Chad Liffmann – Page 19 – Spinning Platters

Film Review: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

H-O-B-B-I-T! Fight! Fight! Fight!…and joke…and Fight! Fight! Fight!…and joke…

Thorin (Richard Armitage) and Bilbo (Martin Freeman) size each other up.

Let’s get this out of the way — The Hobbit should’ve been 1-2 movies, not 3. Most of us came to terms with this years ago. That’s a conversation for a another time, however. For now, let’s concentrate on the third and final installment of The Hobbit trilogy, and the final chapter (without debate) of Peter Jackson’s exploration of Middle Earth. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (HTBotFA) is not the best of the trilogy – it trails HTDoS (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) but is a bit ahead of HAUJ (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey). While the middle chapter had some interesting character transitions, HTBotFA has very little substance outside the constant fighting taking place. We’ve seen better battles before, so the ones featured here seem tired and stale, and therefore overwrought with unique creature designs to help grasp for freshness. And once again, it’s an exciting but sometimes silly feast of CGI, the kind that makes you miss the hillside skirmish in Fellowship of the Ring or even the large battle at the end of The Return of the King, which featured a lot of actual actors in costumes. Here, it’s commonly 1-2 actors versus scores of CGI creatures. It’s just not as thrilling. And so the newest Hobbit film is a tired, ultra climactic end to a superfluously extended journey which was generally fun to watch, yet constantly played second fiddle to the far superior LotR trilogy.

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Film Review: Exodus: Gods and Kings

Exodus highlights the ongoing battle between traditional and modern filmmaking, and neither side really wins.

Battle Moses. Complete with armor, shiny sword, and unidentifiable accent.

Exodus: Gods and Kings was bound to be a spectacular epic, considering the biblical source material and the director at the helm, Sir Ridley Scott. Scott echoed this projection when he said that Exodus: Gods and Kings is his “biggest” movie yet. Considering his long resume of major titles, that’s quite a statement and yet it’s true. The sets, the action, the effects, and the scope are all monumental, and these are mainly where the movie succeeds. It’s heartwarming to know that there’s still room for traditional sandal epics in the modern film business, featuring a good amount of built sets and armies of real actors (as opposed to CGI backdrops and armies…though these are still employed here as well). But trying to keep to tradition comes with a price, and some poor decisions. Exodus is weakest (and most controversial) in its casting choices and artistic breaks from the source material, but these falters can’t keep Exodus from providing a mostly exciting experience.

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Film Review: Horrible Bosses 2

A solid second ride thanks to great chemistry

Buddies Nick, Kurt, and Dale show off their new shower buddy.

From the co-writers of Dumb and Dumber To, the disappointing comedy sequel, comes Horrible Bosses 2, the slightly-less disappointing and still quite funny comedy sequel. Yes, we know that comedy sequels rarely work since the humor isn’t as fresh and the jokes are often forced. Horrible Bosses 2 is definitely not as funny as the original 2011 hit which took the dark fantasies of all white collar workers and spun them into a hilarious story of three down-and-out losers trying to kill their horrible bosses. But, HB2 still has plenty of great moments, primarily due to the chemistry between the three leads, and will likely entertain any fan of the first film (like myself) and coerce a few belly laughs from newcomers. But there’s no denying that considering the incredible cast of the new film, the film could’ve reached even greater comedic heights.

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Film Review: Dumb and Dumber To

Better late than never? Maybe not this time.

Why is Dumb and Dumber To disappointing?… Is it because the new movie has six writers instead of three like the original? Is it because the 90’s style of humor just isn’t funny anymore? Or is it that Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels just don’t carry the same onscreen charm they did twenty years ago? None of the above (well, maybe the first one). The best aspect of Dumb and Dumber To, the highly anticipated (and worry-inducing) sequel to the Farrelly brothers’ classic side-splitting 1994 comedy, is seeing the Carrey-Daniels duo back on screen together. The worst aspect is that Peter and Bob Farrelly lost sight of their own character creations, making them more mean-spirited now rather than the lovable dimwits they were before. Dumb and Dumber To isn’t without its funny moments, and there are a few nuggets, but twenty years should have yielded a more loyal and clever return to the world of Harry and Lloyd.

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Film Review: Interstellar

A space opera. A sci-fi blockbuster. A heavy hitter. Just enjoy the ride.

Matthew McConaughey gives the thumbs up to space travel.

*NOTICE: Many people have tried tirelessly to avoid exposure to any spoilers or plot details (or anything, really) regarding Interstellar. I found it hard to write about Interstellar without mentioning ‘anything, really’, so be forewarned*

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Film Review: Fury

Aptly titled with a gutsy delivery.

