MONDOmagazine

The Informant!
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Warner Bros. Pictures, 2009

By Brian Last

Director Steven Soderbergh and Matt Damon team up for what seems like the umpteenth time for Soderbergh’s latest white-collar-crime drama/comedy. Mark Whitacre (Damon) is the vice president of ADM, a company that has developed a product called lysine. He takes it upon himself to tip off the Feds (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale) about a global price-fixing scandal that ADM has put themselves right in the middle of. What starts out as a simple tip-off turns into two-and-a-half years as their informant, living two lives and lying his face off.

We begin with what appears to be a man of strong convictions pursuing his earnest goal to do what is right. But this is in fact the story of a man who has let his greed take over. Whitacre builds up so many lies that they eventually collapse on him and he becomes public enemy #1. His ambitions to be president of the company blind him and lead to delusions about himself and where he is going in his life.

Read the rest of this entry »

Taking Woodstock
Directed by Ang Lee
Focus Features, 2009

By Brian Last

While they have made books and films about the Woodstock ‘69 music festival, nothing can come close to actually living it and being there. A sense of being present for the concert’s inception is what director Ang Lee has achieved with his latest film, based on the book Taking Woodstock: A true story of a riot, a concert, and a life. The book was written by Elliot Tiber & Tom Monte, and adapted for the screen by James Schamus.

The story takes place in the summer of ‘69, obviously, in upstate New York. Eliot Tiber puts his life on hold and leaves his Greenwich Village home to help his oddball parents run their humble, rundown motel, in the hopes of saving it from bank foreclosure; his parents, Jake and Sonia, don’t really do much of anything at all at their motel. On his arrival in Bethel, New York, (2 minutes from the now-famous Woodstock), Tiber also finagles the only permit for a musical performance in the small town. After the town of Wallkill puts the kaibosh on hosting a massive concert, Tiber gets in touch with concert organizers and the rest, as they say, is history.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Directed by Neal Brennan
Gary Sanchez Productions, 2009

By Brian Last

No wake, riot, or wannabe pop band will derail Don Ready from his goal. When Selleck Auto Dealers is on the brink of bankruptcy, owner Ben Selleck puts out an S.O.S. call to renowned car salesman Don Ready. Ready gathers his troops and drops them in with the Selleck sales team to show them how to roll out used cars and turn their Fourth of July sale into a profitable business saver.

Jeremy Piven plays Don Ready, a silver-tongued legend in the used cars game. He has all the confidence in the world and only one belief — and that’s in cars. Read the rest of this entry »

Inglourious Basterds
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Universal Pictures, 2009

By Brian Last

Shut your brain off, forget everything you learned in history, and let’s go to war. Quentin Tarantino is back rewriting history with another violent and irreverent film. After taking quite a long time to put this film out, the hype and anticipation grew immensely. I went in with mixed feelings and I left the same way.

This film takes place during World War II while the Nazis occupied France. Our focus is on a small troop of Jewish-American soldiers whose main goal is carrying out a killing spree of any and all Nazis, and taking down good ol’ Adolf of course. They get their chance to take a shot at the SS during a formal film premiere by a popular German director and propaganda peddler. However, more are gunning for them than they think: the theatre’s new owner, a young Jewish girl who hosts the event, has her own personal score to settle. Read the rest of this entry »

311
Uplifter
Volcano Entertainment, 2009

By Brian Last

When I think about the origins of bands that fuse rock, ska, rap, and punk, my mind immediately jumps to Southern California, the hotbed of that sound. But 311 hail from Omaha, Nebraska, and have become synonymous with this kind of musical fusion. This summer the fantastic foursome from the mid-west returned with their new album, Uplifter, whose sound holds true to its name.

311 took some time putting out this album, their first endeavor since 2005’s Don’t Tread on Me. Guitarist and lead singer Nick Hexum has expressed his satisfaction with Upliftter, comparing it to the band’s self-titled “Blue” album, which spawned hits like “Down” and “All Mixed Up”.

