The Wolverine

Four years after his last solo adventure, Wolverine has returned to the big screen. Once again played by Hugh Jackman, the "star" of the X-Men fights evil in The Wolverine, the franchise's first 3D adventure.

This time, Wolverine is roaming the Yukon. Ever since X-Men: The Last Stand  where he was forced to kill the rampaging Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), the immortal mutant has little to live for. He's found by Yukio (Rila Fukushima), adopted granddaughter of the wealthy Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi). Wolverine saved Yashida from the bombing of Nagasaki back when Yashida was a Japanese soldier. Now, the dying Yashida wishes to thank him by removing his healing powers, the source of his immortality.

When Yashida dies, Wolverine gets involved in a plot involving the Yakuza, Yashida's son Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Yashida's granddaughter and heir Mariko (Tao Okamoto). That's when he finds his healing powers are suddenly gone. If he's to survive, Wolverine has to get to the bottom of that family mystery.

What killed that last solo adventure, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was that it explained the mysteries of Wolverine's character rather anticlimactically.

This one, directed by James Mangold, doesn't have this problem. Here, it's no secret that Wolverine is the fiercest mutant around. But he's trying to keep his ferocity under control. This film's screen-story makes that struggle interesting and compelling to watch.

As photographed by Ross Emery, the film's Japanese scenery is great to look at. Its action scenes, such as a fight on top of a bullet train, are also excellent. One of its best effects is at the end, when the robotic Silver Samurai makes its debut.

Overall, this X-Men adventure is definitely awesome. Some might think that its final act is too outlandish, but at least it's fun...unlike some other films this summer. Whether in 3D or on Flatscreen, The Wolverine is certain to thrill.

Stay through the credits and you'll see the set-up for the X-Men's next big screen adventure, X-Men: Days of Future Past.

RED 2

Unlike a lot of action films these days, RED 2 is not 3D. Then again, neither was the original film.

Frank Moses (Bruce Willis), the “Retired, Extremely Dangerous” former CIA agent, is living a normal life with girlfriend Sarah (Mary Louise-Parker). One day, he finds himself hunted down by all sorts of people. It seems that he and his CIA-buddy Marvin (John Malkovich) were linked to a Cold War project called Nightshade. Since it involved nuking the Soviet Union with a super bomb, the bad guys want to know what they know.

To get to the bottom of this, the heroes spring out the project's maker, Edward Bailey (Anthony Hopkins). To succeed, they have to beat contract killer Han (Lee Byung-hun) and keep the bomb from agent Jack Horton (Neal McDonough). They're also joined by Russian agent Katya (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and their old CIA-partner, Victoria (Helen Mirren).

In this sequel, director Dean Parisot takes over for Robert Schwentke. As with the first film, it gives plenty of fun things for its acclaimed cast to do. In particular, Mirren has plenty of good deadpan moments while Parker is perfectly the opposite. Its action scenes were plenty of fun, especially when they're mixed with comedy. 

RED 2 is suitably entertaining enough to make that slow afternoon worthwhile. Those who want to see a great cast in amazing stunts won't be disappointed. I sure wasn't.

Fruitvale Station

Fruitvale Station is not in 3D, not big budget and not flashy. It's also based on a real life incident instead of a work of fiction. It's still one of the best films to come out this summer.

It begins by showing the end.

On New Years Day 2009, Oscar Grant III and a few friends are detained at the Fruitvale BART Station by Transit Officers. Things go wrong real fast and Oscar is shot and killed by an Officer.

The day before, as documented by first-time writer/director Ryan Coogler, Grant (Michael B. Jordan) is just trying to get by. He's trying to find a job, send his daughter to school and maintain his relationships with his friends and family.

Knowing the end and how close to it might put some people off. So what makes this work?

As Oscar, Michael B. Jordan is in pretty much every scene. He has a short temper, but he's trying so hard to make better. We can see how he loves and is loved by his friends and family. Overall, he's a likable man and his loss is tragic and the circumstances of it are terrible.

His supporting cast, including Octavia Spencer as his mother Wanda, are all likable people as well. They feel like friends as much as characters.

