My Review: Hateship Loveship (5/10)

"Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage."

Hateship Loveship is director Liza Johnson's followup to her debut film, Return, which I never had the opportunity to check out, but despite the fact that I wasn't very impressed with her effort in this film I do see some positive qualities in her film making. Somehow she managed to draw me into the story despite the fact that it centered on almost all unlikable or strange characters. The pacing of the film is extremely slow so you have to be patient with it, and there are also one too many relational conflicts explored which leave many undeveloped or forced moments. The romantic story felt a bit awkward and rushed, but the performances are the highlight of this film. I had never seen Kristen Wiig in a dramatic role before and I thought she gave a solid performance although her character is perhaps the quirkiest. I still enjoy her more in comedic roles, but she proves to have some versatility. Her character might seem quiet and domesticated, but she has a strong and resolute will. Guy Pierce is by far the most unlikable character as he play a carless drug addict and ex-con, but the story redeems him. Hailee Steinfeld continues to impress as a child actress and she delivers yet another solid performance. And finally you have the reliable Nick Nolte who is always a great addition to a film. Hateship Loveship has several pacing issues and an unconventional love story that will turn audiences off, but fans of Wiig will enjoy her unique character in this dramatic film.

The screenplay was adapted by Mark Poirier (Smart People) from Alice Munro's (Away from Her) short story. The main character, Johanna Perry (Kristen Wiig), is as a caregiver who has to look for a new job after the old lady she has worked for passes away. She is hired by Mr. McCauley (Nick Nolte) who wants her to take care of his granddaughter Sabatha (Hailee Steinfeld). Her mother died in a traffic accident and her father, Ken (Guy Pierce), lives in Chicago and is in no condition of taking care of her due to his drug related problems. When Johanna arrives, Ken happens to be visiting Sabatha, so the two meet and before he heads back to Chicago he leaves a thank you note for her. Sabatha gives Johanna her father's address when she asks for it so she can write him back, but Sabatha's friend, Edith (Sami Gayle) decides to play a cruel trick on her. Offering to post the letter for Johanna she keeps it and convinces Sabatha to play along and trick Johanna by corresponding with her in her father's name. Johanna begins to fall in love with Ken thinking he is the one writing her, but despite Edith's cruel trick, Johanna finds a way to redeem herself.

Despite the slow pacing, Hateship Loveship has a very important underlying theme which I found uplifting. These two characters that end up falling for each other might not have much chemistry on screen because they are not your typical couple, but what I did get out of it was the importance of not being judgmental. That is perhaps Johanna's greatest asset as she is very quiet and patient. She is treated in an unfair manner but she is determined to forgive and expect the best in the other person without judging them for their actions. Eventually that quality is what helps Ken redeem himself and find his purpose. Sometimes all the other person needs is some patience and not someone to point their finger at them. The characters in Hateship eventually become interesting although at first it might be difficult to relate with them. The ending felt a bit rushed, but I had a decent time with this movie and ended up enjoying it more than I expected to (although not nearly as much as my father did).

My Review: Parker (4/10)

"I don't steal from anyone who can't afford it, and I don't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it."

The title of the film is based on the main character who is a thief with a set of moral codes which he never breaks. Oddly enough, Parker resembles every other Jason Statham character played on film, more than the character he was based on in Donald E. Westlake's novel "Flashfire." If you aren't familiar with the novel, you might be familiar with the 1999 revenge film, Payback, starring Mel Gibson. Despite not being called Parker in that film, Mel's character is supposed to be the same one played here by Statham. If you've seen both movies you will discover that they are completely different, so fans of Westlake's novels featuring Parker might be disappointed if they expect to experience that action hero, because all they will find is another Statham movie. I don't have a problem with Statham, I think he has great charisma on screen and has made some good films, but his act is wearing out if he doesn't try something new. This is the kind of film that he can make with his eyes closed considering he doesn't have as much fighting scenes as he usually does. The same could be said for director, Taylor Hackford, who has made some really strong films in the past like Ray and The Devil's Advocate, but this one is simply another generic and predictable heist film. John L. McLaughlin adapted the novel and this is also one of his weakest efforts considering he has written strong screenplays before (Black Swan and Hitchcock). This film didn't bring anything new to a genre we've seen played out a million times before in even straight to DVD movies. I could probably come up with a list of dozens of other revenge heist films that stand above this one. Parker was simply too generic and poorly executed with a character playing a thief with a strong moral code (which really never seems believable). 