And 311 have a right to be proud. Uplifter brings the band back in touch with their founding sound: the rock/rap fusion that gained them notoriety and a legion of loyal fans. Read the rest of this entry »

District 9
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Key Creatives/Sony Pictures 2009

By Brian Last

Due to a scrapping of the Halo film, Peter Jackson gave director Neill Blomkamp financing to make whatever he wanted. The result is District 9, and while Halo fans may be upset, I couldn’t be happier because it gave us this great film. While Blomkamp is no stranger to the biz (he has been in VFX on major Hollywood projects), this does mark his first sit in the director’s chair for a feature.

What starts out as a simple documentary turns into a story of struggle, for both man and alien kind. In this film, a race of extra terrestrials arrives on earth. They hover above Johannesburg and after three months of zero activity, the humans decide to take action by cutting into the ship. It is here that they find the aliens, who appear to be malnourished. The aliens are pulled from the ship and forced to live in a camp. Read the rest of this entry »

Julie & Julia
Directed by Nora Ephron
Columbia Pictures, 2009

By Brian Last

Often in television, films, and real life, people bond through food. If not through cooking together and realizing you are in love with this person who is cramming sauce down your throat, it’s over a nice meal with friends or family. Food definitely brings people together, but rarely does it inspire. Well, for one Julie Powell (Amy Adams), food changes her life. In this charming and inspired film, Amy Adams and Meryl Streep (as Julia Child) star opposite each other — literally at opposite ends of a fifty year gap. And in spite of the fact that they don’t appear in a scene together, their parallel stories coalesce into a creation as rich as any of Child’s. Read the rest of this entry »

A very solid stare from Travolta.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Directed by Tony Scott
Columbia Pictures, 2009

By Brian Last

Hollywood is losing its creative juices — half of the films out there are either based on books or are remakes of older movies. The ones that are “original” are often recycled ideas repackaged a different way. But, in this remake of the 1974 film of the same name, director Tony Scott manages to put his original stamp on the material using his directorial staples: quick and often jarring editing, time lapses, and swift camera movements. The result is an action film of genuine quality amidst today’s crowd of recycled films. Read the rest of this entry »

By Sean Kelly, Brian Last and Rachel West

The Summer Movie MegaCalendar rolls on with greater momentum than ever, smashing everything in its path to smithereens! Sean Kelly, Brian Last, and Rachel West hit you with this installment of predictions on July’s excitingly diverse releases: Public Enemies, Harry Potter, The Hurt Locker, The Ugly Truth, Funny People and more. Stick around after the credits to learn about a shocking upcoming documentary. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you really need the flashlight?

Angels & Demons
Directed by Ron Howard
Columbia Pictures, 2009

By Brian Last

Tom Hanks and his mullet team up with director Ron Howard for a follow up adventure to the highly successful Da Vinci Code. When a physicist is murdered and a very dangerous item is stolen, clues are left that point to the secret society of the Illuminati.

Langdon (Hanks) is called in and leads the Vatican police on a search to uncover a terrorist plot. The pope has recently passed away and the search to select his successor is ongoing, but the four cardinals who are in the running are abducted. Langdon has to crack the mystery of who revived the Illuminati, who is behind the murder, and try to save the abducted preferitti — all before the stroke of midnight.

Adapting a book into a movie is a difficult process that inevitably involves omitting some background details beloved by fans. The Da Vinci Code film was criticized for not being true to the book and for omitting too many important details. From what I have heard and from what fans of the book have told me, Angels and Demons was adapted similarly. While I can’t compare this film to the book, it was cohesive and entertaining, but it could have been much more.

For one thing, the character of Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer) was unnecessary. I know why she was there, but she didn’t offer much to solve the mystery, and when she came to serve, her expertise with the weapon was moot. I did like Ewan McGregor as the Carmalengo, but his role was too small when he should have been a main character. Stellan Skarsgard was especially strong as Commander Richter, a character whose jaded attitude towards Langdon played out interestingly. Richter‘s allegiances were never clear, adding intrigue to the character and the story.

