Bad Grandpa

And now, for the fourth time, the guys of Jackass bring their antics to the big screen. This time, they've given a movie to Irving Zisman, the cantankerous old-timer played on the show by Johnny Knoxville. The whole title, simply enough, is Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.

Irving Zisman is a free man. His wife, Ellie (Catherine Keener), has passed on. So now, he can flirt with anyone and everyone. But first, he has to take his grandson, Billy (Jackson Nicoll), to Raleigh to live with his dad. His mom's going to jail for possession, while his dad just loves the idea of a few hundred bucks a month in Child Support.

Yay! What a wonderful family this is...not.

But that's not why people are going to see this. No, they're here to see folks pull stupid stuff on an unsuspecting public. And for the rest of these 92 minutes, Irving does plenty of stupidity. Including:

1. Causing a ruckus at Ellie's funeral.

2. Crashing a wedding reception.

3. Running over stuff.

4. Getting trapped by an electronic bed.

5. Riding a coin-operated rocket straight through a store window.

And that's just some of the PC-Stuff he does.

Fans of the show may find all of these gags comic gems. The rest of us will find them either funny, awkward, or obnoxious. It's not for everyone, that's for sure.

The makeup artists deserve plenty of praise for aging Knoxville and Keener to unrecognizability. Keener also deserves praise since she spends the movie playing a corpse.

Again, if you're a fan of the show, Bad Grandpa should provide plenty of enjoyable stupidity. The rest of us should know what we're getting into. Either way, don't do these stunts at home and in public!

The Fifth Estate

The proverbial Fifth Estate refers to those who operate outside of society's norm. The movie, The Fifth Estate, is about a site that aptly fits that description: WikiLeaks.

Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl) was living a dead-end life in Germany. One day, he meets the enigmatic, white-haired genius Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Assange wants to let the World Wide Web see what Governments and Corporations don't want the world to see. With Berg's help, he establishes WikiLeaks. For their first leak, they expose corruption in the bank Julius Baer.

Over the next few years, WikiLeaks exposes cover-up after cover-up. But their sources, whom Assange promised anonymity, end up being exposed. And with exposure comes death threats. Over this issue, Berg starts to have second thoughts about associating with Assange.

Josh Singer's screenplay melds together Berg's book Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the World's Most Dangerous Website and the book WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding. Say those names ten times fast.

As realized by director Bill Condon, the movie is average at best. When WikiLeaks starts its thing, we're satisfied to see the Fat Cats fall. As it exposes more cover-ups, we're really thinking about ethics. 

But the greatness is diluted by an unusually glacial 128 minutes. When we're not debating ethics, we're wondering what time it is. By the end of the movie, I was one of two people left out of a crowd of five.

The only part that kept me sitting was Cumberbatch. He's a good match, physical and voice-wise, to Assange. He certainly has his International Man of Mystery persona down. His ending monologue, which lambasts the possibility of this movie, made me wonder if that was really Assange (since Assange has publicly disavowed the movie). 

The Fifth Estate didn't bore me to annoyance like Anna Karenina did. But I kinda wish it earnestly glued me to the screen more. Still, it should make for an OK onetime viewing on a matinee.

Captain Phillips

It doesn't matter if you know how the events of Captain Phillips end. Director Paul Greengrass's real life thriller will keep you tense until the very end.

In 2009, Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) takes command of the MV Maersk Alabama on a voyage to Mombasa. A few days at sea, Phillips and his crew narrowly avoid a pirate takeover. The next day, they're not so lucky. Four armed Pirates from Somalia, led by one Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi), seize the ship.

The Pirate Crew wants a hefty bounty real fast; they'll kill Phillips and the crew if they inconvenience them. But the Alabama crew have better things to do than to be hostages. Phillips, meanwhile, is more than willing to cover his men's tracks.

As Phillips, Hanks perfectly leads the film. His character is a reluctant hero, but he'll act when he must. When he acts, it earns the audience's admiration.

The Pirate Crew, Abdi in particular, are great antagonists. They're motivated by desperation, not malice. Even when they threaten Phillips, one can honestly wish they could've avoided piracy. This makes the resolution of the ordeal quite bittersweet.

Editor Christopher Rouse, who won an Oscar for The Bourne Ultimatum, puts himself in consideration for another one. From the attempted hijacking onwards, the film keeps its audience invested in the situation. Assembling Barry Ackroyd's cinematography, the end result feels like an up-close documentary of the situation. Henry Jackman's incredible score also stands out triumphantly.

