Fantastic Four (4/10): There is nothing fantastic about this.

"With every new discovery, there is risk, there is sacrifice... and there are consequences."

I was surprised that critics and audiences were ripping this film apart because in my mind there was no way the producers could go wrong with this young and talented cast, so I was prepared to enjoy and defend this movie. I had heard about the production problems, but something similar had happened with Ant-Man and that movie turned out to be surprisingly fun. At least the director, Josh Trank, had decided to stay on board for this film despite reports of disputes with his producers. His first feature film, Chronicle, was a very entertaining and unique low budget found-footage sci-fi movie, so I thought that with a bigger budget he could deliver an even better film. Evidently I was wrong because Fantastic Four is a gigantic mess. There were several concerns over the film being rushed so that Fox wouldn't lose the rights to the franchise and the movie definitely felt that way. I don’t know how much blame could be put on Trank, because it seems that the producers took control over the film, so before you discard him as a terrible director I’d recommend you to check out Chronicle. See that film instead of this comic adaptation reboot. I’d even go as far as saying that the 2005 version was better.  

Fantastic Four is basically an origin story that ends up being so long that by the time the villain shows up it feels more like a cameo than anything else. The final climax of the film is one of the worst I've seen in a superhero movie. I wouldn't mind this as much if the origin story would've been interesting, but none of these characters were engaging and the dialogue was quite terrible. Every one of them seemed to have daddy issues or some sort of cliche that characters in this genre usually have. Even Toby Kebbell who played Victor Domashev in this movie shared all the basic stereotypical traits foreshadowing who he would later become, Dr. Doom. Superhero films always tend to follow the same basic formula, but the successful ones manage to stand out for some unique quality, either benefitting from a great central performance, its funny upbeat light tone, or its spectacular action scenes. Fantastic Four uses the same formula, but doesn't do anything unique with it. There is no chemistry between the cast and the delivery of some of their lines are overly dramatic at times. There isn’t a single strong performance here, there is no comedy whatsoever, and the action scenes (or should I say scene?) are underwhelming (especially if you compare it to other action Summer films like Mission Impossible and Mad Max). Unfortunately the film is a huge mess because it fails at setting up interesting characters and later rushes the final climatic action scene, completely changing gears on the slow and drawn out pacing that the movie had during its long introduction.

The main character in this film is Reed Richards of course, so we follow him from childhood. He dreams of creating a device that can teleport people into an alternate place. In school he befriends a tough boy named Ben who becomes his assistant. Reed is a genius and working from his garage he comes up with an impressive mechanism in which he manages to teleport some objects, but in the process he leaves the entire town without electricity. Several years pass and now Reed (Miles Teller) and Ben (Jamie Bell) are in a High School science fair showing off their invention. Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey) and his daughter Sue (Kate Mara) are impressed with Reed so they offer him an opportunity to work with them in their advanced state of the art laboratory. Victor (Toby Kebbell) had been working on a very similar project, but had unsuccessfully been able to teleport the objects back so the two begin working together to make their dream a reality. Dr. Storm’s other son, Johnny (Michael B. Jordan) also joins the project and when they succeed at teleporting a group of chimps to an alternate universe they decide its time for them to take the trip as well. Of course something goes terribly wrong and they each go through a unique physical transformation. They will have to learn to deal with their new acquired abilities, which the military takes a keen interest in, but Reed is focused on fixing them instead.

Miles Teller had been on a roll with strong performances in films like Whiplash and The Spectacular Now. He was even great in his supporting role in Insurgent, a film I didn’t like. But here he simply didn’t have the charm to tackle this super hero. Perhaps the blame can be put on the screenwriters, but he couldn’t do anything to make Reed an interesting character (not prior to his transformation nor after). Michael B. Jordan’s career seemed to be taking off after his impressive performances in Chronicle and Fruitvale Station, but he wasn’t able to do much with the small role that was given to him here. Reg. E. Cathey was perhaps the weakest link thanks to his overly dramatic delivery of each line with his deeply serious voice. Toby Kebbell came in a close second, but I really do have to blame the screenwriters here for making his character such a cliche. Villains have always been a problem in super hero films and it couldn’t be more true than it is here. I’ve heard a couple defenses claiming that this is more of a sci-fi centering on human transformation (with comparisons to Cronenberg’s The Fly), but that couldn’t be further from the truth because when these heroes acquire their new abilities the film inexplicably leaps forward in time showing these characters already adapted to their transformation and coming to terms with it. All the psychological trauma is ignored in order to prepare for the final climactic action scene which was to put in nicely, underwhelming.       

