Maggie (4/10): A drama with a pacing as slow as watching zombies run a marathon.

“Dad, you’ve protected me all my life. Now it’s my turn to protect you. There is life with you, not with me.”

When you hear Arnold Schwarzenegger is starring in a zombie film you’re probably expecting a full blown action movie similar to World War Z, but Maggie is the complete opposite. It’s a slow burning drama where zombies slowly convert after being bitten. Schwarzenegger plays a father who is trying to protect his teenage daughter, Maggie (Abigail Breslin), who has been infected with the virus. The film begins with him driving to a hospital where Maggie is being held in quarantine. They allow Wade to take his daughter home so he can spend the last few days with her, but he must promise to bring her back when the virus begins to take full control of her. When they arrive back home her stepmother (Joely Richardson) is waiting for them so Maggie can say goodbye to her siblings before she takes them to her sister’s house to keep them safe. The film basically moves at a very slow pace and it uses this innovative concept as the driving force of the narrative. It tries to introduce a world where the victims are still considered as people and not simply lifeless zombies where no one would hesitate to pull the trigger. It may be a fresh twist on the crowded and familiar zombie genre, but I felt it was simply a dull and boring experience that never brought anything interesting to the story other than introducing the unique premise. The cinematography is bleak and dark, but perhaps it’s what works best in this lifeless film. 

We’ve seen different approaches taken when it comes to the zombie genre, beginning with the familiar horror genre (Night of the Living Dead), and then explored in action movies (World War Z), comedies (Zombieland), and even in romantic comedies (Warm Bodies), but I don’t think the subject had been approached in the past as a drama where you actually see the toll it takes on the victim and their family. That is where Maggie stands out from the rest of the films in the genre, but unfortunately it doesn’t work because you never feel engaged with these characters. The narrative puts its emphasis on the concept, but leaves out any character development. We get some glimpses of Maggie’s life in a couple of scenes where she goes out with her friends and spends time with her father, but there isn’t much more than that so Maggie doesn’t even work as a character study. It is simply a dull film that tries too hard to be a metaphor about a young girl facing a deadly disease. 

The performances in this film have been praised by several critics, but I didn’t find any of them groundbreaking. Breslin is a talented young actress and she delivers a solid role, but her character isn’t given much to work with. Schwarzenegger is attempting something different, and perhaps that is why he is receiving some recognition for his work, but his range continues to be limited and I much prefer him in roles like The Last Stand where he is exploiting and having fun with the action hero stereotypes that made him such a famous star in the first place. Perhaps it was the overall pacing of the film that put me to sleep, but I just never was invested with any of these characters to enjoy the performances.   

My Review: August: Osage County (5/10)

"I thought we were having a funeral dinner not a cockfight."

Based on Tracy Letts' Pulitzer winning play of the same name, August: Osage County is a dark comedy about a dysfunctional family that are reunited for their father's funeral and several secrets are revealed along the way. This is director John Wells' follow up to his 2010 film The Company Men, with Letts adapting the screenplay of his own play. Add a very talented cast to the mix and you have all the right elements for a successful film, but somehow it failed to engage me. The characters in this film are so unlikable and they treat each other so terribly that I just found this film hard to enjoy. This is one family I would like to stay as far away as possible, and therefor I never felt comfortable watching this. This is an extremely verbally violent film which proves the point that words can hit harder than stones. August Osage County does have several positive things going for it beginning with some terrific performances from Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. It also has a very witty and sharp screenplay as several secrets revealed along the way come as a surprise. It is a powerful film, but one that I never felt comfortable watching due to the fact I despised the way these characters treated each other. It was a depressing film, much like Lett's previous adapted play, Killer Joe. Despite having some fun moments I still felt like I'd be better off keeping away from this depressing story.

The film opens with Beverly (Sam Shepard) interviewing a young Native American woman named Johnna (Misty Upham) for a position as a live-in maid. He tells her about his wife Violet (Meryl Streep) who has been diagnosed with cancer and her addiction to pills. He and his wife have made an agreement, he doesn't say anything to him about her addiction and she doesn't bother him for being an alcoholic. It's just the way they deal with each other and their problems. Violet interrupts the interview and seems disturbed because she doesn't think she needs anyone taking care after her. Several days later it appears that Beverly has gone missing. The first to arrive at Violet's home providing support are her daughter Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), her sister Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale) and Fae's husband Charlie (Chris Cooper). Violet spends most of her time drinking pills and criticizing her family, especially Ivy for still being single. Violet's oldest daughter, Barbara (Julia Roberts) arrives with her husband Bill (Ewan McGregor) and their fourteen year old daughter Jean (Abigail Breslin) just around the moment that they discover Beverly's boat is missing. Later that afternoon, the local sheriff arrives and announces they have found Beverly's body, saying that he committed suicide and drowned himself. Several days later the funeral is held and the rest of Violet's family arrives, including her other daughter, Karen (Juliette Lewis) with her fiancé Steve (Dermot Mulroney) . The stage is set as they gather together for diner after the service and chaos ensues as secrets are revealed and horrible things are said to each other.