Some have accused the film's account of exaggerating the actual events. But Captain Phillips is still a spectacular thriller. It's one of those films that we should hear from more in a few months for the right reasons.

Gravity

Let's See:

Two of my past reviews were 127 Hours and Life of Pi. One was about a man pinned to a boulder for the whole movie, and the other was about a young man in a lifeboat with a tiger for most of the movie. Both were good movies, as is Gravity, about two people (and only them) surviving in space.

In the film's first shot, Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are in space repairing the Hubble Telescope. Their shuttle, the Explorer, is destroyed by debris from a satellite. They have to find a way back to Earth.

That first shot is the film's first ten minutes. And that above paragraph is pretty much the whole movie.

Oh yeah, and it turns out that space is pretty harsh. Dr. Stone has to stay positive if she's to survive.

Director Alfonso Cuaron's space odyssey is an unusually small ninety-minutes. Those minutes go by pretty fast thanks to Cuaron and his co-editor, Mark Sanger. They're as thrilling as those movies that push through two hours.

Outer space, as photographed by Emmanuel Lubezki, is pretty impressive. Sometimes claustrophobic, other-times expansive, the imagery is one of the best cinematic depictions of outer space. And it makes up for a lack of sound effects with a great score by Steven Price.

The film can get brutal at times, but the screenplay, by Cuaron and his son Jonas, has some comic relief. Much of it is from George Clooney's slick Kowalski...I should stop myself before I'm tempted to spoil.

As an exercise in visual effects, Gravity stays afloat. It's an Epic Fall Blockbuster that will surely be counted as a milestone of the medium. Whether in 3D or Flatscreen, it thrills the audience either way.

Rush

Now's the time of year when we get the Oscar movies en-masse. One of the first out of the gate is Rush, a film about racecar drivers. Even if you're not into racing, this real life tale should be a real thrill.

Directed by Ron Howard, Rush is about one of the 70's most famous sports rivalries. James Hunt (Chirs Hemsworth) is the brash and reckless Brit with many Formula Three victories. Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) is the level-headed Austrian who literally bought his way into the sport. The two egos instantly dislike each other off the track.

Once they make their way into Formula One, their rivalry on the track gets fierce. When Lauda is nearly killed in a crash, both his and Hunts' egos come down. Only after that are they able to respect each other as equals.

The screenplay is by Peter Morgan, whose play Frost/Nixon was also filmed by Howard. It makes the off-track action as much exciting as the on-track stuff. At times, the audience may find one of the men likable and the other not likable. Both leads are perfectly cast and compelling; by the end of the film, the audience's side is surely on both.

The film's pit crew (sic) also deserve attention. Among them are editors Mike Hill and Daniel P. Hanley, whose quick work keeps the film going. Also setting the mood are cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, production designer Mark Digby and especially composer Hans Zimmer. The makeup department, meanwhile, gives its actors some very graphic injuries and disfigurements.

Those looking for an intense sports story have found it. Rush will keep the audience entranced for its 123 minute runtime. On the awards side, it should be a good starter for the cinematic parade to come.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is here to provide some family 3D entertainment. Trust me; it'll make you hungry watching it in flat-screen.

In case you haven't seen the last movie, Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) fills you in. Basically, Flint invented the FLDSMDFR, the wondrous device that rained food. Flint destroyed the machine after it made not-so-wondrous food weather all over the world.

Then, super-genius Chester V (Will Forte) shows up, and evacuates Flint's island hometown of Swallow Falls. Flint even gets a job working with V, his longtime scientific idol. But then he humiliates himself in-front of him.

It turns out the FLDSMDFR isn't dead; it's busy making food creatures. These "foodimals" are apparently learning how to swim so they can destroy New York City...or something. So Chester V sends Flint to find the device and shut it down. Oh yeah, and Flint's friends come along too.

The film gets by on plenty of silly, though obvious puns. Like:

Character 1: (Insert food-related cliche...)

Character 2: (There's the food!)

Or the names of the Foodimals. Like "Shrimpanzees," "PB & Jellyfish" and "Tacodile Supreme." Needless to say, the writers get points for their wordplay. Though if they wanted one more point, they should've made the villain's identity less obvious.

The Foodimals are the best part of the film. That's because they're quite creative mash-ups which look all too delicious. You'll be wanting a cheeseburger before this is done.

