Sabotage Review

Sabotage

Dir: David Ayer

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Terrance Howard, Josh Holloway, Olivia Williams, Joe Manganiello, and Mireille Enos

Maybe it’s nostalgia but Arnold Schwarzenegger is still the icon of the action film for me. Whether it’s the image of Arnold carrying a tree down a mountainside on his shoulder in “Commando” or uttering his signature catchphrase before the onset of violence in “The Terminator” but his character still captures my interest. With that being said Arnold’s recent film catalog, after serving tenure as the Governor of California, has been less than stellar with the exception of his minor casting in “The Expendables” films. In “Sabotage” Arnold is the leader of a group of unlikable Drug Enforcement Administration officers who are being hunted down one by one. Director David Ayer, whose last film was the rather good “End of Watch", unfortunately struggles to find anything more than gore and gunshots amidst a monotonous script.

The film begins with a foreboding scene of John “Breacher” Wharton (Arnold Schwarzenegger) watching a video of his family being tortured by a drug cartel. This transitions forward a few years to Breacher leading his team, who alternatively call themselves a family, into a luxury mansion and violently lay waste to everyone in their way. Breacher and his team are then placed under an investigation for some money that was lost during the raid. Breacher’s team, a group of roughnecks who each also have their own moniker, are targeted and begin to be hunted and gruesomely murdered by an unknown killer.

Ayer has a flair for composing his actions scenes with a unique perspective. Mostly utilizing handheld techniques that keep the action chaotic with a mix of versatile cameras that he can mount on the end of gun barrels or on the chest of a moving character. This allows the film to keep a dizzying and exciting pace throughout the film, however beyond his style Ayer doesn’t have much left to develop here. The narrative is a mix of clichéd action tropes with unsavory characters that don’t offer much more than unpleasant one-liners and door kicking muscle. When the action isn’t pulsating the film moves forward with a tiresome investigation that mostly involves gory crime scenes and forced plot turns.

The cast is a recognizable group of capable actors. Sam Worthington (“Avatar”) is most convincing as a timorous tough guy who goes by the handle Monster. Also involved are Terrence Howard (“The Butler”), Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”), and Josh Holloway (“Lost”) who mostly play background characters though each has a scene where they are given the opportunity to flex their macho sentiments. The two most interesting performances come from the only female actors. Mireille Enos (“World War Z”) has the most fun as the crazed, drug-addicted member of the team. Olivia Williams (“Anna Karenina”) is interesting as a detective investigating the murders and offers a nice balance for Arnold’s acting struggles.

While there isn’t much going for this film in terms of a story, the action is more than exhaustively excessive and hyper violent to fuel the expectations of the demographic willing to participate in nothing more than 110 minutes of carnage.

Monte’s Rating

2.00 out of 5.00

Veronica Mars Review

Veronica Mars

Dir: Rob Thomas

Starring: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Ryan Hansen, and Tina Majorino

It started with a video that appeared on a crowd funding website just under a year ago. The announcement proposed was that if they could raise enough money for a production an official “Veronica Mars” movie, with all the major cast and show creator involved, could be achieved. What creator Rob Thomas anticipated soon exceeded his expectations as the fandom of ninety-one thousand “Marshmallows” (a nickname for adoring fans of the show) contributed five million plus dollars to the project and set the world of crowd funding into a viable monetary alternative in the business of filmmaking. Rob Thomas not only made good on his promise of a film, less than a year after announcing, but also provides fans with something made solely for them and their love for the sleuthing Veronica.

Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) has moved on from the seedy surroundings of Neptune, California. She is leading a successful life in New York, on the verge of landing a job as a lawyer with a high profile company. However, a phone call from her ex-boyfriend Logan Echols (Jason Dohring) changes her plans as he has been accused of murder. Veronica, already turning down an invitation to her ten-year high school reunion, returns to Neptune to help Logan find an attorney. Things don’t seem quite right in Neptune or with Logan’s case, leading Veronica to encounter the past she wanted to leave behind.

Three seasons is all the television show was given but what it was able to accomplish in its short turn left an impression with fans. A wise cracking, Southern California looking girl, who works as a private investigator seeking revenge for the person who killed her best friend. It’s a combination of smart teenage melodrama and crafty crime noir. Rob Thomas doesn’t waste any time letting the audience know what they are getting into. Clearly within the first fifteen minutes of the film those unfamiliar with the narrative style and show pacing will be lost, though the fans will feel right at home. Thomas understands who the film is marketed for, layering inside jokes and nostalgic show material to merge throughout the course of the film. Whether the comfortable introduction of Veronica’s sidekicks Wallace (Percy Daggs III) and Mac (Tina Majorino) or the swoon inducing appearance of Logan, everything starts off with familiar tones and the identifying show charm. This trip down memory lane will eventually need to shift into a storyline, and in true “Veronica Mars” style this means a few twists and turns in the mystery. While the major arching plot involving Logan being wanted for murder works nicely in framing the narrative of the characters, some of the subplots are brushed aside while at other times certain scenes feel like an excuse for cameos. A scene with James Franco, playing himself, is forced and Veronica’s New York relationship with late third season character Piz (Chris Powell) is unconvincing. Thomas doesn’t spend a wealth of time on these faults but instead quickly treads over them and returns back to the characters that Mars’ fans admire most.