Meryl Streep may have just played her meanest role to date. She is a paranoid and dysfunctional woman who clearly has affected her children in the way she raised them. Julia Roberts also holds her own against Streep as they share some very powerful scenes together. The dialogue is witty and funny at times, while revealing some surprises along the way, but it's just the way these people treat each other that makes you want to stay away from them. The performance from the entire cast was above par, and the film succeeds in portraying them as these despicable and hateful people. Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Cooper being both perhaps the most sympathetic characters in the film, although they do have their flaws as well. Despite all the strong performances I do believe Roberts and Streep steal each scene they are in. They deserve all the recognition they've been receiving, but I just had a hard time watching this movie and getting through the entire thing. This is one of those stories that seem to have worked better as a play than in the big screen.

My Review: Ender's Game (4/10)

"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him."

I honestly don't understand some of the love this film is receiving considering how bored I was through the entire running time. The philosophy in this film didn't make much sense for me either and nothing in this sci-fi world felt believable. It was like having to sit through watching my little brother play one of his video games. Gavin Hood has received a lot of hate for his 2009 Wolverine film, but I was a huge fan of his South African film Tsotsi so I did have some hope for this. I guess he should stick to smaller productions because big scale films don't seem to work for him. The screenplay is based on Orson Scott Card's famous book of the same name which I never had heard of so I can't rate this based on its faithfulness to it. What I can say is that there isn't really anything thought provoking about it, which is some of the praise the book received. Here the themes are lost under all the CGI and extended action scenes. There are a lot of child actors in this film, which also hurt it a bit despite how much I like Abigail Breslin, Asa Butterfield, and Hailee Steinfeld. I didn't find anything spectacular form Harrison Ford's performance either, although I understand all the excitement from fanboys getting to see him back in space again. I just found this film hard to endure at times and found it a bit too grim and serious considering the subject matter.

Seventy years after an alien race known as the Formics attacked Earth and almost wiped out its existence if it weren't for Commander Mazer Rackham's (Ben Kingsley) heroics, Colonel Hyrum Graff (Harrison Ford) has been preparing a troop for the next attack. He has decided to attack the Formics at their home ground before they come back and destroy them, and in order to do so he has been training young children in hopes of discovering the next Mazer. He believes the one is Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a very quiet and shy boy who has unique strategizing skills. Graff brings him to space to begin his training at a battle school along with other elite kids like Petra (Hailee Steinfeld), Bean (Aramis Knight), Alai (Suraj Partha), and Bonzo (Moises Arias). Ender quickly shows his potential as he masters the training games by understanding the enemy. Despite Graff's assurance that Ender is the chosen one, Ender still fears he might fail because he hasn't quite understood the real enemy's motivation. Will he be able to save the human race? Are the Formics still a threat to humanity? These are questions racing through Ender's head as he begins to dislike who he's shaping up to be.

I found Ender's Game to be one of the worst sci-fi pics of the year along with After Earth. There was nothing really thought provoking about it for me and it completely failed to engage me. This seems to be only the first chapter to a franchise I'm not really looking forward to enduring. I don't even feel inspired to write a proper review for this film and I don't really have much to say about it. There is no charm or appeal found here, and I never bought into the drama. The story could've at least used some dramatic tension to draw me in, but I never felt anything worth engaging in here. 

My Review: The Call (7/10)

"A lot of times you don't know how it ends. When your units get to a scene you sign off and they take over."

The Call is a very maddening film with a weak script, but somehow I really enjoyed this thriller which had me at the edge of my seat for the most part. Despite having a terrible and trashy ending, I am giving this film a passing grade because I was entertained throughout most of the movie. Halle Berry gives a terrific performance and she was one of the main reasons why I liked this film so much. The extreme close ups which focused on her facial expressions were really convincing and she got me emotionally involved with the story and made me care for the characters. This is the first film I've seen from director Brad Anderson and despite not being too impressed with the material I did enjoy the way he built the suspense and had me at the edge of my seat. This film seemed to have all the perfect ingredients to be a failure, but somehow he managed to deliver a strong film out of some pretty predictable and trashy stuff. My only complaint is the ending which in my opinion went a little too overboard and didn't connect well with the overall mood of the film.

