Review: EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS

EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS  (DRAMA/ACTION-ADVENTURE) 
2 out of 4 stars 
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Aaron Paul, Isaac Andrews, Ben Mendelsohn, Maria Valverde, Golshifteh Farahani, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Andrew Tarbet
Rated PG-13 for violence including battle sequences and intense images.
150 minutes
Verdict: Despite some magnificent and exciting action set-pieces and a few intriguing ideas, Ridley Scott's rendering of the Old Testament's most epic tale is an epic without a heart, not to mention the problematic casting.
YOU MAY ENJOY EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS IF YOU LIKED:
NOAH  (2014)
GLADIATOR  (2000)
ROBIN HOOD (2010)
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS  (1956)
BEN-HUR  (1959)

The story of Moses as told in the Book of Exodus, from his rearing as an Egyptian prince, discovery of his heritage, fall from glory and return to the land of Egypt to lead his people, the Hebrews, out of slavery is one of the Bible's great stand-out narratives, let alone in all religious texts.  It's a classic and fantastic example of the "Hero's Journey," the man cast out from his home into the world, where he is called upon and reborn as something more than a man.  The story of Moses is one that's been told time and again, even if you don't realize it (THE LION KING and BATMAN BEGINS come to mind).  Of the major mainstream films to adapt the story in actuality, I believe EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS is only the fourth.  Two were done by Cecil B. DeMille, both titled THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, the first released in 1923, and the considerably better-known remake in 1959.  The last was DreamWorks Pictures' intended flagship animated feature film, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT (ANTZ was released little more than two months previously due to a feud with Disney and to give PRINCE OF EGYPT a stronger market standing), released in 1998.  I've never seen DeMille's 1923 film, but I don't think there's any question which, out of DeMille or DreamWorks, is the superior film.  It's THE PRINCE OF EGYPT by far.  I'm not kidding, but perhaps that's best saved for another day.
In the United States, we like to think of Moses as one of the great representatives of our values, even go to great lengths and indulgence of outrage to display the Ten Commandments on government property, when frankly, it would make a lot more sense to have those monuments on church properties, whether or not it's "Constitutional" to display on public property (I go to churches for those sorts of things anyway).  On the other hand, one of our beloved "Founding Fathers," Thomas Paine, best known for his 48-page pamphlet Common Sense, which is widely attributed with bearing strong responsibility to swaying public opinion in favor of declaring independence, also wrote that Moses was a "detestable villain" and guilty of "unexampled atrocities."  It's fair to say that even Moses is a figure widely open to interpretation.
And so we get to Sir Ridley Scott's take.  Scott is a very high-profile director with an eclectic filmography from bona fide classics like ALIEN, BLADE RUNNER and THELMA & LOUISE, to memorable but imperfect action-adventures like GLADIATOR, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN and PROMETHEUS, and to intermittently interesting but ultimately disappointing failures such as 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE and ROBIN HOOD (2010).  Very unfortunately, EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS belongs to that latter group.
The film opens in Ancient Egypt, 1300 B.C., when the nearly 400,000 Hebrew people are enslaved by the Egyptians, forced under the taskmaster's whip to build their massive cities and monuments.  Moses (Christian Bale) is a general in the Egyptian army, and an adopted son of the royal family, who leads the army alongside his brother and heir to Pharaoh's crown, Ramesses (Joel Edgerton).  When visiting the city of the slaves to assess their conditions, Moses the Hebrew elder Nun (Ben Kingsley), who informs him of his true lineage as a Hebrew; a revelation that Moses is neither happy to hear or believe.  Someone else overhears the conversation though, and informs Ramesses, who has Moses exiled to the desert.  Moses survives and comes through to the other side, starting a new life as a shepherd and married to a Midianite named Zipporah (Maria Valverde), with whom he has a son.  God has greater plans for Moses however, calling upon him to return to Egypt, and acting through him, in a war of attrition, win freedom for the Hebrews.

The casting of this film has been a point of controversy, and I'm inclined to agree with those disappointed that the major roles of these Middle Eastern characters were cast with white actors.  It's not that it's an all-white cast, because it absolutely isn't; Golshifteh Farahani, who plays Ramesses' wife, is Iranian, Kevork Malikyan, as Jethro, is Armenian, and Kingsley, born British, is from a mixed heritage of Indian and Middle Eastern regions; to name a few.  But the big roles to seem to be dominated by vanilla.  Scott's excuse is that in order to make a film of this size (size $140 million) in Hollywood, the studios demand crowd-drawing names.  Bale, yeah, I can see that.  Aaron Paul (who plays Moses' protege Joshua), umm...maybe?  Edgerton?  Edgerton, while a fine actor, is hardly a household name.  They aren't bad in their roles, but it's definitely a stumbling block (Yul Brynner was less white than Joel Edgerton) when settling into what's supposed to be Ancient Egypt.  Bale's performance doesn't disappoint though, with a "touched" aspect following his encounter with God.  Racially appropriate or not, the really big miscasting in the movie is Scottish actor Ewen Bremner as a scholar in Pharoah's court, who has the unfortunate responsibility of delivering clumsy exposition to explain the natural causes of the plagues (calm down fundamentalists, does a miracle really not count if God creates it using natural causes?).  It's not just that his character's purpose is lousy, but Bremner works great when you want him to make things funny and/or quirky, and in most other things, as in this, he feels wildly out of place, even for his minor role.
Unfortunately, Scott's execution of the story, while not as shallow as the cheesy, bloated whale that is THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, lacks a strong sense of pathos or any heart beating at the center of it.  It hits the goal posts of the story, and what Scott seems most interested in is seeing Ancient Egypt and the plagues visually realized with creative explanations.  At the very least, he's good at that, and the movie has some spectacular action and stunning visuals.  The story of Moses is not merely spectacle, and certainly not intellectual though, so it ultimately feels for naught without an emotional core.

