Pride + Prejudice + Zombies (2016): Mash-up Heaven

Written and Directed by Burr Steers (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days)

Story by Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) and Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

Starring:

Lily James (Cinderella)

Sam Riley (Maleficent)

Bella Heathcote (Dark Shadows)

Douglas Booth (Noah)

Matt Smith (Doctor Who)

Charles Dance (Game of Thrones)

Lena Headey (Dredd)

Jack Huston (American Hustle)

Suki Waterhouse

Sally Phillips (Galavant)

Ellie Bamber

Millie Brady

The novel, based on an idea by Quirk Books editor Jason Rekulak that yielded similar titles such as Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, was begging to be adapted the moment Seth Grahame-Smith released it in 2009. Since then, the process has been nothing short of tumultuous. Not only shuffling between multiple directors and stars (Natalie Portman was cast as Elizabeth Bennett but left, staying on as producer), it also suffered through the release of the much-maligned, mishandled adaptation of Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012). PPZ, however, does not meet the same fate.

L to R: Bamber, Heathcote, James, Brady, and Waterhouse. (via BBC)

The book’s charm is largely intact and at the center of it all is PPZ’s stellar cast. Steers directs a collection of talent that would fit perfectly into any straightforward adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. By mixing modestly well-knowns with relative unknowns, the characters manage to hold their own in a film that understands just how odd a concept it is. Zombies and fight choreography are interwoven into the story through the characters, which are, in turn, capably brought to life by the cast. The lives felt lived even if each character wasn't afforded the time they may have deserved.

On that last point, it’s more a testament to how well the cast performed than any knock on the film itself and the underselling of the characters shows an understanding on the filmmaker’s part on how their joke has a runtime shelf life. Any longer and it plays with the idea of overstaying its welcome. The commitment to standing alone as a single film is also commendable. The ending is reminiscent of The Cabin in the Woods (2012) whereas a sequel is not the primary focus, telling the joke is.

The leads, Lily James’ Elizabeth Bennett and Sam Riley’s Mr. Darcy, display wonderful adversarial chemistry despite James' dripping saliva and Riley’s gnarly rasp. They bring a grounded sense of emotion to such a fictional setting to life. But the real champion here should be no surprise. Matt Smith as Mr. Collins reigns supreme. He may not be front and center but he can’t help himself to being the center of attention when he’s on screen.

Burr Steers accomplishes something truly remarkable. He makes a better Gothic horror-romance than Guillermo Del Toro could with last year's disappointingly stale Crimson Peak (2015).  The violence here is laced with creativity by anchoring itself in the world. Instead of being misplaced it proves to be as captivating as the story is timeless. We get an array of exciting camera angles and gleeful brutality while mixing in the properness of Austen's original foundation. Steers never overplays any one tactic and in doing so, lets them all stand out in their own little way. The opening features a rather exceptional beheading while the finale boasts an excellent sword fight. And again, all of the violence is in service of that basic joke. 

The tone throughout is carefully controlled, blending horror with romance and just the right amount of humor that tells us the idea is being sold wholeheartedly. You'll barely notice the mid-conversational sparring. The set design aptly mixes the expected period piece aesthetics with an apocalyptic grit to make for a world that feels natural despite ungodly circumstances. The costumes look rather comfortable, too. 

However, the oddness of it all would certainly be easy to find unappealing. This is a movie made for those with a particular blend of tastes. It’s a wheelhouse movie. (I've found that my wheelhouse films tend to score around 40% on the tomatometer.) The romance is nothing new (obviously) and the zombies are more in line with Warm Bodies (2013) than The Walking Dead so a hardcore zombie fan may be disappointed as well. 

This movie delivered everything you should be expecting from a mashup of this nature. Great performances, decent frights, and bloody violence that makes you forget that it’s not even rated R. 

  

The Martian (2015) - A true sum of all its parts.