Jordan Turner (Halle Berry) is one of the best 911 operators at her unit, but when she makes a terrible mistake with a call one night she decides to apply for a different position. Her judgement call cost the life of a young teenager who was abducted from her home and now Jordan is having trouble dealing with her mistake. She decides to teach rookie 911 operators from now on, but when one of those operators receives a call from a young girl trapped in the trunk of a car, Jordan decides to take over and help Casey (Abigail Breslin) escape from her abductor. With little time, Jordan tries to do the best she can to find a way to redeem herself from her past mistake and save this girl. The kidnaper is played by Michael Eklund, while Morris Chestnut plays Jordan's love interest.

The Call has some great suspenseful moments, although this tension is sometimes interrupted by some maddening moments that the screenwriters decided to include in the narrative. The film is full of flaws and the material is recycled in the most part, but somehow the film is engaging and exciting to watch. Thanks to Berry's performance, we are drawn to the story and deeply care for the characters. Since most of the film takes place entirely in one day there is little room for character development, but that is ok here because it allows the film to focus on the action, and the suspense works thanks to Berry who gives such a convincing performance that we care for what is going on. The villain doesn't bring much to the table considering he plays the typical neurotic role we've seen in other movies (think of Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs), but Abigail Breslin has proven she has grown as an actress. She also gives a strong performance as the victim and we care for her character. I would have given this film an even higher grade if it wasn't for the terrible ending which I thought didn't really connect with the rest of the story. It was a bit overblown, but that didn't make me dislike the film. I had a fun time and was at the edge of my seat during several parts of the story.

My Review: New Year`s Eve (5/10)

¨It only happens once a year: New Year`s Eve. It`s a time where the hopeless can be romantic.¨

New Year`s Eve is director Garry Marshall`s follow up to Valentine`s Day. It has a very similar premise where you have a series of romantic stories that over the course of the film intertwine with each other, although this time the story takes place in New York instead of Los Angeles. Marshall worked once again with screenwriter Katherine Fugate and also teamed up with Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, and Hector Elizondo who also worked with him in the previous film along with several other A-list actors such as Robert de Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Halle Berry, Seth Meyers, Katherine Heigl, Sofia Vergara, John Lithgow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Abigail Breslin, Hillary Swank, Josh Duhamel, and rock star Jon Bon Jovi among others. It`s probably easier to mention who isn`t in this movie. Despite having so many great actors the story falls flat because it`s just impossible to follow all the different stories in such a short period of time. It`s like if Marshall was trying to jam in several romantic movies all into one and we never get to fully relate with any of the characters. There is no time to get inside any of the character`s skin and know what they are thinking, they are all one dimensional. There were just too many stories and things going on, that the movie really lacks depth. There are some strong emotional moments and good dialogue scenes, but they are just too far spread out in a multi storyline. Some of the stories are interesting and would`ve been a much better movie on their own, but instead Marshall seems to take us from one story to another right when we were getting interested in the first one. It`s too bad because there is a whole lot of talent involved in this project.

  

It`s the last day of the year in New York and everybody`s eyes are on the NY Times square ball which will drop at midnight to announce the arrival of the new year. Hillary Swank plays Claire Morgan, the vice president of the event and she`s in charge of making sure the ball falls on time. She is a little nervous, but very excited because she always looks forward to this night. Her good friend Brendan (Ludicrous) is by her side making sure she remains calm as head of the police security personnel. They do experience some setbacks however when the ball gets jammed halfway up the pole. The only person who can help is Kominsky (Hector Elizondo), who they recently fired a few weeks ago. There are seven other stories going around that in some way or another connect with each other. There is Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) who decides to quit her job in order to fulfill her New Year`s resolution. She enlists the help of a messenger named Paul (Zac Efron) who decides to help her in exchange for exclusive tickets for a special party. Then there is Paul`s roommate, Randy (Ashton Kutcher) who could care less about all the hype of New Year`s, but ends up getting stuck in the elevator with his new neighbor Elise (Lea Michele) who has to rush to work because she`s a backup singer for pop star sensation Jensen (Jon Bon Jovi). Jensen has a gig that night and is trying to make amends with an ex fiancée who he ran away from: Laura (Katherine Heigl) who happens to be in charge of the food catering in that same party. There are several other stories as well involving a couple expecting at a hospital (Seth Meyers and Jessica Biel), a man lying in his deathbed wishing he can see the ball drop one last time (Robert de Niro), another trying to make it in time to New York for a speech he has to give and a girl he might meet (Josh Duhamel), and a single mother (Sarah Jessica Parker) who wants to spend the night with her 15 year old daughter (Abigail Breslin) when all she wants is to go out with a boy from school she`s interested in.