What is most notable about this film is the strength of the material that paved the way for it. Three seasons and Veronica Mars left an enduring mark. Whether Veronica’s motives for returning to Neptune, now that she has grown into the intellectual and independent woman we all knew she’d become, may not be completely reasonable, Thomas understands this character and makes it work into something fans will love and remember as the proper sendoff to their beloved show.

Monte’s Rating

4.00 out of 5.00

The Grand Budapest Hotel Review

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Dir: Wes Anderson

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, F. Murray Abraham, and Saoirse Ronan

There is a particular quality that you get from a Wes Anderson film. Quirky, unique, distracting, however you want to describe Anderson’s style, it’s unlike anything you are likely to experience in the movie theater.  “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, Anderson’s eighth feature film, is a crime caper involving a stolen painting by an eccentric concierge and his protégé. Anderson may well have crafted the film that embodies the culmination of his style and narrative inclinations offering an enjoyable and fun adventure.

The film is set in the fictional former republic of Zubrowka. An author (Tom Wilkinson) is reminiscing back to his younger self (Jude Law) and an encounter he had with a lonely multimillionaire named Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham) during the late 1960’s in a ramshackle hotel known as The Grand Budapest. Zero discusses the famed hotel’s past during the 1930’s when he started as a young lobby boy under the guidance of a respected concierge named Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes), a refined philanderer of wealthy women visiting the hotel. Zero does his best to keep up with the regimented Gustave who oversees every decision in the hotel. Gustave, amongst the many women he courts, has a special attachment to woman named Madame D. (Tilda Swinton) whose peculiar death instigates a mystery with Gustave and Zero in the middle.

Wes Anderson saturated every frame of this film with his patented style, more so than his last film “Moonrise Kingdom”. With quick zooms that pulled on characters throughout and a camera that sashayed with the motion but also maintained frame while objects moved almost chaotically through screen.  Establishing shots were composed with matte paintings and rear projection; action was a creative mix of stop-motion animation that felt seamlessly utilized. It was classic filmmaking that is seldom used in this digital age. While some viewers might find all of this technique distracting, and in some of Anderson’s former films it was, however it served a specific purpose here. The technique was more part of the storytelling; pulling the viewer with every zoom and slide further into the mystery Gustave and Zero were a part.

The performances were fantastic. Ralph Fiennes gave Gustave a heartfelt comedy while also being charmingly funny. His offhanded remarks and sly gestures offered some laugh out loud comic moments. Tony Revolori was exceptional as Zero, playing off Gustave’s large personality with initial subordinate obedience that changed into confident leadership. The remaining cast was also good, some as delightful cameos from past Anderson films. While others, like Adrian Brody and Willem Dafoe in villainous roles or an unrecognizable Tilda Swinton, in larger roles committed to the characters with great results.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” had an underlying dark historical feature. One filled with the sorrows of war-ravaged countries of past and the suffering of the people who lived through such terrors. Anderson’s wistful and zany adaptations, along with his usual narrative theme that typically reflects a loss of innocence, didn’t always blend well in minor ways to the harsh gravity of reality intertwined within this film. Still, while this film may have offered more maturity than most of Anderson’s films, it was undoubtedly also one his best.

Monte’s Rating

4.25 out of 5.00

300: Rise of an Empire Review

300: Rise of an Empire

Dir: Noam Murro

Starring: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Rodrigo Santoro, and Lena Headey

Gerard Butler led the assault as the battle indulgent King Leonidas in director Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel “300”. The sequel, which runs along the same timeline as the first film, introduces the Greek hero Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) into the battle against the Persians. “300: Rise of an Empire”, directed by Noam Murro, offers the same styled violence and blood drenched battle sequences as the first film but doesn’t offer anything more than another excuse to indulge in the adrenaline fueled chaos.

King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans have been defeated. Themistokles, a respected hero whose actions brought the wrath of the Persians, is trying to unite Greece in order lead a defense against Persia on the sea. However the Persians have their own legendary hero, a beautiful warrior women named Artemisia (Eva Green) who has a blood lust for Greeks. Themistokles and Artemisia meet on the water, the fate of Greece in the balance, as the two forces battle in a bloody, 3-D experience. 

Murro begins the film quickly with a charge of violence, offering a nice introduction with some additional information about the formation of the Persian forces and how their god-king Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) came to great power. The remainder of the story revolves around the waging war between the two forces and the plight for Greek unification. There isn’t much else to it, one well choreographed fight after another with a few inspiring battle speeches by Themistokles mixed in.

The style consumes most of the film. The slow-motion camera movements are used to amplify the violence, gushing blood is spewed with every blade swipe, and floating dust and ash particles make use of the 3-D technology. It’s amusing at first but quickly becomes monotonous. This is due impart to some overly similar sequences, most of which takes place on ships in the water. This might not be a bad thing for some as the action takes precedent over everything else about halfway through transitioning the film into a gratuitous action vehicle.

Eva Green’s performance as Artemisia is the standout in the film and actually maintains the attention on the film when the narrative begins to waver in the second half. Her viciousness and changing motivation keeps the character interesting. Sullivan Stapleton knows how to deliver a speech as Themistokles but apart from that he isn’t given much more to do except swing a sword and scream commands.

“300: Rise of an Empire” is not as good as its' predecessor, but for viewers looking for the over-the-top CG action found in the original this film will not disappoint. Unfortunately, aside from the inventive style and the great performance of Eva Green, there isn’t much left to charge for.

Monte’s Rating

2.75 out of 5.00