Monthly Movie Preview: December 2014

December continues the second busiest time of the year for movies, the holiday season.  A counterpart to the summer season, the holiday season is similarly filled with high-profile tentpole films, although they tend to have a more focused aim at the family demographic, such as this month's NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB, ANNIE and INTO THE WOODS, or awards season potential, such as EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS or UNBROKEN.  The crown jewel of this month's box office prospects is undoubtedly the climactic chapter of The Hobbit Trilogy, THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES, but those looking for comedy are sure to find it in the already controversial but hugely promising THE INTERVIEW.  Happy holidays!

December 12th
EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS  (DRAMA/ACTION)

Directed by Ridley Scott; Starring: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, John Turturro, Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver, Maria Valverde, Indira Varma, Hiam Abbass, Kevork Malikyan
Rated PG-13 for violence including battle sequences and intense images.
The second biblical epic of 2014 (I'm sorry, but SON OF GOD just does not count) comes from a filmmaker with experience in swords-and-sandals epics, Sir Ridley Scott, the director of GLADIATOR.  He's kind of hit-and-miss, with some big hits and big misses (he's also responsible for 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE), so this is a wild card.  Based on the Book of Exodus from the Bible, it's based on the story of Moses (played by Christian Bale), a Hebrew raised as a prince in Ancient Egypt during a time of enslavement for Hebrews, who came to liberate his people as a prophet from the Pharaoh.  Although the specific Pharaoh is not named in scripture, this interpretation goes with the most popular choice, Ramesses II, aka Ramesses the Great (believed to have ruled from 1279 BCE to 1213 BCE), played by Joel Edgerton, and like previous adaptations, appears to emphasize the brotherly relationship between Moses and Ramesses, and how that factors into them as enemies.  Originally beginning production under the simpler, and frankly better, title EXODUS, the title absorbed the cooler title GODS AND KINGS as a subtitle after Steven Spielberg abandoned his long-gestating Moses project by that title, creating the combination EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS, which makes it sound like a would-be franchise, which is stupid.  As far as I know, there are no EXODUS franchise plans, because that would be stupid.  Scott's interpretation appears to be war/action-oriented, perhaps borrowing from some historians' theories of Moses as a militaristic prophet, plus action opens its appeal wider to mass audiences.  Nonetheless, expect complaints about "the Hollywood version".  Scott also appears to be doing double duty by making both a Bible movie and a Holocaust movie, as the advertising reveals unmistakable visual references to the Holocaust, such as piles of bodies and hangings.  I really, really hope Scott delivers on this film, because I love Bible movies when they're good, and the Moses story in particular is a favorite of mine.  The only serious concern is the casting- the cast is a great line-up, but why did they cast so many roles, especially Pharaoh, with white actors?  Sigourney Weaver does not look right in an Ancient Egyptian getup.  She looks like she should be at a really expensive costume party.

December 17th
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES  (FANTASY/ACTION-ADVENTURE)

Directed by Peter Jackson; Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lily, Lee Pace, Aidan Turner, Benedict Cumberbatch
Not Yet Rated
Peter Jackson's trilogy adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit has been interesting at the very least, and this final chapter feels like obligatory viewing if you already care in the slightest, but these movies have been incredibly imperfect.  The bright side is that they seem to be improving with each installment, with the first being arduous and tonally out of sorts, the second being darker and more flavorful, if no less bloated, and this climactic chapter now having the advantage of a shorter running time and a lot more action (you know, being a battle between five armies and all).  Our expectations have been tempered, and at the very least, it's practically guaranteed to be exciting fare.