Insurgent (4/10): Bigger and louder sequel, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's better.

“You are living proof that the divergent problem has grown beyond all control.”

Director Robert Schwentke (RED, RIPD) replaced Neil Burger for the Divergent sequel which is much bigger, louder, and action packed. I actually ended up mildly recommending the first film which I found engaging enough thanks to Shailene Woodley’s lead performance. Unfortunately, Insurgent is a step down for the franchise because bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. The action scenes look great and the film is very pretty to look at, but the main issue I have here is with the story which I felt was so convoluted that I wasn’t able to engage with any of the characters. I honestly couldn’t remember much of what had happened in Divergent (which means it didn’t really make an impact on me the first time around), but we get enough flashbacks and exposition here to recall some of the important events. We are also introduced to the two other factions that the first one left out (amity and candid) so we get new characters that mostly appear on screen for a couple of minutes. Octavia Spencer is the leader of amity and Daniel Dae Kim of candid. Insurgent also introduces us to the factualness who are led by Naomi Watt’s Evelyn. So Insurgent basically ha the same flaws most sequels do, which is try to make everything bigger and it ends up crowding the screenplay and leaving little room for character development. Sure, some of the action scenes are great (mostly the first couple of scenes) but I simply lost interest in the story and found it incredibly tedious and boring. By the end I didn’t really care what could happen to any of the characters. I haven’t had much luck with Schwentke’s films recently and would’ve preferred Burger continued directing the franchise instead. If you are a fan of Veronica Roth’s YA novels you probably will enjoy this, but I’m not familiar with her work and didn’t enjoy this film at all.   

Insurgent takes place right after the events of Divergent so if you haven’t watched the first film you might feel lost. Basically, the story is set in a dystopian future where society is divided into five factions based on people’s virtues. Jeanine (Kate Winslet) is the head of the erudite (the intelligent faction) who basically has control over this wrecked city surrounded by giant walls which separate them from the vast outdoor wasteland. The heroine of the franchise is Tris (Shailene Woodley) who discovers she’s divergent because she doesn’t fit into one faction, but decides however she wants to be Dauntless (the more adventurous and fearless members of society who become the protectors of the city). Here she falls in love with Four (Theo James), befriends Christina (Zoe Kravitz), and is bullied by Peter (Miles Teller) and Eric (Jai Courtney) who are all returning characters in the sequel. In Divergent, Tris discovers that her kind isn’t accepted in society believing they are a threat for not fitting in. She also discovers that Jeanine is planning on taking over the rest of the factions beginning with Abnegation which is where her parents (Tony Goldwyn and Ashley Judd) reside. Her parents are killed in the attack but she eventually stops Jeanine’s plan. Insurgent picks up right after the attack as we follow the surviving fugitives hiding out with the Amity faction. Tris’s brother, Caleb (Ansel Elgort) is also with them. Jeanine will stop at nothing to capture Tris discovering she’s a valuable asset. 

The plot in insurgent felt much weaker and the film focuses mainly on the action sequences. There are way too many characters introduced, which is a shame because it diverts the attention at times from the main ones. Shailene Woodley gives a solid performance but she didn’t carry the film this time around. I found her character a bit less charismatic since she spends most of the film feeling guilty and unable to forgive herself for the loss of her parents and friends. Theo James isn’t any better either and the romantic chemistry that existed in the first film grows weak this time around. Ansel Elgort is devoid of all the charm he brought to the table in The Fault of Our Stars (it is weird seeing him play Woodley’s sister in this film after being her love interest). My favorite performance in this sequel surprisingly came from Miles Teller who doesn’t get much screen time but shines in the few scenes he’s in. The villains aren’t actually very menacing and everything about this sequel felt more boring and tedious to me. Even the simulation and dream sequences are a bit of a letdown and took me away from the film completely.    

