The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part One

Cold Open:

EXT. DYSTOPIAN GOVERNMENT SQUARE

A non-descript future Dystopian society. Citizens are gathered around the square. A chief bad guy, The DYSTOPIAN LACKEY, steps forward. He's surrounded by his fellow lackeys.

DYSTOPIAN LACKEY

By order of the Hollywood money machine, all final films of all future film series are to be split into two parts. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Part One shall be one of many of these two-part trilogies. Future servants include the final films of the Divergent and The Avengers film series. Any attempt to subvert our decree shall result in the offender getting laughed out of Hollywood.

Jethro promptly punts the Dystopian Lackey into orbit with a kick. The other lackeys follow.

JETHRO

Not if critics like me have anything to say about it!

The Review At Hand:

Yeah, what that guy said.

In the previous film, Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) cancelled the dreaded Hunger Games by destroying the studio. Evil President Sore Loser Snow (Donald Sutherland) responds by carpet-bombing Katniss's home District 12. Katniss finds herself in the underground District 13, which was long thought carpet-bombed too.

Katniss finds herself the Mockingjay, the symbol of the upcoming rebellion against the evil Capitol. The pressure from both sides threatens to crush her. It's especially so once she finds out what happened to her beloved Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson).

Yes, that's it in a nutshell. Why did it need to be two movies? I'd say profit.

It's easily the shortest of the films so far at 123 minutes. And the plot is rather slow. A few plot points and action scenes happen here and there, but that's about it. That's a contrast to the previous films which were quicked pace and at least twenty minutes longer.

It gets good when stuff happens. Katniss's stiff-acting in a series of District 13 propaganda videos is amusing. The action scenes that happen are suitably tense. The acting was pretty good, especially from the leads. The final plot twist was especially suspenseful (even if it wasn't the twist I predicted in the Catching Fire review).

The set, costume and makeup designs are much more subdued than the other films. But I appreciated the artistry behind them. If only there wasn't a year-long gap between this and the next part. There's so much stuff from the story I'm waiting to see done.

Birdman

Follow a bunch of creative egos and see what you think of it. That's one lesson you can learn from the new film, Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).

Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) was once the big-screen superhero Birdman. Years later, Riggan is flat broke and washed up. He aims to remedy his fortunes by bringing Raymond Carver's short story What We Talk About When We Talk About Love to Broadway. A comment from Carver to young Riggan inspired him to go to acting.

The preview phase is a disaster. Riggan decides to bring on celebrated Broadway star Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) to the production. Mike forcefully takes up the spotlight. A critic wants to tear the production to shreds on the basis of it even existing. Riggan's desire for perfection irritates everybody around him. And even worse, Riggan's grasp of reality is fading away. As his cinematic alter-ego taunts him in his mind, Riggan starts to believe himself greater than great.

What you'll notice the most is its camera style. Shot by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, the camera follows its actors along. When pieced together by editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione, the end result appears as one long take.

The story, by director Alejandro González Iñárritu and co-writers Nicolás Giacobone. Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo, is darkly funny. The show's production is one long comedy of errors. The audience can laugh fine at the set falling apart in one scene. But when the play finally premieres, Riggan's grand finale is shocking.

As Riggan, Keaton convincingly plays an artist on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Reality blurs so much that we often believe, as he does, that Birdman and psychic powers are for real. More often than not, we're made aware that he is hallucinating. It all leads to a last scene open to interpretation.

Birdman's tone isn't for all tastes. There are some great laughs out of it, but it turns dark once we understand its main character. As for me, I found it a good balance of humor and pathos. It's one of the funniest satires I've seen.

Big Hero 6

Ever since Disney bought Marvel a few years back, an animated film based on one of Marvel's properties was within the realm of possibility. The possible is now actual as Big Hero 6, Marvel's Animesque Super Team, has their own Disney animated feature.

The hero of Big Hero 6 is Hiro Hamada, a teen genius in the futuristic hodgepodge metropolis of San Fransokyo. His brother Tadashi attends the elite San Fransokyo Tech and encourages Hiro to enroll there. Hiro does so by demonstrating his new Microbots at the University science fair. A few hours later, Tadashi and famed instructor Professor Callaghan are killed in a fire at the school.

Hiro is miserable until he finds Tadashi's last invention, the medical balloon-bot Baymax. He also finds a masked villain using his Microbots. Hiro suspects the baddie of starting the fire and vows to catch him. Hiro upgrades Baymax into a fighting robot and enlists Tadashi's friends - tomboy GoGo, peppy Honey Lemon, uptight Wasabi and laidback Fred - to fill up the Big Hero 6.