Directed by Ridley Scott (Kingdom of Heaven - Director's Cut)

Screenplay by Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods)

Based on the novel by Andy Weir 

Starring:

Matt Damon (The Departed)

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Serenity)

Jeff Daniels (Looper)

Jessica Chastain (Interstellar)

Sebastian Stan (Kings)

Kate Mara (We Are Marshall)

Michael Peña (Ant-Man) 

Askel Hennie (Headhunters)

Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire)

Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)

Donald Glover (Community)

Benedict Wong (The I.T. Crowd)

Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings)

The Appeal  .

Ridley Scott is at the helm, Drew Goddard, fresh off of Netflix and Marvel's Daredevil (2014), is penning, and the cast is a swarm of A-list talent. I've not read the novel, and a plot centered around a stranded astronaut comes across as potentially clichéd and uninteresting. Add to that the red setting and how few filmmakers have been able to transcend the general blandness of the fourth planet from the sun and I'm left with a lukewarm intrigue towards the whole deal. These big names, however, had me at least curious. Can they all come together and fulfill their potential?

The Verdict  .

Absolutely. Set The Martian along side Sunshine (2006), Interstellar (2014), Moon (2009), and Serenity (2005) to join the upper echelon of modern space odysseys. 

A smooth mixture of Interstellar's scope and Gravity's (2013) realism without both films' tendencies to induce a bit of vertigo. The Martian is a film that yields a stirring and triumphant return to form for Ridley Scott. A film that captures the vastness of space as an instrument of our future rather than a gargantuan uncertainty. Stunning visuals are on display without a daunting hopelessness that usually accompanies disaster films. It's a pleasant change of pace. 

The science is exhilarating while also being relatable. There's a multi layered sense of humor, too. This survivalist adventure uses cinematic and dramatic limitations (censorship, time delay, gravity, trust) to great effect. With a depiction this sharp, you have to wonder what the point is of actually going to Mars if we can pretend this well that we already will have done it. (That last sentence works if you let it.)

The scenic details are a treat to behold as Mars is given center stage. The planet certainly needed as big a win as Scott did after the critical beatings they've both suffered (Scott more recently and Mars more consistently). This not only compensates for Ghosts of Mars (2001), Red Planet (2000), Mission to Mars (2000), Mars Needs Moms (2012) and John Carter [of Mars] (2012), but also, Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), The Counselor (2013), and Prometheus (2o12). That's some heavy lifting for a single film.

Andy Weir's novel provides a strong narrative paired excellently with Goddard's resonant screenplay to give the actors and Scott every opportunity to soar. The shifting perspectives feel natural on camera and the performances are provided by a cast whose resumes are wonderfully eclectic. At the heart is Matt Damon's terrific performance as the ever-quotable, stranded, resilient botanist, Mark Watney.  

The supporting characters are thankfully diverse. We get to witness a decent melting pot with the power dynamics between genders, cultures, and ranked officials are never insulting. It's nice to know, too, that there was an effort to be more diverse. Ejiofor's character (Surname: Kapoor) was definitely supposed to be an Indian guy and only wasn't due to scheduling conflicts. 

There also isn't a role in the movie that induces a face palm. Each person makes believable, rational decisions with good intentions. There isn't a slimy publicist, there's a rational publicist. There's no callous boss, there's a decisive boss with hard choices to make. 

While that means that there's no true villain here (not even Mars), it also show's that there doesn't need to be one. Bonus points for not forcing a romance to take center stage while still having a gentle touch of love floating about. On the whole we are given a clichéd story that avoids clichés. 

Lightness aside, The Martian succeeds at being a survival tale that never feels predictable. The run time is two and a half hours but you'll be so enraptured by the film that you'll hardly notice. 

Spotlight: The highlight of the film was most certainly the moment when Project Elrond's significance is explained by an attendee of Elrond's Council. Glad whoever forced Scott to keep that in the film succeeded. Sean Bean's Mitch Henderson shines bright in the film as a guy who's clearly seen the middle seasons of every drama on the CW and knows the value of honesty. I'm sure Bean's character would have had a more gruesome fate were he at any point in space but, fortunately for him, he is safely on Earth the entire 
time. 

And now for the placement...