Whiplash (9/10): One of the best films of 2014

“I think being the greatest musician of the 20th century is anybody's idea of success.”

Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash is one of the best films of 2014. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t much of a music fan (I’m not), because there is much more going on here than the simple premise of a young drummer trying to achieve perfection. I don’t know much about jazz or music, but somehow Chazelle managed to make one of the most intense films of the year. Who would’ve thought that a film focusing on a relationship between a young drummer and his mentor could be so intense and have you at the edge of your seat during the final ten minutes of the film? It was quite a memorable experience. This is Chazelle’s sophomore film (his debut film was Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench) and you can already conclude he’s a brilliant director and one to look forward to. He’s as determined as the main protagonist of the film. When he wasn’t able to come up with the funding for this film he decided to make a 20 minute short which debuted at Sundance in 2013 and after garnering attention from critics he was able to finance this film. Perfection comes at a great cost and it requires discipline and practice. Chazelle makes sure we understand that this pursuit of perfection comes at a great cost and he lets the audience decide wether it’s worth the price or not. Whiplash is one of those rare films that leaves you with many different things to think about. It raises so many questions: Does the end justify the means? Is the pursuit of perfection possible? Is it really worth all the sacrifice? and the most important question in my opinion; what is our definition of success? The young drummer in this film played brilliantly by Miles Teller (who had a breakout year in 2013) seems to have his mind made up of what success really means, but is he right? The director avoids taking sides and lets the audience come up with their own conclusions. There is a brilliant scene where Teller’s character is courting a girl and telling her about his goals in life, and his reaction is brilliant when the girl (played by Melissa Benoist) doesn’t really know what she wants to do with her life. He is so determined and focused that he finds it confusing that someone could live without this sort of ambition. These small scenes are what makes this movie so great because it allows us to learn new things about each character through these interactions.  

The core of this film is without a doubt the relationship between this aspiring young drummer and his abusive mentor. It is very different from most other mentor-student relationships explored in movies in the past and it avoids falling into similar formulas and cliches found in other films. This isn’t the cool teacher, this is someone whose personal philosophy is about pushing his students to sacrifice everything in their lives to pursue greatness and the only way to do so in his opinion is by pushing and bullying his students to the point of breaking them. It is the opposite of what a mentor like Professor Keating in Dead Poets Society is like towards his students (and most films take a similar approach having an inspirational and caring mentor). But in Whiplash J.K. Simmons’ Fletcher is the complete opposite and he psychologically terrorizes his students. You can feel the fear he installs in the students and his presence alone every time he enters a room is felt. Simmons’ performance is the best I’ve seen all year and he delivers in every scene he’s in. He is the main reason why the film is as intense as it is because every time Teller’s Andrew gets in front of the drums we feel that anxiety and tension. We want him to succeed, but at times the cost seems too high. Simmons’ presence is terrifying  and even when he seems to be cooled down we know that he can burst in any moment with a missed note. The way he verbally assaults and demolishes his students is also a troubling part of the film because as an audience we know that it is wrong but we can’t help but chuckle at some of the things he’s saying. His character is almost cartoonish at times, but it is part of his persona because he thinks it is the only way to push his students to become the best. As good as Simmons is in this film, Miles Teller doesn’t allow him to steal the spotlight. Teller is the lead character in this film and even when Simmons isn’t on screen we are engaged with the story. The moments he is interacting with Nicole, the girl he is dating, and with his father (played by Paul Reiser) are also incredibly well constructed and they say a lot about who each character is. These relationships give us a glimpse of who Andrew really is and what drives him. Teller’s performance is solid and even his drum skills are amazing in this film. The entire cast is fantastic, but of course Simmons receives most of the recognition because his presence on screen is just amazing here. 