The city of San Fransokyo may be fictional, but it's great. It's a bright, colorful animated environment which convincingly looks like both of its two inspirations. It especially appealed to me as I was in San Francisco twice this year (and expect to be there again next month). It felt like I was there again.

The Big Heroes of the movie have their charms. Baymax's cuddly design and soft voice should make him an instant hit with kids. Hiro is a likable, relatable protagonist whose youthful misbehaving never annoy the audience. Wasabi and Fred are good comic relief. Honey Lemon's enthusiasm endears herself to all. And GoGo's just cool (her catch-all catchphrase is "Woman Up!"). Overall, this was a great bunch of super heroes. Their final defeat of the masked villain involves some unique uses of their skills.

This super adventure differs a lot from its source material. But that's not bad. The story they devised was funny, meaningful, fun and quick-paced. Whether in 3D or Flatscreen, Big Hero 6 is a Marvelous adventure for all.

An animated short, Feast, opened the film. A story of a Boston Terrier and his love of human food, it was both cute and cringe-worthy at the same time. Stay tuned after the credits for a cameo from Marvel's legendary Stan Lee.

Interstellar

As I said in my Transcendence review:

One film I waited for this year was Interstellar, Christopher Nolan's thought-provoking sci-fi about a wormhole to another universe. What's on the other side?

We now know what's on the other side of the wormhole. It's a big, loud visual extravaganza that sure talks a lot about science.

In the not so distant future, Earth has no future. NASA has gone underground while society has gone agrarian. Crops are going extinct one by one. A new Dust Bowl has gone global. And it's just going to get worst before the end.

Former NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) tries to keep his family safe from catastrophe. One day, he finds a "ghost" in his daughter Murphy's (Mackenzie Foy) room communicating in binary. The binary codes lead them to NASA's last base. The staff discovered a wormhole near Saturn; on the other side are a few potentially hospitable planets. Cooper, the only man left with space experience, is tasked with leading the mission.

Interstellar's visual expectations absolutely live up to the hype. The journey through the wormhole alone ought to warrant the film an Academy Award. Other visual highlights are a frozen planet (even the clouds are frozen!) and a journey through a black hole and eventually time and space. The film's comic relief characters, a pair of robots named TARS and CASE, are great animatronic creations.

The film's mammoth 169 minute runtime can definitely test a few attention spans. It explains all the quantum physics and stuff of its space travel but barely in layman's terms. At least one plot twist was introduced far too early to make it shocking. And the film's final plot twist had me going "huh?" A lot of simple plot details got lost in the shuffle.

Interstellar is a marvel of technical design. It deserves to be seen on the big screen. Its splendor alone is enough to make up for the overly-complex story. 

Fury

There's lots of bullets and blood flying around in Fury. Let's see if the sound that goes with it means something.

April 1945, the last month of the War in Europe. Hitler orders everybody in Germany to take up arms against the invading Allies. And the crew of the Sherman Tank Fury, which consists of Sergeant "Wardaddy" Collier (Brad Pitt), "Bible" Swan (Shia LaBeouf), "Gordo" Garcia (Michael Pena) and Grady Travis (Jon Bernthal), are more than willing to fight them.

Their newest recruit is typist Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman). Norman is completely unprepared for the carnage of war. Wardaddy and co. try to teach Norman how to be a man. Norman tries to stay sane. Their trek across Germany lets them see just how fanatical the Nazi cause can be.

(That just about sums it up.)

Writer/Director David Ayer, known for contemporary crime dramas such as End of Watch, goes back in time for this one. Ayer does a good job exemplifying that War is not Nice. There's a lot of blood and body-parts flying around in the battle scenes, even a flattened corpse in the mud. It's kind of like Saving Private Ryan except without the emotional impact. We mainly get blood and guts and not accompanying terror.

The standout sequence was Fury and its Ally Tanks dueling an indestructible Nazi tank. No matter what they do, the Nazi tank keeps on going and blasts the Ally Tanks. Only when Fury gets close enough do they blast the crew. 

The rest of the 134 minute runtime certainly takes its sweet time. The main plot doesn't kick in until the second half; that leads directly to the overly-extended climax. Meanwhile, we have to endure the Fury's veteran crew treating Norman harshly. Wardaddy redeems himself by showing some dignity later on. Grady, meanwhile, is unbelievably rude and not in a lovable way. The film treats Grady's eventual death with sadness; no wet eyes from me.