2015 Rankdown  .

1.      Kingsman: The Secret Service****

2.     Mad Max: Fury Road***

3.     The Man from UNCLE****

4.    The Martian***

5.     Me and Earl and the Dying Girl*

6.     Ant-Man***

7.     Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation***

8.     Jurassic World***

9.     Avengers: Age of Ultron****

10.   Furious 7***

11.     Shaun the Sheep*

12.    Spy***

13.    Sicario*

14.    Inside Out**

15.    Predestination*

16.    Run All Night*

17.    Dope

18.    Straight Outta Compton

19.    Black Mass

20.   Terminator: Genisys*

21.    Paddington*

22.    What We Do In the Shadows

23.    The Water Diviner

24.    Ex Machina

25.    Jupiter Ascending

26.   Slow West

27.    Everest

28.    The Gift

29.   Fantastic Four

30.   Pixels*

31.    Inherent Vice

32.    Mortdecai

(*denoted rewatchability)

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) - Something Stylish, Something Simple,and Something New

Written and Directed by Guy Ritchie (RocknRolla)

Starring:

Henry Cavill (Stardust)

Armie Hammer (Reaper)

Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)

Jared Harris (Fringe)

Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby)

Hugh Grant (Love, Actually)

The Appeal  .

Watch this movie if you’re a fan of Guy Ritchie. Expect a highly active screen experience with a ballistic-yet-delicately precise action. Ritchie manages to stir memories of his previous works like "RocknRolla" (2008), "Sherlock Holmes" (2009), and especially Snatch. (2000), while expanding his signature whirlwind blend of sounds, editing, and action to the espionage game. 

Cinematographer John Mathieson brings the same gorgeous lensing brought to previous films like "X-Men: First Class," "Gladiator," "Kingdom of Heaven," and "Phantom of the Opera." The sweeping motions and vivid vitality in the shots refuse to let the film get bogged down by all the spy jargon. 

Ushered in by vibrant posters featuring bold, contrasting colors, and trailers employing fantastic wails of excitement atop jumping vehicles and gun toting stuntmen (Side note: we also witness the obnoxious new trend of trailers including the final shot in a film, looking at you "Birdman!"), you should expect to be treated to a dazzling spectacle of violence, espionage, and visual humor that all propel a theme of trust despite prejudices.

Personally, Henry Cavill still holds plenty of good grace from his earlier roles in "The Count of Monte Cristo" (2002) and "Stardust" (2007). If you saw that same potential I did, that charm he is capable of bringing, then you will be fairly pleased. Once dubbed the unluckiest man in Hollywood, Cavill is finally given a role with the edginess he was denied in Immortals  (2011) and a suave charisma they kept in check during Man of Steel 2013).

Sharing the screen with Cavill is another actor that hasn’t had the greatest luck in his post break-out roles. Illya Kuryakin allows us to revel in the specimen that is Armie Hammer in a way "The Lone Ranger" (2013) aggressively ignored. Funnily enough, director Tarsem (Immortals, Mirror Mirror) is responsible for mishandling each of these men.  

We also have an interesting trend arising regarding a beloved romantic comedy. First it was Liam Neeson’s ascension to action superstardom which is represented this year by "Run All Night" and "Taken 3." Andrew Lincoln is still wreaking havoc on zombies. Earlier this year saw Colin Firth rampage a church full of ne'er-do-wells. Now, we have Hugh Grant deposited in this adventure. Some grand pact of violence was made on the set of "Love Actually" (2003) to throw down on screen 12 years and here they all are.  

The Analysis  .

An alarmingly unique blitz of action that Ritchie's team of editors manage inject into each set piece was the real stand out here. Much like that cut-and-done sex scene in "RocknRolla," U.N.C.L.E. gives us something common with a unique delivery. In this case, a tactical raid is portrayed with an audacious cut-and-slide style and leads into an exceptional zoom-heavy chase sequence. Each feels completely new. They catch you off guard and keep you actively engaged in the action. No willy-nilly gun battles here.

"The Man from U.N.C.L.E." is just rewards for the two leading men who've previously been deposited in forgettable roles and lazy stories.