Whiplash shows us that fine line between perfection and obsession. Andrew sacrifices so much and is always pushed to the limits by Fletcher and it leaves us wondering if it really is worth it. It’s such a powerful film and I’m sure jazz fans will love it even more because the music here is great. The film has a breathtaking ten minute finale as well that will leave your heart pounding. There are so many other aspects of the film that work so well, like the rapid editing that goes along with the jazz beats. The cinematography is also gorgeous. Everything about this film is great and the performances simply elevate it all. The only reason why I’m not calling it a masterpiece is because it does have some issues during the midsection of the film with some rather implausible scenes, but other than that this is a perfect film. I may be demanding too much out of this film like Fletcher is with his students, so it barely misses the perfect note but it is one of the best films of the year. The more you think about it the more you take out of it. I even found an interesting metaphor out of this pursuit for greatness comparing it to with how the American military works trying to build the perfect army because in a way Fletcher’s techniques are similar to those that generals use (therefor the comparisons of Simmons performance to that of Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket).

My Review: Divergent (6/10)

"I don't want to be just one thing. I can't be. I want to be brave, and I want to be selfless, intelligent, and honest and kind. Well, I'm still working on kind."

Let me start off by saying that I had no prior knowledge of Veronica Roth's novel which this film is based on so I can't make any claims on how faithful the adaptation is. Although I will say that 5 minutes into the film I kind of got a feeling that this futuristic dystopian story had some similarities to The Hunger Games which made me wonder if Divergent was not yet another one of Suzanne Collins' novel adaptations. The main reasons why this film was among my most anticipated films for 2014 were director Neil Burger, for his unique work in Limitless and The Illusionist, and Shailene Woodley who has been terrific in just about every film I've seen her in. So I was greatly disappointed when I discovered that Divergent, which had a heavy message aimed towards young adolescents about not being labelled or categorized and discovering who you really were by following your own path in life, was being a bit hypocritical in its approach considering it can easily be categorized as yet another generic and formulaic teen romantic adventure film full of cliches. This was far from Burger's previous films which I found unique, perhaps due to their indie approach. However having said all this, I still found Divergent entertaining enough to mildly recommend it thanks in most part to the Shailene Woodley's lead performance. I'm not Divergent's target audience, but I think adolescents and young teenagers will love this film and their expectation will be fulfilled. They are the only reason why  the planned sequels will get to be made, but the truth of the matter is that this is a much lesser film than The Hunger Games and will easily be forgotten in time.

Vanessa Taylor and Evan Daugherty adapted the screenplay from Roth's novel setting the story in a futuristic dystopian Chicago where people live confined inside wired walls. They are also divided into five factions based on their virtues. Their is Abnegation who represent the selfless, Dauntless the brave, Erudite the intelligent, Candor the honest, and Amity the peaceful. The Abnegation faction are the ones in charge of governing the city considering they are selfless and always put others first. They are merciful people. Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) and her brother, Caleb (Ansel Elgort) have been raised by their parents, Andrew (Tony Goldwyn) and Natalie (Ashely Judd), in this faction, but when they turn 16 they are free to choose the faction they feel they belong with. Before they decide they must take a test which basically tells them what faction they really belong to, but they are free to decide on their own. Everyone always fits into one faction, but if you make a wrong choice you could end up factionless (homeless). When Tris takes the test she discovers she's one of the few people who is divergent (meaning she has basically all the virtues from every faction), but she must keep it to herself because these people don't fit in to this dystopian society where being different is viewed as something dangerous. When the day comes for Tris and Caleb to make their decision she ends up choosing Dauntless, who are basically in charge of the security and enforcing order in the city. Knowing that faction comes before family she must bid them farewell, and her training with Dauntless begins. At first she doesn't fit in due to the extreme physical and intense psychological tests that their instructors, Four (Theo James) and Eric (Jai Courtney), make them go through. If she doesn't pass the initiation program she will be sent with the factionless, but at the same time if they discover she is divergent, she could be killed so the adventure begins (and of course the romance as well).