The tanks in Fury are actual surviving tanks from the war. That should get the attention of a few War aficionados more than the lingering story. Other than that, this is an average war film. In the meantime, we're two months away before another World War II drama, Unbroken, is released. That should get much more attention.

The Book of Life

Not all animated Spooktaculars have to be dark and grim. The latest 3D spooktacular, The Book of Life, is a bright, colorful fiesta directed by Jorge Gutierrez and produced by, among others, Guillermo Del Toro.

Once upon a time, during one Day of the Dead celebration, the Gods La Muerte (Kate del Castillo) and Xibalba (Ron Perlman) had a disagreement. La Muerte ruled the good heaven, the Land of the Remembered and Xibalba ruled the bad version, the Land of the Forgotten. Xibalba wants to trade, so the two Gods wager the fate of the cosmos on two mortal amigos named Manolo and Joaquin. La Muerte wins if Manolo ends up with Maria, daughter of the town general, while Xibalba wins if Joaquin does it instead.

Years later, Manolo (Diego Luna) is an aspiring musician forced to uphold the family bull-fighting tradition and Joaquin (Channing Tatum) is a vain war-hero. Maria (Zoe Saldana) tries to keep the peace between the two. Xibalba decides to win the bet with some cheating. Manolo finds himself in the Land of the Remembered and must reinstate La Muerte to return alive. And there's also an evil desperado on the horizon...

And all of this is related to a bunch of schoolkids by a museum tour guide (Christina Applegate).

This is the most vibrant spooktacular you'll see this year. The main characters' puppet-like designs certainly help them stand out. The environments they inhabit are colorful and exaggerated. Some good songs, including some from composer Gustavo Santaolalla and Paul Williams, grab the viewer's attention. It's fitting as the movie is about a holiday which celebrates life rather than dread death.

There's a lot that happens during the 95 minute runtime. The desperado subplot verges on being an after-thought as the guy is an unremarkable villain. Joaquin flip-flops between good guy and full-of-himself so much I barely kept track. If these elements were better developed, we would've had a better narrative. Meawhile, getting to the good stuff can try the patience of a few viewers (like myself at times).

The Book of Life succeeds because of its visual design. Anyone looking for a good animated film about Mexican culture will find it here. It's a good effort that should make for a nice time at the movies.

Gone Girl

A dark, disturbing novel such as Gone Girl got itself its ideal cinematic translator in director David Fincher. The movie's script is by the novel's author, former Entertainment Weekly critic Gillian Flynn. Anyone expecting a twisted tale will get their money's worth.

Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) thought he met his "Amazing Amy" Elliot (Rosamund Pike), the model of her parents' children's book series. They thought that their wedding two years later was the best thing ever. After a few years, however, they've grown to loathe each other. It got worst once they moved to North Carthage to settle Nick's family affairs.

July 5th, 2012. Their fifth wedding anniversary. Nick's awfully-wedded wife finds a new way to torment her husband: she disappears.

The Feds and Police immediately start searching for Amy. The media immediately pegs Nick their prime suspect before they have any evidence. Nick's double life comes to light before public eyes. And we, the audience, see "Amazing Amy's" double-life ... revealing her as a cracked shell one best avoid.

Much of the film is told in Amy's voice-over narration. The first half pegs her as an innocent, frightened woman. The second half reveals her self-destructive, narcissistic, misanthropic true nature. Pike's performance easily allows the audience to sympathize with her before the revelation.

As Nick, Ben Affleck also allows the audience to feel for him. His every public appearance is taken out-of-context and the private pressure is building. Amy's narration does put his audience sympathy levels on shaky ground before the reveal.

Many of David Fincher's usual contributors (Editor Kirk Baxter, Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth and Composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) efficiently build up the suspense and suspicion with their contributions. You will be kept on edge throughout the picture. Carrie Coon as Nick's sister Margo and Tyler Perry as Nick's Lawyer Tanner Bolt are great supporting cast members.

Gone Girl is one of the best thrillers I've seen and one of the best of the year. The suspense works even if you already know what to expect. That's what great direction and a great screenplay should do.

The Boxtrolls

Here be monsters. Lots of creepy monsters. They're cuddly, though.

A novel by Alan Snow, Here Be Monsters, was the basis for Laika's latest stop-motion spooktacular, The Boxtrolls. The end result is one of the most entertaining films I've seen in a while.