December 19th
ANNIE  (MUSICAL/FAMILY)

Directed by Will Gluck; Starring: Jamie Foxx, Quvenzhane Wallis, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Cameron Diaz, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Tracy Thoms, Dorian Missick, David Zayas
Rated PG for some mild language and rude humor.
I'm actually very surprised that this remake of the musical Annie, based on the classic Little Orphan Annie comic strip, doesn't look terrible.  In fact, it looks alright.  It began life as a starring vehicle for Will Smith's daughter Willow Smith, which sounds bad, but eventually she dropped out and was replaced by Quvenzhane Wallis, who was delightful in BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, plus added director Will Gluck, director two previous pleasant surprises, EASY A and FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS.  I'm not saying that this contemporary reiteration of Annie will be anything particularly special, but it looks kind of good.

December 19th
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB  (FAMILY/FANTASY)
Directed by Shawn Levy; Starring: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Dan Stevens, Ben Kingsley, Skyler Gisondo, Steve Coogan, Rebel Wilson, Ricky Gervais
Rated PG for mild action, some rude humor and brief language.
Five years since NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN, Ben Stiller returns as museum night guard Larry Daley, who traverses the globe to find what makes the magical Tablet of Ahkmenrah tick, when its power to bring the museum exhibits to life each night begins to wane.  It's the last major film for both the late Robin Williams and the late Mickey Rooney, stuffed into a packed all-star lineup that also includes Owen Wilson, Ben Kingsley, Rebel Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Dick Van Dyke and CGI dinosaur skeletons, and I guess your entertainment from it will depend on your appreciation for the work of director Shawn Levy, who is usually adequate at best (the first NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, REAL STEEL) and unbearable at worst (THE INTERNSHIP, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 2).  BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN was a typical case of Levy proving utterly incapable of reigning in the chaos, and as a result, it was very dull, in spite of a bright Amy Adams performance, and while Adams is not returning for this round, the advertising proudly shows that the chaos is still plentiful, and with plenty of monkey pee.  Frankly, it looks embarrassing.

December 25th
THE INTERVIEW  (ACTION-COMEDY)

Directed by Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen; Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, Timothy Simons, Charles Rahi Chun, Rob Lowe
Rated R for pervasive language, crude and sexual humor, nudity, some drug use and bloody violence.
From Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, the writing-directing team behind one of the funniest comedies in recent years, THIS IS THE END, this movie has already gotten a good bit of free publicity thanks to North Korea's threat of a "decisive and merciless countermeasure" upon the film's release.  On the one hand, a movie isn't the best excuse for a war, but on the other hand, it's not the first time that North Korea has made a stink about a movie lampooning their dictators (in 2004, North Korea made similar threats over TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE), and at least the movie looks amazing.  Rogen stars alongside his THIS IS THE END co-star James Franco as celebrity journalists who get the interview of a lifetime with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un (played by Randall Park), and the CIA recruits them to assassinate their subject.  There'll be celebrity cameos, abundant crudity and over-the-top violence for sure, and I can hardly wait.

December 25th
INTO THE WOODS  (MUSICAL/FANTASY)

Directed by Rob Marshall; Starring: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski
Rated PG for thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive material.
Adapted from Stephen Sondheim's Tony-winning Broadway musical, INTO THE WOODS is a fairy tale mash-up featuring famous characters like Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Prince Charming (Chris Pine), Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy) and the Big Bad Wolf (Johnny Depp).  At the center of it all are a poor Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt), cursed childless by a witch (Meryl Streep), who embark on a quest to rid themselves of their curse.  Other than it being a popular stage musical and a fairy tale mash-up, I know little about the source material (that's how I like it going into a movie), but it could be really good.  My one big apprehension, and it is substantial, is director Rob Marshall, whose only really good film to date was his theatrical feature debut CHICAGO in 2002, and has since had a career comprised of misfires, his last being PIRATES OF CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, the only truly bad film of that series (yes).  I'm watching for the early responses, because this could all too easily go far to one way or another.

December 25th
UNBROKEN  (WAR DRAMA)

Directed by Angelina Jolie; Starring: Jack O'Connell, Miyavi, Garrett Hedlund, Jai Courtney, Domhnall Gleeson, Finn Wittrock, Alex Russell, Luke Treadaway
Rated PG-13 for war violence including intense sequences of brutality, and for brief language.
Yet another biopic in an awards season dominated by them, Angelina Jolie's second narrative feature film as director tells the true story of Olympic track star Louis "Louie" Zamperini (played by Jack O'Connell) who joined the U.S. Air Force in World War II and survived for weeks adrift at sea after crashing down in the Pacific, before enduring two-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war to the Japanese.  The script is written by the Coen brothers, although a script alone does not promise too much in the Coens' careers; on the other hand, it's prestigious material, with cinematography by the highly-acclaimed Roger Deakins, musical score by Alexandre Desplat, and a cast of promising up-and-comers.  Even if you don't love it, I'm sure your parents will.

