About a month since Jersey Boys and another music Biopic is upon us. It's Get On Up and unlike the other film, it wasn't really dull. Let's see what else it is.
The film follows the rise and fall and return of The Godfather of Soul, James Brown (Chadwick Boseman). James gets arrested for disturbing the peace, among other charges, in 1988. His mother (Viola Davis) leaves him to be raised by his abusive father (Lennie James). His father leaves him with James's Aunt Honey (Octavia Spencer). James becomes the face, if not the entirety, of the Famous Flames group. He's arrested at 17 for theft and meets Bobby Byrd (Nelsan Ellis).
I'm not mixing my notes.
The film is one of those Biopics that puts a playlist of time periods on shuffle. It goes back and forth between those periods at almost anytime. Some of the time jumps are rather odd. For instance, I have no idea why young James was in a junior, one-armed boxing match. It doesn't explain.
Chadwick Boseman's performance was as elaborate as James Brown was. His dancing was energetic and his voice was a good match. How do I know it's a good match? Because much of the singing is actually Brown's recordings. And the transition between Boseman and Brown wasn't jarring. The music was mixed pretty well.
Amongst the supporting cast, the best are Ellis as Byrd and Dan Aykroyd as manager Ben Bart. Both try to help and advise Brown during his dark days. Though in Byrd's case, he sometimes wonders if help is even possible. Aykroyd, meanwhile, makes for a warm mentor figure.
Get on Up's time jumps will need some getting used to. It's still an entertaining Biopic which gets you to care about its subject even when he's full of it. It really makes the most of its 137 minutes. Hope it's remembered six months from now.
About Me
- Jethrotcat
- This is the blog where I talk about the latest movies I've seen. These are my two Schnauzers, Rufus (left) and Marley (right, RIP). As of now, the Double Hollywood Strikes are officially over. May the next strikes not last as long as these ones did.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Friday, August 8, 2014
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The world's most famous band of terrapin crime-fighters are still around. Their latest cartoon debuted on Nickelodeon in 2012. Now the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in live-action in their first 3D adventure.
Once again, Leonardo (Pete Ploszek, voice of Johnny Knoxville), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Raphael (Alan Ritchson) and Michelangelo (Noel Fisher) are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (instead of Teenage Alien Ninja Turtles as was once suggested they be).
But seriously, the Terrapin Foursome were once laboratory test subjects. They escape into the New York sewers with fellow test subject Splinter (Danny Woodburn, voice of Tony Shaloub). Splinter teaches them ninjutsu just because he can. Years later, the Turtles take on the Foot, a paramilitary gang terrorizing the city.
News Reporter April O'Neil (Megan Fox) sets out to cover the Foot's reign of terror. As a kid, April saved our heroes from the laboratory. Her father once worked with the seemingly benevolent Eric Sacks (William Fichtner) to create the Mutagen which made our heroes mutants. Sacks is also in league with the Shredder (Tohoru Masamune), the leader of the Foot. The bad guys plan something evil with the Mutagen and only our heroes can thwart it.
Its 101 minute run-time goes by extremely quickly. It's both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it keeps the viewer's attention during every minute. It's a curse because it under-answers certain questions. Why are the Shredder and the Foot a threat? Why do Splinter and the Turtles care about each other that much? If only the film had time to develop concise answers we'd understand enough.
The Mutants were products of motion-capture work rather than animatronic suits. Their designs may need some getting used to, but the animation is fluid and lifelike. It really shows when Splinter takes on the Shredder and performs an amazing array of stunts. Other highlights include a chase down a snow mountain and the final fight with Shredder.
Is it the worst movie in the world? No. It has enough humorous moments to keep this from being dull. But if these Turtles slowed down every once in a while, we might have had a time to develop a most excellent return to the big screen. It's still a decent afternoon matinee.
Cowabunga?!
Once again, Leonardo (Pete Ploszek, voice of Johnny Knoxville), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Raphael (Alan Ritchson) and Michelangelo (Noel Fisher) are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (instead of Teenage Alien Ninja Turtles as was once suggested they be).
But seriously, the Terrapin Foursome were once laboratory test subjects. They escape into the New York sewers with fellow test subject Splinter (Danny Woodburn, voice of Tony Shaloub). Splinter teaches them ninjutsu just because he can. Years later, the Turtles take on the Foot, a paramilitary gang terrorizing the city.
News Reporter April O'Neil (Megan Fox) sets out to cover the Foot's reign of terror. As a kid, April saved our heroes from the laboratory. Her father once worked with the seemingly benevolent Eric Sacks (William Fichtner) to create the Mutagen which made our heroes mutants. Sacks is also in league with the Shredder (Tohoru Masamune), the leader of the Foot. The bad guys plan something evil with the Mutagen and only our heroes can thwart it.
Its 101 minute run-time goes by extremely quickly. It's both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it keeps the viewer's attention during every minute. It's a curse because it under-answers certain questions. Why are the Shredder and the Foot a threat? Why do Splinter and the Turtles care about each other that much? If only the film had time to develop concise answers we'd understand enough.