It's bright and colorful enough to satisfy the kids in the audience. Much of the humor is quite juvenile, though the adults will tolerate it enough to get through the film. I found the whole film kind of cutesy and fun.

Until Free Birds comes out November 1st, this is the only new animated film out there. Still, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs should satisfy many a matinee until then. It's certainly a lot better than something like The Smurfs 2.

Salinger

Almost a decade was spent making the new documentary, Salinger. The end result gives its audience some interesting, sometimes shocking details, into the life of the titular literary genius.

Salinger is, of course, J.D. Salinger, the author of The Catcher in the Rye. Even before writing that book, his only novel, he also published quite a few short stories. He also served in World War II, from D-Day to V-E Day. He even had his heart broken by Oona O'Neil, who left him for Charlie Chaplin.

In later life, Salinger became the most famous recluse since Howard Hughes. He'd write and write, but never let his work get published (his last work was Hapworth 16, 1924, published in 1964). Interviewing fans and friends, director Shane Solero tries to uncover why that was.

Of course, one voice you won't hear from is J.D. Salinger himself.

It would've been nice to hear from him, though. Particularly when it talked about the "fans" who killed, or tried to kill, in the name of The Catcher in the Rye. One guy said he'd be disturbed if fans used his work as their pretense. But how did that influence Salinger's reclusiveness?

It does explain how his life shaped his writing career, especially with Rye's Holden Caufield. It shows Salinger as being disillusioned with the world, much like Caufield. Overall, it's a convincing enough portrait of someone so smart that he can't relate to the world (as it portrays his relationship with his first wife).

At 129 minutes, it felt really long towards the end. At least, it seemed to end by introducing a few previously unpublished Salinger works set to be released soon. But then it goes on for a few more minutes. OK...

For those not much in the know, Salinger will provide a suitable learning experience. It does best with what it could get, and that's all that matters.

Blue Jasmine

Woody Allen's never-ending streak of movie-making continues this year with Blue Jasmine. It's an excellent reminder why he's been in business for so long.

Jasmine Francis (Cate Blanchett) is a New York socialite. Or rather, she was, until she lost everything when her husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) went to jail for fraud. Now broke, she's forced to live with her adopted sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) in San Francisco. She tries to maintain a normal life while clinging to her sanity.

Along the way, she meets Dwight (Peter Sarsgaard), a potential new suitor. She also runs into Ginger's ex Augie (Andrew Dice Clay) and her current man, Chili (Bobby Cannavale). She can't stand them, but really, it's because they can't stand her.

And it's all a dark comedy.

As Jasmine, Blanchett is a grown-up spoiled rich girl. And now, that spoiled rich girl has nothing. That's exactly what she's left with in the end. But she's a fascinatingly spoiled because she tries to keep up the facade of a good life. It shows she has more depth than "spoiled rotten."

Much of her supporting cast also give great performances. Clay, whose usual comedic persona is a jerk, is also a jerk here, but his reasons are actually understandable. Michael Stuhlbarg is Dr. Flicker, a seemingly nice dentist who hires Jasmine as a receptionist. Then there's Louis C.K., a nice, false suitor for Ginger.

Allen's screenplay sounds like it's a serious drama. But really, there are elements we can laugh at. Among them are Jasmine's opening scene, in which she babbles on about her life. Another part is Flicker's proposal to introduce Jasmine to Nitrous Oxide. It's all a reminder that we're watching a satire on the shallow rich.

If you can find Blue Jasmine in a theater, try to see it. It's a good character study about someone who really isn't that good.

The World's End

For their latest film, director Edgar Wright and co-writer/star Simon Pegg reach the end of their "Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy." The World's End, that is.

Gary King (Pegg) is a 40-year old slacker who once walked the Golden Mile in his hometown of Newton Haven. On that night, he and his chums crawled across 12 pubs...but crashed and burned before they got to the last one, The World's End. His chums, Peter (Eddie Marsan), Oliver (Martin Freeman), Steven (Paddy Considine) and Andrew (Nick Frost), have adult lives and responsibilities. Gary, who has none, gets them back together to finish what they started.

Out of drunken stupidity, Gary picks a fight with some local boys. They turn out to be alien robots. In fact, the whole town is populated by these robot "blanks." Gary decides he's got better things to do than be assimilated and leads his chums across the mile. But they'll have to bust some robot heads along the way.

It's essentially a modern day spoof of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It maybe fun, but when it gets tense, you'll really feel it. But it's still fun.