Parker (Jason Statham) is working on his next heist after his long time partner, and now father-in-law, Hurley (Nick Nolte) recommends him and introduces him to four other thieves for an apparently easy heist: Melander (Michael Chiklis), Carlson (Wendell Pierce), Ross (Clifton Collins Jr.), and August (Micah Hauptman) who has close connections with the mafia in Chicago. After the heist the five thieves easily escape with the money, but instead of splitting the 200,000 they had all agreed on, Melander asks Parker and the rest of the gang to invest it in another heist in which they could all walk out of with a couple million dollars each. When Parker doesn't agree and asks for his share of the money, the rest of the members of the team shoot and leave him for dead. Parker survives and sets out to get back at these men because he believes in his set of ethical codes and they have broken it. It is not just about the money anymore, and he doesn't care how connected these men are with the mafia, he is out to set things right. After learning about their whereabouts in West Palm Beach he takes on a new identity and hires a real estate agent, Leslie Rodgers (Jennifer Lopez), as an excuse to look around and find these men. The only problem is that they know Parker is still alive and have set the mafia after him as well.

Parker is supposed to be an anti-hero, but it really doesn't play out like that in this movie. I couldn't identify with him and never found his set of moral codes really believable. Statham has charisma, but it just didn't play out that well with his character Parker. This felt like just another heist film where the audience is sort of forced to pull for the bad guy simply because he has a good heart. He only kills people when they don't do what they are told, he only steals from rich people, etc. He simply doesn't pull it off here and I couldn't root for his character. The film tries so hard to justify his actions in such a way that it never feels authentic. I also found Jennifer Lopez's role pretty pointless. Her character doesn't bring anything to this story and at times her life feels like a soap opera. Nick Nolte's character is another one that is completely pointless and misused. There were so many pointless things going on in this movie that could've been left out. The longer the film played out the more and more I disliked it. There are no thrills, the love triangle is hardly developed, and not even Statham's classic action scenes save this movie. Parker is simply too formulaic and very forgettable. 

My Review: Gangster Squad (6/10)

¨I always knew I’d die in Burbank¨

Gangster Squad walks a really thin line between being a terrible film and an entertaining one. First of all it has a really great and talented cast; it also has a good production design and is very stylized reminding us of some epic gangster films. On the other hand the film only looks gangster-like on the surface; it is not really a serious neo-noir gangster film but more of a light comedic gangster movie. This is director Ruben Fleisher’s follow up to his hit comedy Zombieland, and in a way it does feel like a satire of sorts of gangster films, but in some strange way it fails to find its own personality. You never know if you’re supposed to take the movie seriously or not because something is missing in the mix between drama and comedy. One critic defined the film better than I could by claiming it is ¨LA Confidential without the script.¨ It has the look and the tone of a serious gangster film, but the script which was loosely adapted by Will Beall from Paul Lieberman’s book just fails and the dialogues seem cartoonish at times. The violence is pretty heavy as there are plenty of glamorized gunfight scenes and a large body count. Sean Penn plays the villain a little over the top, but it works if you view the film as this sort of spoof of the gangster genre. And really in my opinion this approach is what works best because it is entertaining if taken lightly as a spoof. I feel sorry for those who went into this film with high expectations because they will mostly be disappointed, unless they can live with a mindless popcorn action flick with some good performances.

The story takes place in 1949 Los Angeles where Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), a mob king from Chicago, has taken over the city and is planning on controlling all criminal activities there with the help of corrupt officers and judges. He will eliminate whoever stands in his path. Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) on the other hand is a WWII veteran who is determined to do what he can to clean up the city. When Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) hears about O’Mara’s heroics he decides to assign him with a special underground task: to form an elite squad of police officers that will take down the mob King. Thus O’Mara begins his quest to find the right officers for his special team with the help of his wife Connie (Mireille Enos) who is worried about his wellbeing and wants him to be protected as best as possible. O’Mara chooses Officer Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie), Max Kennard (Robert Patrick) and his partner Navidad Ramirez (Michael Peña), Conway Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi) who’s the brains in the operation, and finally Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) who decides to accept O’Mara’s proposal after a member of the mob kills a kid he knew from the streets. Together these officers begin to try to intercept and disrupt Cohen’s operations working as an underground hit squad. Wooters also happens to be having an affair with Cohen’s love interest, Grace (Emma Stone), which could or could not be a good thing. And so the action begins as the squad tries to disrupt Cohen’s reign and clean up the city.