The Boxtrolls are critters who wear cardboard boxes, make stuff out of garbage and live underground. They've raised a human boy (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) to live among them. The Boxtrolls name themselves after their respective box; the boy is Eggs and his Boxtroll stepfather is Fish (Dee Bradley Baker).

Above them is the town of Cheesebridge, which idolizes and only eats cheese. The residents of Cheesebridge believe the Boxtrolls to be monsters who devour children. The evil Archibald P. Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) vows to rid the town of the Boxtrolls, if only to join the prestigious cheese-eating White Hats. Someone ought to drill it into him that he has a grotesque allergy to cheese.

As Snatcher snatches more Boxtrolls, including Fish, Eggs decides to act. Along the way, he meets Winnie (Elle Fanning), daughter of Pompous White Hat Lord Portley-Rind (Jared Harris). Eggs will have to use her help to find the Boxtrolls before Snatcher decides to do away with them.

The screen story, by Irena Brignull and Adam Pava, has plenty of satire. The White Hats are pompous fools so in love with cheese that they buy an expensive cheese wheel rather than build a children's hospital. Let's not forget how Snatcher so loves Cheese even if it kills him. The kids, meanwhile, will enjoy the antics of the Boxtrolls.

The film's puppets and sets are twisted, which suits the spooktacular mood well. The Boxtrolls are more lovable than grotesque, so they may not frighten small kids. But when Snatcher's allergy acts up and turns him into a dead-ringer for Quasimodo, watch out.

On the aural side, there's a good score by Dario Marianelli. A tune to watch out for is "The Boxtroll Song" by Monty Python Eric Idle. That is the catchiest part of the film.

The Boxtrolls keeps up the pace with its 96 minute runtime. So much so that I wasn't bored. The only complaint, a minor one, is that I kept mishearing certain names. But other than that, The Boxtrolls was a fun spooktacular worth remembering.

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.

Get On Up

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.

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?!

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.

Hercules

Hercules, Heracles, or whoever he is, the Demigod son of Zeus is still a movie star. January's The Legend of Hercules died a quick death; let's see how this second 2014 movie, Hercules, does.

Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) made a name for himself performing the Twelve Labors. In reality, he has a crew of warriors helping him. They've been wandering the land ever since Hercules was exiled from Athens. His crime was the murder of his family ... but did he do it?

King Cotys of Thrace (John Hurt) summons Team Hercules to save his people. The evil King Rhesus (Tobias Santelmann) is out to conquer the land and the King needs their help to train his soldiers. A healthy sum of gold awaits them for a job well done. But is there really more to the story?

And that's all you need to know about the plot.

A comic-book miniseries, Hercules: The Thracian Wars, was the basis for the movie. Team Hercules is even presented like a sword-and-sandal superhero team. A death-seeking prophet, Amphiaraus (Ian McShane), stands out the most among his comrades.

Its premise is that it demystifies the Hercules myth. The monsters turn out to be either illusions or mundane. Hercules is strong enough to topple the humongous statue of Hera, and yet he can bleed. It would've helped a lot if the "truth" behind the labors was explained more. In consequence, the film acts like it's going back and forth on its premise.

Now we go to the technical aspects. Its sets and costumes looked OK. There were some good visual effects, but other effects were far too obvious. All in all, it was an adequate looking movie.

Available in both 3D and Flatscreen, Hercules is an OK matinee at the movies. If all you want is something big and dumb, this won't disappoint. Don't expect it to be anything substantial; don't even imagine how it could get worse.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The Apes are back in their first 3D feature, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Like its immediate predecessor, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this feature displays sound and fury, signifying something.

The brain-booster which enhanced Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his fellow apes went viral. The end result is a complete and utter collapse of the human race. Ten years later, Caesar rules his apes in the woods outside San Francisco. They haven't seen a human for two years; as far as they know, they really are dead.

One day, the apes meet actual, living humans. These humans just want to reactivate a nearby hydroelectric dam to bring back power to the city. The Apes just want to be left alone. One of the humans, Malcolm (Jason Clarke), decides to negotiate with Caesar for the dam. It's an uneasy process but it looks positive for both sides.

Caesar's lieutenant, Koba (Toby Kebell), used to be a mistreated lab animal. So naturally, he can't stand the idea of making nice with humanity. Koba pushes the Apes to war on the humans; Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), the other human leader, is more than willing to fight back. Caesar has to step in to save the peace.