So there you had the extensive plot which deals with so many storylines that it seems a lifetime just to get to introduce each one. That is my major complaint about this movie which could have been better if dealing with two or three less storylines. Some of the performances were alright, but nothing memorable. I had a decent time with this movie, sometimes it`s just fun to see all these stars together but with so many things going on it wasn`t really worth it. The ending wasn`t really what I was expecting either. Whereas in Valentine`s Day I was surprised at the end with who one of the main characters was expecting to hook up with, in this one it just didn`t really make much sense who Josh Duhamel`s character was waiting all along for. Marshall should not get too preoccupied about enlisting so many actors for his next film, and just worry about recreating a good, strong story. It`s too bad because I actually found some of the lines in the film quite heartwarming, like when Hillary Swank gives her televised speech. A forgettable movie, but perhaps the ladies will enjoy it since there are so many great actors involved.

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My Review: Zombieland (7/10)

¨This lady could have avoided becoming a human Happy Meal. Woulda... coulda... shoulda¨

(7/10) Zombieland counts with a very talented cast but it isn`t among the funniest movies of the year. Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin are among the best young talents and if you include Woody Harrelson`s experience and a cameo from the extremely funny Bill Murray then you would expect a lot more from this movie. Don`t get me wrong, I enjoyed this film, it had some very funny moments and funny dialogues, but I was expecting much more from it because of all the hype coming from the critics. I wouldn`t include Zombieland in the horror genre, it isn`t scary and it doesn`t try to be either. It`s more of a satire on zombie movies like Shaun of the Dead was. Actually, first time director Ruben Fleischer said he was inspired to make this movie after watching Shaun of the Dead. It still has some action, gore, and good special effects, but the main ingredient in this film is the comedy and you wouldn`t expect less from these actors. When you have a zombie get killed by a falling piano from a building you know you can`t take the violence seriously. One of the things I enjoyed the most in this film was the dialogue. Taking a phrase from Harrelson`s character, Tallahassee, and rephrasing it I would say: ¨[this movie] totally blows! .... my mind. Just fun for the whole family.¨

Jesse Eisenberg, who recently was in another comedy - Adventureland, plays Columbus one of the few survivors in a world where pretty much everyone has turned into a zombie. He has survived because he lives by what he calls survival rules which are displayed throughout the movie while the action takes place. The film is narrated by Columbus. Eisenberg plays his ussual self and he reminds me a lot of Micheal Cera. Columbus meets Tallahassee (Woody Harelson), a fearless zombie killer who has a weakness for twinkies (or as they call them in Mexico: el submarino) and will get into danger just to get his hands on them. Columbus and Tallahassee form an unlikely duo and decide to take a road trip. During their trip they encounter Wichita (Emma Stone known for her role in Superbad) and her sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin, My Sister`s Keeper) who happen to be con artists and take their possesions. The four end up together despite having trust issues and not wanting to become involved with each other, which could serve as a satire on American society where you find neighbors trying to keep a distance from each other. The highlight of the movie is when they decide to visit a celebrity`s mansion and have an encounter with him, but I will not give any more of the movie away.

Overall this movie works as a comedy, it is a satire on zombie movies which have bombarded Hollywood over the recent years in the same way vampires are nowadays. Don`t go into this movie expecting horror, because this movie is 95% comedy. There are several funny lines and at less than 90 minutes the movie is short enough for you to enjoy it. The survival rules were pretty funny and the scene in which Columbus narrates his encounter with his hot neighbor who almost ends up eating him was also hilarious. Despite all this, I still think there were much funnier movies out this year like The Hangover, World`s Greatest Dad, Adventureland, and I Love You, Man. Anyways this movie still is a lot of fun and one you will enjoy. My favorite zomby movie (but I ain`t much of a zombie fan so it ain`t saying much). To end this review, I would like to quote one of the many funny lines in the film: ¨In those moments where you're not quite sure if the undead are really dead, dead, don't get all stingy with your bullets. I mean, one more clean shot to the head, and this lady could have avoided becoming a human Happy Meal. Woulda... coulda... shoulda.¨