Expectations are an amusing human trait.
We tend to strive for the unattainable. We anticipate the worst and/or the best; there’s rarely a middle ground. When we expect too much, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. When we expect too little, a tiny embellishment has the potential to awe us. Take movies. When I go to watch a film with heightened expectations, they are rarely met (hello, “Jurassic World”). However, when I expect utter crap, I (sometimes) end up pleasantly surprised (I believe the ripped-apart-by-critics “The Neon Demon” will gain cult status over time).
It has less to do with the films’ actual artistic merits than my own… call it predisposition. To put it in rather drastic terms, I expect nothing less from Woody Allen than “Annie Hall,” just as I never anticipate Uwe Boll to shock us with the next “Tree of Life.” I do, however, try not to let that get in the way of my criticism and review films objectively, while keeping my biased opinion to myself.
All those thoughts led to me to looking back at my list of the 30 Most Anticipated Films that I compiled for my blog three summers ago. Some expectations were fulfilled, based on my faith in the filmmakers’ ability and/or the film’s appealing concept (“Frances Ha,” “Before Midnight,” “This Is The End”); I was embarrassingly way off on others (“The Colony,” ahem, “R.I.P.D.,” “After Earth”). To my defense, the summer of 2013 wasn’t exemplary in terms of its cinematic offerings.
Hey, we all make mistakes. We’re human, after all.
30. Passion
What I Wrote Excitedly: Erotic thriller “Passion,” starring Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace, marks Brian De Palma’s return to the filmmaking scene (and his favorite genre) after a five-year absence (his last effort was the 2007 controversial war drama “Redacted”). Despite the negative early buzz, I have faith that the film will deliver the director’s signature mix of intricately-orchestrated theatrics: an insanely complex plot, long panning shots, sadistic violence and scandalous drama. Plus there’s the tantalizing notion of McAdams and Rapace engaging in coitus.
Expectations Fulfilled? No.
The negative early buzz rarely lies. While “Passion” scored points for ambition and some cool shots, its derivative, neo-noir-ish plot was both over-complicated and obvious. The barely-PG-13 “coitus” sequence just served as a reminder that the glory days of the “erotic thriller” are long gone in this age of swarming porn (the point once again reiterated powerfully with “50 Shades of Bullshit”). You’ll be better off watching Noah Baumbach’s recent documentary about the director, “De Palma,” where the man spends most of the running time telling candid anecdotes from his glory days. The man behind classics like “Carrie” and “Carlito’s Way” seems to have become more adept at enticing with words rather than images.
29. The Lone Ranger
What I Wrote Excitedly: Gore Verbinski. Johnny Depp as goofy sidekick. Flamboyant make-up. Astronomic budget. No, it’s not “Pirates of the Caribbean,” though a strong sense of déja vu is prominent in the director’s follow-up to “Rango” (which also stars Depp), the much-delayed (uh-oh, never a good sign!) epic “The Lone Ranger.” I’m going to watch this bound-to-be-a-flop spectacle, if for no other reason than to see how they fuck they managed to rake out an alleged $250 million for what is essentially a glorified Western. And what is up with that freaking’ bird on Depp’s head?
Expectations Fulfilled? Yes.
Granted, expectations weren’t that high, eh? The film ended up being pretty much what I thought it would be: an entertaining, bloated flop. I still think it’s insane that they spent an amount that could feed a South Sudanese village for Centuries on an updated version of a – let’s face it – decrepit (and blatantly racist) TV show. But it’s better than “Transformers” or a thousand others similarly-high-budget films, because it at least has a somewhat-intelligent story, muscular direction and somewhat-memorable characters. There are worse ways to spend $5 at the bargain bin.
28. The Heat
What I Wrote Excitedly: While the trailer for the upcoming Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy starrer “The Heat” doesn’t offer much promise, with its over-reliance on slapstick and vulgarity, I have a feeling (or rather hope) the best bits of the film weren’t included due to their racy, politically-incorrect nature. After all, Paul Feig is at the helm, and it’s written by Katie Dippold of “Parks and Recreation” fame. The studio must be confident in this project – a sequel (!) has already been announced.
Expectations Fulfilled? Yes… and No.
Yes – because it was a nearly-perfectly-calibrated balance of slapstick and vulgarity, which is what I expected from the trailer; and no – because Feig can do better than “slapstick and vulgarity,” and so can Dippold. The best bits came from the semi-improvisational banter between its leads. This film marked the “selling out” of a once-formidable mind behind “Freaks and Geeks,” leading to audience-pandering messes like “Spy” and the recent “Ghostbusters” remake (written by the highly, I repeat, HIGHLY audacious Dippold).
27. Love Is All You Need
What I Wrote Excitedly: Danish director Susanne Bier is known to delve headfirst into grim subjects like terminal illness (“After the Wedding”), PTSD (“Brothers”), loneliness (“In a Better World”) and death itself (“Things We Lost in the Fire”), so it’s refreshing to see her lighter side in “Love Is All You Need,” a romantic comedy about a hairdresser (Trine Dyrholm) who travels to Italy after her husband’s infidelity and falls in love with… Pierce Brosnan. The twist? She’s lost her hair to cancer, and Brosnan is recently widowed and traumatized. Yep, this is a Susanne Bier film after all.
Expectations Fulfilled? To some degree.
While Bier carefully side-stepped uber-manipulative melodrama prior to this project, “LIAYN” can’t resist dipping its toes into unapologetic sap from time to time. I couldn’t shake the bitter feeling the director was doing it to appease a broader audience. That said, this is still a Bier film, which puts it leagues ahead of similar cancer-centric rom-coms (“A Little Bit Of Heaven” could use a healthy (pun intended) dose of Bier’s insight.) The leads shine and certain moments remain in your mind long after you’ve seen the film.
26. The Purge
What I Wrote Excitedly: How’s this for a high concept: in a utopian society all laws are suspended for one day a year. Everything is perfect for 364 days, but shit hits the fan on day 365. Intrigued yet? What if I told you “The Purge,” starring Ethan Hawke and “Game of Thrones”‘ Lena Headey, centers on a family protecting their house over the course of that one night, as the rabid outside world seeps in? Definitely count me in, although the trailer makes it look a bit like “The Strangers” (which in itself was an uncredited remake of the French horror film “Them”), and the fact that writer/director James DeMonaco has “Jack” and “Skinwalkers” in his credits is discouraging, to say the least.