Director Matt Reeves takes over for Rupert Wyatt for this sequel. With him comes composer Michael Giacchino, who once again composes a memorably epic soundtrack. Editors William Hoy and Stan Salfas contribute action and suspense to the film's set pieces. One case is a highly-advertised scene of Koba acting goofy for unsuspecting humans.

The film continues its predecessor's use of motion-capture Apes. Once again, the end result is a visual highlight. These computerized characters look and act like real Apes. You wouldn't guess they were computerized unless someone told you.

In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the tensions between man and ape keep the audience on edge. Its human characters are just as meaningful as the visuals. The visual effects amaze the audience rather than overwhelm them. The end result shows that there is great life in this old franchise.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

"Sound and fury signifying nothing."

That's how one might describe Michael Bay's filmography. The latest entry, Transformers: Age of Extinction, is a bit different. I found it tolerable, more so than the other two sequels.

This sequel retires the other three films' entire human cast. The new star is Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), a hapless inventor with a rebellious daughter, Tessa (Nicola Peltz). Cade specializes in turning junk into new junk. One day, he buys an old truck from a rundown movie theater. Cade takes a closer look and realizes that it is really the Autobot Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen).

In the last film, Prime and the Autobots destroyed the Decepticons once and for all. Their battle maimed Chicago. And now, a CIA squad called Cemetery Wind hunts down all Transformers. They do this with the help of another Transformer, Lockdown (Mark Ryan), who claims to answer to a higher power.

Years on the run have really wrecked Prime. But Cade's goodness gives him some hope for humanity. Prime assembles what Autobots he can to find the villains. What he finds shocks him: Transformers melted down into man-made drones. One such drone, Galvatron, is more than meets the eye. And his eye is set on "The Seed," a terraforming MacGuffin.

Anyone expecting lots of Robot action will get it. Prime and his fellow Transformers fight destructively across locations such as Texas, Chicago and Hong Kong. Its soundmix, co-supervised by consistently Oscar-nominated Greg P. Russell, handles the explosions and smashes nicely. The Transformers themselves look great. One set of Autobots, the Dinobots, are real highlights ... even if they did come out of mostly nowhere fast.

Out of all that sound and fury actually comes a story. It's about a shell-shocked Prime ready to quit fighting for the little man, and Cade the little man who eventually sparks his faith. It's really a captivating story. It's a bit ruined by the 165 minute runtime. We're made to think the last battle is in Chicago, but no, it goes on to Hong Kong. It felt slow at other times, but this was when the runtime was at its worst.

I said it about Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and I'll say it again here. Transformers: Age of Extinction is the type of film made for the big screen. That's one good thing about Michael Bay's style. Hopefully, someone will reel in the runtime of the next film. I can't imagine a four-hour toy commercial.

Jersey Boys

A jukebox musical on-stage, Jersey Boys plays on-screen more like Ray and Walk the Line than Mamma Mia or Rock of Ages. The plot allows the songs, rather than the songs make the plot. And of all directors you'd expect would direct, they get Clint Eastwood to do it.

In 1951, Frankie Castelluccio (John Floyd Young) and Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza) are frequent troublemakers. After much trouble with the law, the guys and Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) pursue an interest in music. Joe Pesci (Joey Russo) - that Joe Pesci - introduces them to Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen). Their group, eventually called The Four Seasons, struggles to get through the door.

Bob Crewe (Mike Doyle) finally gives them their own act. Frankie, now Frankie Valli, leads the group to many Number One hits. But Tommy's gambling debts, Nick's frustrations and Frankie's disintegrating family life tear the group apart. So it's down to a solo career for Frankie.

A cast of alumni from the stage show (including Tony-winner Young) headlines the film. The cinematic Four Seasons, who perform their songs live, act and sound like an old-time rock'n'roll band. Joey Russo, as Joe Pesci, alludes to his character's future Oscar-winning role in Goodfellas (as a Tommy DeVito!). Christopher Walken has a notable supporting role as Gyp DeCarlo, Frankie's mobster father figure.

At 134 minutes, the plot takes a long while to get anywhere. It was hard to keep invested in the struggles of the characters. Speaking of characters, there were multiple characters with the same first name! Which one was which? The slow-pace is compensated by numerous hilarious moments.

A few more things to note. The characters only perform songs when they're really performing on-stage. But the Four Seasons narrate with asides to the audience. OK. The end-credits begin with a curtain call as the cast sings December 1963 (Oh, What a Night). ODD.

