Marley

One of the first albums I ever obsessed over was Bob Marley and the Wailers' "Live!" My parents actually had to take the CD away from me because they were worried that it would wear out. I recently got my own copy, and I've re-fallen in love. Those songs make me feel loved and happy no matter how many times I hear them. However, I have separated myself from the image of Bob Marley because so many teenagers use his Rastafarianism and not his music as a stupid excuse to be constantly high. After seeing Marley, I'm ready to go back. This documentary aims to paint the fullest and most detailed portrait possible of its subject. We see the full story of the legendary artist; from his Trenchtown days as a Frankie Valli copycat all the way to his international superstardom. The filmmakers use amazing tools in order to tell their tale, including photos of Marley's whole career, interviews with his closest friends and family, and rare concert footage. The narrative brings sources for and from every point and insight, allowing us the full view of Bob Marley's personal and professional journey. Because I have a lot of praise to heap onto this film, I have to get a few minor gripes out of the way. First: Marley is too long. It's an extremely well-done documentary that is very inspiring and educational, but at two and a half hours with no narration, some of the fat could've been trimmed. I never checked my watch or anything, but the long runtime was noticeable. There were a few moments where they repeated information, but as I said, the pros massively outweigh the cons. I learned a lot from Marley. For example, I had no idea that Bob was half white, and I knew nothing about his pre-rasta years. The documentary taught me new stuff, and also celebrated what I already knew. I was mesmerized by all the footage and information, especially the interviews with Bob. A doorway into the deepest reaches of Bob Marley's "ness" is opened for us here, and it's worth going through. It's very well edited, the subjects are nicely grouped, and the whole thing is just enchanting. Great documentaries entrance and immerse the audience the same way a standard movie does. Specifically, ones about famous figures negate any reason for a biopic by showing you the real person live. As I've said, Marley accomplishes this magnificently. It's a beautifully painted porterait of an incredible man, and its minor flaws are washed a way by the overall experience. So go see Marley, and feel all right.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Animated movies have come a very long way in recent years. I could count Oscar-worthy animated films forever, most of them being made before The Academy even made a category. The fact that the film world no longer dismisses animation as "cartoons" is a wonderful thing, because it allows people like John Lasseter, Brad Bird, and Hayao Miyazaki to do their thing and receive the praise they deserve. Let me now segue into Aardman, creators of Wallace and Gromit. I just want to say that they are brilliant, but you wouldn't know it from this film. The Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) is an incompetent outlaw with a fat parrot named Polly and a crew of wimps and lazies. Meanwhile, the whole pirate community is gearing up for Pirate of the Year, a contest the Captain has always wanted to win. Because his competition includes the richest and most feared pirates on the seven seas, our hero goes on a series of raid to build up booty and respect. One of these raids results in the capture of Charles Darwin (David Tennant), who informs the Captain that Polly is actually a Dodo bird, long thought extinct. And of course, hijinks ensue. Ok, first things first, yes, Aardman's signature claymation is really good and still fun to look at. Yes it's unique and smooth and stylized well. Yes the movie has that dry British humor with its own flair and appeal. It's just that it isn't funny. Not the slapstick, nor the endless sight gags and one-liners, nor the dialog. Not even the use of a Flight of the Conchords song is that funny. I don't get who Aardman thought this film would appeal to. Elders won't really care because it's a goofy cartoon, and it aims too low for kids above fourteen. But when I saw the movie, my theater was packed with little kids who literally never laughed. Honestly, I was kinda saddened by the whole thing, because the trailers had gotten me pretty psyched. I just feel let down, ya know? The movie just doesn't make sense, it isn't funny, the voice actors barely try, and it's a mess. Pirates never get a fair roll of the dice in movies. These men were treated as the scum of the earth back by society in their day, and were just as mean as the Vikings or the Mongols. They raped, pillaged, burned, murdered, stole, and cheated their way through the world. But besides the antihero character of Jack Sparrow, pirates are always associated with the romantic lead like Errol Flynn. Ok, that has nothing to do with this film, but The Pirates! is still just lazy and forgettable. Sail away from these shores me harties.