Much of the film works thanks to the cast. As "The King," Pegg is a likable slacker, the type of man you'd like to see have fun. As Andrew, Frost starts the film uptight, which makes him losing his inhibitions funnier. Their chemistry with the supporting cast is fun. One of their best scenes has them confront the leader of the robots (Bill Nighy).

Wright and Pegg's screenplay maintains a wacky tone as things get bizarre. When it gets serious, you'll feel for these characters just as much as you enjoy them. Its final twist is darkly comedic and might throw off the most unprepared viewers.

If you're prepared for bizarre times at the movies, The World's End is for you. It'll be the best fun you'll have seeing some guys drink themselves to oblivion.

The Butler

Now, we're getting to the point where the Oscar movies show themselves. One of the biggest out now is the real-life story The Butler...

Excuse me.

Lee Daniels' The Butler. Thanks a lot, Warner Bros.

Shorthand or longhand, this film is about Eugene Allen, a black man who spent over 30 years in the White House staff. Allen, who rose from "pantry man" to head butler, is represented by Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker).

After a harsh childhood in the South, Cecil finds security working at Washington DC hotels. Eventually, he joins the White House staff and learns the ropes from Freddie Fallows (Colman Domingo). He gets to know the Presidents well during events such as the Civil Rights Movement. At home, he and his wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) have to deal with their radical son Louis (David Oyelowo).

Directed by Lee Daniels, obviously, Danny Strong's screenplay was based on Wil Haywood's article A Butler Well Served By This Election. It's a screenplay that provides a great perspective into historical events. It's helped by Whitaker's sympathetic performance as Gaines. He may appear submissive to others, but really, his strength against adversity is just as good as the Civil Rights Marchers. Amongst his supporting cast, Winfrey and Oyelowo stand out immensely.

The Makeup Department, headed by Debra Denson, also deserves mention. They convincingly age Whitaker, Winfrey and Oyelowo over the years; especially so with Oyelowo, who's 37, and he begins the movie as a teenager. Alan Rickman and Jane Fonda, as the Reagans, convincingly look like their real life counterparts. John Cusack, as Richard Nixon, did not, though he at least sounds like him.

The Butler is both funny and serious, sometimes in the same scene. It's a great feel-good movie about an upstanding man. This is one history lesson you should check out.

Elysium

In his directorial debut, Neill Blomkamp made the allegorical Sci-Fi film District 9. His newest work, Elysium, is also an allegorical Sci-Fi movie. It's certainly one of the best blockbusters without a bloated budget around.

In the far future, Earth is a mess. Meanwhile, the filthy rich get to live on the space station Elysium. Its technology can cure anything from cancer to broken bones. Their idle way of life is violently protected by the evil Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hired gun, Kruger (Sharlto Copley).

On Earth, ex-con turned factory worker Max Da Costa (Matt Damon) has an accident on the job. As a result, he'll die of radiation poisoning in five days. The only way to save him is to go to Elysium. With an old buddy, Spider (Wagner Moura), Max gets equipped with a robotic exoskeleton. In exchange, Max has to get sensitive information from Delacourt's cohort, Carlyle (William Fichtner). Their plan gets complicated once they discover that Delacourt's planning to take over Elysium.

It's not in 3D, though if you're lucky, you can see it in IMAX. Either way, you'll still see some visual splendor. It's especially so with the eponymous space station. Its Earth scenes, filmed in Mexico City, portray a sprawling Los Angeles. The shear size of both environments are wonderful collaborations of production design and cinematography.

Blomkamp's script mixes in social commentary that sometimes goes to dark comedy. It's a thrilling Sc-Fi movie that gives its audience a lot to think about. It also provides a formidable villain in Kruger, played wonderfully by Copley. Elysium works on so many levels, although its graphic violence may repulse some viewers.

Elysium is sure to provide some great late summer fun. In fact, it's sure to provide some great summer fun period. It was just that good.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

It took a while, a lot longer than some page-to-screen adaptations take for sequels. But now, Rick Riordan's boy hero, Percy Jackson, has a second movie. It's called Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and unlike the first film, this one is available in 3D.

Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is the Demigod son of Poseidon, God of the Seas. In the last installment, The Lightning Thief, he saved Mount Olympus and the World from Divine in-fighting. Now, he's wondering whether or not he's really a stand-out hero. He's now at Camp Halfblood, the Olympian summer-camp, where he's met a new rival named Clarisse (Leven Rambin), daughter of Ares.