Cavill boasts confidence, class, and GASP personality! By George, they did it! And Hammer is finally allowed to deliver on the promise he showed in "The Social Network" (2010). A win for deserving actors is a win for the audience.

This is a movie that takes every step necessary to distinguish itself from the explosive hyper-adrenaline action we are witnessing left at right in films like the "M:I" and "Fast" franchises. This is a movie that knows when to change pace, where certain tropes are expected, and when to hold true to the classics. With that knowledge, "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." comes across as fresher than the material would suggest.  

Lastly, we must must must praise the score. As "Sherlock Holmes" before it, Ritchie’s film is a practice in auditory immersion. Daniel Pemberton's high pitched score is particular, resonant, and very genre appropriate. Featuring an audible arsenal that employs a jazzy power-flute last heard in Snatch., paired with a snazzy percussive onslaught, it distinctively belongs to this film while conjuring that classic espionage sound.

Despite none of the other cast standing out (or being given the appropriate amount of screen time when they do *cough* Hugh Grant *cough*), they can afford to be presented as such within the straight forward spy story whose main goal is to shine a light on two handsome faces. The supporting cast does capably fill their genre roles and are given a decent human touch by the narrative. Sadly, they are somehow uniformly mismanaged. The script is rather trigger happy. 

While this is a reboot of an old 1960s show, it tells a tale the show glanced over. The box office may suggest there won't be, but should there be a sequel, it will certainly have more room for everyone to shine.

The lead female role of Gaby (played by Alicia Vikander) is fairly fleshed out and she is given an active arc with just a hint of a "manic-pixie-dream-girl" in her. That’s great. Sadly, she and the main villain (played by Elizabeth Debicki) are saddled with typical limitations for female characters. They need to wait on others for anything to really happen. In a year where films like "Kingsman: The Secret Service" and "Mad Max: Fury Road" have shown that villainy, heroics, skill, and competence can transcend gender within cinematic action, "U.N.C.L.E." couldn't quite go all the way. Decent attempt, though.

Another negative that is a bit more glaring is a seeming lack of diversity in the cast. It doesn't, however, come across as malicious on the filmmaker's part, it fits in with the setting, after all. (Diversity is another area where "Kingsman" had a leg up.)

The story does hiccup in living up to the title. This is a hardcore origin story firmly about the creation of U.N.C.L.E. We have to wait till next time for any real structured fun from the titular organization, leaving Hugh Grant exceedingly jealous of Colin Firth's luck with "Kingsman."

The Judgment  .

What we have here is an odd couple that steadily but quickly and, most importantly, organically, grows fond of each other. The pace of the central duo's friendship is key but it doesn't get rushed, nor does it lag. (See: "The Lone Ranger", "The Heat," "The Green Hornet") We are rooting for both sides to get along. This is good for everyone. This joviality leads to a highly entertaining film: one that is stylish, kinetic, witty, and boasts leads with believable adversarial chemistry. An intriguing question now arises: who is the more exciting director between Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn? (The answer, of course, is Edgar Wright)

2015 Rankdown  .

1.         Kingsman: The Secret Service****

2.       Mad Max: Fury Road***

3.       The Man from UNCLE****

4.       Ant-Man***

5.       Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation***

6.       Me and Earl and the Dying Girl*

7.       Jurassic World***

8.       Avengers: Age of Ultron****

9.       Furious 7***

10.   Shaun the Sheep*

11.       Spy***

12.      Inside Out**

13.      Kung Fury**

14.      Predestination*

15.      Run All Night*

16.      Dope

17.       Terminator: Genisys*

18.       Paddington*

19.      Jupiter Ascending

20.    Fantastic Four

21.       What We Do In the Shadows

22.     The Gift

23.     Slow West

24.     Ex Machina

25.     Pixels*

26.    Inherent Vice

27.     Mortdecai

(*denoted rewatchability)

Ex Machina (2015) - A Bleak Tale of Playing God.

Written and Directed by Alex Garland (Dredd, Sunshine)

Starring

Alicia Vikander

Domhnall Gleeson (Dredd)

Oscar Isaac (Drive)

Garland's directorial debut is the mechanical offspring of “Under the Skin” (2014) and “Jurassic Park” (1993). It manages to be suspenseful and thrilling, gently littered with gorgeously rendered effects while swathed in a solitary alienness.