Expectations Fulfilled? No.
The high concept turned out to be too hard to swallow. I’ll buy Kubrick’s terrifying world in “Clockwork Orange,”, whose odd language, reveling in violence and wildly satirical outlook on society made it seem otherworldly – it immersed me into that universe, made me contemplate our own relationships with media, violence and each other. Did “The Purge” make me believe that once a year, your normally-amicable neighbor picks up a shotgun and blasts off people’s craniums? Definitely not. Its approach isn’t nearly knowing, biting or funny enough to qualify the film as a satire, nor innovative or suspenseful enough to make it a distinctive horror flick. However, “The Purge” turned out to be stratospherically popular, spawning two (!) sequels, each with a premise more ludicrous than the last. Give America what it wants, Hollywood!
25. The Colony
What I Wrote Excitedly: I’m a sucker for a good sci-fi flick, and Jeff Renfroe’s post-apocalyptic “The Colony,” about a group of Ice Age survivors (including Laurence Fishburne and Bill motherfuckin’ Paxton) fighting cannibals, seems like it’s right up my alley. It’s a B-movie, and I’m fine with that. And by the way, with TV’s “Hannibal,” the upcoming animated feature “Khumba,” “Man of Steel” (coming up on this list!), and now this, does 2013 mark the comeback of Laurence Fishburne? Let’s hope so, for all our sakes.
Expectations Fulfilled? Hell no!
This film sucked. Period. The director failed to sustain any semblance of intrigue, with its characters so cardboard, you could draw a smiley face on them and they’d be more animated. What a way to mess up a great concept. For a good cannibals film (I know, there is a high demand for those), watch the similarly low-budget but infinitely superior western “Bone Tomahawk,” or “Ravenous.” Whatever you do, don’t watch this. And forget I said anything about Laurence Fishburne (“Khumba”? Really?! WTF was I on?) After flops like “The Signal” and “Standoff,” perhaps it’s time for the guy to retire.
24. Girl Most Likely
What I Wrote Excitedly: Kristen Wiig teams up with Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, the duo behind “American Splendor,” in “Girl Most Likely,” a dark comedy about a has-been playwright (Wiig) who is forced to move back in with her folks (Annette Bening and Christopher Fitzgerald). Hilarious hijinks ensue. While the directors so far haven’t even come close to topping the brilliance of their debut (“The Nanny Diaries,” anyone?), “GML,” powered by the always-reliable Wiig, may just be the one to do it.
Expectations Fulfilled? No.
What a waste of a tremendous cast, and two directors who once showed such promise with “American Splendor.” The film is rarely amusing or dramatic – it just sort of sits there, like a stale potato. Kristen Wiig proceeded to appear in 1,200 films – both indie (“The Skeleton Twins”) and big-budget (“The Martian”), leaving this dud in a cloud of dissipating cinematic dust.
23. The To-Do List
What I Wrote Excitedly: “Feeling pressured to become more sexually experienced before she goes to college, Brandy Clark makes a list of things to accomplish before hitting campus in the fall.” Okay, so the logline for “The To Do List” on IMBD makes it sound like your run-of-the-mill juvenile college flick that relies on jizz stains and poop jokes to squeeze out some laughs. But one look at the cast – led by Aubrey Plaza and including the likes of Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Donald Glover and Clark Gregg – reveals that this may actually be a decent study of adolescence and what it means trying to fit in, with sophisticated humor and… yes, poop and jizz jokes, just to make sure all bases are covered.
Expectations Fulfilled? Yes.
Maggie Crey’s raunchy film isn’t going to change your life by any means, yet, propelled by a charismatic lead turn by the stellar comedic cast and an always-reliable Plaza, who has no issues shedding her inhibitions for a laugh, this is a charming little indie, just offensive enough to avoid watching after dinner with your folks.
22. Crystal Fairy & The Magical Cactus
What I Wrote Excitedly: Michael Cera searches for the ultimate hallucinogenic mushroom in Crystal Fairy, with the help of a shaman (Gaby Hoffman)… A new spin on the “buddy road-trip” genre, supplemented by Cera’s trademark deadpan humor could make “Crystal Fairy” a winner. Unless you’re sick and tired of Cera and think of him as a one-trick pony. Which I know a lot of people are and do. I’m not and I don’t. Yet.
Expectations Fulfilled? Hell yes!
In fact, I was overjoyed by it. Sebastián Silva’s film took unexpected turns at every corner… Michael Cera branches out, giving a startlingly unlikeable performance that weirdly grows on you – his selfish, abhorrent character reflects the selfish, abhorrent aspects of us all. As for the Crystal Fairy herself… Magical, hallucinatory, unpredictable, funny and very entertaining, it casts a spell on you that, like the best trip, makes your mind expand a little and finds a place in it, somewhere deep in the back.
21. Blue Jasmine
What I Wrote Excitedly: Though Woody Allen’s recent outings have been patchy to say the least, I still find his films more enjoyable, perceptive and real than 90% of the junk that hits theaters these days. His new “Blue Jasmine,” notable for its exciting, much-publicized pairing of Allen with Louie C.K., boasts the usual array of stars: Alec Baldwin (making it his second consecutive collaboration with Allen after the disappointing “To Rome With Love”), Cate Blanchett, Peter Sarsgaard, Sally Hawkings, Michael Stuhlbarg, Andrew Dice Clay (!) and Bobby Cannavale. It also marks an interesting new location for the filmmaking maestro, after detours from his beloved New York to Barcelona, London and Rome.
Expectations Fulfilled? Yes.
Though far from Woody’s best, “Blue Jasmine” is a worthy addition to his indelible resume, fueled mainly by another mesmerizing performance from Blanchett, this time playing an arrogant, pill-addicted socialite, exiled to her sister’s (an always-dependable Hawkings) humble West Coast apartment. Packed with humor, acute observations on class differences, re-examining one’s own ego and the usual neurotic trappings of Woody’s films, “BJ” was also a tad overrated – it, like “Match Point,” just lacks the piercing subtlety of Woody’s earlier ouvre. That’s the hater in me though. This is class-act filmmaking. If you haven’t yet, go watch it, if just for the finale, when Blanchett’s character majestically crumbles to pieces.
