The Lego Movie (Lord and Miller, 2014)
"Everything is Awesome" with The Lego Movie. Fun for movie fans both young and old, the film remains a triumph of visual animation that will amaze even the staunchest of film goers. The basic premise of The Lego Movie centers around Emmett (Chris Pratt), an average construction worker who gets hurled into a rebellion against tyrannical overlord Lord Business (Will Ferrell, in what is honestly my favorite performance of his). The catch? Because the action is obviously set in the Lego universe, there's literally dozens of exciting cameos from superheroes, historical figures, and sports stars- each played by notable actors. In the main cast, Elizabeth Banks plays Wild Style, the punk-like rebel who's mentor, Virtruvius (Morgan Freeman, proving once again his comedic genius), convinces her to accept Emmett. And Will Arnett steals the show as Batman, who delivers every line with pitch perfect intensity and hilarity. The Lego Movie will have you rolling in the aisles laughing, and sweeps you up in the emotional drama of the plot. There's plenty for kids and adults to chew on, from the catchy main song, to the Lego-like animation that teaches audiences the power of imagination. In case you have not been able to tell, The Lego Movie is easily my favorite movie of 2014 thus far. Five out of five stars.
Non-Stop (Collet-Serra, 2014)
As an action picture, Non-Stop has a lot of problems. But in the Liam Neeson late-career pantheon of aged action star movies, it's one of the finer installments. After the meddlesome Unknown and the god-awful Taken 2, Neeson is back to his A-game awesomeness as Bill Marks, a U.S. Federal Air Marshall that gets caught in a game of cat-and-mouse with a mysterious passenger at 40,000 feet, where the people on their plane are the targets. Dealing with his own personal demons, and having only one ally on the plane (Julianne Moore), Marks has to prove his own sanity and stop a mad terrorist from killing everyone on board. Sound like one big cliche? Well, it is. But you're missing the big picture: it's Liam Neeson's plane they're trying to take. I love what the actor has been doing with the past five years or so, and his reinvention as a solid action star has made him my favorite old guy that kicks some major butt at the movies (sorry Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Willis, but the '80's are over- more on that later). And Non-Stop does have a certain finesse in both pacing and structure; I personally did not figure out who the bad guy was by the time it was revealed, and for that I am appreciative. Plus, Neeson's co-stars are good in their own right, and single-handedly turn what would be an incredibly stupid premise into a tense thriller. The direction isn't great, the camera work is sloppy, and the final act is incredibly hokey. That being said, you don't come to a Liam Neeson picture expecting a work of art. And in that regards, Non-Stop does not disappoint. Three and a half out of five stars.
Need for Speed (Waugh, 2014)
When will they learn that video games make crappy films, especially video games that have dumb plots to begin with? No one plays Need for Speed for the plot; instead, they want to race a car real fast and cause mayhem on the streets of major urban cities. The movie pretty much makes the same argument: that all it takes are loud cars, a few dangerous races, and attractive characters to cover up bad writing. While the movie Need for Speed does distract viewers with bright colors, cool cars, and neat stunts, it fails to offer any memorable impression. Breaking Bad-alum Aaron Paul brings more than a fair share of emotional angst to the simple plot of a bad boy race car driver trying to get revenge for the death of his friend and his own two-year imprisonment. His main target: a genuinely awful human being, played by Dominic Cooper, who also woos Paul's girlfriend (AS IF he wasn't bad enough). The racing scenes are fun to watch, but once the overall unnecessary plot gets in the way, the novelty of seeing sexy people and fast cars wears off. Action junkies will probably enjoy it, but at the end of the day, Need for Speed is a loud, story-less, and repetitive film- much like the video game that inspired it. One and a half out of five stars.
Bad Words (Bateman, 2014)
The directorial debut of Jason Bateman, star of the cult comedy Arrested Development, is Bad Words, and even though the film is bleakly dark and incredibly vulgar, it's pretty good. With a humorous script that artfully dodges cliches, the director and star makes an entertaining comedy that understands its own simplicity by keeping everything short and to the point. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because clocking in at just under 90 minutes makes sure that Bad Words keeps the jokes fresh, and the plot moving. Bateman stars as Guy Trilby, a virtually unlikeable 40-year old man that enters a children's spelling bee for an unknown purpose. He's committed to his cause, and not even his personal reporter (Kathryn Hahn) can get him to reveal his reasoning. At the National Bee, he befriends a young contestant (Rohan Chand), who he takes under his wing and shows how to live a little. Bateman's chemistry with Chand is spot-on, and remains the funniest and most delightful part of the picture. Allison Janney, who is normally great, is actually pretty stoic as the film's primary antagonist, the strict spelling bee director. As far as black comedies go, Bad Words ensures that if you're in on the joke, you're in for a good time. It's a pleasant surprise from a popular comedian. Four out of five stars.
Sabotage (Ayer, 2014)
It's pretty sad when you think that Arnold Schwarzenegger should go back to being a politician. Remember what I said about Liam Neeson's reinvention of late? Schwarzenegger is arguably the opposite- he's trying to keep whatever juju he had from the 1980's alive in the 2010's, and it's failing miserably. I'm hoping the Terminator reboot that's coming up can help him out (because playing a Terminator doesn't require a whole lot of acting talent besides looking very serious and saying you're lines flatly), but Sabotage is not exactly a dream-come-true for fans of the Austrian juggernaut. With an overly convoluted plot that ends up just being pointless by the end, the film is as predictable as the sunrise. Plus, the action is incredibly gory, to the point of just being ridiculous; and, I'm pretty sure the screenwriter needed to fill up more time so he just added the "f-word" about 9,000 times. The best attempt at explaining the plot is that Schwarzenegger leads an elite DEA Special Forces team that goes undercover to take down major drug czars. Along the way, someone sets him and his team up, and starts routinely executing their members. Amidst moments of potential, it's easy to get lost in the story and characters, but eventually you realize just how thinly-drawn this all is. The stars do not even seem to want to be here, and ironically enough it's only Schwarzenegger that gives any sort of commitment to the film- it's just too bad his highest commitment is only as good as his English. Look, I love the works of Schwarzenegger in his prime, but it's time for him to retire. Sabotage is proof of that, because it attempts to replicate the magic that made him into a global movie star. Maybe you can look past the multitude of problems associated with the movie and just enjoy yourself, but I found myself annoyed and questioning throughout. It's no longer 1984, Arnold. Time to move on. One and a half out of five stars.
Well, here you go: the awesome, surprising, and dreadful combination of the first films of 2014. Come back later this week for my full-length review of The Grand Budapest Hotel, and full coverage of all things Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
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