RED 2: THE BEST NEVER REST   3.2****

 

In 2010 “RED”  was released, a movie based on a limited comic book series from DC. The move did surprisingly well and of course they have done a sequel: “RED. 2 The Best Never Rest”. Take the aging actors that were in the first film and add more aging actors seems like was their  approach.. Bruce Willis and John Malkovich are back, as well as Helen Mirren and Mary-Louise Parker. Morgan Freeman was dropped and they added Anthony Hopkins, no one plays crazy better than him, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who plays a sexy Russian. Also Byung-Hum Lee who is the baby in the main cast. The plot is simple enough, the R.E.D. crew must come together again  to find and stop a nuclear bomb that was placed in Russia during the cold war. Lots of shooting, plenty of explosions, and of course some witty dialogue follows.

It is easy to hate sequels since most of them are not as good as the original. "RED 2" becomes one of those rare sequels which is as good or even  better than the original. I think it is because everyone was having fun when they make this movie, and that translates to the audience. Willis is Willis, and brings the same things that have made him an action star for the past 25 years. Everyone is good in this movie, and they embrace their characters and you want them to win. The movie wouldn't be the same though if Mirren or Malkovich were not there, because they provide some of the best lines of the movie.  The interplay and repartee between Willis, Malkovich,  Mirren, and Parker was great. They all have such good chemistry. Also, they brought back Brian Cox for a few scenes, which was brilliant.  

 

Clark

 

 

 20 FEET FROM STARDOM   3.5 ***

 

 

   What I learned from this movie which is an excellent documentary is that much of the  pop and rock music that I have heard over the years owes its sound to a fairly small group of backup singers most of whom are black women who have never been given much credited, who earn substantially less than the singers and artist who hire them, and who live in obscurity. There are some male and some white singers in this group, but they are mostly black women, who learned to sing in church and who typically improvise the harmonies they sing.

 

During the course of the movie we meet a series of these talented vocalists, mostly unknowns who contributed to many hit recordings of the past.  We learn about their journey for fame and fortune and its high cost. Many edge their way toward the spotlight only to somehow lose sight of that elusive goal. “20 Feet from Stardom” honestly tells their  stories. Most end unhappily, some are more fortunate. All are thoroughly engrossing studies of blind ambition (or in some cases, the lack thereof) and the singer's personal need to share their vocal gift with others. The movie looks at personality and the influence  it has on singers. Some of these singers prefer to sing harmony, while others would prefer to be soloists. I would say  that many of these  singers  lack a certain X-factor in how they present themselves. While they may be fabulous singers they just don’t have that sizzle, that stage presence that makes a star a star.

 

Sometimes the film slightly overstates its message and becomes a bit redundant. But the filmmakers have captured extraordinary performances, both then and now. The Director,  Morgan Neville, builds his story with rare archival footage of these singers in performances from the sixties to present day and he incorporates strong imagery throughout the many interviews with the backup singers as well as  established stars like Bruce Springstein, Stevie Wonder, Patti Austin, Bette Midler, Mike Jagger, and Sting, all of whom used some of these backup singers. These stars truly appreciate the genuine talent of these women and the musical contributions they bought to their mega-recordings.

 

The most musically moving moment was when Lisa Fischer,, who at times has been the lead female vocalist/backup singer with the Rolling Stones since 1989, improvised some harmony with four copies of herself singing. It was one of the most fascinatingly beautiful sounds that you can  imagine and shows her wonderful gift of harmonizing

 

The film features some terrific music from all of the artists mentioned so music fans will have a blast hearing songs from the 50s up through the near present.” 20 FEET FROM STARDOM” is certainly one of the best documentary films of 2013.

 

NOTE: This film may be hard to find in the theatres(it  is playing at the Rialto in Raleigh) so you’ll have to search hard for it .. try the rentals and TV.. but it’ll be worth the effort.

 

Clark

 

SALMON FISHING in the YEMEN  3.7***

 

 

 

        Just when it seemed that so many if not most movies  were  just plain vulgar, boring, and loud,  along comes this near perfect piece of filmmaking. The story, the characters, the actors  and the dialogue (refreshingly witty and at times thought provoking)... it all comes together in such an enjoyable  fashion . Aside from the foul-mouthed politicians (what a surprise, right?), there was not one minute of the movie that most anyone would want change . If you want to come away from a movie-going experience feeling good with plenty of information to discuss afterwards then see "Salmon Fishing in Yemen". It’s no longer in the theatres so you’ll have to rent it or find it on TV.

 

The story: A rich visionary Sheik has the idea of exporting the concept of salmon fishing from his estate in Scotland to the desert areas of the Yemen. Consultant agent Harriet Chetwoode-Talbot (Emily Blunt) works for the Sheik.   He charges Harriet with finding the right people to bring his impossible dream to reality. Enter humorless fisheries expert Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor), whose first reaction to the proposal is that it is outrageous and impossible… Salomon in a desert  ???? . Only later, after meeting Harriet and the Sheik in person, does he realize how deadly serious they are. And when the Prime Minister's PR person, Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott-Thomas) gets in on the act - using the project to promote good Anglo-Arab relations following a series of damaging news stories – Jones suddenly finds himself swept along by events that are too big and too fast for him to control. Out in the Yemen at the site of the project, Jones and Harriet find their very different lives unexpectedly converging. Him battling to salvage a failing marriage, her longing for news of her soldier boyfriend missing-presumed-dead in Afghanistan; united in their desire to complete an enterprise that started out as one man's mad folly.
  

