New Teasers: Bond, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Ron Burgundy?

Three big teasers hit the web today, all for films we have been waiting years for.

First up is the new James Bond film, Skyfall, the first Bond film in four years because of MGM's financial difficulties. This one brings director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) to the helm. Here is the teaser:

No John Barry music, but I can live with a Bond film described as "we're going to kill them first."

Next we have a teaser clip from The Master, the new film by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights), starring Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Laura Dern. Here is the clip:

The film is widely believed to be a critique of Scientology, but mostly what we get here is some very vintage looking photography and perhaps a snippet of the Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead) score.

Last, but not least, a new version of the teaser for Anchorman: The Legend Continues that premiered in front of The Dictator last week:

Exclusive Anchorman 2 Teaser from Will Ferrell

The teaser is just a teaser, but I hope the film isn't more of the same jokes we saw in the original. I want to be optimistic, but comedy sequels are always a tricky endeavor.

Review: The Avengers

There has never been another movie like Marvel's The Avengers. A single film bringing together characters originating in different films together for one blockbuster. Of course, the idea goes back to 1940 in comic books, but it had never even been attempted in film before. The Avengers delivered on the promise of the post-credits tag in the first Iron Man film four years ago. Since that time, four other films have built onto the framework that Jon Favreau and Robert Downey, Jr. began, and it all has culminated in this new film.

The Assembled talent includes: Iron Man (RDJ), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), The Hulk/Bruce Banner (newcomer Mark Ruffalo), The Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Maria Hill (newcomer Cobie Smulders), Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

The best way to describe this film is impossible. It is a film with everything stacked against it, and yet under the pen and direction of Joss Whedon, it succeeds tremendously. Whedon's own distinct voice is here, but it is secondary to the characters and story. First, he does the smart thing by having a very simple "getting the band together" plot. All you need to know is that Loki is bringing an army to Earth, and it's not going to be pretty. Secondly, it is clear that these are characters Whedon knows and loves. Everybody gets their moment to look like a total badass, and it doesn't feel forced at all. Each moment feels completely organic to the story, and not contrived to sell merchandise.

There are two things that elevate this film above the usual summer fare. First is the relationships between the characters. Whedon has the pleasure of not having to introduce a lot of characters, and he uses this leverage to get right into the fun stuff. There are quips aplenty, and basically every permutation of character interaction gets time. These characters are so much fun individually that to see them together on screen is just unreal. All kinds of What would happen if Thor used his hammer on Captain America's shield? or What if Hulk punched Thor? type questions are answered in ways that are just plain fun to watch. A lot of this also shows up in the humor, almost entirely coming from the character interactions, with great actors delivering great lines and great reaction shots. This film may have a higher laughs per minute count than many comedies.

The Avengers also fulfills the promise of super hero films dating back to 1978's Superman: The Movie. Not only will you believe a man can fly, but this has the most action of any superhero film ever. Imagine the last hour of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, but with emotional stakes and a sense of geography (anyone who is a little bit familiar with Manhattan will know exactly where this all goes down).

I really can't say enough to praise this movie, and if you ask me in a few years (and 20+ viewings later), I might just call it my all-time favorite. It truly stands alongside such hallowed popcorn fare as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, and the Indiana Jones films. You will not want to miss this in theaters.

Review: Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope

Sadly, I have not yet experienced the San Diego Comic-Con, frequently described as "geek Mecca.' Some day, I will make the pilgrimage. Until then, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope, the new documentary by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) will tide me over.

When first hearing about this film, I was worried it was going to be too much of a "hey, look at the freaks" type documentary. Obviously the involvement of producers Joss Whedon and Stan Lee largely excludes that, and hearing Morgan Spurlock speak at Philadelphia's Awesome Fest event cemented how much he loves geek culture as well. This film is truly a labor of love that documents unique expressions of pure, unadulterated fandom.

