movie, with a tone that was a bit more lighthearted and campy than the Potter movies -- perfectly suiting a series that is meant to hark back to classic Ray Harryhausen monster movies like Sinbad or Clash of the Titans.

Review: "2 Guns"

Hollywood has certainly gone crazy with the comic book adaptations in recent years, and I'm not just talking superheroes like The Avengers and Man of Steel. Most people don't realize that Road to Perdition with Tom Hanks, RED with Bruce Willis, and AMC's hit television show, The Walking Dead, are adaptations of popular comic book stories, too. This week's I-didn't-know-it-was-a-comic-book release is 2 Guns, based on the Boom! Studios series by Steven Grant.

In the film, Bobby (Denzel Washington) and Stig (Mark Wahlberg) are swindlers working both sides of the Texas/Mexico border to move drugs and money and anything else they can, in order to make some dough. After getting stiffed on a deal for some cocaine by cartel boss Papi Greco (Edward James Olmos), the two decide to rob a bank where Papi keeps $3 million in drug money, but somehow end up with $43 million that doesn't belong to Papi at all. It quickly becomes clear that the two men are not who they're pretending to be, and as the heat comes down from every direction -- with Papi, the CIA, and rogue military officers all wanting the money for themselves -- Bobby and Stig will need to trust each other and stick together in order to survive.

Review: "RED 2"

Staying retired and leaving his old life behind hasn't exactly been easy for ex-CIA operative Frank Moses (Bruce Willis). Of course, it doesn't help that the government keeps trying to kill him for things that he did -- in the service of his country -- decades ago. This time, it's a Cold War era mystery-project called "Nightshade" that has him marked for death once again.

Picking up a few months after the events of the first film, RED 2 reunites Frank and his girlfriend Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) with their paranoid brother-in-arms Marvin (John Malkovich). The three of them are on the run from a trio of dangerous agents: Jack Horton (Neal McDonough), a government spook assigned to tie up loose ends from "Nightshade;" wetwork specialist Victoria (Helen Mirren), an ally from the first film, has been given a contract by MI-6 to eliminate them this time around; and Han Jo-Bae (Lee Byung-Hun), a world-class assassin who's also hot on Frank's trail for both personal and professional reasons. Along the way, the gang will need help from some over-the-top characters: an information-dealing Brit nicknamed The Frog (David Thewlis); Edward Baily (Anthony Hopkins), a formerly-brilliant scientist locked in a London nut house; and Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a Russian ex-KGB agent who shares a past with Frank.

Review: "Man of Steel"

The granddaddy of comic book super heroes is back on the big screen in director Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill as the last son of Krypton. After 75 years of history with the character, we all know the basic story: Sent from his dying home world as a baby, Kal-El crash lands in Kansas and is raised under the Earth name Clark by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent. As an adult, Clark goes to work for the Daily Planet in the great city of Metropolis, where he falls for plucky Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, Lois Lane, and defends humanity as "Superman." While this incarnation hews closely to that, the film stands confidently as a singular new vision for modern moviegoers.

Review: "Furious 6"

I understand if you don't like the Fast & Furious franchise. They're easy to dismiss as loud, dumb car flicks for an image-obsessed MTV generation. The cast looks hand-picked out of Muscle and Fitness magazine and the Victoria's Secret catalogue. You're not wrong. But, what could be considered "stupid" has evolved into "silly" fun, thanks to Justin Lin, who directed the last four installments, and his writer, Chris Morgan. Through sly reinvention and subtle refinement, they've managed to turn this niche franchise into blockbuster entertainment, going bigger and improving the formula with each new chapter.