The Cabin in the Woods

The hardest people in the world to please are horror nerds. When a new horror film comes out, horror nerds will pounce and rip it apart. If it's a remake or a sequel, it is immediately tossed aside. If it's original, people will scrutinize every aspect of it. What does it rip off? Is it memorable or lame? Does it do something new, or just rehash? Does it do anything well? Is it scary? The list goes on. The Cabin in the Woods was clearly made from the perspective of a horror nerd, and it answers most questions positively. But is it the messiah horror nerds want? Not quite, but it's still fun. Our story starts as most horror ones do: with a group of stereotypes. We have the slut (Anna Hutchison), the jock (Chris Hemsworth), the nerd (Jesse Williams), the nice girl (Kristen Connolly), and the comic relief (Fran Kranz). These five are our students du jour being offered up to the titular cabin. Quite literally, because the situation is being manipulated with horror cliches and tropes by mysterious lab technicians. The equally mysterious lab that the technicians inhabit is full of buttons that do everything from raise zombies to unleashing masked killers. However, something more sinister is afoot, and our beleaguered teens are just getting started. The Cabin in the Woods is damn well made. The story is cool, the acting isn't half bad, the special effects are great, and it's kinda scary occasionally. Also, the way Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's screenplay breaks down horror films and their fans is really insightful and smart. Never does the film take itself too seriously or preach down to its viewers. This is the horror nerd's horror film, and for most of it I really didn't have any problems. However, it was sadly not meant to be. I have decided that I just don't like twist endings. One hundred percent of them are trying to copy The Sixth Sense and almost one hundred percent of them don't work. Most of these twists and big reveals come completely out of left field and usually ruin the movie for me. This thankfully didn't happen to me in The Cabin in the Woods, but the ludicrous twist at the end was a big damper. The film tries to be something that has nothing to do with the tone of the rest of the story and makes the whole thing kinda silly. What I mean is it bites off a bit more than it can chew. For a while I was convinced I had to eviscerate this film. Luckily I gave myself the opportunity to think about it and now I've decided to cut it some slack. The Cabin in the Woods is like Insidious; a refreshing, well done, and modern take on American horror. It's a message to Hollywood that shows that new ideas are worthwhile and work. This is a really good movie that I enjoyed, and I think anybody can do the same. Trust me, you don't have to be a fanatic to get lost in the Woods.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

My relationship with my younger brother is unlike any other. We two have a unique understanding of each other that I can't duplicate with any friend or family member. Do we love hanging out? Yes. Do we know each other's darkest secrets? Not really, but we can guess what's bugging the other one with amazing accuracy. We love each other, but do we drive each other crazy? Absolutely. I've never seen a movie like this one; one that capture "brotherdom" so accurately. Jeff (Jason Segel) is lost, plain and simple. He's unemployed, living in his mom's basement, and obsesses over the movie Signs. After getting a wrong number asking for "Kevin," the gullible and conflict-avoiding Jeff decides that's his sign, and journeys out to find it. Meanwhile, Jeff's lonely and bored mom (Susan Sarandon) asks his brother Pat (Ed Helms) to rescue his sibling from himself. Pat is hardly the right choice for this, as he is selfish, mean, and driving his wife (Judy Greer) away. Now they all have to find their path back. I really do love Jason Segel. He's a fantastic comedian, an extremely talented writer, and a really good actor overall. He also manages to be very comforting on screen. There's just something super charming and friendly about him that I really like. Especially in this film, where he isn't a sexual deviant or a puppeteer songwriter, it's amazing how he draws the audience's interest and sympathy. Jeff is a great character that anybody who has ever felt depressed can relate to. Of course, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon, Judy Greer, and even Rae Dawn Chong are all great. The characters are really done well, which is important because they're the fabric of the film. But as I said earlier, the real uncanny for me was how realistic the interactions between Jeff and Pat are. Seriously, there were moments where the two argued and I gasped. The writing, direction, and the acting in these scenes reminded me of real life and made e rethink some stuff. And even though there were some moments where the pacing had some issues, I enjoyed myself throughout. Jay and Mark Duplass are very talented, but they must've had a weird childhood. Both Jeff Who lives at home and their previous film Cyrus deal with kidulthood, purpose, and single, overprotective mothers. While both films are quite different, the themes are there and very prominent. But the Duplasses always do it so well I shouldn't criticize. Jeff Who Lives at Home is a thoughtful, sad, funny, and moving film about stuck in a rut. It isn't so much a character piece as a family one, and anyone with siblings should definitely see it.

Wrath of the Titans

There's a limit to some things. For me, the limit on dumb action movies trying to be serious is very low. I absolutely cannot stand it when films like The Book of Eli or Daybreakers try to have an air of philosophy and depth amidst all the violence and nudity. This isn't Tarantino; movies like those should be nothing but an excuse to check your brain at the door. I don't walk into a movie called "Wrath of the Titans" expecting mediations on the role of organized religion in society. Whatever, let's just get this over with. A few years after the first movie, a curly-haired Perseus (Sam Worthington) is living happily as a fisherman with his son. That is until Zeus (Liam Neeson) comes to tell him that all the new atheism is diminishing the powers of the gods, including those trapping the titans in Mount Tartarus. Since that isn't enough, both Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Ares (Edgar Ramirez) now serve Cronos. With the titans running amok, Perseus, Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), and the son of Poseidon (Toby Kebbel) have to beat the baddies and save the day. Wrath of the Titans is a war, and not of what you might think. It's a war of European accents. This movie features Italians, Brits, Aussies, Spaniards, and a few I didn't recognize. And all of them try to talk over each other, creating a tornado of gibberish. Not that the story is clear or well told anyway, but you know what I mean. The film also has no rules; Perseus flies through walls and it has no effect, monsters materialize from midair, and wounds heal instantly. Finally, most of the action scenes are just Perseus getting his head kicked in by Ares. Honestly, Wrath of the Titans was a surprise.I did not think the series could go lower than the two minutes of Kraken and the ridiculous romance. This time the filmmakers somehow made it feel like they slapped two independently made bad movies together. It's like a cream-cheese bagel where the cream-cheese is all over the sides when you unwrap it. There's just too much and not much of it is worth trying to wipe up with your fingers. It's just a hot mess. I don't even know why I went to see this movie. I knew it was gonna be bad, so why did I even bother? Oh well, at least now I can gripe about it. Wrath of the Titans isn't fun, or clever, or smart, or anything; it's just kind of there. The movie thinks it's some sort of self-aware callback to Ray Harryhausen, but no, no it's not. Wrath of the Titans is just a particularly bad monster flick, nothing more. Hopefully, the next one won't be anything less.