A Fan's Hope follows 7 devotees, each with their own 'mission' to complete at Comic-Con. These dreamers are artists trying to make a career, an action figure collector, a comic book store owner and rare comic seller, a cosplay designer, and a man determined to propose to his girlfriend. All of these stories lead to heartwarming as well as tension-filled moments as we wait to see if talent aided by years of hard work and a touch of insanity will give these cast of characters a future that can only be cultivated in the world that is Comic-Con.

The stories are intercut with celebrity and fan interviews that shed light on what makes Comic-Con so special. As someone invested in geek culture, I found these illuminating and humorous. For example, who knew that Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola were comic book collecting rivals, and that while del Toro makes movies, his main passion is to make Mignola jealous (note: if you understand that last sentence, this movie is clearly for you).

Courtesy: Wired.com

Of the seven stories featured in the film, some are perfunctory, like the guy who simply wants his Galactus action figure, and some dig a little deeper. Holly Conrad and her cosplay crew are probably the most interesting story, as they make Mass Effect costumes for the masquerade on the final day of Comic-Con. Conrad hopes to find employment based on her skills, and it's clear the stakes are pretty high for her to perform well here. I was also interested in Chuck Rozanski, a comic book dealer who's been around long enough to remember when Comic-Con was actually about comics...and not movies, video games, and thousands of women dressed as slave Leia. His was an interesting perspective about where Comic-Con started, where it is headed, and whether he and his shop will be around for its next incarnation. Like the "M" in MTV, or the "Christ" in Christmas...it might not take long before people start to wonder who took the comics out of Comic-Con.

As I alluded to earlier, you probably already know whether or not you should watch this film, but I would also strongly recommend it as a primer for newbies interested in gaining knowledge into an interesting counterculture. At the very least A Fan's Hope is a movie about passion, which most of us, if we are lucky, have some experience with. Overall, it is a great way to spend an afternoon, especially since it is available on VOD and iTunes as we write.

Review: The Five Year Engagement

This review originally appeared on Cinedelphia.com

The Five Year Engagement is one of those films that you start out enjoying because the prospect of a fresh take on a tired topic is enticing, but ultimately the payoff just doesn't quite meet the expectation.

Jason Segel is Tom Solomon, a chef on the verge of running his own restaurant in San Francisco, who finds his plans altered when his fiance Violet (Emily Blunt) gets a Psychology post-doc job offer at Michigan State. In a reversal of a once expected burden of womanhood, Tom lovingly decides to leave his lucrative job in the trendiest of food cities, and go forth to the cold barren wasteland of Michigan. As the title suggests, what was only supposed to be a one year commitment, turns into, well, five.

I liked this film's attempt at not necessary flipping gender roles, but exploring the inherent selfishness that comes with doing what's best for your career at the expense of your significant other. There are some great moments and some great conversations between Violet and Tom as they make some painful choices, but ultimately the film decides it would rather depend on cliches to end the story in a manner that may be more comfortable and familiar for audiences to handle.

The film was written by Apatow alums Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, who previously collaborated on Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Muppets. While I admire Segel's obvious talent, like many comedies from the Apatow school, this film badly needed a more impartial editor. Many sequences go on longer than they should, and this amplifies the feeling that the film is a series of comedy sketches based on one couple's life. Unfortunately, film lacks the benefit of a live audience barometer to tell the actors when they should move it along. In turn, the pacing of the film is quite lethargic. There was just enough comedy to keep me interested, but not enough to keep me from wondering how long this ride would last.

Segel plays his usual adorable self, and his chemistry with real-life buddy Emily Blunt is more palpable than your average romantic comedy pairing. However, the real standouts for me were Chris Pratt and Alison Brie, who play Tom's friend Alex and Violet's sister Suzie. They hook up at the engagement party, and end up having the life that Tom wanted for himself. Pratt and Brie are two of my favorite TV sitcom stars right now, and seeing them paired on screen together was better than I could of imagined. Honestly, I was much more invested in their story than that of the leads.

I had fun watching The Five Year Engagement, but it lacks the taut storyline of better comedies. Maybe the meandering pace is apropos of the premise, but there is a good half hour of this film that should have been a bonus feature on the DVD.