It’s hard to imagine much originality stemming from any new or forthcoming World War II movies. This was my thought back in 2009 before Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds was released, offering audiences a completely new vision of the second world war and delivering never-before-seen perspectives with style. This isn’t to say that that film revitalized the genre, but it kinda did. The newest World War II tale, Fury, starring Basterds alum Brad Pitt, offers a focus we haven’t seen much of (tank vs. tank battles), but otherwise a lot of the same gruesomeness and gritty warfare and dehumanized soldiers we’ve seen before. If it weren’t for a lack of strong character development, Fury could have been a war classic. Fury is a strong entry into the World War II genre, focusing on a much-passed over yet crucial deadly type of war machine (again, tanks), yet still overtly showcasing the horrors and disturbing nature of war.

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Film Review: The Best of Me

The Best of Me offers the near-worst in its genre.

Eye candy, yes. Chemistry, no. James Marsden look-alike, absolutely not.

Take a close look at the picture above. Does Mr. Shirtless look anything like a high school version of James Marsden? If you answered ‘yes’, then this movie is absolutely the movie for you. If you answered ‘no’, then you’re completely normal and will understand what I say when I say that the part of young Dawson was completely miscast. This was the biggest failure of The Best of Me, but there were other failures as well, including a overly complicated third act. Based on the book by Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, A Walk to Remember), The Best of Me is obviously catering to the same audiences that have contributed a whopping ton of money to previous Sparks adaptations. But this movie fails as an inspiring story and fails to provide compelling characters. I haven’t read the book so I can’t say for sure whether or not it was the source material’s fault. But either way, its unpredictability and distractions ruin the chance for emotional connectivity.

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MVFF Spotlights #3: The Imitation Game/Foxcatcher

The 37^th Mill Valley Film Festival wrapped up last night. The Festival screened some of this fall’s most hotly anticipated pictures: Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler and Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, and many more. We gave you a look at some of the festival’s lesser known independent films, now here’s a quick look at a few of the hot titles (and Oscar bait) coming out this fall. For full festival photos and information, visit: http://mvff.com.

The Imitation Game
(US/UK 2014, 113 min; English)

The Imitation Game is a return to the traditional period bio-dramas of yesteryear (you know, like A Beautiful Mind). It tells the story of Alan Turing, the British mathematician who cracked the German Enigma c0de during World War II, thus introducing the world to computer science while having a large impact on helping the Allied forces win the war, and who was also subsequently arrested after the war for being a homosexual. Everything about the film is rock solid, from the stalwart acting, led by a fantastic Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing, to the film’s music and set design. While many movies, dramas in particular, flounder under the weight of forced contrivances, The Imitation Game embraces and utilizes them to an entertaining degree. We’re right there cracking the code alongside Turing in this old-fashioned period drama.

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MVFF Spotlights #2: What We Do in the Shadows/Like Sunday, Like Rain/Lucky Stiff/The Boy and the World/Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

The 37^th Mill Valley Film Festival opens tonight, October 2nd, and runs until October 12th. The Festival is screening some of this fall’s most hotly anticipated pictures: Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher (starring Steve Carrell) and Morten Tyldum’s Imitation Game (starring Benedict Cumberbatch), and so many more. But here at Spinning Platters, we thought we’d spotlight some of the lower profile films that risk being overshadowed by the bigger movies. Full schedule, tickets, and more information are available at: http://mvff.com, and be sure to check back here for more updates during the Fest.

What We Do in the Shadows
(US/New Zealand 2014, 86 min; English)

The whole crew in 'What We Do in the Shadows' — The whole crew in ‘What We Do in the Shadows’

What We Do in the Shadows resembles the result of a casual joke/idea, delivered with enough informality and humor to make it more entertaining than it could’ve been — it’s one of the funniest movies of the year. The witty writing, from the comedy team behind Eagle vs Shark and The Flight of the Conchords, enables the film to break free from potential one-joke captivity, whereby the story expands the simple premise (vampire housemates) to wonderful subplots and hilarious surprises. It’s definitely a movie best experienced with an energetic crowd!

Screenings:
– Tuesday, October 7, 7:45pm, Rafael Film Center, San Rafael
– Thursday, October 9, 4:00pm, Rafael Film Center, San Rafael

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Film Review: Tracks

Life is a journey– make sure you have enough camels.

Mia Wasikowska and camels in John Curran's Tracks. — Mia Wasikowska and camels in John Curran’s Tracks.

Tracks is based on the true story and National Geographic article (and subsequent memoir) of Robyn Davidson, the Australian woman who made a nine month journey on foot across the Australian desert in 1977 — a distance of about 1700 miles. Throughout her journey, accompanied only by four load-carrying camels and her dog, but occasionally visited by photographer Rick Smolan and aided by a few indigenous folks and country residents, Robyn wrestles with the pressure to remove herself from civilization while fighting to complete her epic journey. The film is a fantastic re-enactment of Robyn’s story. The acting, editing, stunning cinematography, music, and all other aspects of the film work harmoniously to deliver a remarkable tale of individual strength and determination, and about humankind’s companionship with nature.

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