But Percy's real enemy is Luke (Jake Abel), deranged son of Hermes. Luke and his cronies have broken down Camp Halfblood's magical barrier tree. As a result, all sorts of monsters can cause trouble. The only thing that can fix the tree is the Golden Fleece, located within the Bermuda Triangle, the eponymous Sea of Monsters. Percy and his friends, some new, some old, have to set sail to get the fleece. Luke, meanwhile, has another use in mind for the fleece...

(Let me catch my breath.)

(So, anyway...)

At 106 minutes, the film goes by pretty fast. Fortunately, it gets to the points rather well. As a result, it's a fun movie to watch. Part of the fun is from Percy's supporting cast, which includes Stanley Tucci as Dionysus. 

Through visual effects, the filmmakers create some good monsters and Divine powers. A fine example was Percy and friends' ride on a magical Taxi cab driven by the blind Graeae. Their appearances were realized by great makeup effects; if CGI was involved, I didn't notice it.

Some might complain about it being not like the book. Those who haven't read the books might get thrown off. A few monster introductions confused me, so I can see the latter issue in effect. But I won't complain much about the former issue.

That's because Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is a suitably entertaining late summer blockbuster. If all you want is a good time with Greek Mythology, this certainly won't disappoint.

The Smurfs 2

Smurfing smurfness. The Smurfs are back on the smurf-screen. As with the first smurf movie, The Smurfs 2 is in smurfing 3D and smurftacular flatscreen. But then again, a smurf of movies are available like that.

Don't mind me. Just smurfing.

This smurffest begins by recapping the origins of Smurfette (Katy Perry). To put it smurfing short, she was created by the evil Gargamel (Hank Azaria) and turned good by Papa Smurf (Jonathan Winters). Speaking of Gargamel, he's in Paris, where he's the star of his own real life magic show. But he's smurfing low on Smurf essence, the source of his magical powers. To remedy this, he creates the Naughties, Vexy (Christina Ricci) and Hackus (J.B. Smoove), to nab Smurfette. Afterwards, he'll get the formula that turned Smurfette good and an unlimited supply of Smurfs.

Not unless Papa Smurf, a few of his fellow Smurfs, and their human allies, the Winslows, can stop him.

This film is certainly a mixed bag. A new character, Victor (Brendan Gleeson), starts off as completely obnoxious and annoying, but ends up sympathetic. Gargamel, and the cartoonish injuries he endures, provided the film's best laughs. Meanwhile, some of the other jokes fall just flat. This was definitely made for little kids; there's no doubt about that.

It does get more tolerable in the end, so that's a plus. But unlike the first Smurfs, I wasn't sufficiently entertained by this sequel. Perhaps you'll like this better than me.

Though, if they do make a movie about Gargamel getting cartoonishly injured, and that's all there was, I'd probably see that.

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.

Monsters University

Are man-eating zombies not your thing? If not, then Pixar's latest film, Monsters University is the film for you. It takes the cast of Monsters Inc. and explains how they met.

As established in the earlier film, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James “Sulley” Sullivan (John Goodman) are monsters who specialize in scaring kids. It's all for a good cause: the screams of children are their world's power-source.

But in this film, Mike and Sulley are students of the prestigious Monsters University. It's the Alma-matter of the best scarers around, which the hard-nosed Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) takes very seriously.

By the end of the semester, Mike and Sulley are in trouble. They're not cut out for the Scaring Major, says Hardscrabble. But they have a chance: the Scare Games. They pit MU Teams against each other in tests of scaring aptitude. Enlisting in the Oozma Kappa (OK) Frat House, the duo has to get its members in shape to face the jock house: Roar Omega Roar (ROR).

Pixar's first prequel is a good effort. Its plot is kind of easy to sniff out from a mile away. But it genuinely surprises at the end with some great plot revelations. It was also fun to see the OK House using teamwork to overcome its Scare Game challenges. Its real big drawback was its too lighthearted tone, playing much more to kids than overall families.

As usual, Pixar gets points for its production values. Its monsters are cuddly and creatively designed. The world they live in is wonderfully bright and colorful. Its sound design includes some incredibly strong roars and screams. Hopefully, they'll be strong enough to be noticed by the Academy, just as it nominated Monsters Inc.

Some have called this an Average film by a once great Animation House. But Monsters University passes because it succeeds in being a decently entertaining film. Its opening short, The Blue Umbrella, though, is certainly better than average.

World War Z

World War Z came back from the dead after a nightmarish production. Unlike the creatures it features, it didn't come back wrong.

Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) used to be a U.N. Researcher. Now, he and his family are on the run from really fast zombies. Each person they kill becomes another zombie. They get on an aircraft carrier thanks to Gerry's U.N. connections. There, the guy in charge tells Gerry to help them find the source of the zombies. Otherwise, his family goes off the boat.

Gerry's quest takes him from South Korea to Jerusalem to Wales. Each site has a good zombie presence. Gerry has to outrun the undead if he's to avoid joining their side.

Max Brook's novel, from which this story came from, was a documentary on print set after the end. This is an action film set during the end. Very dissimilar things. So, how did they do with the film they ended up making?

Its first few minutes go straight from Gerry's happy home-life to he and his family stuck in traffic as the undead debut. Through the rest of its first half-hour, the film shows society deteriorating. Even at its PG-13 rating, the world it effectively portrays is a nightmare. It's the type of world I sure don't want to live in.

Things settle down afterwards. The zombie attacks go from unsettling to thrilling. It's helped by some good visuals and an even better soundmix. There's also some displays of humor, some unintentional. Its ending, meanwhile, may strike some as bizarre, but it's redeemed by some good exposition.

One might complain of its divergences from the book. But for what it actually is, World War Z is a good thriller with an undead perspective. If these type of monsters aren't your thing, you might want to enroll in Monster's University.

Man of Steel

For years, Superman's movie career wasn't looking good. Warner Bros tried to continue it with Superman Returns, but it didn't do so well.

So now, just as he did with Batman, producer Christopher Nolan has restarted Superman's cinematic life. This first new cinematic crusade is Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder.

Once again, scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) sends his young son, Kal-El, away from their doomed planet Krypton to Earth. Years later, Kal-El, now Clark Kent (Henry Cavill), travels the world. Clark was raised by farmer Jonathan (Kevin Costner) not to use his super powers in front of other people. But Clark uses them anyway when the time comes.

And that's all before he gets his blue suit.

The evil General Zod (Michael Shannon), who tried to take over Krypton in its last days, comes to Earth. He decides to build a new Krypton from Earth's ashes, but he needs a MacGuffin Jor-El sent to Earth with Clark. And he wants it bad. It's up to Superman to defeat the bad guy and save the day.

The "new and improved" Superman is quite visual. Its Krypton, in particular, has a creative assortment of creatures, spacecraft and geography. On Earth, Superman's super powers are displayed in some amazing scenes. The final fight scenes, though, wear out some of their welcome as they go on and on.

Much of the movie is all about Clark growing up Super. As a kid or adult, Clark maintains the audience's interest throughout the film. In fact, the earliest parts were so particularly captivating that I didn't notice at least 40 minutes had gone by.

The rest of the film's cast has plenty of well-cast characters. As Zod, Shannon is a perfectly brutal villain whose motives, though not methods, are actually understandable. Amy Adams, meanwhile, is great as the intrepid Lois Lane.

This new Superman is good, but misses some of the sense of wonder that Richard Donner introduced in 1978. Hopefully, the next one will make it really fun to believe a man can fly. Still, its ending, while long, doesn't raise a lot of logical questions as the first one did.

Now You See Me

On stage, a magician's tricks are best left unexplained. In Now You See Me, a film about magicians, there's plenty of magic revealed.

J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and Merritt Osbourne (Woody Harrelson) were four down on their luck magicians. Brought together by a mysterious benefactor, they are the Four Horsemen. They make a name for themselves when, during a Vegas performance, they whip out a teleportation device. They beam one lucky sap to a Paris Bank vault and shower its 3 million Euro supply on to their audience.

Naturally, agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) wants to know how they did it. But they're not telling. So he gets magic debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) to help him. As the Horsemen plan their next stunts in New Orleans and New York, they have to do what they can to throw the Law off their trail.

It's a $75 million dazzler directed by Louis Leterrier. There are plenty of amazing magic tricks conjured up by its visual effects crew. There are also plenty of magical plot twists from the screenplay to bedazzle the audience. Initially, one might find the magic less incredible once its secrets are exposed. But as it goes on, it'll make much more sense.

Think of it like The Sting, but with magicians. I did.

The Actors make for a good ensemble. They play with the audience's expectations of their role in the grand scheme of things amazingly. That's where the best magic is.

At 115 minutes, Now You See Me drags on for quite a bit, especially at the end. But its written and visual magic makes it worth it at any price.