What may have been energetic on-stage was slow on-screen. Fortunately, Jersey Boy's humorous moments kept up the pace more than the plot did. And this is a Clint Eastwood movie. If you want a more traditional musical, wait this Christmas for Into The Woods.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Cresida Cowell's book series How to Train Your Dragon became a wonderful surprise success for Dreamworks. Now they're ready to go Dragon-Flying again with this sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2.

The first film followed young viking Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) as he made peace between his people and the "menacing" dragons. Five years later, he and his dragon Toothless have adventures mapping the world. But his father Stoick (Gerard Butler) wants him to follow him as chief. Typical family film issues.

One of Hiccup's adventures lands him in trouble with a band of Dragon-Trappers. Even more troublesome, these trappers work for Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou), the nastiest warlord in the world. Drago wants to conquer the world with a Dragon Army, so Stoick prepares to fight back. Hiccup runs off with Toothless to make peace with Drago; along the way, he meets a master Dragon Rider (Cate Blanchett) who happens to be his long-lost mother, Valka. Her expertise is needed to fight off Drago's bloodlust.

Dean DeBlois, co-writer and co-director of the first film, takes up both departments himself this time. The story he's created is actually rather simple. There's the main plot of Hiccup's struggles, which include trying to stop Drago and meeting Valka. There's also Stoick trying to reel in his son. Meanwhile, Hiccup's friends chase after him and run into Drago's main trapper, Eret (Kit Harington). Credit for DeBlois for keeping it cohesive (instead of subplots galore squeezing through the door).

Whether in 3D or Flatscreen, you'll still get the same visual experience. The Dragons, whether they be new characters or established ones, are wonderfully unique. Their flying scenes are an amazing display of animated cinematography; they were made for John Powell's magnificent score. The scenery they inhabit, which include Valka's sanctuary, are spectacular animated environments.

There are now two top animated films this year: The Lego Movie and this one. That's because How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a greatly-conceived and realized sequel. It's funny, heartwarming and tragic. It's worth any admission price.

Belle

Her first, and previous film, was 2004's A Way of Life. Now, director Amma Asante has unveiled her sophomore feature, a historical drama entitled Belle.

As the mixed-race daughter of a white Navy officer and an African slave, Dido Elizabeth Belle's (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) position in 18th-century England's unclear. Her uncle and guardian, Judge William Murray (Tom Wilkinson) and his family regard her as their own. But their snobbish neighbors regard her as beneath their station.

One gentleman, John Davinier (Sam Reid), regards Belle with fondness. But alas, she is persuaded to marry Oliver Ashford (James Norton) for his status. Her cousin, Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon), is likewise persuaded to marry Oliver's bigoted brother, James (Tom Felton).

Murray is called to preside over the case of the Zong, a slave ship whose crew threw 142 slaves overboard. The Zong crew claimed it was a necessary evil, but as it turned out, it was more evil than necessary. Belle's future, as well as that of the slave trade, rests on Murray's ruling.

The writing credit has been subject to controversy (credited to Misan Sagay, but the current shooting script was by Asante). The result of that screenplay is an engaging work. Much of the credit goes to Raw's endearing performance as Belle. Amongst her supporting cast, one who stands out is Miranda Richardson as Ashford's over-the-top mother.

Its sets and costumes help bring 18th-century England to life. They aren't eye candy, ala The Great Gatsby, but they're still memorable creations. Rachel Portman's score is just as memorable; it fits the tone of the film perfectly.

Let's hope it won't be long before Amma Asante does her next feature. Belle provides a captivating history lesson about a little known, yet still-important person. You'll be amazed at what you'll learn.

22 Jump Street

Since 21 Jump Street was a smash on-screen, Sony has now given the world more of the same. 22 Jump Street, as part of its parodist nature, actually admits that's the case.

The inept duo of Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Schmidt (Jonah Hill) open the film by failing to catch big bad drug-dealer The Ghost (Peter Stormare). They're promptly reassigned back to Jump Street. But since the Korean owners of their former headquarters bought the place back, they've relocated across the street to 22 Jump Street.

Their case, just like last time, is to stamp out the source of a new super drug. In fact, their superiors expect the duo to solve the case in exactly the same ways that they solved their first case. Just like a formulaic movie sequel. But our heroes decide that they don't want to do the same thing over and over again. That results in their case, and friendship, turning complicated.

In plain-English: Jenko wants to play football rather than chase crooks. Schmidt dates student Maya (Amber Stevens). And an obvious clue turns out to be a red herring.

Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller give this family unfriendly film the same delightful parodist nature that they did with this year's The Lego Movie. The screenplay, credited to four writers (Hill, Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman), makes fun of action movies, college movies and formulaic sequels. The end credits actually gives us plenty of hypothetical sequels (which include a one-movie actor replacement) and spin-offs.

Jenko and Schmidt are still a likable pair of co-leads. They're the kind you'll be laughing with instead of just laughing at. Wyatt Russell and Jimmy Tatro are especially notable as Jenko's football buddies and suspected co-villains. The real co-villain provides good comic relief before the reveal.

22 Jump Street is more goofy and meta-fictional than most R-Rated comedies. Its most vulgar jokes involved return cameos from its predecessor's villains. But other than that, this film isn't ashamed to admit its true purpose. Let's hope those hypothetical sequels don't come to pass.

Edge of Tomorrow

A Japanese novel with a Beatles-sounding title, Hiroshi Sakurazaka's All You Need Is Kill, was the basis for director Doug Liman's new sci-fi film, Edge of Tomorrow.

In yet another crummy future, eerie aliens called Mimics invade. They take out much of Europe with their adaptive abilities. Humans develop powered exoskeletons, Jackets, to fight them. The best soldier in the war is Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), "The Angel of Verdun."

Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) used to be an ad-executive. Now he's been sent to the front-lines as a jacket-wearing soldier. He'll be part of the human resistance's final assault whether he likes it or not. But the Mimics get the drop on them and kill the resistance. Cage kills a particular Mimic and is splashed with its blood...

Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) used to be an ad-executive. Now he's been sent to the front-lines as a jacket-wearing soldier. He'll be part of the human resistance's final assault whether he likes it or not. But it seems he's been through this before. The Mimics foil the assault and kill the resistance. Cage dies too...

Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) used to be an ad-executive. Now he's been sent to the front-lines as a jacket-wearing soldier. He'll be part of the human resistance's final assault whether he likes it or not. Cage now knows what'll happen next. The Mimics foil the assault and kill the resistance. Cage meets Vrataski, who also knows what'll happen next...

Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) ... is in a time loop. The Mimic's blood gave him their ability to reset time, which is their secret to success. He meets Vrataski again and realizes she's been through this before; in fact, that's how she got so good at killing Mimics. To stop the time loop and the Mimics, they'll have to find and destroy the central Mimic, the Omega.

You can best describe this as Starship Troopers meets Groundhog Day. Or rather, a video game of Starship Troopers. Plenty of enemies to shoot, amazing visuals and the ability to reset once you die. Makes the audience wish they can play it. It's still exciting, though.

The screenplay, by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, initially has fun messing with Cage. Particularly so when he's offed in pathetically careless circumstances. But as the film goes on, we realize the downside of his situation. If the film is one big video game, then its main concept deconstructs the infinite continue. Losing a video game level repeatedly is soul crushing; losing your life especially so.

Cruise helps the film out of any potential dark spots. As Cage, he starts off as nothing but a coward. But we still find him likable and amusing. His many deaths may seem repetitively annoying, but that's the point. We want him to succeed; his climb from coward to warrior is a satisfying one.

Only a few of the other cast members get noticeable development. Most obviously is Blunt, who makes for a compelling shell-shocked warrior. Another is Bill Paxton, who plays our heroes' heavy drawled Commanding Officer.

Edge of Tomorrow is available, as usual, in both 3D and Flatscreen formats. See it either way; you'll still get the same amazing premise either way. See it multiple times if you want a similar experience.

Maleficent

Disney continues its live-action fairy tale ride with Maleficent, a centerpiece for the evil fairy of the studio's Sleeping Beauty. At least we think she's an evil fairy. But just like in Wicked, we see that the old fairy tale wasn't telling us something.

Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) used to be a happy fairy in the magical Moors. Next door is a kingdom of evil humans; one of which, Stefan (Sharlto Copley) grows up from peasant to scheming soldier. The evil King Henry tries to invade the Moors, but Maleficent stops him. So Henry tells his men that whoever beats Maleficent will be the next King. Stefan, who happens to be Maleficent's former childhood only human friend, does the deed. He only cuts off her wings, but that's enough ...

Maleficent promptly reinvents herself into the Evil Queen of the Moors. She crashes the Christening of Stefan's newborn daughter, Aurora, to give her the all-familiar sleeping curse. But the curse will break with true love's kiss. She watches over the Princess to pass the time before the curse is to take effect. That comes with the unfortunate side effect of Maleficent actually caring for her. 