Review: "Star Trek Into Darkness"

J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot of Star Trek was a shot of adrenaline into the arm of an ailing franchise. But, let's not kid ourselves, it's far from a perfect picture. The script gets the character moments right, but fails to make much logical sense. (Please explain to me how the chain of command works in Starfleet, when a cadet on academic suspension can be promoted to Captain in, like, a day and a half? And, why does Kirk fire all the Enterprise's weapons on Nero after offering him assistance? I could go on...) Luckily, Abrams has a great visual sense, a terrific eye for casting, and carries out his storytelling with a sense of urgency -- all of which made the film highly enjoyable. For Abrams' second outing as "Captain" of the franchise, Star Trek Into Darkness, the same strengths and weaknesses are amplified in ways that will thrill and amaze you in the case of the former, and perhaps, make you throw your 3D glasses at the screen in a fit of nerd-rage over the latter.

Review: "Upstream Color"

Shane Carruth's first film, Primer, was the toast of the independent film world in 2004. An enigmatic, methodical sci-fi thriller about the dangers of time travel, Carruth wrote, directed, starred, and did just about everything else on the $7,000 miracle movie. For a variety of reasons (the filmmaker has been open about the disappointment of his stalled science fiction project, A Topiary, which he spent years developing), it's taken nine years for his second feature, Upstream Color, to make it to the screen.

Review: Evil Dead (2013)

The Evil Dead, Sam Raimi's 1981 cult horror classic is one of the great independent film success stories. Made for peanuts, and shot on weekends with his friends, the film was both scary and wickedly funny. It showcased the director's innovative visuals and energetic style, which would be put to good use in later films such as The Quick and the Dead and the Spider-Man trilogy.

It also launched the career of Bruce Campbell, who played Ashley J. "Ash" Williams, the hero at the center of Raimi's story. Over the course of three films (Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness being the others), Ash took his place in movie history as one of the most entertaining horror characters ever, thanks to Campbell's cartoonish reactions and larger than life appeal. Since recasting Campbell for this updated version would create distracting comparisons and potentially alienate fans, the filmmakers smartly decided to write out the character altogether. That's right, horror fans, there is no Ash in this movie.

Review: "G.I. Joe: Retaliation"

After nearly all the G.I. Joe forces are wiped out in a sneak attack, three soldiers -- Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Lady Jaye (Adrienne Palicki), and Flint (D.J. Cotrona) -- must regroup with Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and recruit the assistance of General Joe Colton (Bruce Willis) in order to defeat C.O.B.R.A.

Directed by John M. Chu (Step-Up 2 & 3), I'd say that Retaliation is an average movie with an above-average sense of fun. Although Bruce Willis' involvement amounts to little more than an extended cameo, Johnson and Palicki both have ample screen presence to lead this film, and Chu never misses an opportunity to play to their strengths.

Review: "Parker"

Jason Statham plays a career criminal who is out for revenge after being double crossed and left for dead in Parker. The film is based on the book, Flashfire, by Donald E. Westlake, aka Richard Stark, and if that name sounds familiar, it's probably because Point Blank (1967 Lee Marvin), The Outfit (1973 Robert Duvall), and Payback (1999 Mel Gibson) were also based on his work.

In a job set up by his trusted friend and mentor, Hurley (Nick Nolte), Parker joins a group of thieves that are going to boost the take at the Ohio State Fair. The job goes relatively smooth, thanks to Parker's cool head, but when he refuses to give up his share as front money for another job, the others turn on him. With the exception of a needless flashback right in the middle of an otherwise tense scene, the setup works well enough, and there's a rare moment during the heist, when Parker calms a security officer down, that reminds us that Statham can do more than punch people.

Review: "A Good Day to Die Hard"

Unfortunately, the poster is cooler than the movie.

In the original Die Hard, John McClane (Bruce Willis) walks on some broken glass and limps the rest of the film, visibly in pain. That McClane was tough, but human.

Fast forward 25 years to director John Moore's ( Max Payne) A Good Day to Die Hard -- now the fifth movie in the franchise -- and McClane is punched, kicked, jumps out of a moving car, free falls about twenty stories (twice!), is thrown fifty feet from a helicopter -- you see where I'm going here, right? -- and never gets more than a scratch. Seemingly, Moore and the film's writer, Skip Woods (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), have confused the character of John McClane with the one Willis played in Unbreakable. He is now "super fuzz."