Great Thanksgiving Movies in Two Courses

There are not a lot of Thanksgiving movies.  The reason for this is simple- while there are harvest celebrations and thanksgivings in cultures from around the world, the Thanksgiving holiday doesn't have a real foothold outside of the United States and Canada, and Canada doesn't even do it right.  There are plenty of big mainstream movies that may include a Thanksgiving scene, such as SPIDER-MAN and THE ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES, but if the themes and setting of the Thanksgiving holiday span more than a scene or two of a major movie, they risk alienating the foreign audiences with their foreign dollars.  There are a few real Thanksgiving movies though, most of them independently-produced films that deal of severely dysfunctional families suffering through the holiday, and there are few quirky comedies, but most them lack wide appeal.  There are movies like JACK AND JILL, which have practically no appeal at all, and there's movies like THE HOUSE OF YES, full of pitch-black comedy, incest and murder, which are much more pleasant.  There are only a couple of really great, feel-good Thanksgiving movies though, and they're both legit Thanksgiving movies, the kind that necessitate revisiting every year.

PIECES OF APRIL  (COMEDY-DRAMA, 2003) 
Directed by Peter Hedges
Starring: Katie Holmes, Patricia Clarkson, Oliver Platt, Alison Pill, Derek Luke, John Gallagher Jr., Alice Drummond, Lillias White, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Sean Hayes, Sisqo
Rated PG-13 for language, sensuality, drug content and images of nudity.
80 minutes
April Burns is that kid in the family, or as she puts it, "the first pancake," or "the one you're supposed to throw out".  In her small tenement apartment in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where she lives with her devoted boyfriend Bobby (Derek Luke), April is preparing a Thanksgiving feast for her estranged family.  April has never gotten on with her mother Joy (Patricia Clarkson), but Joy is dying from breast cancer and it could be her last Thanksgiving.  Even still, Joy is dreading the notion of spending the holiday with April, as is April's younger sister and polar opposite Beth (Alison Pill), the gifted and annoyingly perfect one of the family.  April's dad Jim (Oliver Platt) is still hopeful though and urges the family to give April yet another chance, and with her brother Timmy (John Gallagher, Jr.) and senile Grandma Dottie (Alice Drummond), the family makes the road trip from suburbia to the city.  Meanwhile, April struggles to get her turkey cooked when her oven fails to work, and gets to know her neighbors as she takes her turkey from oven to oven, cooking it a little bit at a time.
The make-it-or-break-it factor of PIECES OF APRIL is the ultra low-budget digital camcorder cinematography, mostly natural lighting and an overall "home movies" look, which some viewers might find themselves unable to adjust to, but if it doesn't bother you, PIECES OF APRIL is a hefty dose of the holiday spirit right to the heart, and ideal Thanksgiving viewing.  It's funny, even laugh-out-loud hilarious at times, and also very sad, but when all is said and done, it is the very definition of a feel-good movie, even if your eyes might not be dry.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES  (COMEDY, 1987) 
Directed by John Hughes
Starring: Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Page
Rated R for unspecified reasons (contains some language).
93 minutes
You're probably more familiar with John Hughes' PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES, the classic tale of comedic terrors on the road home for Thanksgiving at all costs.  Neal Page (Steve Martin) is an ad exec on his way home to Chicago from a business trip in New York for the Thanksgiving holiday, but nothing seems to be going right.  He repeatedly has run-ins with Del Griffith (John Candy), a bumbling motormouth of a shower curtain ring salesman who seems to leave a perpetual trail of wreckage in his path everywhere he goes, and it just so happens that he's on his way to Chicago as well.  So the two throw in their lots together as flights get cancelled, trains breakdown and station wagons go up in flames, testing their fortitude and patience with one another.
It's a little sappy, a little cheesy, but a lot of laughs, and it seems to get better every year.  At the time of its release, writer-director John Hughes was already well known for making "teen angst" movies that introduced the "Brat Pack," such as THE BREAKFAST CLUB and FERRIS BEULLER'S DAY OFF, but PLANES, TRAINS... took the acclaimed but essentially typecast writer-director's career in a new direction.  It's one of his last great films, before HOME ALONE marked a downturn in quality (obviously not financially) for his films that he never recovered from (he continued writing for some years after his final directorial film, CURLY SUE, in 1991).  Ironically, despite it being one of only two R-rated films Hughes ever directed, it's more family-friendly than HOME ALONE (which he did not direct).  A single minute of running time in which Steve Martin loses it over a car rental mistake including a 19-"f-word" blue streak is solely responsible for this R-rating (to be fair, it's pretty funny), but a movie about one of the brattiest kids on Earth gruesomely torturing two men (roasting heads with blowtorches, forcing them to take of their shoes and step on glass ornaments and rusty nails, bludgeoning heads with paint cans; you know, family fun time?) gets a PG.  That's not really a big deal to me; the point is that PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES is a much better movie.