The story and subject matter (artificial intelligence) is skillfully handled by Garland. He shows his talent as a sci-fi savant by coherently playing with futuristic and idealic technologies. The risqué and passively erotic denouement, whose build-up manages to be both thematically haunting and visually exquisite, ultimately leaves you cold.

I'll forgive the film for it's inaccuracy with portraying human blood on the grounds that I have also never been successful in replicating it. That said, it shouldn't look like cough syrup. Come on, Garland, go watch "Brothers Bloom." 

A detail that must be mentioned is that house. Such an incredible abode carved into a mountain. Surpassed only by the hyper-practicality of the “Gone Girl” (2014) house, it is definitely one of the best fictional dwellings ever created.

Another plus for the film is the tiny cast's dynamic chemistry. Vikander is chilling in her calmness, much like Scarlett Johansson in ''Under the Skin." Issac sports what I would dub as an uncomfortable beard and a menacingly casual wardrobe. You are always on edge during his every interaction with Gleeson. The two actor’s display here bodes well for their next team up, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

“Ex Machina” has an intimate core that is carried in a genuinely meaningful direction but the inhumanity of each character leave a bitter aftertaste. It’s not a perfect movie but it is a decent one. Technically it is the least entertaining movie I’ve seen all year.

(No more numbered ratings, DEAL WITH IT! Instead, I proudly present the post by post rankdown with asterisk assist! Asterisks (up to four) represent replay value and level of instant classicality. Everything else is annually relative and highly subjective. HERE WE GOOOOO...)

2015 Rankdown:

1.       Kingsman: The Secret Service****

2.       Predestination*

3.       Run All Night*

4.       Ex Machina

The Skeleton Twins (2014)

Written and Directed by Craig Johnson
Also written by Mark Heyman 
Starring:
Bill Hader (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs)
Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)
Owen Wilson (Idiocracy)
Boyd Holbrook (...The Host)
Ty Burrell (The Incredible Hulk)

A showcase of imperfect people behaving imperfectly. A story conveying how family can be the cause of all the turmoil in your life yet lift you up when you need it most. Showing that humor and happiness comes from finding your best self and knowing who brings it out. While the revelations can get a bit fatiguing, the pacing allows you to make the best of it.

Thanks in large part to the well spotlit chemistry of Wiig and Hader, The Skeleton Twins is loaded with moments of heartfelt fart-laced, novocaine driven comedy that help you cope with the darkness that lies in all of us, even if there seems to be a bit of excess darkness here. All these complex feelings inspired by this little film shows just how much talent that SNL cast had all at once. The lip-syncing scene is truly the highlight of the movie.

This honest and simple story makes you care about these people who are obviously flawed and dealing with the pressures of two very different lives. One, a wife on the verge of collapse and the her brother, a suicidal failing actor. They've not spoken in ten years which sets up this cathartic intertwining of their crumbling lives.

It's is a good film, not perfect (I couldn't help but roll my eyes during the entire mom scene) but it is, as the unlikely stars have classified it on many occasions, quite a serious one that manages to accomplish much. And the pair do indeed perform admirable. Possibly more than they even understood. although, knowing how talented the duo is, they probably are fully aware of just how incredible they were. It was a chance to show the rest of the world (because, of course, I already could tell) that they are more than simply Stefon and Gilly. They were able to display all these gutting exchanges and heartfelt scenes and hold their own when the story brought the world down upon them.

Craig Johnson's story also allows the two leads to demonstrate their comedic prowess, albeit in a controlled manner, their characters are shown to be good for each other. The moments when Skeleton Twins is soaring are when Hader and Wiig are feeding into each other, when the siblings are made to interact, for better or worse.

Johnson's endearing tale of two estranged siblings expertly covers many vital life lessons we could all learn to use. Showing up when you are most needed. Who needs you? Affairs deserve consequences. The idea that we don't always tell ourselves the truth. That we make the choice that feels good vs. the one we know is right. All heavy concepts and all explored with dignity and care.