Seriously, "Salmon Fishing in The Yemen" is simply a joy to watch. . What makes this such a joy is its impish sense of humor, irreverence toward the British government, the simply delightful acting of leads McGregor and Blunt (who has never looked so good as she does here), the appealing nature of so many characters, and, perhaps most of all, its unpredictability. My wife and I laughed, especially at the British humor, shed  a few tears, and felt  a bit of excitement and danger.   McGregor and Blunt  have  a good  simple screen chemistry between them that is  sweet and low key. The portrayal of the Sheik was very gratifying as many tend to regard those of the Arab world with very suspicious eyes but this one was allowed to breathe, and express faith and heart and humility . Kirstin Scott Thomas made us laugh in her role as the opportunistic Downing Street manipulator but she managed to imbue her role with wit, style and humanity. Thank heavens there are still directors/movie makers who  remember the fine old days of what many people still desire from a Hollywood movie, that being that you don't need explosions and murders every five minutes to entertain. That a fine story with good actors and a knowing director can produce a winning movie.

Clark

 

 

White House Down

 

  

WHITE HOUSE DOWN  2.5        Capitol Policeman John Cale ( Channing Tatum) has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service of protecting President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). Not wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House just when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group. Now, with the nation's government falling into chaos and time running out, it's up to Cale to save the President, Cale’s daughter, and the country.

 

This is not a movie to be taken seriously. In fact it is quite implausible if not improbable. It is though a good action thriller.  Yes, there are traitors discovered in our government from time to time. Yes, there are terrorists who would like to blow up more of our beloved landmarks. Yes, there are a lot of good law enforcement officers out there who think they'd make good top-level security agents. Yes, we have a black president. Yes, there are some pretty smart teenage girls out there. Yes, there have been some pretty dumb Generals in the United State military command structure. Exaggerate these concepts and you have a government coup orchestrated from within the White House, that enables terrorists to get in with explosives and take hostages. But then we have the one-man army of Channing Tatum there when the terrorists attack, and toward the end his daughter plays a pivotal role in warding off nuclear war by mere seconds on the clock. I'll say that again. If not for a teenage girl, this flick ends with nuclear war breaking out. This movie is no more realistic than but comparable to Die Hard flicks. And, in fact, this movie could be retitled “Die Hard in the White House”..  

 

It is inevitable that ‘White House Down” be compared to the earlier movie about the taking of the White Houser: “Olympus Has Fallen”.  Unfortunately, it compares poorly. There is nothing  fresh from 'White House Down'. It's predictable, overlong and over dramatized. 'Olympus Has Fallen' was more serious, brutal, tense and in almost every aspect better than 'White House Down'.  On primary duos of, Gerrard Butler-Aaron Eckhart in OHF have more charisma than Channing Tatum-Jamie Fox in WHD.  

 

This is a total escapist action film… so long as you don’t think too much. Logic gets in the way of enjoying this film, so cut it off along with your cell phone when the movie starts !!!

 

Clark

 

 

the Heat

the HEAT.. 4.0***

 

There are a lot of buddy-cop films out there and most of them feature macho males.  This genre  has long been dormant waiting for the right new combination. Enter “The Heat”, an updated and hilarious new frontrunner featuring two of Hollywood's funniest ladies! This pairing of Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy climbs to the top of the buddy-cop genre. Each is perfect as each compliments the other in comedic timing and sensibility. On screen, their chemistry pays off big time as laugh out loud jokes bounce back and forth. Bullock ( as Sarah Ashburn) plays the straight laced by the book FBI agent who lives only for her job. McCarthy ( as Shannon Mullins) is a street smart bull-in-the-china shop Boston cop who goes by less orthodox methods and seldom utters a sentence without a profanity, especially the “f” word.

The story involves uptight FBI special agent  Ashburn (Bullock) who is paired with slob Boston cop Mullins (McCarthy) in order to take down a ruthless drug lord. The catch: neither woman has ever had a partner, or a real friend. Ashburn is the kind of button-down, drink-your-milk type who does her job well, never uses foul language ( and when she finally does curse it is beyond hilarious), and never wrinkles her suit. Mullins is a slob who keeps a live hand-grenade in her refrigerator right next to a sandwich that has been around so long it should probably pay its share of the rent. She's the type of cop who insists on interrogating a male suspect by playing Russian roulette with a gun pressed against his genitals.

Bullock and McCarthy  have the sort of comedic chemistry that studios could search for decades and never successfully find or manufacture. The moment they share a scene together,  it's like magic. It’s then that  The Heat turns into something beyond special.  The greatness of any comedy team is completely dependent on the straight man. Without the likes of  Dickie Smothers’  tirelessly and expertly prodding, sighing and bantering then  Tommy Smothers   would never have been able to rake in the laughs.  As  it turns out  Sandra Bullock, with a career’s worth of romantic leads and dramatic turns under her belt, may have only just discovered her true calling as a gifted straight man (or straight woman, if you prefer). Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s been paired with Melissa McCarthy — one of the best, if not the best, comedic actors working today, in this utterly hilarious buddy-cop movie “The Heat.” Not only is this movie destined to be the comedy hit of the summer, but it is also pound-for-pound the funniest movie to come along since the original “The Hangover.”

One caution: While ‘The Heat' is undeniably hilarious it has a  R-rating because of all the many profanities and vulgarities continuously being thrown out. Luckily most of the gag/jokes are more hits than misses. .  

Clark