Review: MOCKINGJAY PART 1

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1  (ACTION-THRILLER/SCI-FI) 

3 out of 4 stars 
Directed by Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Elziabeth Banks, Jeffery Wright, Stanley Tucci
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images and thematic material.
123 minutes
Verdict: THE HUNGER GAMES film franchise maintains its status as the champion of the post-Harry Potter glut of 'YA adaptations' even in its weakest chapter to date, anchored by its great cast, smart social commentary and exciting (if intermittent) action, while the lucrative two-part finale strategy results in some sluggish stretches. 
YOU MAY ENJOY THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 IF YOU LIKED:
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE  (2013)
THE HUNGER GAMES  (2012)
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1  (2010)
ROBIN HOOD  (2010)
AVATAR  (2009)

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 is the first in the series based on Suzanne Collins' immensely popular books in which the titular "Hunger Games" do not in fact take place.  It's curious about this multi-film saga that as it nears its conclusion, it isn't coming full circle or waxing nostalgic in the way most final acts do (remember, even as the penultimate film, this is 'part one' of the final chapter), but instead continues to build momentum.  Like the two other titans of the young adult (YA) literature film adaptations that have come droves since the turn of the millennium, the Harry Potter series and the so-called "Twilight Saga", the final book in the series, Mockingjay, has been split in two, supposedly for the sake of the story, but with the obvious financial benefits of stretching the potential grosses to yet another movie.  HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 & 2 makes the most sense of these three franchises for splitting the final chapter, and frankly, the more easily paced, contemplative nature of both films (especially PART 1) made them some of the series' best installments.  THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 1 & 2, on the other hand, were an amazingly audacious move given that almost nothing happens in either movie, and it all built to one of the most bizarre non-climaxes in any major film franchise.  THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 is somewhere in between.  There's no problem with splitting one book into two films, as long as the two films are at least as good as a single film adapting the full story would be.  MOCKINGJAY PART 1 struggles to justify itself as a full chapter in the story, as it continues to ramp up the stakes, without the catharsis of a real climax.  Regardless, the film's askew structuring and slow pace are not enough to dethrone this series as the best of the current YA adaptations glut, and even on its own merits is recommendable thanks to a cast that continues to be top notch, and smart commentary on media, propaganda, celebrity, war and politics, among other relevant talking points.

CATCHING FIRE ended on a merciless cliffhanger, as Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) survived yet another arena of the infamous Hunger Games and was rescued from the wrath of the tyrannical Capitol and constantly-scheming President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland) by a secret group of revolutionaries plotting to overthrow the government.  MOCKINGJAY PART 1 picks up right where the previous film left off, with Katniss, and the few survivors of the now-obliterated District 12, under the protection of the long thought-destroyed District 13, led by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore), a stern leader hoping to unite the other eleven districts in a revolutionary war.  Advised by Plutarch Heavensbee (the late Philip Seymour Hoffman), a former Head Gamemaker for the Capitol, Coin intends to make Katniss the figurehead in the rebellion, but Katniss is distraught at the loss of her love interest and fellow Hunger Games victor Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), who is now in the Capitol, speaking against the rebellion in a series of television appearances.
There's unfortunately little action in the film, although the few action set-pieces there are are thrilling and spectacular, mostly moments showing the spreading acts of rebellion.  It's a little funny that this is being described by some as a "dark" movie in the series, comparable to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, at least in tone, given that this is a series that kicked off with a gladiatorial arena of juveniles forced to pick each other off in combat.  That's not to say this isn't dark.
Lawrence anchors the film, continuing to be the series' MVP, even while Katniss is no longer the motivator of the plot.  Rather, she is all but a pawn in the proceeding that now envelop the full scope of this world, while the varying forces push and pull at her and what she represents.  Donald Sutherland has only a few moments of screen time, but his character is nonetheless deepened significantly, and he does his Donald Sutherland thing to chillingly sinister effect.  It's also the penultimate big screen performance for Philip Seymour Hoffman (it's his final finished performance, but as PART 2 was still filming at the time of his death, scenes he hadn't finished will be altered with stand-ins, special effects and/or script changes in that film), and even if it isn't his meatiest role by far, it reminds one how unfortunate his recent death was.
The pacing is definitely sluggish at times, with most of the film revolving around plotting and establishing relationships, essentially what the first halves of both previous films were, but padded out to a feature length (the film is notably the shortest of the films thus far).  In its best moments, MOCKINGJAY PART 1 piques the mind with its use of political themes, such as the contrasting use of Katniss as the spokesperson of the rebellion in films shot specifically as propaganda, and Peeta as a spokesperson for the Capitol.  This series thrives on a mature complexity of characters and themes that are absent from most of its imitators (*cough* DIVERGENT *cough* THE MAZE RUNNER *cough*), and with the enlisted talent, even that is (barely) enough.