The Mutants were products of motion-capture work rather than animatronic suits. Their designs may need some getting used to, but the animation is fluid and lifelike. It really shows when Splinter takes on the Shredder and performs an amazing array of stunts. Other highlights include a chase down a snow mountain and the final fight with Shredder.
Is it the worst movie in the world? No. It has enough humorous moments to keep this from being dull. But if these Turtles slowed down every once in a while, we might have had a time to develop a most excellent return to the big screen. It's still a decent afternoon matinee.
Cowabunga?!
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Guardians of the Galaxy
Next summer brings The Avengers back to the big screen. In the meantime, Marvel would like to inform you about other stars in the Cinematic Universe. They are the Guardians of the Galaxy, and they are most welcome to make our acquaintance.
In 1988, young Peter Quill loses his mother to cancer. He's abducted by aliens a few minutes later. These aliens are the Ravagers, a band of space pirates. Years later, Quill (Chris Pratt) is the legendary Ravager Star-Lord. He's so legendary that no one either knows or care who he is.
Star-Lord steals an Orb which contains an Infinity Stone, one of six super MacGuffins (two of which were introduced in prior Marvel movies). Star-Lord takes it for himself and gets a bounty on his head from the Ravagers. Rocket (Bradley Cooper), a cyborg Raccoon and his sidekick, Groot (Vin Diesel), a humanoid tree with seemingly limited vocabulary, want the bounty. The assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana) sets out to get the stone
Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket and Groot all get thrown in prison together. They meet their fifth member, the vengeful warrior Drax (Dave Bautista) and escape. These not-so heroic heroes have to keep the stone from evil hands. The deranged judge Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) and the Supreme Evil Overlord Thanos most certainly qualify as evil hands.
After a summer of seriousness, director and co-writer James Gunn makes it fun. The main characters are likable rogues, much more laid back than uptight superheroes. Drax steals the show with his complete inability to comprehend metaphors. Groot and Rocket are highlights of motion capture effects and character acting. Star-Lord proves himself a capable leader in spite of his rebellious streak. And Gamora often struggles to deal with their eccentricities.
There's a colorful display of creatures big and small and even pink and blue. Much of the Alien life was created through practical makeup effects. All of these creations are works of art. The worlds they inhabit are amazing creations of practical and CGI set building. It serves to create a wonderfully large universe.
Guardians of the Galaxy moves along quickly in its two-hour run-time. The film's relaxed tone makes it easy to sit through. Those with little knowledge of these characters beforehand will certainly know them after it's done. And chances are, they'll eagerly await more.
Its end-credit scene doesn't set up any future Marvel movie. Actually, one can already expect more of Thanos and the Infinity Stones once the movie's done. Instead, the scene brings back Marvel's fowlest character from cinematic oblivion. And no, "fowlest" is not a typo; that's a clue as to who he is.
In 1988, young Peter Quill loses his mother to cancer. He's abducted by aliens a few minutes later. These aliens are the Ravagers, a band of space pirates. Years later, Quill (Chris Pratt) is the legendary Ravager Star-Lord. He's so legendary that no one either knows or care who he is.
Star-Lord steals an Orb which contains an Infinity Stone, one of six super MacGuffins (two of which were introduced in prior Marvel movies). Star-Lord takes it for himself and gets a bounty on his head from the Ravagers. Rocket (Bradley Cooper), a cyborg Raccoon and his sidekick, Groot (Vin Diesel), a humanoid tree with seemingly limited vocabulary, want the bounty. The assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana) sets out to get the stone
Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket and Groot all get thrown in prison together. They meet their fifth member, the vengeful warrior Drax (Dave Bautista) and escape. These not-so heroic heroes have to keep the stone from evil hands. The deranged judge Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) and the Supreme Evil Overlord Thanos most certainly qualify as evil hands.
After a summer of seriousness, director and co-writer James Gunn makes it fun. The main characters are likable rogues, much more laid back than uptight superheroes. Drax steals the show with his complete inability to comprehend metaphors. Groot and Rocket are highlights of motion capture effects and character acting. Star-Lord proves himself a capable leader in spite of his rebellious streak. And Gamora often struggles to deal with their eccentricities.
There's a colorful display of creatures big and small and even pink and blue. Much of the Alien life was created through practical makeup effects. All of these creations are works of art. The worlds they inhabit are amazing creations of practical and CGI set building. It serves to create a wonderfully large universe.
Guardians of the Galaxy moves along quickly in its two-hour run-time. The film's relaxed tone makes it easy to sit through. Those with little knowledge of these characters beforehand will certainly know them after it's done. And chances are, they'll eagerly await more.
Its end-credit scene doesn't set up any future Marvel movie. Actually, one can already expect more of Thanos and the Infinity Stones once the movie's done. Instead, the scene brings back Marvel's fowlest character from cinematic oblivion. And no, "fowlest" is not a typo; that's a clue as to who he is.
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