As I mentioned before this is an entertaining film which sometimes borderlines on the bad side considering it does have some pretty bad writing and underdeveloped characters. But it did work for me as a sort of spoof and light hearted film with a very stylized look to it. It has some fun action sequences with some strong performances, especially from the always reliable Ryan Gosling who continues to reinvent himself in every movie. I absolutely loved him here once again. Josh Brolin gives a pretty solid performance when he is not asked to do the voice over bit (it was a bit annoying at the beginning giving it a sort of fake Sin City vibe to it). The rest of the cast is pretty good although not getting enough screen time or storylines to develop their characters. Sean Penn plays the stereotypical bad guy a little over the top, but I enjoyed his performance as well (it wouldn’t have worked if you were expecting a serious gangster drama film). In the end Gangster Squad did work for me and I was entertained with this shoot-em up gangster film, but I know it isn’t for everyone.

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My Review: Warrior (10/10)

¨Break out the yellow tape, Sam. Tommy's walking away from the cage like he's leaving a crime scene.¨

Warrior is one of my favorite films of the year along with Drive and the final Harry Potter movie. This film really caught me by surprise. I`m generally not a huge fan of sports movies; don`t get me wrong, I like them, but they usually are very predictable and never end up among my favorites. However, Warrior is really a terrific movie that had me routing for both fighters at the end. What really stands out however in this movie aren`t the actual fighting scenes, but the entire family drama that goes on. Warrior makes The Fighter look like a silly movie and I really enjoyed that one, but the performances in this film (apart from Bale`s excellent performance) and the script are much better. The family in Warrior is a totally broken one, and although there are some clichés and corny moments, I really had a great time with this emotionally strong sports drama written and directed by Gavin O`Connor who also directed the 2004 sports film: Miracle. The fighting scenes are really well choreographed and the actors all look like real fighters. Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy are great as the lead characters and they really buffed out for this movie. The true surprise of Warrior however was Nick Nolte`s powerful performance as the broken father who is looking for redemption and forgiveness from his estranged sons. There are really some powerful and emotional dramatic scenes, but there are also plenty of strong fighting scenes so you will be satisfied whatever it is you are looking for. This movie deserves some Oscar buzz, it is just that good, and it really hasn`t received as much recognition as it should.

Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte) is a recovering alcoholic and former boxer who is living on his own after having pushed away his sons and wife when they were teens due to his alcohol abuse. Fourteen years later his youngest son, Tommy (Tom Hardy), who just returns as a Marine from Iraq, shows up at his doorsteps, and despite realizing his father is a changed man he still doesn`t want to have a relationship with him. He is still hurt and broken for everything that went on in his past. Paddy wasn`t a good father, but Tommy recognizes he was a great coach and wants him to train him for a Mixed Martial Art tournament called Sparta where the best fighters from the world will come to compete for the grand prize of 5 million dollars. Paddy coached Tommy during High School where he broke all the wrestling records and was never defeated. As the movie progresses more details about his past are revealed, and we also get to know why he needs the prize money. Tommy`s older brother, Brendan (Joel Edgerton) is also estranged from his family. Brendan never ran off with Tommy and his mother because he was in love with a girl who later became his wife and mother of his two beautiful daughters: Tess (Jennifer Morrison). Tommy never forgave Brendan for this and hasn`t communicated with him since. Brendan is a former UFC fighter and now works as a Physics teacher. Tess made him give up fighting after he was hospitalized and nearly died. They seem to be happy with their kids, but they are having financial problems and will lose the house in three months due to some heavy debts from his youngest daughter being hospitalized for heart issues. She is very well now, but Brendan can`t pay off his debts so he decides to enter the tournament as well and begins training with his former trainer Frank (Frank Grillo).