Review: INTERSTELLAR

INTERSTELLAR  (SCI-FI/ADVENTURE) 
2.5 out of 4 stars 
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Wes Bentley, David Gyasi, Mackenzie Foy, Casey Affleck, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn, Bill Irwin (voice), Josh Stewart (voice)
Rated PG-13 for some intense perilous action and brief strong language.
169 minutes
Verdict: An embarrassment of visual and intellectual riches, Christopher Nolan's newest and most ambitious film to date is almost outdone by a failure to sustain itself with as much success on the human level.
YOU MAY ENJOY INTERSTELLAR IF YOU LIKED:
INCEPTION  (2010)
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY  (1968)
CONTACT  (1997)
SILENT RUNNING  (1972)
PROMETHEUS  (2012)

Christopher Nolan's newest and certainly most ambitious film, INTERSTELLAR, is at once awe-inspiring and maddening, both emotions that arise frequently and potently throughout the nearly three-hour running time.  INTERSTELLAR is a project that's been around for a good while now, since 2006, and began as a treatment by theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, to be directed by none other than Steven Spielberg.  Those plans timed out, and by then, Nolan had wrapped up his best known work, The Dark Knight Trilogy.  Nolan's reputation is practically that of the savior of blockbuster filmmaking; in an age of high value brand adaptations when every major and mini-major studio is looking for the next big franchise, Nolan has proved to be the exception to the role.  Nolan is the director who can get a studio to finance a wholly original, intellectually demanding tent-pole picture made for a budget north of $150 million, and what's more, he can do it while raking in highly profitable grosses.  So far, this reputation is attributable for the most part to a single film, 2010's INCEPTION, which Nolan was able to do thanks to the unqualified success of THE DARK KNIGHT, and because he agreed to do THE DARK KNIGHT RISES next for Warner Brothers.  But INCEPTION alone had that kind of impact, grossing $825 million worldwide to become one of the top fifty highest-grossing films of all time, earning universal acclaim and four Academy Awards.  Plus, even if they were adapted from a highly popular comic book character the Dark Knight films, especially THE DARK KNIGHT, flew against expectations by crafting the comic book property into gritty and adult psychological crime-thrillers.  As the slogan of his fiercely devoted, arguably too devoted, fanbase declares, "In Nolan We Trust".
INTERSTELLAR has ambition in droves, but as it builds its massive mind-labyrinth in a plot that literally spans time and space, it inadvertently walls itself in, unable to sustain its unwieldy objectives.  It doesn't help that for all the script's intellectual showboating, it fails to piece together the necessary human drama effectively, resulting in clunky conventions and maudlin sentimentality.
It takes place in the near future, where agriculture has been devastated by a planet-wide blight, turning Earth into a global Dust Bowl.  Matthew McConaughey is Cooper, a former test pilot for NASA who now farms corn, one of the few crops that still grows at all, while raising two kids, Murph (Mackenzie Foy) and Tom (Timothee Chalamet), with his late wife's dad, Donald (John Lithgow).  Corn is on the downturn too though, and in a couple generations, Earth will no longer be inhabitable for mankind.  Cooper is given the opportunity to save the human race by piloting an experimental spacecraft, with a crew of Dr. Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway),  physicist Dr. Romily (David Gyasi), geographer Dr. Doyle (Wes Bentley) and two multipurpose robots, TARS (voiced by Bill Irwin) and CASE (voiced by Josh Stewart), into a newly-discovered wormhole near Saturn to discover a new planet in another galaxy suitable for human colonization.  The journey will take years, forcing them to leave their families in hopes of giving them a future, while scientists on Earth (including performances by Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine and Toper Grace) work to develop a solution to moving all of the human race off the planet.

That's the basic premise anyway, there's an awful lot more to it that ought not to be divulged, but it really delves deep into concepts of time relativity, theoretical gravitational physics, black holes, wormholes and other intense astrophysical sciences from the Kip Thorne school of thought (Kip Thorne was an adviser on the production and is credited as an executive producer).  It's not quite as successful at presenting these concepts in a way understandable for mass appeal as INCEPTION was, so a lot of it comes across as the typical science fiction "science mumbo-jumbo", although when it stops talking about  theories and starts showing them, it works a lot better.
The mission robots, TARS and CASE deserve special notice for their unique, difficult to describe but simple design (essentially four metal planks attached lengthwise with magnetic joints, appearing like a big rectangle with mobile pieces), that are just marvelous to watch, although their very straightforward dialogue and blocky appearance feel very much out of a 1970s sci-fi film, for better or worse.  The film as a whole sometimes feels like a cult classic science fiction film, the sort that were made in the Seventies, like SILENT RUNNING or THE BLACK HOLE, sci-fi with a more serious bent than the crowd-pleasing STAR WARS, but an unintentionally goofy sensibility.
The visuals are spectacular and very thrilling, even outside of an IMAX theater (which is Nolan's personally-championed medium), making a compelling case for the immersive power of the right visuals to exceed the spectacle of any stereoscopic 3D.  The massive tidal waves of a foreign plant, or the bizarre patterns of a spherical wormhole are dizzying and uniquely breathtaking.  It seems such a shame that a film with so much worth applauding, from embracing complex scientific theory in a major original Hollywood film to the uninhibited scope, that its shortcomings should be so detrimental.  It's a movie that almost makes you feel guilty for not loving it.
While the craft and intelligence of Nolan's past films has been undeniable, they've also been characterized by a cold intellectualism and thus a shortage of humanity.  He tried for something more emotional in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, which, for a few reasons, was a little bit of a descent in quality from INCEPTION and THE DARK KNIGHT.  INTERSTELLAR is his most sentimental, emotion-driven and optimistic film to date, but unfortunately, it makes one wonder if maybe he was holding back before from the acknowledgement of his own limitations.
INTERSTELLAR is worth seeing for the sake of its many talking points, and there's some pretty great thrills too, but when you're talking three hours of running time, it would be nice if the experience was more fulfilling.

