The Equalizer

A gag in The Wolf of Wall Street was one character's obsession with the 80's vigilante for hire show The Equalizer. If any one called during the show the character got mad ... and converse with the caller in an overly-polite voice.

And now, The Equalizer has made its way to the big screen. Just don't call anybody while they're watching this movie, OK?

Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is a model employee at a Boston Home Depot HomeMart. By day, he's a pal to his co-workers. By night, he reads alone at his apartment and hangs out at the local diner. One regular customer at the diner is a call girl, Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), who's employed by some Russian Mobsters. Meanwhile, his co-workers at the Not-Home Depot wonder what he used to do.

One night, McCall discovers Teri is abused by her employers. When she lands in the hospital, McCall decides to do what he used to do: brutally beat up bad guys. McCall takes out his calm, collective rage against the Criminal Underworld. Meanwhile, the evil Russian Don Pushkin (Vladimir Kulich) dispatches his enforcer, Teddy (Martin Csokas), to go after McCall.

Antoine Fuqua, who directed Washington in his Oscar-winning role in Training Day, gets another fine performance out of his star. As usual, Denzel's easy-going style endears him to the audience. There's some compulsive behavior (such as continually timing his fights) that pops up during the movie. It's as if to say "that helps explain why he's driven to fight." Overall, he's nice, but don't wrong him or anyone else he knows.

The film is 131 minutes long, yet its pace varies. By the time McCall meets his former superiors (Melissa Leo and Bill Pullman) for a heart-to-heart, I thought it was almost time for the climax. It sped that fast. But I checked my watch and discovered an hour passed. There was another hour left. The actual climax set inside the Fake Home Depot showed McCall at his most brutal and creative.

Anyone unfamiliar with The Equalizer TV series will have no trouble following the movie. Its very straightforward plot relies on the show's basic premise, not continuity. You'll understand Robert McCall once you step out of the theater, rather than after you return home.

I have never watched an episode of the show, but The Equalizer movie is a clear, stylized thriller. Its star's performance sells the movie, which is enough to overcome its slight overlength. And that's a major positive.

The Maze Runner

Let's see what's on the Bookshelf.

(A few minutes later.)

Here's one: The Maze Runner, by James Dashner. It's the first of a Young-Adult series. Monsters and Mazes and Film Franchise Potential! Let's see how this latest Literary Film Franchise starter is.

Our hero, Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), wakes up in an Elevator with no memories. His destination is The Glade, a woodland community of  amnesiac guys like him. The Glade is in the center of a gigantic, rearranging Maze. The only way out of the Glade is out of the Maze. Anyone who goes into the Maze (the Runners) will have to avoid the resident Spidery Monsters, the Grievers.

The next newcomer to the Glade is a girl, Teresa (Kaya Scodelario). She'll also be the last newcomer The Glade. She also apparently knows who Thomas is. She's also the likely answer to the Glade's mysteries. Thomas decides to become a Runner himself to get the full answer.

Thomas is opposed by two factors. The first is Gally (Will Poulter), the resident tough guy who doesn't want any extraneous maze running. The second is the ending.

To boil it down: It's the future so life sucks. Why life sucks is detailed in the end. There's a bit of confounding ambiguity about certain back-story essential characters thrown in. It'll certainly throw off neophytes to the franchise a bit. At some point, one of these Young-Adult movies ought to put a "Find out the answers next time!" disclaimer. At least that would show self-awareness.

Wes Ball, normally a special-effects artist, makes his feature length directorial debut here. His film realizes some good imagery on a mere $34 million budget. The Grievers are interesting creatures; however, their scenes are edited too fast to comprehend them. The Maze is a wonderfully gritty and gigantic mix of CG and Real set design.

The Maze Runner is good filler for the Fall Movie dead zone. It goes at a good pace and keeps you invested in the characters' fates. That alone should make up for the open-endedness that'll surely be explained more in the next part, The Scorch Trials.

Boyhood

NOTE: Took me long enough but now I have a new review.

Director Richard Linklater could have made his latest film, Boyhood, in one year. Twelve years in the fictional life of one Texas family would have needed multiple actors in the same role. Instead, Linklater started filming in 2002 to document the growth of both actors and characters.

Let's see how it is.

Mason Evans (Ellar Coltrane) begins the film at six-years old. His mother, Olivia (Patricia Arquette), moves him and sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater, the director's daughter) to Houston so she can attend the University of Houston. On the weekends, Mason and Samantha go on trips with their biological father, Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke). Mason and Samantha grow up, make friends, lose friends, decide their future, go to college and so forth. Meanwhile, Olivia struggles to support the kids and get through one failed re-marriage after another.

And that's the basic gist of the movie.

It's a story which spans 165 minutes. A lot of it is about character development. Some of it is good, some of it is not. Even minor characters we wouldn't expect to see again return. Seeing the actors age with their characters makes it intriguing.

Both the young and adult actors make a nice ensemble. You won't think of them as actors at all but as characters. Coltrane and Linklater are capable leads whose life lessons keep the viewer invested. Amongst the adults, there's Ethan Hawke as Mason Sr. He's laid-back, carefree and one of the most stable adults in the picture. He makes a good father for the kids.

Its run-time may seem intimidating for a casual viewer at first. But if you can get through it, you'll have a fine cinematic experience. That it was done at all this way is what you'll remember the most about it.