20. R.I.P.D.
What I Wrote Excitedly: Okay, so the new film from the director of – wait for it – “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and “Flightplan,” enigmatically entitled “R.I.P.D.” (for those of you unaware of the graphic novel upon which this film is based, it stands for “Rest In Peace Department”) actually looks hysterically, mind-bendingly out of control. In a so-bad-it’s-good way. Jeff Bridges plays a dead officer-slash-ghostbuster who gets a trainee (Ryan Reynolds) assigned to him; imagine “Men in Black” crossed with, erm, “Ghostbusters,” with a dash of the director’s own “Red,” and you get “R.I.P.D.” If that doesn’t sound good to you, we probably can’t be friends.
Expectations Fulfilled? Hell no!
Looks like I may have lost some friends on that one. The film proved disastrous – and not in a “so-bad-it’s-good” kinda way. Bridges mumbles his way through this mess, as if he himself has no idea what the plot’s about. It’s a sleepwalk revision of his “True Grit” performance, but slurrier and duller. And don’t get me wrong – he is one of the best actors working; The Dude Abides… but not in “R.I.P.D.,” a half-assed mix of disparate tones, hectic plot, horrid special effects and a miscast and confused Ryan Reynolds. Luckily, both actors didn’t let the resulting flop phase them too much: Reynolds (granted, after a long series of disasters) went on to make “Deadpool” and Bridges is gathering high praise for his performance in “Hell or High Water” (which I haven’t yet seen at the time of writing this).
19. Monsters University
What I Wrote Excitedly: “Monsters, Inc” is one of my favorite Pixar features (right below “Wall-E” and “Toy Story 2”), so I’m excited about “Monsters University,” a prequel about Sully (Billy Crystal) and Mike’s (John Goodman – the man’s been busy lately!) formative years. Pixar’s streak of perfection has recently been slightly derailed by the likes of “Cars 2” and the lukewarm “Brave” – here’s hoping this “sorta reunion” puts them back on track.
Expectations Fulfilled? No.
First of all, the recent “Inside Out” is now the reigning king in my Pixar palace, the film that “put Pixar back on track.” Secondly, “Monsters, Inc.” ended up being an unimaginative retread of the original, a prequel with none of its predecessor’s (successor’s? I’m confused) wit, fuzzy warmth or exuberant novelty, and too many fraternity / college jokes that flew over the wee ones’ heads and limited its audience appeal (not literally though – the film made $745 million worldwide). File it under “minor Pixar.”
18. Now You See Me
What I Wrote Excitedly: A group of Robin Hood magicians, including Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco and Woody Harrelson, use their (very elaborate) acts to steal from the rich and give to the poor, while an FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo) teams up with Melanie Laurent’s Interpol agent to go after them. That’s the consensus for “Now You See Me,” a thriller that assembles one of the best casts in recent years (the film also stars Michael Caine, Common and Elias Koteas). Okay, so director Louis Leterrier’s resume leaves a lot to be desired, with “gems” like “Clash of the Titans” and “The Transporter” not particularly inspiring confidence in his ability to direct character actors. But with a cast like this, a super-entertaining story and a script from the writer of “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” I have faith this film’s greatest magic act will be convincing the audiences it’s good.
Expectations Fulfilled? No.
Here was my official review of the film (I gave it 2 out of 5 stars):
It’s to be expected that a film about magicians, directed by the man responsible for “Transporter 2”, “Clash of the Titans” and “The Incredible Hulk”, would require suspension of disbelief, but “Now You See Me” defies basic logic so brazenly and steps wrong so relentlessly, it’s hard to imagine how anyone with a shred of intelligence would buy the nonsensical plot.
Mind you, the beginning is promising: the so-called protagonists are introduced one by one, as a hooded figure recruits them for a mysterious, epic task. We meet Jesse Eisenberg’s J. Daniel Atlas, a young entrepreneur magician on the rise, staging a very elaborate card trick that involves an entire skyscraper to impress a girl into sleeping with him. There’s Woody Harrelson’s Merrit McKinney, a sardonic mentalist who dupes folks out of cash by utilizing hypnosis in a highly unethical fashion. Isla Fisher plays Henley Reeves, an ex-magician’s assistant who now has her own show, escaping from a piranha-filled water tank. Last – and least – Dave Franco’s Jack Wilder barely gets any screen time as a thieving street trickster/escape artist/locksmith.
Though Eisenberg is particularly hard to believe as a smooth womanizer who has a history with Henley (his gawky physique and awkward intonations, suggesting both vulnerability and intelligence, felt much more natural in “The Social Network”), and Dave Franco’s character is a blank slate (I can’t get over how much he resembles his older brother, damn those Francos!), the set-up is compelling, and Woody steals the show with juicy one-liners. Then they are assembled, Avengers-style, in a seemingly abandoned apartment – and the ludicrousness factor skyrockets.
To avoid revealing too much, I’ll just list the highlights of what happens next. The magicians are given a task by the aforementioned mysterious recruiter that involves holographic blueprints (!), but the screen fades out before we find out what that task is. Fade in: now known as The Four Horsemen, J. Daniel, Henley, Merrit and Jack are putting on a grandiose Las Vegas performance, during which they allegedly rob a Swiss bank, then shower the audience with Euro bills.
Enter Mark Ruffalo’s scruffy FBI agent Dylan Rhodes. “Now You See Me” reinforces the Century-old cinematic cliche of partnering an agent with a sidekick who’s also a potential suspect, by having him team up with Mélanie Laurent’s somewhat dubious – and bland – Interpol agent Alma Dray. You may recall that I referred to the protagonists as “so-called”, and it’s because at this point the film jarringly switches perspective and follows Rhodes’ attempts to decipher the enigma behind The Four Horsemen, as they elude the law (the rationale behind it – that the FBI cannot arrest magicians because it would make it seem like the government believes in magic – is hysterical) and stage more outrageous magical heists. By the time the film’s obligatory car chase sequence – filmed uber-conventionally – kicks in, any sense of realism has dissipated entirely.
Did I mention that Morgan Freeman pops up as magic debunker Thaddeus Bradley (credit to screenwriter Ed Solomon for the ostentatious character names) who may or may not be involved with The Four Horsemen, and who seems stoned and bemused throughout, as if he just stepped off the set of his own trippy TV series “Through the Wormhole”? Or that Michael Caine barely makes an impression as billionaire Arthur Tressler, who gets chained down on stage and assaulted by a ravenous crowd? Or that rapper Common plays a character called simply Evans, whose sole purpose is to be the center of a silly visual gag towards the end of the film? In my preview I mentioned that the main reason for my excitement was the stellar cast, one of the best assembled in a film so far this year, but Louis Leterrier manages to mishandle it with such aplomb, his film almost deserves attention solely for that reason.