Review: BIG HERO 6

BIG HERO 6  (ANIMATION/ADVENTURE-COMEDY)
3 out of 4 stars
Directed by Don Hall & Chris Williams
Featuring the Voices of: Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk, Maya Rudolph
Rated PG for action and peril, some rude humor, and thematic elements.
108 minutes
Verdict: BIG HERO 6 is visually sumptuous and more emotionally complex than you might expect, so it's perfectly worthy family fare, even if it doesn't hit quite as hard as FROZEN or WRECK-IT RALPH.
YOU MAY ENJOY BIG HERO 6 IF YOU LIKED:
WRECK-IT RALPH  (2012)
THE INCREDIBLES  (2005)
MEET THE ROBINSONS  (2007)
BOLT  (2008)
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON  (2010)

BIG HERO 6 represents the first melding of Marvel Comics characters with Walt Disney Animation Studios since the Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment and their massive stable of comic book characters and properties in a multi-billion-dollar deal in 2009.  As is typical of Disney Animation when adapting non-folktale/fairy tale stories, they've plucked a story of a more obscure nature, with room for greater creative liberty.  The Big Hero 6 are a little odd even within the world of Marvel Comics characters, and fittingly, they introduce a surprising new flavor their own to the classic Disney formula.
Being Disney Animation, our young hero is an orphan, appropriately named Hiro, Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter).  Hiro is a techno genius and robotics prodigy, but after graduating from high school at 13 is content to put his formidable intellect to use in underground high-stakes robot battling in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo.  His older brother Tadashi is no slouch at robotics himself, having built an inflatable "healthcare companion" called Baymax (voiced by Scott Adsit from 30 Rock), whose sole interest is to provide optimal healthcare, and Tadashi wants to get Hiro off the streets and into the university with him.  Tadashi shows Hiro around, introducing him to the students he invents with, among them: Honey Lemon (voiced by Genesis Rodriguez), a brilliant chemist with an insanely bubbly personality; Wasabi (voiced by Damon Wayans, Jr.), a reserved and slightly neurotic lasers specialist; Go Go (voiced by Jamie Chung), a terse adrenaline junkie developing electromagnetic wheels for maximum speed; and finally, Fred (voiced by T.J. Miller), a comics book enthusiast and school mascot who hangs out in the science labs for kicks.  What really primes Hiro's interest though is the presence of his idol, robotics professor Robert Callaghan (voiced by James Cromwell).  After a disaster occurs, claiming the lives of Tadashi and Professor Callaghan, leaving Hiro distraught, until he accidentally reactivates Baymax, and with the big, soft, "huggable" robot uncovers a criminal conspiracy connected to the fatal accident.  Wanting to help, Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Go Go and Fred join in the investigation, and with their technological prowess and Fred's comic book know-how, they form the superhero team "Big Hero 6".
It should be noted, BIG HERO 6 goes to some pretty dark places and may even be a bit frightening for the little ones who enjoyed last year's surprise Disney mega-hit, FROZEN.  The central theme here is grief and dealing with loss, which isn't strange to the canon of Walt Disney Animation, but it really takes center stage here.  The family entertainment specialists at Disney pull it off with tact and sensitivity regardless, and when it really dives into the darker aspects of its journey, it's the most engrossing.  In addition, the cast of characters are pleasantly diverse, with positive representations of multiple races and types, from the Asian protagonist Hiro, to Go Go, with her feminist-friendly catchphrase, "Woman up!"
Furthering the multi-cultural vision of this future world, Disney has adopted a captivating blend of East-meets-West for the visual aesthetic.  Baymax is reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki characters executive producer John Lasseter has championed in the U.S., big, warm and cuddly with a less-is-more design.  Another example is the world of San Fransokyo (also a physical combination of the two cities) a richly-detailed setting, awesomely showcased during a car chase through the steep, sloping and narrow streets of San Francisco lined with trees covered in cherry blossoms.  
BIG HERO 6 is funny and exciting, with some strong emotional points to boot, although it never matches the hearty laughs of TANGLED, the soaring emotions of FROZEN, or the witty charm of WRECK-IT RALPH.  On the other hand, it's more consistent and coherent than the latter two, which operated on a higher level before stumbling into some shaky final acts.  We've had a full decade, as of this month, to spend with Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES, which has become a certifiable classic, so it's really unfair to judge BIG HERO 6 against it, even if it is the obvious comparison as a computer-animated family superhero film.  Clearly, from where we're standing, THE INCREDIBLES is the better film, but we'll see how BIG HERO 6 fares ten years from now.
Be sure to get into the theater on time so you don't miss Disney's newest animated short, FEAST, playing before the feature.  The short film uses the same process as PAPERMAN (which, as far as I'm concerned, was the last time a Disney Animation movie really "blew me away" from start to finish) to blend 3D computer animation with traditional hand-drawn animation techniques to tell the story of a dog, Winston, who experiences the love life of his owner through the meals they share.  It's a charming, amusing little story that demands more attentiveness than you might expect, but with multiple fun payoffs.