One of the things I enjoyed the most about this family drama is that it played out perfectly. O`Connor doesn`t talk down to the audience, we begin putting the pieces together about the family`s past through natural conversation that go on between them. We realize there is more to Tommy than we actually expect at first. Behind his tough guy persona there is some good in him. Brendan is also an excellent father and a nice guy. As the movie progresses we identify with both characters and can`t help but route for both of them. The trailer lets us know that both brothers will reach the final and compete with each other so it is no spoiler that I`m telling you this. You will have a hard time choosing who you want to win the fight. The family drama plays out perfectly and there are some great scenes between Hardy, Eldridge, and Nolte. Jennifer Morrison also does a great job playing the worried and carrying wife. The performances in this film are really top notch, and the action doesn`t let you down either. Fans of MMA and UFC won`t be disappointed with the fighting scenes. This is a great film with a great story and great performances. As we begin to uncover one layer after another of this family`s past we begin to route for them and identify with their pain. Nolte`s eyes really show us how repented he is for his past sins and how much he wants to reconcile with his two sons. His performance is Oscar worthy as a supporting character. By all means go see Warrior, you won`t regret it. This is Rocky meets Bloodsport meet Brothers.

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My Review: Zookeeper (2/10)

¨I know it shouldn’t bother me that you`re a zookeeper, but it kind of does.¨

Kevin James is at it again, although this time instead of receiving love advice from Hitch, he`s listening to the animals from the zoo. From the trailers I kind of expected this movie to be a cross between Dr. Doolittle and Night at the Museum, and it definitely was what I expected (and even worse). Zookeeper might have been written by five different screenwriters, but the story and dialogues are far from original. I couldn’t help but sense that I`d seen this movie a million times before. It`s like they blended a bunch of James`s comedies together and came up with this mixture called Zookeeper. There are hardly any funny moments in the movie, the talking animals thing isn’t new and it just didn’t work, the characters were all one dimensional, there was no chemistry whatsoever between any of the actors or animals, and the film relied heavily on Kevin James`s well known by now physical comedy and familiar gags. Frank Coraci has done some greater work in the past with films like Wedding Singer or Click, but he just misses the mark this time around. This was truly a messy comedy that never managed to catch my attention, or even get a smile out of me. I had no fun at all with Zookeeper.

Griffin Keyes (Kevin James) is a zookeeper who is about to propose to his beautiful girlfriend, Stephanie (Leslie Bibb), in the beach. He has everything planned: horseback riding in the sand as the sun sets, a message in a bottle, a ring, mariachis, and even fireworks. The only problem is that Stephanie says no because she just isn’t ready to have a long term relationship with a zookeeper. Five years later, Griffin is still a zookeeper who seems to be enjoying what he`s doing. He excels in his work and the animals are lucky to have him around. Some of his co-workers include Venom (Ken Jeong), Shane (Donnie Wahlberg), and the lovely and caring vet Kate (Rosario Dawson). Griffin is preparing his brother, Dave (Nat Faxon), an engagement party at the zoo and he runs into Stephanie once again. She seems interested in him, but he`s still working at the zoo and he has competition from another one of her exes: Gale (Joe Rogan). The only solution seems to be quitting the zoo and working with his brother for a luxury car dealership. The animals in the zoo decide to help Griffin out by breaking their code of silence and giving him advice on mating. These animals include Bernie the Gorilla (voiced by Nick Nolte), Donald the Monkey (Adam Sandler), Joe the Lion (Sylvester Stallone), Janet the Lioness (Cher), Barry the Elephant (Judd Apatow), Jerome the Bear (Jon Favreau), and Mollie the Giraffe (Maya Rudolph).

Anyone who has seen a romantic comedy before will know where this plot is heading five minutes into the movie. I don’t actually have a problem with this as long as I have a fun time getting to the predicted finale, but the trip just isn’t worth it since there are very few funny moments. The talking CGI animal effects aren’t very well done, but that wouldn’t be a problem either if they had been given some funny material to work with. It`s too bad because the cast was really incredible and they could have done much better work on their own. The only true funny moment in this movie is the five minute scene between James and the gorilla as they hang out together in TGIF. It is truly a very funny scene and perhaps the only moment in which James has a connection with one of the characters in the movie. Too bad that was only part of the side story and the entire film focused on something entirely different. Kevin James is a very funny man, but we can see his physical comedy anytime on television. The material he had to work with here was just pathetic, but he is partly to blame because he helped write it. I don’t see another sequel coming out of this like in Dr. Doolittle or Night at the Museum because it really goes nowhere. This is the second Kevin James movie that I`ve seen this month that has completely disappointed me (The Dilemma). Small kids might enjoy the talking animals, but adults will most likely find this movie disappointing.

 

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