Amongst the fundamental mistakes that the filmmakers have made, and there are many, a few are worth pointing out specifically. The first was to introduce us to interesting characters, then keep us out of the loop for the rest of the film, putting the focus instead on Rhodes’ investigation. I’m a Ruffalo fan, especially in earlier films like “You Can Count On Me”, but he’s played his share of scruffy investigators (“Shutter Island”, “Zodiac”, “In the Cut”), and despite hamming it up intermittently, the actor turns in the blandest performance of his career so far. The second mistake was to structure the film as all build-up with no pay-off; Thaddeus constantly promises something in the vein of, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” – and then nothing spectacular happens! More money is rained on people, more fireworks, more outlandish heists with even more outlandish explanations…
Leterrier directs everything with a sledgehammer approach – swooping, nausea-inducing cinematography is meant to distract from the creaky storyline, constant red herrings disorient and frustrate rather than intrigue… Which leads me to the fourth, and biggest, mistake – the aforementioned suspension of disbelief. Any heist film has to have a somewhat realistic basis, where the laws of physics apply; this film resorts to cheap cop-outs and completely unrealistic scenarios. It did keep me guessing – I frequently wondered how much more far-fetched the next twist would turn out to be. Credit’s due: the film never ceased to impress me on that front.
Some questions it raises: What’s with the holographic three-dimensional blueprints? Why were those four specific individuals picked? Are they really the most talented magicians IN THE WORLD? Why are four people required – seems like most of these tricks could have been easily pulled off by two? How on Earth did those four amateur – and frankly rather dim – characters manage to pull off these incredibly complicated – and frankly impossible – tricks? In what parallel universe would four unknowns be allowed to perform another show after publicly admitting to robbing one of the central European banks? (SPOILER) What’s with the explanation at the end, a vague riff on the Illuminati? Is it a modern-day spin on Robin Hood? A heist film? A crime/investigation story? An action film? A fairy tale? An economy crisis parable?
“Now You See Me”‘s tagline – “The Closer You Look, The Less You’ll See” – could not be more appropriate. Under even minimal scrutiny the film reveals itself to be all smoke and mirrors.
Note: For a great film about magic check out Christopher Nolan’s underrated “The Prestige,” or the documentary “Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay,” with the magnificent David Mamet mainstay, Mr. Jay, charismatically guiding you through the world of magic.
17. The Iceman
What I Wrote Excitedly: All hail Winona Ryder! The gorgeous and talented actress seems like she’s having a comeback (fingers crossed!), what with her recent (albeit miniscule) turns in “Black Swan” and “Star Trek” (let’s pretend “The Dilemma” and “Mr. Deeds” didn’t happen), and now the headlining role in “The Iceman,” a provocative thriller about an unhinged serial killer, led by the talented (and very intense) Michael Shannon, Ray Liotta, Chris Evans and – my all-time favorite actor on this planet – James Franco. To reiterate: my fingers are crossed so tightly they’re white.
Expectations Fulfilled? No.
Most recently appearing in Netflix’s ode to 1980’s fantasy “Stranger Things” (in a frankly screechy, one-note performance), angel Wino (two-time Oscar Nominee, mind you) seems to have seared her wings. She barely makes an impression in this solid but by-the-numbers thriller that failed to impress both critics (it got a lukewarm 60-score on the online critic mecca, Metacritic) and audiences (it made less than $2 million worldwide on an alleged $10 million budget). Shannon shines, per usual, but we’ve been through all those thriller tropes before, and there aren’t any particularly stand-out sequences, unless you want to watch the genius that is James Franco grovel and beg for mercy (echoing my own sentiments about his professional career with masterly precision).
16. The Wolverine
What I Wrote Excitedly: One of the most eagerly-awaited releases this summer, Hugh Jackman’s sixth portrayal of “The Wolverine” has gone through a long, strenuous production process, with a slew of directors attached to it briefly before dropping out: Jose Padilha, Doug Liman, Antoine Fuqua, Mark Romanek, Justin Lin, Gavin O’Connor, Gary Shore and, most famously, Darren Aronofsky and Guillermo Del Toro. Having finally decided on James Mangold (“Identity,” “Walk the Line”), Jackman seems confident in this Japan-set version, promising us the ultimate, most truthful Wolverine story. One look at his protruding veins and bulging “guns” reveals a borderline-obsessive commitment to the project. Which, you know, inspires confidence (and odd, new feelings somewhere deep in my groin).
Expectations Fulfilled? No.
Okay, what’s up with the studios just not being able to do Wolverine – one of the most visceral, intriguing characters in Marvel – justice? He’s got adamantium freakin’ claws – they should’ve gone the “Deadpool” way a long time ago and have him hack’n’slash his way through insane enemies; inject the enterprise with a heavy dose of moroseness and dark humor. Instead we get a B-movie set in a Hollywood-y Japan, where Jackman is summoned to confront his past. Talky-as-all-hell, violent-but-bloodless, with a finale that fades like a burp, “The Wolverine” barely manages to let out a growl, much less challenge its predecessors. Despite Jackman’s complete dedication to the character, and ONE memorable train sequence, I’d skip this one and just youtube the aforementioned scene. How it scored $417 million worldwide eludes me. I hear there is one more version on the way – perhaps Wolverine can be included in Peter Parker’s 158th resurgence? At this point, why not? Marvel’s all over the place these days.
PS: Aronofsky should’ve stuck to the reigns on this one…
15. Stranded
What I Wrote Excitedly: Where have you been, Christian Slater? On second thought, don’t answer that… It’s good to have you back, though. With a plot that can be summarized as “‘The Thing’ in space,” Slater’s latest vehicle “Stranded” – about a group of astronauts – you guessed it! – stranded on a space craft – promises claustrophobic thrills, psychological intensity and metaphysical contemplations. Minor footnote: director Roger Christian is responsible for Scientology crap ”Battlefield Earth.” We’ll just ignore that unfortunate tidbit, as well as he fact that there is another, almost identical film called “Stranded” from 2001 with Vincent Gallo and Maria de Medeiros.
Expectations Fulfilled? A resounding NO.