George: We watch people reading. Jerry: We watch people READING?

Tom Hanks was solid as Robert Langdon. Langdon is a man who knows the history of everything, but ask him about his own personal beliefs and he stares at you blankly. He is a man who is clearly conflicted and Tom Hanks played it very well. There weren’t a lot of instances where Hanks had to go over the top; he really kept it quite low key. Langdon is a highly rational man, so he had to keep his head on straight, but — with the destruction of the entire Vatican at stake — Hanks could’ve played the role with a greater sense of urgency. Still, there is a reason Hanks is paid the big bucks — he has the presence required to carry a film this size.

Angels & Demons had decent action scenes but in terms of the mystery, each set-up felt contrived and convenient. At first I was really drawn in, and the potential was enormous, but as it continued, it dragged its feet and grew repetitive. They story would have required a few more curves to really keep me glued. The main climax felt a little anti-climactic; my reaction was, “that was it?” Then it lagged while coming up to the bigger ending. While it did bring up great points about science vs. religion, I really wanted more Illuminati, as that is the back bone of the movie.

All in all, Angels & Demons was exceptionally average, and I had much higher expectations going into it than were met. It was entertaining, but with more character development and more background on the Illuminati, it could have been a film of real quality.

Terminator Salvation
Directed by McG
Warner Brothers Pictures

By Brian Last

The McG Unit in action.

James Cameron set out to create something great, an epic tale about what would happen if machines got too smart and too sophisticated. Who would or could stop them if they turned against us? It was a classic futuristic tale that lives on in pop culture lore. That tale has since been taken off course and derailed in a big way. Why? Perhaps McG felt the story was unfinished and he needed to do justice to what Cameron began, or perhaps it was his best bet to make a buck blowing stuff up since Charlie’s Angels was hot garbage.

In T4 Skynet is still kicking strong and has launched a nuclear holocaust wiping out a great deal of humanity. The survivors have been forced into an underground life of military resistance led by John Connor (Christian Bale). They are struggling to keep the machines at bay when their perception of this reality is altered by the arrival of a man named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington). Connor must determine whether Wright is from the past or the future and moreover, if he can be trusted. Together they try to infiltrate Skynet and save the West coast resistance.

If memory serves, didn’t they prevent judgment day? Or is it inevitable? Either way I don’t really think there was a need for the third and especially not the fourth instalment. Still, they went ahead and hired McG who went to his playbook: big explosions, fast chases, and stylized camera work. Most of the action scenes were big and over the top, but admittedly pretty cool. The concentration camp scenes were interesting but disturbing as thoughts of World War II came screaming back to me. The sleek look to the terminators has only gotten better since the first film, a kudos to the graphics crew. However the plot holes were plentiful and the acting was sub par. Bale was pretty much reusing the universally maligned batman growl and Sam Worthington was also quite wooden. The bright spot was the performance of Anton Yelchin who shone as the interestingly reintroduced Kyle Reece.

When I did a preview for this film, I said that it was dumb to be dragging this out when they ought either save us or kill us already. With T5 and T6 apparently in development, they are really going to  beat the story to death. We get it, machines are the enemy and the Internet and technology will be the downfall of civilization. We do not need two more presumably quite similar movies to tell us this. I am not expecting great things from 5 and 6. T4 was entertaining enough, but shut your brain off before you go in if you want to get anything out of it.

By Caesar Martini and Brian Last

Remember I told you that we’d be seeing a smaller crew for now? Well here we have it — prolific newcomer Brian Last and the irascible Caesar Martini have returned to weigh in with their takes on June’s big releases. The guys have more optimism for Pelham but uncertainty and conflict remain the only staples in pre-assessing Year One. Read on, enjoy, and throw your voices into the mix!

JUNE 5th

The Hangover

But how will THEY get HERE?