At a very short 84 minutes, editors Claudia Castello and Michael P. Shawver keep it going. It's felt especially at the scenes around BART, even before the incident happens. Even opening the film with the actual cell-phone footage was enough to intensify the film.

Fruitvale Station works because despite being an "Oscar" film, it's not trying painfully hard. Instead, it's just about real people, the sort one might like to know better. Or wish we knew.

Just don't go to the film emotionally unprepared.

R.I.P.D.

What? Another big blockbuster in 3D?

Yes, it is. This is R.I.P.D., the other summer film to star Ryan Reynolds.

In this one, Reynolds is Nick Walker. Nick is a cop on the Boston Police Force with a loving wife, Julia (Stephanie Szostak), and loyal partner, Bobby (Kevin Bacon). One day, Nick and Bobby seize some gold pieces from a drug bust for themselves. Nick decides to come clean after they partake in their latest bust. We don't know how that bust ends, because for Nick, it ends with Bobby shooting him in the face.

Now dead, Nick is plucked into the offices of the R.I.P.D. (Rest in Peace Department). These dead officers protect the living from rogue spirits, the "Deados", who don't want to go to the other side. Nick is assigned to be the partner of rowdy Marshal Roy Pulsipher (Jeff Bridges). On Earth, they appear to be different people to the living. On the trail of the spooks, Nick and Roy find them planning something apocalyptic.

It's like Men in Black with ghosts. Not just in the premise, but also that it's based on an obscure comic book. The biggest overall difference between them is that Men in Black was a lot funnier.

There were some parts that were funny. For one thing, Jeff Bridges steals the show as the rootin' tootin' Roy. The Earthly disguises concept provided some good gags, up to and including seeing who they are disguised as.

But after all the big special effects, the overall fun factor goes down. The End Result is that this is an average film, rather than the milestone of sci-fi comedy that Men in Black was.

This is a film that I wish I liked a whole lot. But as it is, R.I.P.D. is an OK film that should entertain on a fine afternoon...when it's on DVD.

Turbo

Yet another 3D film has made it into theaters. It's called Turbo, the first of two films this week starring Ryan Reynolds.

In Turbo, Reynolds is Turbo.

OK, who is Turbo?

Turbo is a snail. He spends his days with his brother Chet (Paul Giamatti) munching on a local tomato plant. Turbo wants to live life faster than any snail before him. One night, he goes off on his own onto the local highway. One thing leads to another and before he knows it, Turbo gets sucked into a drag racer and immersed in Nitrous Oxide.

When he gets out, Turbo is a living car. He has headlights, a radio and most importantly, speed!

Turbo's super speed gets the attention of Tito (Michael Peña), one of the "Dos Bros" of the local Taco stand. His business hasn't been good, but Tito decides to save it by entering Turbo in the Indy 500. Turbo's more than willing to enter, for he'll get the chance to race against his favorite racer, Guy Gagne (Bill Hader).

It's the directorial debut of David Soren, a regular storyboard artist at Dreamworks. It's bright and colorful enough to enjoy aesthetically. Its best use of artistry is its colorful snails and the various automobiles. On the writing side, it's got a few funny, if not morbid, running gags. And of course, the big Indy Race was a suspenseful climax.

Still, a lot of the characters didn't stand out that much. A lot of them were kind of "been there, done that" type. The ones who did stand out included Turbo, Gagne and Kim Ly (Ken Jeong), the elderly manicurist.

Turbo is the kind of film that'll entertain kids on a matinee. For the rest of us, it's an OK ride, but nothing spectacular that would merit the Animated Feature Oscar.

Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim is essentially a Japanese Monster Movie on a Hollywood Mega-Budget. Director Guillermo Del Toro's mammoth production should please both sci-fi fans and everybody else.

In the very near future, gargantuan monsters roam the Pacific. Referred to as Kaiju, they come out of a portal in an ocean crevice to pound on coastal cities. Humans come up with giant robots, the Jaegars, to beat them up. Each Jaegar is piloted by two or more people who mentally bond with each other.

The Jaegars beat back the next few years of Kaiju attacks until the monsters suddenly get tougher. In response, World Leaders decide to scrap the Robots and build a wall around the Pacific.