The finale is one of the most therapeutic conclusions a film could have. That we can't see our own broken behavior while we are doing it. Sometimes we need someone to stop us.

Bottom Line: Somewhat depressing but in the end, we all need more Hader and Wiig in our lives.

9 out of 10. 

The Imitation Game (2014)

Directed by Morten Tyldum (Headhunters)
Written by Graham Moore 
Starring:
Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)
Keira Knightly (Bend It Like Beckham)
Mark Strong (Stardust)
Charles Dance (Game of Thrones)
Matthew Goode (Watchmen)
Allen Leech (Primeval)
Rory Kinnear (Skyfall)
Tuppence Middleton (Trance)

BE ADVISED: The following contains intense gushing praise. 

When The Imitation Game is at full power, your emotions belong to this movie. It takes you completely with its Britishness. Holds you by the face, clutches your cheeks and injects a cold, swirling sense of life into the core of your mind. By the end, The film opens your eyes to a truer history and you walk out to a broken world. Not bad for a biopic. Especially noteworthy is how three timelines all tell one vastly necessary story and each feeds into one another to build a masterpiece. 

Like any masterpiece, this film operates as more than just a drama. It's a war movie, its a biography, its a revisiting to the still relevant horrid hatred of homosexuality. Yes, its about all those serious things, but they can be depressing and bitter when not mixed and treated with a little sugar. The humor and confidence boasted by the cast throughout the film is brilliantly handled, and vitally so. We are never unaware of the perils surrounding Alan Turing and his crew of World War II Enigma code breakers but we are given the positivity to emotionally survive the ordeal through sharp wit and renegadian dialogue. The delivery of those lines make me feel cool just thinking about them. For instance, literally every word out of Mark Strong' s Col. Maj. Stewart Menzies will get a woman pregnant. 

The pinnacle scene where they fracture the enigma is gorgeously handled. A burst of realization sparking in Turing's eye performed like nothing else in the universe mattered, a moment of such euphoric eureka that we, as the audience are enthralled beyond all reason. 

Speaking further to all of the above, Tyldum, in his English language directorial debut, maximizes every bit of tension, humor, and love out of his film. There is even a sense of muted style to the camera work. People are often positioned off center, intentionally keeping your eyes active. Tyldum takes the top screenplay of the 2011 blacklist, and former DeCaprio starring vehicle to wonderful heights. Paired with Cumberbatch, Tyldum honors Turing's memory justly. 

Romance is also capably handled as the it never becomes annoying. The movie sweetly portrays friendship and trust. Showing that we can be more by looking towards others. Knowing that we all need help. The major scene between Knightley and Cumberbatch (Lets go a ahead and add his name to the old Portable Turing Machine's dictionary) that lays their relationship out in the open is as good as it gets. The actors, the score, the direction, the momentum of the entire story, it all swirls into a perfect storm powerful enough to engulf every ounce of attention you have. In that moment I had to break away and look around. I had to see the faces in the crown that were gone, completely absorbed by the screen. Prisoners of the moment in a jail so finely constructed only those whoare waiting for the tide to pass over them can escape. Everyone else belongs to that scene. Belongs to the movie. 

Their relationship is also beautifully summed up by the most important adage of the film:

 "Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine."

I think I instantly became a better person the moment after hearing that line. Thankfully it was repeated so that I may more easily remember it. 

Aside from the two leads (albeit one far leadier than the other), this movie benefits from having a supremely talented supporting cast who are allowed to fully flesh out their deeply human roles. Charles Dance is superbly capable and prickly as the Lanniseresque Commander Denniston. Matthew Goode, Allen Leech, and the rest of the code breakers are also immensely effective in their work. Rory Kinnear helps bring meaning to the scenes set in the 50s. Tuppence Middleton also quite nicely maximized her screen time and made her otherwise cliched character be more than it could potentially have been. And lest we forget, the childhood scenes are handled so somberly by Alex Lawther. (Although, I am a bit sad about a lack of Tom Hiddleston who could easily slip in for Matthew Goode. The dream of having him, Cumberbatch, and Strong on screen together must wait. This movie instead joins the ranks of War Horse as another trifecta close call.)

