TRAILER REVIEW: STAR WARS- THE FORCE AWAKENS

I'm not sure what more you could ask for.

Starting with a downed Star Destroyer, this feels more like Star Wars than the last three Star Wars films did.

You have throwback voice-over. You have the classic rustic feel of the original trilogy. You have returning characters. You have a foreboding Vader reference. You have new blood. New vehicles. New character designs. And the return of Han and Chewie, and they actually feel like Han and Chewie.

This is what I've been saying since Disney made the Star Wars acquisition a couple years ago- they are going to do it right. Just like they are doing Marvel right.

Disney has set out to make Star Wars films. That is the key to profitability, and Disney knows it. Star Wars has a fan base built in that is as rabid, and judgmental, and nit-picky as any fan base in existence. And why not? The original mythology is stupendous and it was desecrated by Episodes 1-3. So when the House of Mouse pulled the trigger, it was easy to feel that trepidation.

But the worries were all for naught.

Look, I'm not a purebred Star Wars guy, so I don't really feel all that qualified to speak on the subject here. Just press play. And when the video stops, press play again.

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ADRIAN FORT is a writer, blogger, and essayist from Kansas City, Missouri. Follow him on twitter @adriananyway. His work has appeared in Existere, decomP magazinE, The Bluest Aye, Bareback Magazine, Gadfly Online, Chrome Baby, The Eunoia Review, Linguistic Erosion, and Smashed Cat Magazine. His Master's Degree is from Lindenwood University. 


Movie Reviews: 
American Sniper
Cinderella (2015)
Get Hard

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MOVIE REVIEW: AMERICAN SNIPER

There are things going on in American Sniper that I'm just not sure I understand. I'm tempted to call it a decent movie with one hell of a performance out of Bradley Cooper. But, if the things I think I get are things I actually get, the move is a trip and a half.

First off, Sienna Miller, who plays Chris Kyle's wife, is never ever ever a likable character. Even her introductory scene is one where she is purposely being a bitch. On top of not being a likable character, it is rare that she is even a sympathetic character. It's a hell of a thing to pull off to be unsympathetic as an Armed Forces wife.

Second, the "big bad" is given a very humanizing scene where we see his family. We see this right after Kyle leaves his family to return to the war. Not only that, but the "big bad" is a character made up for the film, and is in direct opposition to Kyle in a few scenes. He is also has the same specialty that Kyle does.

Third, a kid gets slugged and we're supposed to accept it as an audience. But this acceptance doesnot happen in the Ethics 101 "what would you do" after the situation type of way. It's real time, you throw up your hands and say, "wow."

Fourth, the Hero Worship of Chris Kyle happens predominantly off screen. We're shown once, in a flashback, that Chris Kyle is the good guy. After that, it is up to the viewer. Even as we feel his shame in a growing iconic status.

Fifth, as the movie goes on, you feel something is missing. That "something" is soul. That "something" is a connection between characters. That "something" is the tame lapse that occurs during and between four tours.

But Cooper's performance is phenomenal. So, is this faulty movie making? Or were these purposeful decisions made to accentuate Kyle's descent from a confident moral arbiter to a man who almost throws a haymaker on Lassie?

I cannot say.

I do believe it was masterful how religion played a role to the characters in the movie, but did not become a thematic "us versus them" type of distraction.

All that said, if it is faulty movie making, Cooper's performance makes up for it. If it is intentional, bravo Eastwood. Bravo.

88/100

OTHER MOVIE REVIEWS:
Cinderella (2015)

Get Hard

ADRIAN FORT is a writer, blogger, and essayist from Kansas City, Missouri. Follow him on twitter @adriananyway. His work has appeared in Existere, decomP magazinE, The Bluest Aye, Bareback Magazine, Gadfly Online, Chrome Baby, The Eunoia Review, Linguistic Erosion, and Smashed Cat Magazine. His Master's Degree is from Lindenwood University. 

MOVIE REVIEW: GET HARD

I'll be honest, I've never been a Will Ferrell fan. Anchor Man was good. Anchor Man 2 was too Ferrell-ish. Zoolander is classic. Talledega Nights was funny when Sacha Baron Cohen was on screen. Stranger than Fiction was interesting. Blades of Glory wasn't. I liked A Night at the Roxbury, but that movie is nearly old enough to buy cigarettes.

But Kevin Hart makes me laugh harder than anyone else. So, I was willing to give a comedy, with what seemed like a simple plot, a view.

Based on that thought process of the first two paragraphs here, there are two big surprises with this movie. The first is positive. The second is negative.

1. Will Ferrell plays an actual character. It's close to a caricature, but there is some nuance in the performance. One of my gripes with Ferrell is that when the script/scene requires nuance, Ferrell reverts  to his Jacob Silj "I CAN'T CONTROL THE VOLUME OF MY VOICE" character from Saturday Night Live 20 years ago (that's my story and I'm sticking to it...". Because of that, all of his jokes have the same sound and delivery. For me, the type of comedy that has always worked best is when character flaws are exposed through scene, setting, and honesty of character. That's why I contend that Tropic Thunder is nearly flawless. Ferrell's character in Get Hard gets to shine through moments of aloofness that only a millionaire white man could get away with. A few simple character-moments allow the stereotypical Ferrell outbursts to be more entertaining.

2. The plot is needlessly complicated. Which could be fine. Who is really seeing a Kevin Hart film and hoping for cinematic mastery? However, because of this, there are tons of "just shoot them already," moments. There are also a lot of moments where the plot goes somewhere that makes no real sense, and character motivations are questionable at best. On top of that, the "big twist" is so obvious, clunky, and poorly executed that you have to wonder if it was written as a plot point, but directed as a plot twist.

Kevin Hart is flawless. He would be worth the price of admission by himself.

Craig T. Nelson was a definitive strength in the film, and hopefully he starts popping up in more movies.

T.I. is legitimately terrifying. I was prepared for his role to be disappointing, but now I'm even more excited for Ant-Man.

Alison Brie is everything the movie needed, and more. She is on her way to Anna-Faris-comedy-goddess status.

Overall the movie is worth the investment of a couple hours and a few dollars. It's not a Mel Brooks film, but it isn't a Seth Rogen film either.

79/100

 ADRIAN FORT is a writer, blogger, and essayist from Kansas City, Missouri. Follow him on twitter @adriananyway. His work has appeared in Existere, decomP magazinE, The Bluest Aye, Bareback Magazine, Gadfly Online, Chrome Baby, The Eunoia Review, Linguistic Erosion, and Smashed Cat Magazine. His Master's Degree is from Lindenwood University. 

OTHER MOVIE REVIEWS:
American Sniper

Cinderella (2015)