AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

GRADE: A -
Starring Robert Downey, Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo,  Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson,  Jeremy Renner,
James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson
Written and Directed by Joss Whedon
Rated PG-13 (violence, profanity)
Reviewed by Paul Gibbs

If you're concerned that  Avengers: Age of Ultron looks like an overcrowded, bigger is better sequel, you're right.  Nevertheless, despite these imperfections, Marvel and Joss Whedon have once again delivered a summer thrill ride which is so thrilling, so funny and full of enough genuine heartfelt moments that it will leave audiences begging for more.

The film jumps right into the action, with the team reunited and attacking the stronghold of Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann), a high ranking member of Hydra (if you don't know what Hydra is you have about seven other films to watch before seeing this one) who is experimenting on "enhanced" humans, giving them super powers. His prized projects are a payer of twins, Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Of course the Avengers save the day, and are soon celebrating. But Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr) has fears that they can't handle things on their own, and talks Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) into helping him complete Ultron, a sentient computer program that will allow Stark's Iron Legion robots to protect the world. But as happens in any movie where somebody creates a sentient computer program, Ultron (James Spader) turns out to be a new supervillain.

The hilarious dialogue comes after us even more steadily than the heart-stopping action, and much of the heart in the film comes from the surprisingly touching budding romance between Banner and Natasha "Black Widow" Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). In addition, Clint "Hawkeye" Barton (Jeremy Renner) is given far more to do this time around, and his subplot provides some extra emotion. Downey and Evans continue a dynamic similar to the battle of wills they had in the first Avengers film, and once again Chris Hemsworth's Thor is sadly underused, yet still manages to get an inordinate number of the films best laugh lines, and he hits them put of the park with flawless delivery.  Taylor-Johnson is solid as Quicksilver, and Olsen may well be the breakout star here. Finally, as Ultron, Spader provides the Marvel franchise with only its second great villain. Spader could read the Denny's menu and make it both chilling and uproariously funny.

There are so many dazzling action set pieces that some viewers may feel they need more of a chance to catch their breath, but for most moviegoers who enjoy the Marvel saga, this movie delivers in a major way. Yes, it's summer action/effects mayhem, but if that's what you want, Marvel is delivering it in a more consistently satisfying way than anyone else out there right now. Avengers: Age of Ultron is going to be another huge hit for them, and, despite some reservations about its overcrowding and choppy flow, I enthusiastically recommend it to fans of super heroes and/or popcorn cinema.

THE WATER DIVINER

Reviewed by Paul Gibbs
 GRADE: A-
Starring Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Jai Courtney, Yilmaz Erdogan,
Written by Andrew Knight and Andrew Anastasios
Directed by Russell Crowe
Rated R (violence, profanity)


Academy-Award winning actor Russell Crowe has joined the long list of Hollywood stars who have tried their hand at directing. And, like Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson and Angelina Jolie before him, he's taken on a large scale historical epic. While Crowe isn't likely to join Costner and Gibson as an Oscar winner (at least not for the this film), he's succeeded in helming a solid, moving film that may be too sentimental for some, but will likely please most audiences.

Crowe stars as Joshua Connor, an Australian farmer with the titular ability to find water on his land. In 1919, World War I has ended, and Connor's three sons have been killed at the battle of Gallipoli, which means Matt Damon gets to go home (wrong movie). Another tragedy prompts Connor to journey to Gallipoli to locate the remains of his deceased sons and bring them home.

In Gallipoli, a British officer (Jai Courtney) and Turkish Major Hassan (Yilmaz Erdogan) are locating and burying the dead, and nobody wants Connor in the way. But Hassan takes pity on Connor and offers help, even telling him his oldest son may still be alive. Meanwhile, Connor stays at a small Turkish hotel, where he befriends a young boy named Orhan (Dylan Georgigades) and his mother Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko) the innkeeper. Ayshe's husband, a Turkish soldier, has been MIA for some time, but she clings to the hope he is still alive. Ayshe is at first hostile to Connor, seeing the Austrailian as her enemy, but his kindness to Orhan causes her to soften, and a friendship begins to develop, with the hint of something more.

All of this plays out in a fairly predictable, old fashioned manner, but strong performances and a general gentle sweetness to the scenes with Ayshe and Orhan cause us to become strongly engaged. Crowe is in near peak form as an actor here, and Kurylenko is something of a revelation. But the real standout is Erdogan, who provides the film with its most compelling character and performance, one that I would like to see remembered at Oscar time (though it likely won't be). As a director Crowe is not fully polished with his visual elements, sometimes framing his actors imperfectly and using too much slow motion in odd places. But he's able to tell a story very fluidly and passionately, and with the help of Lord of the Rings cinematographer Andrew Lesnie he's created a film that is overall visually strong. And he's created on truly masterful sequence (a flashback detailing the fates of Connor's sons at Gallipoli) that is disturbing and heartbreaking. And most of all, Crowe seems to have a strong ability to direct actors, as the performances are uniformly good. He's not a master filmmaker yet, but Crowe shows real promise as a director, and here's hoping he gets behind the camera again.