The “minor footnote” should NOT have been ignored – rather taken as a threat. As lo-fi as you can get – second only to assembling the cast in a cardboard box and turning off the lights (which, come to think of it, may have made for a better film) – “Stranded” made you feel like you were stranded in a desolate vacuum of novelty. It displays a dearth of ideas that would make Uwe Boll blush. What was I thinking? Perhaps my love of hard sci-fi overshadowed my common sense.
14. The Way, Way Back
What I Wrote Excitedly: Jim Rash (of “Community” fame) won an Oscar in 2011 for his screenwriting duties on “The Descendants.” This achievement directly led to the Sundance audience favorite (and the festival’s biggest acquisition so far – Fox Searchlight shelled out $10 million for it!), “The Way Way Back,” Rash’s directorial debut. If the film’s plot – a coming-of-age story about a teenager (Liam James) who strikes up an unlikely friendship with the town’s park manager (the chameleon-like Sam Rockwell) – sounds a little perfunctory, the stellar cast will surely add depth to proceedings: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Amanda Peet, Maya Rudolph, Allison Janney and Rob Corddry.
Expectations Fulfilled? Yes.
With a cast like that, it’s hard to step wrong; more importantly, Rash nails the longing/nostalgia for childhood in his gold-hued frames, its wistful, warm tone and simple-but-relatable plot of a young boy and his mentor (a never-less-than-excellent Rockwell). It’s one of those films that grows on you. While not reaching the heights of the similarly-themed “Boyhood,” “I’m Not Scared” or “Stand By Me,” Rash’s valiant attempt is sweeter than those films, less menacing, and especially effective because it feels so personal.
13. Frances Ha
What I Wrote Excitedly: I don’t normally respond to hipster quirkiness (Zooey Deschanel can hang herself by her bangs, for all I care), but Greta Gerwig has enough gems on her resume (“Greenberg,” “Baghead,” “The Dish & the Spoon”) and plenty of charm and screen presence to justify the whimsicality – so I’m excited for her first collaboration with husband and director Noah Baumbach (“The Squid and the Whale”) in the upcoming dramedy “Frances Ha.” The film, which Gerwig co-wrote, details a young New Yorker’s (Gerwig) pursuit of her dreams, as they gradually become increasingly unattainable. Baumbach frequently collaborates with Wes Anderson (“The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox”), so expect plenty of oddball charm and surprising insights.
Expectations Fulfilled? Hell yes!
Okay, first of all, I may have been too harsh on poor Zooey Deschanel. She hasn’t really done anything to win my utmost respect since I wrote those terrible words, but I did enjoy the second season of “New Girl” – there are traces of humanity behind those thick, horn-rimmed glasses of hers (though I still wince every time I hear that show’s nauseating opening theme). As for Greta Gerwig, not only does she shine in “Frances Ha,” she’s since proven to be one of our most talented actresses, along with Margot Robbie, Alicia Vikander and Brie Larson. Magnetic, brimming with contagious energy and joy of life, her character in Baumbach’s film represents our current 30-something generation, specifically the lost artists, talented and confused, ambitious and aimless. Shot in gorgeous black-and-white, “France Ha”’s unusual rhythm takes a second to seep in, but once it takes hold, the film’s subliminal power lingers.
12. World War Z
What I Wrote Excitedly: With an estimated budget north of $200 million, plagued by constant delays and reedits, it would be reasonable to assume the long-gestating Brad Pitt vehicle “World War Z,” based on Max Brooks’ bestselling novel, is bound to be a massive flop. The film, which details a U.N. employee’s (Pitt) attempts to prevent the world from being overrun by zombies, also happens to be directed by Marc Forster, whose last several features – “Machine Gun Preacher,” “Quantum of Solace,” “The Kite Runner” – faired poorly, both at the box office and among critics. That said, the film does have two things going for it: it’s co-written by Drew Goddard, the man responsible for “The Cabin in the Woods” and “Cloverfield”; and the fact that it’s about FREAKIN’ ZOMBIES TAKING OVER THE WORLD.
Expectations Fulfilled? Weirdly, yes!
All odds were against it – but, akin to a zombie pulling itself out of a pile of rotting flesh and assembled parts, “World War Z” came out roaring, feasting on a meaty $540 million on a $200 million budget. Surprisingly cohesive for a gargantuan blockbuster with all odds stacked against it, “WWZ” features a likable Pitt in the lead, and several stunning sequences of massive zombie attacks. Forster’s film IS the zombie film to end all zombie films (only about 5,000 came out since its release). It also happens to be one of the only PG-13-rated zombie flicks whose diluted rating didn’t bother me as much – most of the carnage is witnessed from afar by its protagonist, an observer, like us, so I could see its purpose, or at least the reasoning behind it… Granted, the ratings board is one fucked-up mess, and even this flick pushes its rating to a limit – a zombie nipple would constitute an immediate “R,” but mass slayings are okay, as long as no blood is visible. I still think that other ending in Russia should’ve been kept instead of the “blah” locale in which he “Pittster” finds himself here. Regardless, kudos for being a unique blockbuster that made it through hell (almost) unscathed.
11. After Earth
What I Wrote Excitedly: Allegedly, M. Night Shyamalan, who should have been exiled to Siberia for “The Last Airbender,” finally deviated from the whole “twist ending” bullshit and just focused on telling a good, thrilling story in “After Earth,” which he co-wrote with Gary Whitta (“The Book of Eli”). Story credit goes to star Will Smith though – he came up with the idea of an interplanetary traveler who has to rely on his son, when their vessel crash-lands on post-apocalyptic Earth. Smith’s prodigious actor/rapper offspring Jaden co-stars for the second time with daddy after “The Pursuit of Happyness.” The colorful trailer promises silly, trippy fun. This could honestly go either way, folks.
Expectations Fulfilled? No.
