You know, being a LEGO guy isn't all that bad.
My butt perfectly interlocks with everything, so I'll always have a place to sit... and
since I'm only an inch tall, I can use my phone as a big screen TV, ooh look, RoboCop
is on!
And the best part?
This is Movie Night!
Hello and welcome to Movie Night, celebrating its spiritual ten year anniversary this week.
I'm your host, Jonathan Paula.
Tonight, we'll be reviewing three brand new February releases, as well as an 80's sci-fi
classic.
We'll begin with "The LEGO Movie"
This computer-animated comedy film is well on its way to doubling its $60-million dollar
budget only a week after its February 7, 2014 release.
Co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller expertly incorporate conventional stop-motion techniques
into the magnificent CGI-work from Animal Logic, bringing their marvelously inventive
and colorful LEGO land to life.
The visual effects are impeccably realistic-looking: which sees literally everything, including
ocean waves and fireball explosions, rendered to look like those tiny interlocking bricks.
Rather ostentatiously based on the famous line of construction toys from the 65-year-old
Danish company, this 100-minute adventure remains remarkably faithful to its source
material.
Since I absolutely loved building unique LEGO sets as a child, this film not only made me
feel like a kid again, it also transports its audience into a child's imagination.
Chris Pratt lends his voice to the lead character: an ordinary and average LEGO guy who gets
swept up in an improbable quest to save the world from the dastardly plans of "Lord Business"...
an evil character brilliantly voiced by Will Ferrell, who frequently reminds his subjects
to "follow the instructions".
Pratt's wide-eyed portrayal of a regular guy discovering his potential for greatest is
a delicate and endearing one.
Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, and plenty of inspired guest-appearances
make up the all-star cast of talented voice-players.
I especially loved Charlie Day as the overeager "1980-something space guy", who gets more
than a little excited when he's finally permitted to build his spaceship.
The amusing plot remains uncomplicated enough for kids to follow-along and understand, but
includes enough subtle-jokes, cameos, and sight-gags to entertain older viewers as well.
Flying by with a mile-a-minute pace, this is a rapturously fun and exciting motion picture
that commendably takes some chances with a wonderful third-act twist.
The whimsical score by composer Mark Mothersbaugh
perfectly sets the mood, while an oft-repeated in-world sing-along song reminds the characters,
and audience alike that "Everything Is Awesome".
Although unashamedly functioning as one big advertisement, it has heart: encouraging the
importance of individuality, the dangers of abusing power, and reminding kids and adults
alike why it's important to keep dreaming.
It may just be a predictable kid's film, but it's easily the best animated feature since
"Toy Story 3".
An endlessly rewatcable, PG-rated spectacle, "The LEGO Movie", is "Beautiful childhood
wonder, hilariously realized."
Now let's hear some of your thoughts about this picture.
"The LEGO Movie"... scores a NINE and a NINE.
You loved the animation, humor, and huge array of characters, rating this an awesome.
I completely agree, there was plenty to love here - and while I'll be holding off on the
top-score for now, I felt the movie said it best, everything is AWESOME.
For tonight's poll question: What's your favorite collection of LEGO toys?
I've always been partial to the old fashioned "city" sets myself.
Leave your response as comment below.
And now, let's review "The Monuments Men".
Written, directed, produced, and starring the handsome and charismatic George Clooney,
this dramatic war film has already earned back around half of its $70-million dollar
budget following its February 7, 2014 release.
Based on a true-story book by Robert M. Edsel - this 118 minute picture showcases a fascinating
and intriguing period in history.
Clooney leads a group of allied soldiers into war-torn Europe during the waning months of
the second great war to track down, and hopefully recover important pieces of art before Hitler's
armies destroy them.
The high-stakes are established earlier when Clooney reminds his men of the Führer's intentions,
"If you destroy their achievements, their history, it's like they never existed."
The group of mostly middle-aged men, who have little business venturing into a war zone,
includes Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, and Hugh Bonneville.
With the exception of Cate Blanchett in the PG-13-rated picture's lone female part, all
of the talented award-winning cast is largely wasted
in bland, underutilized, one-note roles.