All in all, The Water Diviner isn't a great film, but it's a very good one, and if you can handle a film that mixes R-rated violence with gentle sentimentality, there are rewards to be found.

EX MACHINA

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE:  A+
Alicia Vikander, Domnhall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno
Written and Directed by Alex Garland
Rated R (Graphic nudity, Profanity, Sexual References and Some Violence)

If you've finally watched the trailer for "The Force Awakens" enough times that you need more to get you excited about it, here's something that ought to do it: the chance to see two of that film's stars acting together in a film that isn't like to make a fourth of the money that one will, but is very likely to go down in the annals of cinema as the science fiction film of 2015, and be toward the top of the list of films that gets undeservingly snubbed for a Best Picture nomination. In fact, Ex Machina is Gone Girl and Interstellar rolled into one, and it might be better than either of them.

Caleb (Gleeson), a young computer programmer, is randomly selected for the chance to spend a week at the home of Nathan Bateman (Isaac), a rich, reclusive genius and tech CEO. During this time, the only other resident of the home is Kyoko (Mizuno), Nathan's housemaid who speaks no English, which Nathan explains allows him to discuss confidential information and trade secrets without fear of leaking anything.

Nathan has a task for Caleb: to perform a "Turing Test" on a humanoid robot named "Ava" (Vikander) to determine if she is a true A.I. Through a series of sessions, Caleb will interview Ava and determine just how sentient she really is, at which point he will leave, and cannot breathe a word of this to anyone, having signed a strict non disclosure agreement.

Of course there is more going on here than meets the eye, but the less you know, the better. This is a fiercely intelligent and we'll crafted thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat during simple dialogue scenes in a way no action film will.

The performances are simply perfect. Isaac is easily one of the most engaging actors working today, and playing a character that is part John Hammond and part Ian Malcolm, he's fascinating to try to figure out, and wildly entertaining. Gleeson has a subtle nice guy quality that can really Cary a movie, and as for Vikander, the only two words that I can think of are Audrey Hepburn.

The movie is most certainly an homage to Stanley Kubrick, though there are elements of Truffaut, and it is true science fiction in the best sense of the term. Every aspect of the movie feels believable and plausible, yet mind blowing at the same time. This is a perfectly crafted art work and piece of entertainment that is going to become an instant cult classic, and writer director Alex Garland may be the next David Fincher, though he has certainly gotten off to a far better start than Alien 3.

Despite the off putting rating information, this really is not an exploitative film. It doesn't pull any punches, but in particular the nudity is very much important to the story and handled very tastefully and never feels lurid. There's really nothing that isn't there for a good reason.

When lists of the ten best films of 2015 start coming out, except to see "Ex Machina" appearing on the vast majority of them.

TRUE STORY

GRADE:A
Starring Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones
Screenplay by Rupert Goold and David Kajganich
Based on the memoir by Michael Finkel
Directed by Rupert Goold
Rated R (violence, profanity, disturbing images)

 It's understandable if you hear about a new movie starring Jonah Hill and James Franco and assume it's a stoner comedy,  but True Story is decidedly not. It's a thoughtful, serious drama that actually doesn't even feature a single strong moment of comic relief. And while it's likely to be too talky and slow-moving for some audiences, those who enjoy low-key character drama will likely find themselves pulled in to its compelling narrative (yes, it really is a true story, and stays close to the facts of the case).

Hill plays Mike Finkel, a journalist for The New York Times who loses his job for fabricating a story about African slave trafficking (he takes the stories of multiple victims and attributes them all to one person). After his disgrace, Finkel learns of an accused murderer named Christian Longo (Franco) who used Finkel's identity as an aliaswhile evading capture. Intrigued, Finkel arranges a meeting with Longo.

Finkel and Longo (who is accused of killing his wife and three young children) develop a strange bond over a series of interviews, which leads to a book deal for Finkel, and in exchange Finkel helps Longo develop his writing skills. Finkel is intrigued by the quiet, likable Longo, and begins to question what really happened. Meanwhile, Finkel's wife Jill (The Theory of Everything's Felicity Jones, who seems as though she is wasted here until her final scene) becomes more and more unsettled by the closeness between her husband and the alleged killer.

Jonah Hill continues to demonstrate that he is a real actor, not just a comic fat guy. His work here is restrained and natural, and he's genuinely compelling. James Franco is charming and alternately touching, enigmatic and chilling as Longo, even using the aloof, shrugging detachment that sometimes drags down his work as an effective character choice. This may be the best performance his given since his Oscar-nominated turn in 127 Hours. Director Goold allows things to movie slowly, but doesn't let the pace become slack, and while is his visual style may not be especially flashy or memorable, he avoids the equal and opposite mistakes of letting a talking, character driven piece become too stagey or letting his camera work become a distraction from the drama.  He has crafted a compelling and disturbing film that's a welcome reprieve from all of the car chases and low comedy currently crowding the multiplexes.