Commanding Jaegar Officer Pentecost (Idris Elba) has a plan to win the war. His plan is to drop a nuke into the portal, thus closing it up for good. He brings former Jaegar pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunman) and his machine, Gipsy Danger, out of retirement. Raleigh's former co-pilot and brother, Yancy, died fighting a Kaiju. His new co-pilot, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) survived a Kaiju's attack on Tokyo. They have to overcome their trauma to link-up with their machine and "cancel the apocalypse."

This is definitely a film to see on the big screen. Its visual effects, as well as Guillermo Navarro's cinematography, accentuate the size of the Kaiju. They, especially in their first appearances, really look towering and menacing. The Jaegars themselves are wonderfully rendered CGI machines.

Its human characters, meanwhile, are noteworthy. Its lead characters are compelling individuals and Ron Perlman makes a great impression as a shady Black Marketeer. The environments they live in, both practical and CGI sets, are amazing creations.

Its goal is to beat giant monsters in the face. Pacific Rim succeeds in that goal, which is why it's a real winner in either 3D or Flatscreen.

The Lone Ranger

Hi ho...whatever!

That celebrated Old West Crimefighter, The Lone Ranger, is back on the big screen. His trek back, following the notorious dud The Legend of the Lone Ranger, was a hard one. At one point, it was so expensive that its studio, Disney, pulled the plug.

But now it's back. So anyway...

In the "thrilling days of yesteryear," John Reid (Armie Hammer) was a lawyer who believed in truth and justice. One day, he's deputized as a Texas Ranger by his brother Dan (James Badge Dale). Their first assignment together is to capture the brutal Outlaw Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner). But thanks to a traitor, their group is ambushed and Dan is killed.

An eccentric Comanche, Tonto (Johnny Depp), helps John survive the attack. Since he's now assumed dead, John becomes The Lone Ranger to take on Cavendish. Joining him on his quest are Tonto, of course, and the white horse, Silver.

As with director Gore Verbinski's previous western, Rango, this is surprisingly not in 3D. It's already extravagant enough, though. There's plenty of exciting chases aboard trains, gunfights and heroic stunts. At 2 1/2 hours, getting to the good stuff gets tiring at times.

Helping things along is Depp. As Tonto, he's delightfully eccentric and a lot smarter than he first appears. As the hero, Hammer was OK, but not outstanding. Meanwhile, composer Hans Zimmer sets the action to a great score, including a rendition of the William Tell Overture.

When it gets going, The Lone Ranger is really fun. When it's not going, you'll wish it was. But for those who can wait, the film's action scenes will be worth it. Just beware the Killer Rabbits.

Despicable Me 2

Gru, the diabolical star of 2010's Despicable Me, is back. Once again voiced by Steve Carrell, and accompanied by his Minions, Gru is ready for more zany adventures in Despicable Me 2.

In the last movie, Gru renounced his evil ways and became the single father to three orphan girls: Margo, Edith and Agnes. In this movie, he's bored with his lot in life. That's when Agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) of the Anti-Villain League comes in.

Someone with a very large magnet stole a whole laboratory. Developed within the lab is a diabolical mutagen that can create vicious killing machines. Gru's mission, which he chooses to accept, is to identify the villain responsible. Along the way, Gru has to deal with Margo's interest in boys, his insecurities and the culprit, a presumed dead villain named El Macho (Benjamin Bratt, replacing Al Pacino at the last minute).

As with the original, it's filled with much zany slapstick. A lot of it involves the Minions and their escapades. Their upcoming spin-off film, Minions, gets subtly advertised during the end credits. El Macho, meanwhile, stands out as a delightfully over-the-top bad guy. Its wackiness is sure to entertain both kids and adults, but especially kids.

What also makes the gags work is that they have purpose. A gag or two the movie throws in for a quick laugh plays a bigger part in the conclusion. It maybe for kids, but this attention to detail should delight the most savvy adults. Clearly, this movie has learned well from Anton Chekhov.

Personally, I liked it just the same as the first one. Whether or not you'll like one or the other more is up to you. Either way, it's sure to be a fun family matinee if you do go.