Not that expectations were that high anyway (I honestly don’t know what I was thinking putting this film so high up on my list; my love of sci-fi took precedence over subjective judgment again!). Neither the words “good” nor “thrilling” apply: “After Earth” is a trudge through eye-scathing special effects. A somnambulant Will Smith spends most of the duration trapped inside a crashed space vessel, mumbling half-incoherent instructions to his son, who must reach a beacon before getting devoured by post-apocalyptic creatures. By-the-numbers and flat, but not quite the utter disaster the critics labeled it, Shyamalan’s film is definitely a few notches above “Airbender” and a whole lot under “The Sixth Sense.” “If you’re stoned at 12am and there’s nothing better on TV” kinda thing then…
10. The Act of Killing
What I Wrote Excitedly: Produced by documentary legends Werner Herzog and Errol Morris, Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Act of Killing” details the Indonesian death squad leaders’ reenactments of their real-life mass killings of communists in the mid-1960s… in various cinematic genres. According to early rave reviews, the documentary functions on a multitude of levels: a dissection of Indonesian politics and corrupt government, a study of guilt and repentance, a meditation on humanity’s darkest side, a thoughtful analysis of how the media affects us and, most plainly, as a mind-bending horror film. Herzog himself said this was the most frightening and surreal film he’d seen in at least a decade – better prepare yourselves for a devastating, exhausting and ultimately life-affirming experience.
Expectations Fulfilled? Hell yes!
One of the best films of the decade, this “can’t take your eyes away” account is a must-see for any lover of cinema, documentaries and/or history. By turns mind-bogglingly harrowing, darkly funny, piercingly incisive and tremendously affecting, the film reminds us of the evil lurking within us all, yet also, somehow, ultimately reinforces our benevolent predisposition. Don’t miss its equally-mesmerizing, “flip-side-of-the-coin” companion piece, “The Look of Silence.”
9. The Bling Ring
What I Wrote Excitedly: Sofia Coppola’s films tend to be lyrical and reflective, taking their time to develop, favoring characters and moments over action and thrills. Those who don’t respond to her dreamlike pace may discover a new side of the director in “The Bling Ring.” A satirical stab at contemporary young generation’s obsession with celebrities and media, the film chronicles the (mis)adventures of several rich teens, as they rob celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton (who makes an appearance in the film, of course). The twist? It’s based on actual events. Edited and paced a mile-a-second for the ADD-addled – which obviously was Coppola’s intention – the film deviates from the established, trademark Coppola style. Speaking of deviating, check out Emma Watson (a.k.a. “Harry Potter”‘s Hermione) in the lead role.
Expectations Fulfilled? No.
The word “bland” would be the last to enter my mind when describing Coppola’s films, but that’s exactly what “The Bling Ring” turned out to be – bland, reveling in its shallow protagonists’ misadventures and somehow making the proceedings seem boring. Neither a statement on millennials nor the culture that spawned them, the film is as vapid as the culture it purports to mock, its predictable beats by far its most disappointing factor. The director’s follow-up, Netflix’s atrocious “A Very Murray Christmas”, begs the question: what happened to the genius behind “Lost in Translation?”
8. Star Trek Into Darkness
What I Wrote Excitedly: At the time of writing this, the $190 million “Star Trek Into Darkness” just opened in theaters worldwide, making $70.6 million in the U.S. and Canada. Slightly below expectations, but the positive word-of-mouth should propel it through the next several weeks – I know I’m watching it in IMAX once the initial hype dies down a little. Bringing onboard hot commodity Benedict Cumberbatch (TV’s “Sherlock,” the upcoming “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”) was a masterstroke – his baritone voice booms through the trailers, more intense and visceral than any of the action sequences seem to be. J.J. Abrams is gearing up for “Star Wars” now, so it’s all the more exciting to watch him flexing his cinematic muscles en route to the Big One.
Expectations Fulfilled? Yes.
Ironically, I liked “Star Trek Into Darkness” more than J.J.’s “Big One,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. Perhaps, again, it has something to do with expectations, but, lest we forget, “STID” also carried the burden of satisfying millions of die-hard fans of the original show, as well as newbies who had yet to be “beamed up.” It succeeded on all accounts, providing a lively, entertaining adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously and doesn’t underestimate its audiences’ intelligence. Sure, it can’t help but resort to a few ridiculous moments. Sure, it contains so many lens flares that you’d be wasted if you took a shot every time a crisp reflection of light appeared on screen. Sure, its bombastic ending is by-the-numbers Hollywood destruction. But it’s all delivered with such childlike aplomb and energy, those things become irrelevant. Plus there’s Simon Pegg. And Cumberbatch, whose gravitas is sorely missed in the subpar sequel “Star Trek Beyond.”
7. Prince Avalanche
What I Wrote Excitedly: Before spewing out polished Hollywood crap like “The Sitter” and “Your Highness,” director David Gordon Green used to make remarkable little films: “Snow Angels,” “Undertow,” “All the Real Girls,” “George Washington”… The Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch starrer “Prince Avalanche” may signify the director rebooting himself, getting in touch with his small-scale, dramatic “roots” before tackling bigger projects like “Suspiria” and “Mangelhorn.” I don’t really know what it’s about (check out the enigmatic, non sequitur trailer) but the two likable actors play brothers / highway road workers, and it seems like they banter and bicker a lot. Oh, and it’s set in the summer of 1988, the reason for which I can’t wait to discover.
Expectations Fulfilled? Yes.
Resembling a slightly-more-grounded “Waiting for Godot,” “Prince Avalanche” doesn’t break any new ground, but its sweet nature, existential tone and off-kilter vibes leave an imprint. It’s certainly good to see the director return to his roots – he seems much more comfortable in the low-budget, anything-goes niche, without the pressure of Hollywood execs looming over his shoulders. Imperfect, with a difficult-to-decipher message, this Prince won’t quite reign over the filmmakers patchy filmography (since then he’s directed a random brew of films, ranging from the missteps that were “Manglehorn” and ”Our Brand Is Crisis” to moderate successes like the Nicholas Cage starrer “Joe”) – but it will always have its little throne in Green’s kingdom.
6. Elysium
What I Wrote Excitedly: Director Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up to his flawed-but-fascinating “District 9,” “Elysium,” triples the first feature’s $30 million budget but, according to the director, the higher budget does not dwarf subtle ideas and themes. The story: Earth is overpopulated and ruined, while the elite live in a pristine man-made space station called Elysium. When Earthbound Max (Matt Damon) finds out he’s terminally ill and the only cure is in – you guessed it! – Elysium, he embarks on a mission that could finally bring equality to those two worlds. Relevant political themes? Check. Flawed protagonist who stands up against the regime? Check. Set against the backdrop of a third-world country? Check. Seems like Blomkamp is fast-becoming a true auteur, and films like “Elysium” bring about hope that serious science fiction has a future yet.
Expectations Fulfilled? To some degree.