Review: THE BOOK OF LIFE

THE BOOK OF LIFE  (ANIMATED-MUSICAL/FANTASY)
2.5 out of 4 stars
Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez
Featuring the Voices of: Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Kate del Castillo, Hector Elizondo, Danny Trejo, Carlos Alazraqui
Rated PG for mild action, rude humor, some thematic elements and brief scary images.
95 minutes
Verdict:  This colorful fantasy offers a great opportunity to educate young audiences on Mesoamerican folk culture, but is a mixed bag for entertaining more discerning viewers.
YOU MAY ENJOY THE BOOK OF LIFE IF YOU ENJOYED:
CORPSE BRIDE  (2005)
SPY KIDS  (2001)
PUSS IN BOOTS  (2011)
BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA  (2008)
BEETLEJUICE  (1988)

There are Christmas movies, Halloween movies, and if you're desperate, you can even find an Easter movie, but until recently, the market for Dia de Muertos, "Day of the Dead" in English, has been decidedly void.  Jorge Gutierrez, best known as the co-creator of the Nickelodeon animated television series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, has filled in that demand with THE BOOK OF LIFE (beating Pixar, which announced a Day of the Dead-themed film a couple years back, to the punch).  Produced by acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro through Reel FX Creative Studios, the studio behind last year's dimwitted Thanksgiving-themed film FREE BIRDS, THE BOOK OF LIFE is a mixed bag, flaunting a very loud personality that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
Taking a group of detention students on a special tour of the museum, a tour guide (voiced by Christina Applegate) shows to them the "Book of Life", wherein is contained every story of the world, and tells them the story of a special Day of the Dead.  Every year in Mexico, festivities are held to remember loved ones passed on, and as long as their ancestors are remembered, their spirits live on in the festive Land of the Remembered, ruled over by the benevolent La Muerte (voiced by Kate del Castillo).  Those spirits that are forgotten languish in the Land of the Forgotten, ruled by the trickster Xibalba (voiced by Ron Perlman).  Loathsome of his unpleasant charge, Xibalba convinces La Muerte to take a wager; looking down on the Land of the Living, as two boys vie for the attentions of a girl, so each claim a boy as their champion, and the one whose champion claims the girl's heart in marriage will rule the Land of the Remembered.  The two boys grow up, Manolo Sanchez (voiced by Diego Luna) to be a bullfighter in the tradition of his fathers, though he secretly yearns to be a musician, and Joaquin (voiced by Channing Tatum) to be a revered hero and soldier, and both still compete to win the affection of Maria Posado (voiced by Zoe Saldana), "the jewel of the town".  But when Xibalba sees Maria leaning toward Manolo, he turns to trickery, sending Manolo to the Land of the Remembered, where he's reunited with his deceased loved ones, as they try to help him get back to the Land of the Living and Maria.
It's a great opportunity to open children up to Mexican folk culture, filled with many characters from and references to folklore that blends Mayan and Aztec traditions with Catholicism, such as Xibalba, the name of the underworld in ancient Mayan religion, and La Muerte, a folk saint known in English as "Our Lady of Death", the unofficial patron saint of marginalized groups, such as the impoverished, LGBT persons and prostitutes (conservative parents needn't worry, the film is hardly so specific).  The visual designs of the film are distinct, intended by Gutierrez to adhere as closely as possible to the paintings of concept art that one might find in an "Art of" book, and that is an apt description.
THE BOOK OF LIFE is ideal for most children, no scarier than all but a few children can easily handle, inoffensive, musical and colorful, visually and in personality, with good messages.  For discerning, more mature viewers, it plays very well when it plays straight and/or whimsical, such as some enthralling scenes in the bullfighting arena or charming musical segments.  When it aims for wackiness, it frequently falls flat; most of the film's humor ranges from tolerable to awkward.  The notable exception is Tatum's voice-work as Joaquin, where he shows his comedic chops translate to a non-physical medium, and Ice Cube, as the "Candle Maker", is better than you'd expect.
It's a big, brassy diversion of a film, pleasant enough to join in on with the kiddies, and even an educational opportunity, but it's uneven and discerning audiences may feel a little shortchanged.