No movie can reach the upper echelon of cinema without a penetrating score. Zimmer's Interstellar set the bar this year and here Alexandre Desplat(Argo) rise to match him. Desplat, who apparently had only three weeks at his disposal, does a philomenal job (Anyone catch that? Philomena...no?) The piano tune is immaculately simple yet profoundly immersive,  Listening to it feels like you're swimming in a field of snow. 

And finally we get to Benedict himself. The absolute, unquestioningly best part of this movie is his performance. He controls the movie from the very first second. His voice....what more can be said. It is a force of nature. A monsoon of deepness that loosens all joints in your body. He is on the list of people that I would like to be yelled at by, right next to Michael Fassbender and Judi Dench. Cumberbatch shows shades of Sherlock here as well with his superb ability to portray characters whose minds are on a different plane of existence. Already the reigning Actor of the Year for 2013, Imitation Game marks him firmly in contention for a repeat win. 

As for the bad stuff...I wish the two adorable elderly ladies to the left of me would've had fewer conversations. God, I love free screening. But seriously, there is severe difficulty in finding any fault here. Scouring the negative reviews of this film leads you to see that the only bad thing is that it is a biopic and some people have watched too many to allow another good biopic to exist. Sadly, I am still in the shallow end of that pool so these eyes have yet to be jaded. Although this did elicit a similar response to watching A Beautiful Mind for the first time, which is yet another positive accolade to bestow on this movie. 

To steal a word from Selina Meyer, this is a robust year for movies. How many times can a film buff allow his top spot to be toppled? We may be looking at the unholy unordered top ten by year's end. You're up Peter Jackson. Good call in having Cumberbatch play two roles in one movie.  

Bottom Line. Stunning performance. Stunning Film. 

10 out of 10. 

22 Jump Street (2014)

Written and Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Lego Movie)

Also written by Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World)

Starring:

Channing Tatum (This is the End)

Jonah Hill (This is the End)

Ice Cube (21 Jump Street)

Amber Stevens (New Girl)

Wyatt Russell (Kurt Russell?)

Jillian Bell (Workaholics)

Dave Franco (Fright Night)

Rob Riggle (21 Jump Street)
Lucus Twins (Tonight Show Stand up set)
Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation)
Craig Roberts (Submarine)
Peter Stormare (Constantine)

It took a while to finally watch the whole film and so it sat patiently high on the watchlist for almost a year. But the bridge has finally been crossed and boy howdy was it a raunchy bridge. The level of self awareness approached Spaceballsian levels yet somehow avoided being an all out parody. Much like in the first film, Miller and Lord continued to build on these lovable morons and set them loose in this pre-established world. Lest we forget, this is still the same universe but with a vastly different tone than the show.

Impressive and bold stunt work that, when paired with the highly creative humor, earns the right be called an action comedy nearly equal to Hot Fuzz.

Boundless flowing idiocy from every character and every scene that requires thought and plays to niche interests. So many jokes that its a struggle to recall all of them. This is a movie to own because it will make you funnier as a person.  Also the end credits sequence is an all time great so you'll be wanting to pause it about 43 times.

The cast not only performs well, but the casting choices are themselves meta-jokes that take even more thinking to get. There have never been, and may never be again, this many Ice Cube jokes in one film. And if that jock football player looks familiar, it's because he's a young Kurt Russell. I'm not buying the whole offspring thing. He's a clone.

The story has just the right amount of predictability. It keeps everything fresh even while you know full well that the outcome will be that these two goofballs will win. That's not the point.

And there is a bit of retreading here as well. The first film already had the odd couple dynamic play out and while that may be the hardest thing to sit through again, the destination, and knowing that when they come back together the hilarity will be unmatched is what we all wait for. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Coupled with the abusive use of a higher budget, the turbo-stupidity will make it all worth it.

Bottom Line. The praise is high and the film deserves it. Lord and Miller are on a roll. With so few films left in the year, this is a lock for top ten of the year.

10 out of 10 chickens