Epic in scope and imagination but not execution, “Elysium” does not approach the grand “Dune” level of “ambitious failure,” but it also doesn’t come close to matching the originality of Blomkamp’s startling debut. It’s not-quite-there nature is frustrating, but I’ll still take a film that strives for greatness over a deliberate piece of crap. (“No one sets out to make a bad film?” you say? Let’s start with the “Scary Movie” franchise, move on to Adam Sandler’s indelible filmography, talk a bit about Garry Marshall’s recent output, and finish with the upcoming “Nine Lives,” with a cat voiced by Kevin Spacey.) Matt Damon is reliably solid in the lead as a cyborg-like human, dying and hell-bent on getting the remedy from an evil Sigourney Weaver. The stand-out set-piece includes him facing off against Sharlto Copley’s maniacal villain, almost worthy of admission price alone. It’s 100% better than the director’s miserable follow-up, “Chappie,” whose batteries were definitely NOT included.
5. Only God Forgives
What I Wrote Excitedly: When, due to scheduling conflicts, Ryan Gosling replaced Luke Evans as the lead in Nicolas Winding Refn’s crime drama “Only God Forgives,” the director believed it was fate. His second collaboration with Gosling after their neon-lit hit “Drive,” “OGF”‘s action takes place in Bangkok, where Gosling’s character, Thai boxing club manager named Julian, is recruited by his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) to avenge the death of his brother. If that sounds somewhat convoluted, I’m sure that, similarly to “Drive,” the story will mostly serve as the backdrop for Refn’s exuberant style and several outstanding, brutally violent sequences. Which sounds great, doesn’t it?
Expectations Fulfilled? No.
Sounds great, yes. The final result proved to be anything but. A disjointed mess that reflects its filmmakers torn state of mind during the shoot (watch the documentary “My Life By Nicolas Winding Refn” to see what I mean), “Only God Forgives” is both dull and abhorrently violent, muted and overacted, with Gosling wandering through endless Bangkok mazes to avenge his brother’s death. It continued to show promise for the clearly-gifted director, but its incoherence proved so prevalent, it provoked boos and walk-outs at the Cannes Film Festival. Luckily, Refn reigned in his own “Neon Demons” with his most recent follow-up, which is very audacious, very flawed, but – unlike “Only God Forgives” – very beautiful and entertaining.
4. This Is The End, The World’s End, Rapture-Palooza
What I Wrote Excitedly: SPECIAL APOCALYPTIC COMEDY TRIPLE FEATURE. Since we’re all still recovering from the “mass enlightenment” that was 2012, a trio of apocalyptic comedies, all released within a two-month period, makes complete sense. “This Is The End” seems like the most fun of the three, just because of its unbelievable line-up of celebrities playing themselves: James Franco, Paul Rudd, Emma Watson (again! Hermione’s on a streak!), Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, Rihanna (!), Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari and many, many more. In the meantime, on the “other side of the pond”, five English boozers celebrate the end of the world in “The World’s End” by going on the ultimate pub-crawl-to-end-all-pub-crawls. This chapter also completes what star/director team of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright refer to as “The Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy”; “Shaun of the Dead” was their homage to horror, “Hot Fuzz” poked fun at action flicks, and now they tackle science fiction. Finally, in “Rapture-Palooza,” two teens (Anna Kendrick and “Freaks and Geeks”‘ John Francis Daley) attempt to survive a religious apocalypse brought about by the Antichrist (Craig Robinson, also in “This Is The End”). While it doesn’t look as sharp as the other two apoco-comedies, the leads’ charms should be able to get you through the rough bits.
Expectations Fulfilled? This Is The End – Hell Yes!; The World’s End – Hell Yes!; Rapture-Palooka – No.
While “The World’s End” triumphantly concluded Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s “Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy” (which played tribute to zombie, action and sci-fi flicks, respectively), and “Rapture-Palooza” was a cheap, unfunny mess, here’s what I wrote about “This Is The End” in my, ahem, rapturous, 4.5-star review:
“This Is The End” – Comedy’s Second Coming
I don’t remember the last time I laughed as hard at the movies as I did during “This Is The End”, the new apocalyptic meta-comedy from writers/directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Certainly not during their last two outings, the horrendous alien spoof “The Watch” (which they co-wrote) or the loud and obnoxious “The Green Hornet” (which they co-wrote and co-directed), both of which made me wonder if the creative team behind classics “Pineapple Express” and “Superbad” was running out of inspiration. But just when the notion of another “arrested development” comedy focusing on middle-aged men who refuse to grow up (and one so full of itself that it doesn’t even try to disguise its vanity, having the actors play themselves) made you throw up a little in your mouth, out comes “This Is The End”, defying expectations by both satirizing and embracing the very genre its filmmakers originated.
The plot is so simple it can be summarized in a single sentence: a bunch of popular comedians attempt (fruitlessly) to survive the apocalypse in James Franco’s Hollywood mansion. The purposefully absurd plot doesn’t matter though – it functions merely as an excuse for the actors to show off their individual comedic chops, and they do so with gusto. Everyone – and I mean EVERYone – makes an appearance, and even the tiniest cameo gets a laugh: Aziz Ansari’s fall into the abyss; Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s first time doing cocaine; David Krumholtz’s final, desperate cry for help; and a very special cameo towards the end that I will not reveal, but I will say that he plays Danny McBride’s leather-clad gimp, and whispers, “I love him”, as he looks up at his master with a perfect combination of tenderness and fear. It all boils down to Baruchel, Rogen, Franco, McBride, Hill and Robertson, and the joys of watching this dysfunctional sextet make comedy magic, as they bicker and play and devise ridiculous plans.
The title of the film can be interpreted in different ways, the most obvious being the literal one: the damn thing’s about The End of Days According To The Bible. It’s surprisingly scary for short periods of time; clearly Rogen & Goldberg are children of the 1980s, raised on horror-comedies like “Ghostbusters”, which I believe they directly reference several times here (the horned dog-monster looks like an upgraded version of the demonic hellhound from Reitman’s classic).
The title may refer to the contemporary soulless state of society, as seen here through the distorted prism of the mega-rich and privileged, yet hopelessly clueless, Hollywood celebrities. The gimmick – that they play themselves – works in the film’s favor; within the first five minutes Rogen takes a stab at his own cinematic persona by having a paparazzi inquire whether or not the actor will ever actually “act”, and then insistently urge him to “do the Rogen laugh”. Everyone else in the film, to varying degrees, is either obnoxious, shallow or innocuous. At one point, a conversation takes place about whether or not celebrities even deserve to go to heaven, for they are sinful by definition. Heady stuff, especially for a comedy in which one of the main characters is savagely molested by Satan Himself.