There are quick moments that work wonderfully, like when Goodman and Dujardin humorously
panic under enemy fire, only to discover their attacker is a small German child.
It's tonally inconsistent though, shifting from light-hearted humor, to overly emotional
moments that fall flat.
While Clooney gets credit for adapting such an interesting story, the paint-by-numbers
execution unfortunately does him no favors.
While there's some effective use of cascading parallel editing during the picture's climax...
the technical aspects of this picture are otherwise less than impressive.
In an attempt to stay faithful to history, the story frequently jumps forward in time,
resulting in clunky pacing throughout.
Excellent costume work, cinematography, art-design, and Alexandre Desplat's score all helps sell
the verisimilitude of the film: but it simply fails to ever elicit a response.
Wallowing in mediocrity, this is a noble, but ultimately disappointing effort from a
group of talented individuals I'm not likely to watch again.
"The Monuments Men", is an "Underdeveloped drama of missed opportunities."
Let's read some of your YouTube comments reviews now.
Our scores are... a SIX and a FIVE for "The Monuments Men", while you enjoyed the all-star
cast, you complained that they were under used, rating this a GOOD.
Clooney attempts to convince us that art is something worth dying for, but he failed to
even convince us that this film is worth feeling anything for.
I thought it was ALRIGHT.
A reminder now to check out and subscribe to the Movie Night Archive channel for an
organized library of all our past reviews, and my trailer commentaries, this week I shared
my annoyance over the teaser trailer for "The Purge: Anarchy".
Now, for a bonus review of the original "RoboCop".
Released in the summer of 1987, this ambitious sci-fi action film from director Paul Verhoeven
was immensely successful.
Besides earning over four times its $13 million dollar budget, the 102-minute picture spawned
two sequels, a reboot, a television mini-series, comic books, and a really difficult video
game that I never could beat as a kid.
Peter Weller stars as the title character; one of the few honest police officers left
in a futuristic and hellish version of Detroit.
After rushing through the first act, and being summarily executed by the despicably evil
drug dealing Kurtwood Smith, Weller is brought back to life as a walking, talking, ass-kicking
cyborg.
The robot-transformation sequence, inventively shot entirely from a first-person perspective,
is especially well done.
As a human, Weller isn't very interesting, but once he's fighting crime on the impossibly
well-lit streets of the Motor City, his persona comes to life... stoically warning a criminal
in his gravelly robotic voice, "Dead or alive, you're coming with me."
Smith, alongside Ronny Cox, do a marvelous job as two conniving bad guys you'll love
to hate.
Although it handily earns its R-rating with plenty of gruesome violence and coarse language
- this movie also has a sharp wit and self-awareness to it, thanks to the original script by Edward
Neumeier and Michael Miner.
In-film news reports and commercials are especially amusing, approaching almost Onion-levels of
political and social satire.
As RoboCop struggles with his own cognizance, the parable that plays out is an important
one: what constitutes human life, and what would you do to save it?
But since we barely learn about the human inside the metal suit, it's difficult to connect,
or even empathize with Weller's plight.
Despite some minor continuity issues - this picture is filled with awesome practical effects,
matte-paintings, and stop-motion work - most of which hold up pretty well, considering.
Greek composer Basil Poledouris does a fantastic job, exploring the man/machine duality with
a score comprised of both synthesized heavy metallic sounds mixed perfectly with traditional
orchestration.
And when the heroic theme swells to full volume, it's hard not to get excited for what's about
to happen next, even if the actual action sequence are more flash than bang.
Although some of the pacing is slow, and the characters much too underdeveloped, this is
a fun piece of 80's cinema.
Verhoeven commendably blends jokey satire with black comedy and violent drama - delivering
a fascinating and memorable experience worth watching more than once.
"RoboCop", is an "Intriguing allegory amongst entertaining carnage."
My final score is a SEVEN.
While it has a certain cheese-factor to it, and its fair share of missteps - this is character
that has stood the test of time.
I thought RoboCop was COOL.
Speaking of which, let's review this year's reboot.