Caesar:

I love the premise of this movie — three buddies (Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Bradley Cooper) wake up from a bachelor party bender in Vegas with no memory of the previous night, and no groom. The trio try to piece together what happened and find their missing man in time for his wedding. I think everyone can relate to this plot — after all, who amongst us hasn’t woken up with Mike Tyson in their living room singing “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins? That guy’s a menace. Collins, I mean, not Tyson.

Brian:

Todd Phillips, who has brought us such classics as Old School, Starsky and Hutch, and Road Trip, is back with another comedy. His last film, School for Scoundrels, did not do so well, perhaps because he moved away from his Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Ben Stiller bubble, something Judd Apatow may want to think about when people start to get tired of Seth Rogen. Phillips has a new crew of funny, talented guys to work with and I think the audience will enjoy them. The trailer had me laughing and I doubt very much the funniest bits were in the trailer. I believe that there is a whole lot more hilarity in store for this film.

JUNE 12th

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

The thrilling 123rd installment in the epic Taking of Pelham series.

Caesar:

John Travolta, in badass mode, takes a subway train hostage and starts using subway traffic conductor Denzel Washington as a relay station for his demands.

There are a lot of Travolta-haters out there, and to be honest I can’t blame them. He’s Scientology’s #2 celebrity and is in as many terrible movies as he is good ones. Plus he can fly his own private jet, so there’s always the worry of a Travolta-From-Above sneak attack. But Denzel hasn’t done anything wrong in what seems like forever, and when he teams up with director Tony Scott usually something pretty good happens. And I do like me a good heist movie.

Brian:

Denzel plays Walter Garber, an ordinary dispatcher for the New York city transit system. When Ryder (Travolta) hijacks a train, things escalate into an intense face off as Garber has to be extraordinary and rise to the call to end this ordeal.

Director Tony Scott is back with another crime caper that will take the audience on an adventure that will thrill and entertain them. He’s armed with an all-star cast that also includes Luis Guzman, Jon Turturro, and James Gandolfini — perfect choices to work within Scott’s always sharp, mile-a-minute style of directing. It will be interesting to see how he tackles remaking a highly praised film. I predict a solid film that is smart and intriguing with Tony Scott‘s signature all over it.

JUNE 19th

Year One

Like VeggieTales for the teen/20's set.

Caesar:

This movie stars Michael Cera and Jack Black (playing pretty much the only characters either of them ever play) having wacky adventures in the distant past. I can’t remember exactly which year. Anyway, this is going to be one of those silly movies that guest stars a whack of people I love to see in silly movies (Paul Rudd, David Cross, and Hank Azaria for starters). I think I will laugh heartily and not be in any danger of learning even the smallest little thing. Hooray!

Plus it’s directed by Egon from Ghostbusters.

Brian:

After two slacker gatherers are kicked out of their village they go on an adventure through the ancient world where they encounter many crazy things. I am not anticipating much from this movie. Even though it has the comedic master Harold Ramis at the helm, you will get the same old jokes that have been done in the past. The only difference is that it is set in the past, so the jokes will be all about that time period, nothing groundbreaking — we’ve all seen The Flintstones, right? Jack Black’s over-the-top goofiness with some elongated words to build to some potential singing, and Cera’s awkward naivety will make for some passable reused entertainment. Even with all of the cameos in this film, it will not be saved.

JUNE 26th

40% more KA-PLOW!

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Caesar:

HOLY CRAP. Have you guys seen this preview?? Look at it. Look at it. Michael Bay catches a lot of flack for his directing, and sure, a lot of it is well deserved, but anyone who didn’t enjoy the first Transformers just has a black, black heart, or maybe they just didn’t understand that the movie was about giant awesome transforming robots doing awesome things. I mean, I had complaints about the first movie, but I couldn’t voice them over the gleeful giggling I was suffering from after watching said awesome robots do said awesome things. It’s just a fun, fun movie.

In this sequel, it looks like Devastator comes to Earth (the Voltron-esque construction-vehicle super-Transformer that breaks up into six regular sized Transformers), resurrects Megatron, and a lot more robot fights happen… which is basically all I’m asking for. Tee hee! To borrow from Borat, VERY EXCITE!