Review: Pirates! Band of Misfits

This review originally appeared on Cinedelphia.com.

As the third stop-motion animated feature film from Aardman Animation, Pirates! Band of Misfits delivers on the promise of the studio's earlier Wallace & Gromit work in a wholly new backdrop. It features similar humor of course, but also retains the loving attention to detail that rewards repeat viewings for both kids and adults alike.

The titular nameless Pirates are led by their captain, Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) who is really a pirate in name and dress only. His crew is filled out by The Pirate with a Scarf (Martin Freeman), The Pirate with Gout (Brendan Gleeson), and The Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate (Ashley Jenson). The Pirate Captain desperately wants to win the Pirate of the Year award, but is up against fierce competitors Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) and Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven).

Having seen the trailer for the film, I was expecting a fairly straightforward pirate romp, but was surprised when the film took a new and exciting direction at the beginning of the second act. I might not have been as surprised if the film had been released in the US with the original UK title, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. While sailing for booty, the Pirates end up attempting to pillage and plunder from none other than Charles Darwin (David Tennant) and the HMS Beagle. Darwin, in turn, wants to win a science prize to impress his crush...Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton). Cameos from such figures as Jane Austen and the Elephant Man are also plentiful, and by the end of the film I was enamored by the historical cast of characters.

Much of the joy in this film comes from watching the filmmakers play around in this time period. There is so much great comedy throughout, ranging from puns and sight gags to the elaborate Rube Goldberg-like setpieces Wallace fans have come to expect. A true family film, this will appeal to kids as well as adults Much of the best humor in the film is specifically targeted to grown-ups (or overly educated youngsters) in the form of references and sly gags, handled much more deftly than in fare like The Lorax.

This is a film rich in detail, and one of the few children's movies I could probably tolerate watching several times in a week, if only to attempt to weed out the hundreds of potential background jokes, only a few of which I think I caught by the end. While I love all forms of animation, there is something special about stop motion, because these characters and sets (mostly) exist in the real world. It is slow work, and seeing the craftsmanship on display here is worth the price of admission. Whether it is the swirls on Pirate Captain's luxurious beard, the signs in a London back alley, or the facial expressions of a monkey butler, there is always something amazing to look at.

Pirates! Band of Misfits is much more than just your average family fare, and well worth seeking out if you're the kind of adult who might enjoy an absurdist pirate's eye view on history.

Review: Safe

This review originally appeared on Cinedelphia.com.

Safe is the latest in what seems to be a career of interchangeable action films from Jason Statham, the modern descendant of Jean-Claude Van Damme or Dolph Lundgren. Statham used to be a decent character actor when he was working with Guy Ritche, now he crashes in, drops a pithy line, kicks ass, and drives off.

He does that in Safe, wherein he plays an underground cage fighter trying to protect a young Chinese girl (Catherine Chan) from Russian gangsters, illegitimate Chinese businessmen, and crooked New York cops. Sample line from the film: "You'll be squeezed between us [the Russians] and the Chinese. A war on two fronts, like Hitler." The girl is the MacGuffin because she has a photographic memory and has been given a code that everyone wants to get their hands on.

This is a solid B-movie; the action is competent, the body count ridiculously high, and it even manages an occasional burst of cleverness with regards to fight choreography. These include a car shootout entirely from the point of view of a character in the car, and Statham utilizing dinner plates as deadly weapons. The plot is also very straightforward, hitting all of the expected beats at the right moments.

Safe is exactly what its title portends: a safe action movie. It doesn't aim too high, but hits the mark well-enough. Save it for a rainy weekend on HBO.

Review: The Lucky One

This review was originally written for Cinedelphia.com

As long as there are authors like Nickolas Sparks in the world, Hollywood will never suffer a dearth of material to conconct so-called romance films. But the problem remains that while Sparks' stories may make for some entertaining romance novels, they don't make very compelling films. The Lucky One is no different.