The story begins in Russia, where McClane travels to help out his estranged son, Jack (Jai Courtney), who has been arrested for murder. Little does he know, that Jack is actually a CIA agent sent in to help a Russian dissident named Komarov (Sebastian Koch), escape with files that implicate that country's defense minister, Chagarin (Sergey Kolesnikov).

Of course, things are moving along according to plan until John shows up and blows the operation, exposing them all to attacks from Chagarin's men, led by Alik (Radivoje Bukvic) and Irina (Yuliya Snigir). Once John is brought up to speed, father and son will need to work together in order to accomplish the mission, one that ultimately takes them to Chernobyl to stop some bad guys from stealing weapons-grade plutonium.

There is plenty of action, including an extended car chase sequence through the streets of Moscow, but most of the big action scenes are too over-the-top to get your heart racing and not impressive enough to be memorable. Unfortunately, the lackluster action is the highlight of the film. When things are not moving fast, you will be subjected to young McClane's constant fussing about John's poor parenting skills, while John frequently repeats "I'm on vacation!" in Clerks-esque fashion. No kidding, it sounds as bad out loud as it did when you read it just then.

I don't know what I expect from a Die Hard movie anymore. In fact, I'm not sure anyone -- including Bruce Willis, the filmmakers, and the studio -- know what they want from a Die Hard movie either. The series has been steered so far off course, both in concept and in character that this feels like a completely different beast all together -- Die Hard in name only.

Review: "The Last Stand"

After a decade-long hiatus while serving as the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned with The Last Stand, his first starring role since Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines in 2003.

The film opens with the daring escape of a notorious cartel boss from FBI custody during -- you guessed it -- a prison transfer. Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) is public enemy number one, and he is sprung with an elaborate, well-planned scheme involving a large crane, some heavy firepower, and a series of doubles meant to confuse all his pursuers, led by Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker). It's a pretty good scene from director Kim Jee-woon, the respected Asian director of such hits as A Tale of Two Sisters and I Saw the Devil, who stages the action with confidence.

Cortez speeds away in a 200-mph Corvette ZR-1 concept car -- in the most shameless use of product placement by an auto company since Transformers -- busting through every checkpoint and roadblock along the way. Even more shameless is how Cortez's beautiful hostage (Genesis Rodriguez) becomes turned on by the fast action and reckless driving. I am suddenly struck by an immediate desire to go out and buy a Corvette.

Meanwhile, a team of mercenaries (including Peter Stormare) are busy invading the Arizona border town of Sommerton Junction in order to build a bridge over a ravine between the U.S. and Mexico for Cortez's escape. Enter Schwarzenegger, the small town sheriff with big city experience, who will be the only thing standing between Cortez and Mexican freedom.

Arnold stars as Ray Owens, a former narcotics officer who left the LAPD after a bust went sour. When strangers show up in town, Sheriff Ray's spider sense starts tingling, and after a local farmer gets murdered, he's alerted by Agent Bannister about Cortez. Naturally, he knows the two incidents are connected. Together with his ragtag group of deputies (Luis Guzman, Jamie Alexander, and Zach Gilford), a troubled war vet (Rodrigo Santoro), and the crazy owner of the local gun museum (Johnny Knoxville), they prepare for battle. From this point on, the bullets fly.

Good thing the whole town left that morning to travel with the team to the big game, right?

The screenplay, credited to Andrew Knauer (unsurprisingly, no major credits), is full of convenience and cliche, seemingly put together in a hurry to give us only the most basic illusion of drama. If you're into that sort of thing -- drama that is -- you might be distracted by the lack of it.

Does the action make up for it? Maybe. This is a fun, turn-your-brain-off-type of movie that exists just to reunite Arnold with his fans. He's not the hulking monster of a man that he once was, but he can still deliver a line and fire a gun. He seems to be embracing his age, and the film plays that up for an effective laugh or two. Only time will tell if the wiser, world weary version of the Austrian Oak can compete with his younger self, but if he picks his projects right, he really shouldn't need to.

"Setting the Frame" Film Grade = C