I enjoyed the performance from the young actors in this film and I think Woodley had great chemistry with James. A lot of people had issues with his performance, but I thought he was very believable and pulled it off well. The cast elevate this film and make the film's extended running time worth the while. There are some beautiful scenes that work really well in Divergent, I loved the cinematography and the dream sequences were probably the highlight of the film. There was also a scene where Tris went down a canopy line through the destroyed buildings that looked pretty cool. The story is formulaic and has its flaws. It felt melodramatic towards the end and tries too hard to leave audiences hooked for the sequel. The first part of the film suffers for taking to long to set things up and introducing each character, but once we are with Tris in Dauntless as she goes through the initiation process the film picks up. The film also fails to engage the audience as to why the divergent are so dangerous to their society, but it all seems to rely on the message the film is trying to give to young teenagers. It is a metaphor playing on the fear of adolescents of finding their place in society and discovering who they really are. It wasn't the film I was hoping for, but I am feeling merciful today so I will give it a passing grade.

My Review: The Spectacular Now (8/10)

"You'll always be my favorite ex-boyfriend."

Director James Ponsoldt (Smashed) really set the bar high for this film giving it such a pretentious title, but in all honesty the movie accomplishes exactly that: It is spectacular. This has been a great year for coming of age movies and it is easily becoming one of my favorite genres. I thought I had had enough with MUD, The Way Way Back, and Kings of Summer, but The Spectacular Now managed to bring something new and unique to the equation. This is one of those High School films that feels authentic with three dimensional characters and a solid screenplay. The writers for 500 Days of Summer (another film I enjoyed), Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, did an incredible job adapting Tim Tharp's novel and their screenplay benefits from great performances from Woodley and Teller. Actually the entire cast is impressive in this film and it is really hard to think of another Hollywood film that has created such natural and authentic High School characters. At first glance you might think this is just another cliched romantic teen comedy where the popular kid from school falls for the nerdy and sweet girl, but this film does it in such a unique and mature way that it only uses this known premise to explore other important themes. The Spectacular Now is a balanced film that blends romantic and comic touches with some serious and dramatic moments. It reminds us all that it was not always easy to be a teen considering how specific moments touched and shaped us during our transition to adulthood.

Sutter (Miles Teller) is a charming and popular High School senior who everyone seems to like. There is no party if he isn't around. He is happy with his life and embraces the now. When his girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larson), dumps him he decides to do what he does best which is to party. The next morning Aimee (Shailene Woodley) finds hims passed out in her lawn and wakes him. Of course she recognizes him from school and introduces herself. She is nothing like him, she is sweet and shy, and has never had a boyfriend. Sutter has no idea where he has parked his car so he asks Aimee if he can ride with her while she does her mother's paper route. Despite their differences the two connect and begin to bond. Sutter is still very much in love with Cassidy, but at the same time he believes he can help Aimee become more confident. He may be a popular kid, but he realizes that he isn't going anywhere with his life and that is the main reason why Cassidy dumped him. Aimee on the other hand is either blinded by her love for him or actually does see some good in him. They're both at a turning point in their lives and despite their differences both of them think they can have a positive effect on the other.

Despite the familiar premise this film has a lot of depth and goes places others in the same genre never do. It also does it in such a way that it never feels heavy handed or manipulative. Yes there may be some rushed moments, but the story is so well crafted that it has an authentic and raw vibe to it. Woodley and Teller are so natural that you forget they are acting. The film just strikes all the right notes making it impossible to be emotionally detached to it. You really care for these characters and fear they will hurt one another. It is just such an honest depiction of teenage life where not only friends influence their lives, but the entire surroundings (parents, teachers, employers) shape them. The center of the film really is Sutter as his world (the spectacular now) begins to shake and alcohol doesn't seem like the easiest way out anymore. It may not be until halfway through the film that you realize that the main theme isn't the relationship between him and Aimee, but the way they each have to deal with the transitions and changes in their lives. Two scenes stood out for me, the first being Sutter's encounter with his father and the second near the end where he embraces his mother. The supporting performances in this film were also very rich. Kudos to Brie Larsen, Kyle Chandler (Sutter's father), and Jennifer Jason Leigh (his mother). They were all simply spectacular. This is a film that stays with you because it never feels false and remains fresh.