The film suffers the most from a story that is so straight-forward it is almost impossible to be fully engaged despite the beautiful idyllic landscapes customary of Sparks' novels. The characters are also recycled archetypes that could be put to good use in other better films, but here they remain frustratingly one-dimensional. Zac Efron plays Logan, a recently discharged Marine who served three tours in Iraq and believes he owes his life to a picture of a woman he found admist the rubble after an attack. Aside from being a dedicated soldier, Logan is portrayed as a quiet and strong "man of mystery," who is compelled to walk from his home in Colorado to Louisiana in search of his guardian angel. We're not even going to talk about the craziness of this feat, or how after weeks of sleeping in the woods babyfaced Efron still looks completely adorable. It just doesn't matter. Anyway, he meets Beth (Taylor Schilling), a strong gentle woman with a past who is habitually outfitted in flowy, flowery garb, and instead of telling her why he's really there, he ends up working at the kennel Beth and her mother Ellie (Blythe Danner) run.

The rest of the film plays out like a day-in-the-life reality show that outstays its welcome, with montages of froliking dogs, and stolen glances between Beth and Logan. The mundane is only punctuated with moments of absurd tension from Beth's stalker ex-husband who grows increasingly angered over Logan's presence in his wife and son's life. This tension culminates in a very bizarre and all too convenient climax towards the end of the film that is so rife with over dramatics its hard to justify it's existence in a novel or a film.

I tend to get annoyed at films like The Lucky One, not because I'm against "chick-flicks" but because the genre refuses to blend the ideals of chivalrous romance with modern ideas about sensuality. I found myself feeling awkward and bored with the central romance between Logan and Beth, and I'm not sure if it's due to poor casting, chemistry, or writing. None of it felt relatable, which left me very disinterested for most of the film's running time.

The one bright spot in this film for me was Blythe Danner's Ellie, who is the perfect example of a stereotype done to perfection. Every time I wanted to slap someone she'd utter a one-liner only a wacky grandma could deliver and all would be forgiven. Beth's son Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart) also seemed to be cut from the same character cloth. Their moments one screen were few, but a much appreciated distraction.

Regardless of my opinions on the state of romance films today, The Lucky One already comes complete with a built-in audience who are fans of the Sparks universe: you already know who you are (and you're ignoring my cynicism), and if you're not, then you're probably not reading this review.

Review: Bully

This review originally written for Cinedelphia.com.

Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock are considered to be the most popular documentarians around, with their blend of raw footage, statistics, experts, humor, and larger than life personalities of their hosts drawing critical and popular acclaim (as much as any documentaries get popular acclaim). Lee Hirsch’s Bully shows you don’t need any of those flashy devices to stir an emotional reaction. Rather than a socio-political deconstruction of the idea of ‘The Bully’, Hirsch uses an anecdotal approach to make real to the audience what America’s middle schoolers are currently dealing with.

If you are a student, parent, or teacher, you are no doubt familiar with the bullying ‘epidemic’ currently facing America’s education system. Bully places us on the inside, following. the lives of several middle school students and their families as they deal with being bullied. Most saddening are the cases of Tyler Long and Ty Smalley, victims of bullying who took their own lives. The film follows these children and their parents as they attempt to deal with the hell that has become their everyday lives.

Most importantly, the film shows kids actually being bullied, pushed, poked, choked, and harassed. Consequently, any notion of ‘everyone gets picked on sometime’ or ‘boys will be boys’ will be completely shot by the end of the film. Being picked on is one thing, but the kids in the documentary are tormented every day of their lives, humiliated and alone, they have given up going to their parents, school administrators or police.

Seeing the reactions of the parents and administrators to these bullied kids is probably the most heartbreaking aspect of the film. It helps, of course, that our protagonists are easily lovable when one is outside the Darwinistic constructs of small town school life. None of these kids are inherently antisocial, it’s more apt to say that they are just different enough to be easily separated from everyone else.

This is one of the most poignant movies I have ever seen, and a great example of a film being Important. This is a film that needs to be seen by every parent, teacher, school administrator, and student. While I doubt the film will guilt bullies into changing, or suddenly free victims from their plight, all it would take in most of these situations is one other kid to be a friend.