It's the directorial debut of production designer Robert Stromberg (Avatar, Alice in Wonderland). His production designers, Dylan Cole and Gary Freeman, populate the film with plenty of visual splendor. It's especially so with the Moors, a land populated with many unique creatures. When Maleficent "corrupts" it, the only bad thing that happens is that there's no day. That eternal night is a luminescent wonderland. 

But what about the star of the movie? As portrayed by Jolie, Maleficent's evil side is subtly hammy. Her best scenes are her awkward encounters with her intended victim. She just doesn't know what to do around that little princess. Her shift back to good makes dramatic sense.

Maleficent is a good twist on some old fairy tale cliches. Though flashes of other modern fairy tales may come when watching it, particularly near the end. Especially Sleeping Beauty; the cursing scene is recreated here almost word to word. 

As for a verdict. Whether in 3D or Flatscreen, it's a good family matinee. But be careful that certain scenes in the opening are beyond disturbing.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

The mid-credits of last summer's The Wolverine hinted at something big. Now we see that something big. It's X-Men: Days Of Future Past, which sees the return of director Bryan Singer and a few alumni from the first three films.

It's the near future which means it's not good? How not good? Robots. That kind of future. These robots are Sentinels, originally built to get rid of the perceived threat of mutantkind. But they also went after humans who'd one day have mutant kids. The Sentinels can adapt to any mutant, so any fight with them is a no-win scenario.

And how'd this get started? Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), formerly known as Raven, assassinated Sentinel creator Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) in 1973. The Government caught her and studied her to give the Sentinels their adapting ability.

So in future-time, Shadowcat (Ellen Page) beams back Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) consciousness to 1973. He has to get disillusioned Professor X (James MacAvoy) and mean Magneto (Michael Fassbender) back together to sway Mystique from her plan. It's not that easy.

There's much to Marvel at in the visual department. The Makeup department creates not just wild mutant looks, but 70's hairstyles as well. The Visual Effects team render a wide array of awesome mutant powers such as teleporting, elemental shapeshifting and super speed. That last power belongs to Quicksilver (Evan Peters), who puts it to good use to break out Magneto from his specially designed prison and then to stop a potentially lethal showdown (hilariously). He exits the movie after this, most likely because he'd resolve the plot right away.

The rest of the movie builds up the stakes. There's only three X-Men in 1973, and the "best there is" isn't yet. Meanwhile, scenes back in the future emphasize the deadline of their situation. It's one of those movies that you know things will go well but you can't help but tense up.

X-Men fans dissatisfied with the results of X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine may be happy to know that this movie kicks their events to the curb. As for me, it irks me in hindsight as to why not much thought went into those movies' creative process in the first place.

As for this one, it's simply the best of the X-Men films. It's the most fun I've had with this franchise in a long time. This one is worth remembering.

Stay all the way to the end and you'll meet the titular antagonist of the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse.

Godzilla

The King of the Monsters has returned.

Ten years after his last Toho adventure in a model city, Final Wars, Godzilla is back to stomp on a real town. Of course, there was that American version, but not a lot of people want to talk about it anymore.

In 1999, something destroys the Janjira Power Plant in Tokyo. The Government says it was a natural disaster, but scientist Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston), whose wife Sandra (Juliette Binoche) died in the disaster, thinks it was something else. That something else is a MUTO, a flying, city stomping thing that eats radiation for lunch. It was in hibernation, but now it's free and is ready to feed. Even more, there's two of them.

The two MUTOs decide to make San Francisco their nesting grounds. The Government decides to nuke them before that happens. Of course, that would screw them up even more than they already are. So, Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) suggests they conscript something capable of beating up a set of city stomping monsters.

That something? The very city stomper whose name is the title. What more can there be said?

Let's talk about the visual effects. Needless to say, they're nothing like Toho's man-in-suit in model city formula. Whether or not you find this a good thing depends on how much you like the older films. As for me, someone who's into the older films, the visual effects are amazing. Especially in its designs of Godzilla and the MUTOs.

His name may be the title, but Godzilla only first appears fifty minutes into the film. Before then, there's plenty of human drama that may disinterest many a monster fan. I wasn't bored by the drama; at the very least, they did establish what threats the MUTOs were in-between scenes of Godzilla. At least there was one benefit of minimum Godzilla: the climactic unveiling of his signature Atomic Breath was utterly spectacular.

Those looking for a monster stomping through cities won't be disappointed. Godzilla may take a while to get to the "good stuff," but when it does, it gets good. Per usual, I'll let you decide on seeing it on Flatscreen or 3D.