Released nationwide on February 12, 2014: this futuristic sci-fi reboot of the 1980's
classic of the same name is the latest in a long line of unoriginal cash grabs for Hollywood.
Surprisingly though, it doesn't suck... it's actually a lot of fun: so if it manages to
earn back its $130-million dollar budget, you can probably expect a sequel or two.
Immediately opening with a snippet of Basil Poledouris's iconic theme, and the big metallic
text logo, it's apparent it isn't necessarily attempting to distance itself from its predecessor,
even including some humorous callbacks for good measure.
Although it takes many liberties from the source material, the plot is similar: a Detroit
police officer is killed in the line of duty, only to be resurrected as a crime-fighting
cyborg, also functioning as a marketing puppet for a greedy conglomerate.
Relatively unknown outside of Sweden, 34-year-old Joel Kinnaman stars as the title character,
and thanks to a smart decision to focus more on RoboCop's psychological struggles, carries
a fair amount of the film on his shoulders.
Unfortunately, Kinnaman is rarely charismatic, and delivers his lines with all the passion
of, pardon the pun, a robot.
Thankfully, he's surrounded by a great cast that includes Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton,
Jackie Earle Haley, and Samuel L. Jackson - some of whom are able to shine more than
others.
Plus, nerds in the audience will really enjoy seeing Commissioner Gordon and Batman share
several scenes together.
The film's most unnerving scene however has Oldman
showing Kinnaman what's really left of his human body after his "death"... piece-by-piece,
everything but a handful or organs are removed...
leaving literally nothing but a floating head suspended in front of a mirror.
So shocked and horrified by what he sees, the newly birthed RoboCop immediately asks
to die.
It's s quick moment of sheer brilliance for the film, that truly elevates its emotional
power above and beyond the shallower original.
Earlier, Abbie Cornish, playing the part of the weeping and angry wife, argues, "You said
you could save him, but what kind of a life will he have?"
Despite going a bit overboard with some shaky-cam, one action set piece has RoboCop hunting down
bipedal drones in an empty warehouse, set to the unexpectedly effective sounds of Focus's
prog-rock hit, "Hocus Pocus".
This scene's frequent use of POV shots, complete with an on-screen kill count makes it play
out like an awesome video game.
Director José Padilha's decision to go for a PG-13 rating means much of the original's
trademark violence has been watered down.
One disorienting pitch-black shoot-out, lit only by muzzle flashes was almost seizure-inducing.
A touch longer than it needs to be at 118-minutes, but the realistic visuals will keep you entertained.
While fans of the series mayn't enjoy this as much as the original, this is still a well-made
reboot worthy of the franchise name, and one I wouldn't mind seeing again.
"RoboCop", is a "Gripping and absorbing, despite clunkiness."
Here are some of your thoughts from the comments.
Our scores for "RoboCop"... a SIX and an EIGHT.
Several criticized this film for even existing, but were at least entertained by the action,
rating this a GOOD.
Even though I didn't care for the new matte-black paint job, I was surprised by this picture
- and watching them back-to-back, I honestly enjoyed it more than the original.
I thought it was GREAT.
Finally tonight, let's see what you're saying about movies currently playing in theaters
with some of your Tweet Critiques.
If you see a new movie in theaters, Tweet your review with the #JPMN hashtag.
Next week in my annual Oscar special, we'll be reviewing all nine 2013 Best Picture nominees:
American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Philomena,
12 Years A Slave, and The Wolf Of Wall Street.
Once you've seen these films, share your opinions by voting in the polls below, or by leaving
a comment review -- I'm going to need reviews for all of them, so don't be afraid to leave
a bunch of comments.
If you'd like to watch more Movie Night reviews, check out the "related videos" on the right
-- including a special "Throwback" episode of Jon's Adventure Vlog where I take a look
back at the first movie review I ever did, which premiered 10 years ago this week.
And please click SUBSCRIBE to be notified of all new content, and be sure to follow
me on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ for updates between episodes.
Once again, my name is Jonathan Paula, thank you for watching and listening.
Until next time, have a good Movie Night!