Monday, April 30, 2012

Owww... you broke my... entire skeletal structure...

HAYWIRE (2011)

Steven Soderbergh is a rather unique director. All over the directorial map. From touching tear jerkers (Erin Brocovich), to tripped out SciFi (Solaris), fun campy heist flicks (the Oceans' movies), and sooooo on. He is a man of great talents, however, sometimes he just can't quite get it right. That's what holds him back. Sometimes he just horribly misses the mark. I will not go so far to say that he could well be in a league with some of the best. But dammit the boy has got a shot if he ever just... pulls it all together....

Is HAYWIRE that movie? No.

Buuuuut....
It's still pretty damn cool.
Gina Carano (of legit MMA fame) stars as super tough bad ass spy chick who gets betrayed, and decided to end all those that betrayed her. That's it. Pretty much all you need. Stevey S (I refuse to spell out the whole name every time lol... its late, and I'm Monday lazy) has a tendency to make sum interesting casting choices. Say casting a crazy sexy porn star as the lead in your film (Sasha Grey in the Girlfriend experience). Gina, was an inspired choice. It works folks it works. What is one of the hardest things to believe in a film where you have a small attractive female fighting guys double her size and whompin them? No way that happens in real life. That's it. But here, with a fighter, a real deal, he knew what he was getting. Credibility. And the fight choreography is unbelievable. You feel every move. Every punch, kick. Never did I think anything , but dang that was a good fight.

So we know she kicks faces good, but can she act... Decent. Decent. Not great. Not good, but she holds her own. But like I said, I will give a little acting, to get way better bone to bone destruction. An example of how having a great actress, that can't pull off being that tough... watch Angelina Jolie punch a shark in Tomb Raider part two. Yup. She did. Little baby adopting A-joles. Punched. A shark. In the face.
Annnnd to counter any lacking in the acting side, they just straight pack this film with amazing actors and then let them carry almost all of the dialog. Look for it. Almost everything that comes out of Gina's mouth is a short response to a longer scene of acting from one of the vets.

So fun, action, solid whompins.... where of where did this movie go wrong... they tried to make it more than it was. This is a great action flick. That's it. There should of been more of judo chop! and less: 1. Leftover score from, well, any of the Ocean's movies 2. Colors changing, classic cameras to add class and forced cool (you know whats cool, watching your lead kick a mans head through a desk. You know whats not, a black and white bad guy walking in slow motion) 3. Seriously, why the hell was there even a weird young guy with her in that car. I mean really, there is just no way to believe that character, its sooooo forced. Oh you're taking my care... sure... yes cool, lets bond. Lol. Reeeee-dick.

Folks this is not a perfect film. But it may be one of the most believable female action roles ever. You remember the eighties... you remember those lady kung fu chicks.... hahaha... we have come a long way. And one more thing, Channing Tatum and Gina... damn that was sum hard violence. Loved the last line of the film. Another reminder of just how awesome this could have been with dare I say it... less polish.

Movie scale 2.5 out of 5 stars
Action scale 3.5 out of 5 stars

Gina. You are hot. And you beat up peeps good. I dig. I think I need an entire film of you and Channing fighting. Yup. Maybe you can scrap his character in DEAR JOHN :)

-Boony outs!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Everybody Jump - Jump..

JUMP STREET (2012)

Jonah Hill has come a long way.
From the fat funny guy from "Superbad", "Strange Wilderness", and a mass of other projects, some good, some not so. Now he is a little skinnier and getting nominated for Oscars (best supporting actor - Moneyball). He is also getting more involved in his projects, for instance deciding to write an updated take on a decades old TV show, that is well, dated.
Channing Tatum has come a long way.
From the shirtless, emotionless, acting for the ladies buying tickets (step up, Dear John, and yes even fighting. Though in fairness that last one did entertain me lol). Now he is whomping bad guys in a bunch of new projects, and branching out into... comedy.
So really maybe it makes a lot of sense that both come into their own with this film, and sweet hell is it fun.
The plot is thus. Hill, the nerd, and Tatum, the jock, were enemies in high school. Then years later they become besties well helping each other through police academy. Once unleashed upon the world as cops, well, let's just say they lack some basic skills. Most of them. So they are demoted, moved, told to become part of an undercover unit that infiltrates high schools to stop evil plots.
Yes, the expected is there.
What makes this film great fun however is the chemistry between the two leads. They never miss a beat and the dynamic shifting when they return to school (Jonah's nerd ways now the new cool, and Tatum's jock no longer the king) is genius. The plot about a new drug being distributed through the halls, and their efforts to track it down is really secondary.
This is at it's core an 80s buddy cop movie, and it knows it. A self aware homage/mockery? Yup. For instance one scene has the pair in a high speed case, yelling at each other. And time and time again accidents occur. Both keep expecting the giant explosion, and nothing happens.
This movie has it all...
Stabbings, cool kids, peter pan, drugs, old lady punching, prom, more drugs, ice cube, celebrity cameos, gangstas, and the list goes ooooonnnnnn.
Finally a funny movie, that doesn't have to try to be funny. How hard is that? Remember "Old School" "Road trip"these were movies that relied on taking a likable group of people into crazy situations and letting them ride through to the laughs, as opposed to punchline... punchline.
A rare movie that when the inevitable "there will be a sequel" moment happen I was actually kinda excited to see them on another adventure.
I will be there...
Two strapping it! hahaha

- Movie scale 3 out of 5 stars
- Comedy scale 4 out of 5 stars

Charles B.