Hirsch has purposefully made this film as a call to action, to face the realities of what is already happening in our schools. The filmmakers do not offer any substantial solution, and rightly so. Bully is the beginning of a conversation. It is far from the end of it.

Review: The Raid: Redemption

Now and again a genre movie will break past the bounds of what is expected and cross over to impress a wider audience. Horror and martial arts are two such genres where hundreds of movies are made each year and most of the films are released directly to DVD or on demand. Most people, (including myself) will never even hear of any of these movies. The Raid: Redemption, an Indonesian film by Welsh director Gareth Evans, is one such movie that stays true to its genre while attaining wide critical and audience acclaim.

I am by no means an expert on martial arts, but I want to mention that The Raid features an Indonesian style of martial arts called Pencak Silat (if that means anything to you, you probably have already seen this movie). All I know is that it involves a healthy mix of guns, knives, elbows, and knees. Get ready for some very close, kick-ass fighting amongst characters. The Raid is also a stellar example of a film that does not need an overly complicated plot to tell good stories. The film is just about a SWAT team going into an apartment building controlled by the worst criminals.

What has garnered this film so much acclaim is the impressive fight scenes and simplified storytelling. Each of the main characters has a solid story that is told throughout the film, and the action in this movie is AMAZING. Seriously amazing. Like I can't even describe some of the ridiculous things that happen in this film with axes, light fixtures, doors, and chairs without spoiling the fun.

Another thing that helps the film is the foreign language aspect. Action films like this tend to suffer from overwrought dialogue and bad performances. All of the actors here are great in their roles, and the dialogue is aided by the audience reading subtitles instead of hearing how cheesy it might sound.

The Raid: Redemption perfectly encapsulates the idea of a midnight movie, one that is over-the-top, not to serious, and fun from start to finish.

Review: Mirror, Mirror

This review was originally written for Cinedelphia.com

Mirror Mirror is the first of two interpretations of the Snow White fairy tale due out in theaters this year, and by all accounts this one strives to be the more whimisical of the two. Instead of Grimm's traditional cautionary tale that pits age against beauty, Tarsem Singh's visual masterpiece attempts to dive into the realm of witty meta-commentary that starts off strong, but ultimately reinforces the same tired sterotypes it pokes fun at in the first place.

The film begins with a rather interesting animated sequence (think back to Deathly Hallows: Part 1, and the Three Brothers tale) that gives us the back story: a beautiful princess gets an evil step-mother, the King disappears soon after in mysterious circumstances. Julia Roberts plays a rather delicious if slightly overdone Evil Queen, who is jealous of Snow White's (Lily Collins) youth and beauty, and locks her away in the castle. Ever the sweet angel, Snow White obeys, until she hears about the horrible things that are happening to the townspeople under the Queen's tyranny. She escapes, and with the help of the seven dwarves and Prince Alcott (played by the ridiculously charming Armie Hammer), she sets out to defeat the Queen.

Lily Collins and Armie Hammer are the relative newcomers here, and both deliver strong performances on their own, but together, they lack the necessary chemistry to make their "fairy tale" romance a believable outcome given the campy dialogue and intentionally exaggerated caricatures of the characters they play. Even Roberts' interaction with Collins lacks the passive-aggressive flair a la Mean Girls that it aims for. The only exchanges I really enjoyed were between Roberts and her minion Brighton (played by the always spot-on Nathan Lane).

The real star of Mirror Mirror is Tarsem Singh who is blessed with an eye for the magical. Everything from the set designs to the costumes evoked the perfect blend of the bizarre and enchanted, and when things didn't quite click elsewhere on screen, at least there was always something nice to look at (besides Hammer's pearly white grin).

Mirror Mirror is riding the wave of recent films that feature a strong central female character, but the gung-ho girl power feeling is lacking at the end, when Snow takes little credit for figuring out the Queen's secret and saving the kingdom. The Prince on the other hand ends up getting what he wants most, and the dwarves are honored at court. The coup de gras really though, is the validation of an age-old adage when the young beauty leans in close to the old hag whispering, "it's always good to know when you've lost."