True Story is rated R for some very disturbing, violent images related to the murder of Longo's family, and the requisite harsh language.

FURIOUS 7

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: B-
Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Ludacris, Jordanna Brewster, Djimon Hounsou and Kurt Russell  
Screenplay by Chris Morgan 
Directed By James Wan 
PG-13 (Violence, Profanity, Sensuality)

I vividly remember seeing the trailer for The Fast and the Furious in 2001, before The Mummy Returns, and then again with just about every other movie that opened that summer, and thinking that this thing was clearly going to be a flop. I usually have a pretty good track record when it comes to predicting box office: this is still one of the most significant exceptions.

A huge part of the longevity of the series has come in the gradual shift from urban crime thriller to international action extravaganza. In fact, ironically, where the series has succeeded best is in doing exactly what xXx failed at so spectacularly: turning Vin Diesel into a blue collar James Bond. Director Justin Lin and screenwriter Chris Morgan breathed a new, if ridiculous, life into the franchise, and as the movies became sillier and more outrageous, they became a lot more appealing as well.

At the end of Fast and Furious 6,  the villainous Owen Shaw had been taken down (I forget why), but it had come at a high cost: first, the beautiful Giselle (Gal Godot) had been killed (I forget how) and second, we had to sit through the ending credits to watch a lame stinger that featured Jason Statham showing up in Tokyo to kill racer Han Seoul-Oh, who had appeared in the last four films and was so memorably portrayed by some Asian actor whose name I frankly don't care to look up at the moment.  Statham then called Dominic Torretto (Diesel) to say he was coming for him.

In the interim between the two films, Justin Lin left the franchise because he was offered a gig directing the follow up to The Bourne Legacy (which has since been canceled, though Lin traded up all the way to helming Star Trek 3, or Star Trek 13, depending on how you look at it), and star Paul Walker was killed in a real car crash before shooting on part seven had wrapped. This left some big questions about the fate of the film, and for a brief time there was talk of scrapping it. But greedier heads prevailed, and here we are.
 
After defeating Owen Shaw and his minions, Dom and Brian and the rest of the gang are able to return to the United States and live normal lives again as they had wanted, until Owen's older brother, Deckard Shaw (Statham), makes his presence, and his desire for vengeance, known. After learning of the death of their dear friend what's his name, the crew sets out to find the man who killed one of their own, before he finds them first.

Meanwhile, in movie B, a terrorist played by Djimon Hounsou has stolen a MaGuffin that would have been rejected for a Mission: Impossible movie on the grounds that it was too implausible. The device, known as "God's Eye," is a small object that basically controls all cameras everywhere and "could have found Osama Bin Laden in less than two weeks."

A government agent (I forget his name) played by Kurt Russell, shows up and says "The government can't go after this, so we decided the next best thing would be to enlist the most resourceful middle school dropouts on the planet to do it" (I may have made up that line.). In exchange for this, they will let them use the device to find Deckard Shaw.

Yes, this is stupid, and I have not even scratched the surface. Seriously, this is more far fetched than the flimsiest of road runner cartoons. It's also undeniably fun, and at this point, there is clearly a deliberate element of comedy to the more jaw dropping moments of mayhem.

Director James Wan isn't as polished as his predecessor, but for a first feature, this is dazzlingly impressive in terms of action skill. My biggest complaints were some overly hyperactive camera work and a few too many blatant "ass cam" shots of racing girls that don't even try to play like they aren't highly deliberate "let's get a close up of that" moments.  We're not talking Catherine Zeta Jones in Entrapment (though this is certainly a better movie); these are full on "let me see that thong" roll your eyes moments.

The performances in the film, obviously, are not strong. The most surprising part is that perhaps the least convincing ones come from Djimon Hounsou and Kurt Russell. Hounsou, who made such a strong impression in Amistad, Gladiator and Blood Diamond, seems to have resigned himself to the fact that as an African-African actor (as opposed to an African-American actor), his glory days are behind him and all he can get is well paying gigs as exotically creepy villains. He's not even trying to be good here, and he clearly isn't being prodded to be, either. Russell is badly miscast as a cigar chomping man's man bad ass type, and his constant flamboyant arm gestures couldn't be more annoying. Both deserve better.

Diesel is Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez is real and charming enough to make you grit your teeth but still keep watching during more of the stupid amnesia subplot, and Paul Walker fans (and even non fans) should be pleased to see that he gets all of the very best action moments (the ones that are outrageous but not laugh out loud crazy), and he gets what passes for a character arc in these films. The filmmakers have gone to a lot of effort to make sure that Walker is given a proper send off, and the last five minutes of the film are so blatantly sentimental and maudlin that the only reason it works at all is the sincerity. It's especially clear that Diesel himself is a major force behind the unabashed display of emotion, and this makes it play just well enough to not send you into a diabetic coma.

This movie works because it knows exactly what it wants to be, nothing more and nothing less. It's going to be very pleasing to it's target audience and even be a fun guilty pleasure to some people outside of it.