The Hunger Games

Sometimes I see a trailer for a movie, and it doesn't do anything for me. It isn't that the film looks bad per se, just uninteresting. Like when I saw the trailer for The Hunger Games, it just did not stimulate any kind of response. Again, not because it looked back, it just passed over me. When I finally saw Hunger Games though, I was pleasantly surprised, and found that yet another movie had been shafted by marketing. I'm not sure this is the new Harry Potter, but it's pretty damn good. In the future, twelve districts rose up against the evil Capitol and were violently defeated. As punishment, each district much offer up a young boy and a young girl as tributes in The Hunger Games, a battle royale to the death. In order to save her sister from the Games, tough-girl Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers herself. Katniss and her fellow tribute Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are from the poorest district, and as a result are expected to die first. The two make friends in Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), but when the competition starts, everyone is on their own. Walking into The Hunger Games, I expected an anglicized version of Japan's Battle Royale. I expected the same plot only with a heightened romance, wacky sidekicks, and possibly Nazis. The good news is that I was wrong. The Hunger Games is its own thing for its own audience. Everything from the stark beauty of its sad world to the intricate mythos is very immersive and memorable. The Hunger Games is intense. The whole film is chock-full of tension that Martha Marcy May Marlene could only dream of. Each scene is directed as such; this is not an action movie, it isn't funny, and it is not Twilight. We feel the desperation of the contestants, unprepared teenagers forced to slaughter people they were allowed to befriend beforehand. Gary Ross does a great directing job, the script is really good, and the acting is damn fine. All the leads rock their roles, even Lenny Kravitz. Considering the record-breaking box office of this film and how long it has taken me to write the review, whoever's reading this has probably seen this film. If you haven't, do so. The Hunger Games deserves its popularity, and I can't wait for the sequels. I was really happy that I ended up seeing this film. This is mature very well done drama that should not be sold short because it's based on a teen book. Also, it actually finds a way to make its audience think without being preachy. Highly recommended.

The Raid: Redemption

I'm not going to waste time here: The Raid (I don't acknowledge the Sony-placed "redemption") is the best action film in at least twenty years. In terms of martial arts, it's on the level of Unleashed, Kung Fu Hustle, and Bruce Lee. Oh yeah, I went there. The Raid doesn't try to be serious or cerebral, it is just pure awesome for 90 minutes. It's cranked to eleven from the start and never looks back. Move over The Matrix, step down Jason Bourne; all hail The Raid. Rama (Iko Uwais) is an expectant father who is one of twenty elite Indonesian cops sent to take down a ruthless crime lord (Ray Sahetapy). Their target lives in a thirty-floor building full of wanted criminals who pay in exchange for protection. Early on, the team is caught on camera, and learnt that the mission was a way for a corrupt lieutenant (Pierre Gruno) to cover his tracks, and they're without backup. When the crime lord broadcasts a message promising permanent free stays to every person who brings him a dead cop, Rama and the others are caught in a storm of violence and survival. There's a moment in The Raid where you realize that it isn't going to develop characters well or have a deep story. It happens early on and the film is very clear that it doesn't care. The Raid knows what it wants to be: freaking awesome, and it it is all the way to the end. Director Gareth Evans shoots the fight scenes with the complexity of a Jet Li film and the brutality of a UFC match. Seriously, Silat is one of the most intense and bloody fighting styles I've ever seen, and the frenetic action sequences are so brutal you feel every pung. The fights are fantastically choreographed, and each one is unique; you never see the same kick kicked twice. Ok, I have to admit The Raid isn't perfect. I sometimes wanted more story, and the score by Mike Shinoda is appropriate rarely. Also, it is basically a live-action videogame. But so what? The Raid is an adrenaline shot straight to the heart of action cinema. There hasn't been an American action flick this nuts in ever, and I truly believe it will be remembered. Just...wow. You can probably tell by now that I'm running out of ways to describe how great The Raid is. I just had so much damn fun watching it, I don't know how else to talk about it. If this film is playing in your town, see it immediately. Even if you have to run across town to make it, even if it's playing in the worst theater in the area, just go.