“This Is The End” could also imply that this motion picture marks the end of the aforementioned “arrested development” comedy sub-genre. After films like “Knocked Up”, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, “Cyrus”, “Step Brothers”, “Get Him to the Greek” and the dreadful “That’s My Boy” seemed to have covered all bases, “This Is The End” takes the best aspects of those films and amplifies them exponentially. You want a five-minute heated argument about ejaculation? The Franco vs. McBride gut-busting exchange will be hard to top. How about an obligatory “tripping on hallucinogenics” sequence? The cliche is subverted by having our protagonists resort to ecstasy in the midst of armageddon. And Michael Cera – the ultimate man-child – plays a crass, coked-up version of himself, defying every preconceived notion we may have of the actor. His comic timing is impeccable.
The jokes, puns and visual gags hit a lot more often than they miss, the actors are all having a blast, and the film manages to achieve that rare fine balance between blockbuster entertainment and indie movie sensibilities. It’s a vanity project that brims with energy, enthusiasm, crazy ideas and brilliant timing. “This Is The End” is truly the comedy to end all comedies about stagnant adolescence; hopefully, it will pave the way to a new era of more mature, character-based drollery.
3. Man of Steel
What I Wrote Excitedly: Let’s face it: Bryan Singer’s “Superman” “reboot” sucked. It had its moments, but overall failed to make an impression, despite a decent, if underwhelming, almost-$400 million worldwide box office haul. Supes’ future suddenly seemed grim. Enter Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan, a dream team if there ever was one; together they bring us “Man of Steel,” a $225 million study of the titular hero’s (Henry Cavill) origins. While claiming to remain faithful to the spirit of the original “Superman” and the early Action Comics that introduced the character, Nolan and Snyder – with the help of “Dark Knight” scribe David S. Goyer – did tweak some elements (off with the red undies! no mention of Kryptonite!) to bring us a fresh perspective on the Big Blue Boy Scout. Expect a riveting story (courtesy of Nolan and Goyer), complemented by jaw-dropping visuals (Snyder’s specialty) and stellar acting: Michael Shannon plays tyrant General Zod, the role once embodied by Terence Stamp, while Russell Crowe steps into Brando’s shoes as Supes’ father Jor-El. Hopefully this time “Man of Steel”‘s box office (and legacy) keeps going “up, up and away.”
Expectations Fulfilled? To some degree.
I like Zack Snyder, despite his recent exuberant flourishes and too much of “muchness” (see latest Affleck-driven “Batman vs. Superman” installment). Unlike, say, Michael Bay, Snyder – call him a disciple of Spielberg and Cronenberg with the sensibilities of Paul W.S. Anderson – always infuses his films with at least a few scenes of awe and genuine wonder. I liked “Man of Steel” infinitely more than Bryan Singer’s limp “Superman Returns,” despite Snyder’s inclinations towards mass destruction, so out of control at the end of “Man of Steel,” he had to address it in the sequel due to mass fan complaints. Supes would never let that many people die – and then kiss Lane in front of a collapsed city. C’mon, now.
2. Before Midnight
What I Wrote Excitedly: Richard Linklater is one of my favorite current filmmakers, always experimenting with genres and styles, but remaining true to himself, never selling out. His romantic, deeply affecting study of Jesse’ (Ethan Hawke) and Celene’s (Julie Delpy) relationship began with 1995’s “Before Sunrise”, which took place in Vienna, then they reconnected nine years later in Paris in “Before Sunset”. Now it’s been nine years again, and it’s time to pay the lovebirds another visit. Before Midnight sees the couple in Greece; they’ve been together for some time, and the film deftly explores the nuances of a relationship-in-bloom. Walking and talking, beautiful views, subtle gestures and vulnerabilities – the trilogy conclusion promises more of the same, and that’s a good thing: the leads, along with Linklater’s masterful direction, make seemingly simple moments brim with magic. Hawke is never more charming than when working with those guys, Delpy is magnificent. The trio wrote the film together, and it promises to be an absolute delight, filled with truthful moments that will resonate long after it’s over.
Expectations Fulfilled? Hell yes!
Linklater can do no wrong. More mature, retrospective, wise and skillfully-made than its already-perfect predecessors, “Before Midnight” is a delight from beginning to end, and a film you should own. Truly a trilogy to rematch countless times; like his “Boyhood,” it reflects the altering states of humans as they age, their relationships blossom and fade and get rekindled… A cinematic gem.
1. Pacific Rim
What I Wrote Excitedly: And here we are at #1, my most anticipated film of this summer. Drumroll, please… Actually, I doubt anyone will be surprised to discover it’s Guillermo Del Toro’s magnum opus, the mega-ultra-colossal beast of a film event that is “Pacific Rim.” When his passion project, the H.P. Lovecraft adaptation “At the Mountains of Madness” fell through, Del Toro luckily didn’t have long to be depressed about it. Legendary Pictures handed him the reigns to “Pacific Rim,” an homage to Japanese Kaiju films (“Godzilla,” “Mothra,” “Gamera”), which happened to be another obsession for the director. He went all out. According to the brilliant visionary, his original dream remained intact despite the gargantuan $180 million budget, the highest he’s ever worked with by far. The story in a nutshell, for those of you who live on a deserted island and don’t already know: giant monsters emerge from the depths of our ocean and begin destroying Earth. Humanity’s response? Building massive robots to battle the creatures (why of course). This is Del Toro playing with big toys, but also infusing the story with his trademark romanticism, gothic elements and surreal imagery. Put it this way: if the notion of watching a giant robot smash an even bigger monster with a Titanic-sized ship like it’s a bat doesn’t get your pulse pumping, you just may be dead. Or soulless.
Expectations Fulfilled? To some degree.
It’s tough to top “Pan’s Labyrinth,” and poor Guillermo is destined to be haunted by its monsters until… well, until he hopefully created another masterpiece. “Pacific Rim,” apart from being a faithful throwback to Kaiju films of yore, is fun, loud, non-stop entertainment – and nothing more. The director’s “Crimson Peak” fared even worse – let’s hope he brings his magic back with the upcoming “Pinocchio” and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
