Mr. Holmes Review

Starring: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy

Mr. Holmes is the indie film I've been looking forward to since I saw the trailer. I've always been a big fan of mysteries, whether they be books, movies, or Scooby-Doo on TV. Sherlock Holmes is the kind of character that has been interpreted so many different ways. The two I have seen are Robert Downey Jr's version in the new movies, and Benedict Cumberbatch's on the BBC's Sherlock. Both are very different spins on the tale. Ironically, the whole plot of Mr. Holmes is the aging detective trying to tell the story right, and correct all these falsified versions. Here we see a much different Sherlock. He has dementia. He's 93 years old and probably pretty near to his deathbed. And he has neither a cap nor a pipe. Yet somehow, this feels like the most authentic performance to date, even though it criticizes the ones before it. Mr. Holmes is such an interesting concept, I had a feeling this was going to be a good movie when it started. I was so surprised that it exceeded my expectations. This is not just a good movie, it's a great one. And Ian McKellen drives home a performance I'll never forget.

Ian McKellen is a pretty recognizable actor. He's most famous for playing Magneto in the X-Men franchise, as well as the wizard Gandalf the Grey in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series. For The Fellowship of the Ring, McKellen even received an Oscar nomination for playing Gandalf. This man is hugely talented, and the general public knows it. But in Mr. Holmes it's an Ian McKellen I have never seen before. The strength he uses when playing the iconic heroes and villains is gone. He is feeble, and the booming voice I'm used to hearing from Gandalf is soft. McKellen is nowhere near as decrepit as Holmes is, but he makes it so believable. The facial expressions he gives are of a grumpy old man with more aches and pains than he can count. Though the real magic of McKellen's performance comes in his depiction of dementia. When one has a past like Holmes does, you don't want it to go away. But he suddenly can't remember his cases, and that forms the plot of the movie. One last case went so horribly wrong he quit being a detective and became a recluse. But he can't remember what happened! There are a few scenes where you watch him trying to get a grip of the memory and just failing, and it is so sad to see him falling apart. I hope McKellen is recognized for such a layered performance in the coming months. He deserves it.

McKellen's Sherlock Holmes is not the only great thing about this movie. Laura Linney gives a surprising performance as his housekeeper. She dreams of moving away and giving a good life for her young son who lives with her, but she feels obligated to help Mr. Holmes until he dies. Whoever the child is that played her son is also good. I always feel like the child actors in British movies are always very mature in their performances. Far more mature than their age suggests. The score was also amazing. The way the music lined up with a spectacular opening scene of a train in a valley was just breathtaking and beautiful. You'll also find that you learn a lot about bees. Mr. Holmes' pasttime is beekeeping, and he works along with his young neighbor. Bees also have a striking symbolism and connection with the case he is trying so hard to remember. And in the end, Mr. Holmes teaches a lesson about writing and emotions that should not be forgotten. This is just a great movie that I cannot recommend highly enough. If you have the opportunity to see it, take advantage of it.

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Pixels Review

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad, Brian Cox

Pixels is a departure from what I usually see. I'm a fan of dramas with great acting and great stories. But every once in awhile, I go see a "popcorn flick" just to see something different. What really drew me to Pixels was its high concept premise. Pixels is about a time capsule of 1982 video game footage sent into space, and how it is intercepted and misunderstood by aliens to be a threat. The aliens make life-sized video games and send them down to Earth in retaliation, and four of the world's best gamers have to assist the government to defend the planet. The rules of video games apply here, and a loss equals the loss of a life. 3 lives lost, and it's game over. One must also remember that this is an Adam Sandler film. So Pixels actually ends up being not as high-concept as it's marketed to be. While it is far from being a great movie, Pixels is a good movie if you're bored and want to shut your brain off, and I found myself actually enjoying it, even if I suffered through some horrible scenes.

The biggest reason I think I enjoyed Pixels was that my expectations were low. And by low, I mean rock bottom. If you think this movie is the next big thing, you will likely be disappointed. The first twenty minutes are painful. There are so many bad jokes and misfires I was rolling my eyes instead of laughing. When Peter Dinklage is introduced, the movie does a 180 and becomes pretty good. But that might just be because I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan. His character is easily the funniest in the movie, and he nails all of his lines. As much of a fan I am of Frozen, I though Josh Gad was horrible and I was waiting for him to get killed off. Pac-Man almost got him, but alas, he was spared and I had to endure an hour more of his painful comedy. Adam Sandler was surprisingly not terrible. He started out horrible, but I ended up enjoying his acting more than I have in other movies. It wasn't The Waterboy or Click level good, but I liked him. I really hated Michelle Monaghan's stuck up character in the beginning, but I liked what her character ended up being. She defended the world and kicked butt with the guys, and what started out as a quite sexist performance broke through and became pretty awesome. And hey, that's more than Jurassic World and its infamous high heels can say. As for Kevin James... he played the President and it was such a horrible joke I'm not even getting into it.

So while the acting was inconsistent, and the script pretty horrible, the video games were what really made the movie enjoyable. The effects aren't anything mind-blowing, but they really make the pixels and video games come to life. Having played a few arcade games, I was secretly hoping for my favorites to appear in the movie. Galaga, Pong, Pac-Man, and Centipede make center stage appearances, and there are numerous cameos at the end including a boss battle with Donkey Kong that was pretty epic. There is one thing I absolutely hated about the movie. The aliens send trophies when they beat a boss, and they send Q*Bert as one. I'm a fan of Q*Bert from Disney's Wreck-It Ralph (he's the orange ball with a trunk-like nose) but this was awful. Unlike with Disney, he talked, and his voice was so annoying. He was legitimately just frustratingly stupid, and his character in the end is still childish and dumb. I get that the movie is supposed to be aimed at kids, but it was obvious to me that the older kids and adults will enjoy this more, and that's just due to nostalgia. But even a bad script, a stupid character, and multiple plot holes didn't ruin the movie for me. If you're bored this summer and want a fun movie, go check out Pixels. Just don't expect much, and it will deliver.

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Ant-Man Review

Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie, Michael Douglas

The Marvel brand is attempting to continue its success with Ant-Man, its riskiest sell yet. Marvel movies have proved to be some of the most popular films year after year, even making Guardians of the Galaxy, a movie with little-known characters, into a massive success. However, this year Marvel has had a rough year. Avengers: Age of Ultron (as good as it might be) was not the commercial success it should have been due to opening on the heels of Furious 7. With Jurassic World becoming a phenomenon, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Mockingjay still to come, a sequel to The Avengers will likely finish as the 5th or 6th biggest movie of the year, a far cry from what should have happened. Marvel desperately needs a hit. And Ant-Man isn't that hit. I enjoyed it, but it's very risky, and I can't see the general public embracing it. It's very odd. The same comedy formula used with Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't work to the same effect.

Here are some things to get you excited for Ant-Man. The ants are incredible. Who would have ever thought that ants had such great comedic timing? Scientifically, this movie throws a lot at you with ant science, and from what I know, most of it is true. The ants are very well realized characters and are mesmerizing to watch in 3D, if you see it in that format. Paul Rudd as Scott Lang is also funny, and his journey is very well done. Evangeline Lilly (she's still just Kate from Lost to me) is very believable as the struggling daughter of Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man and Scott's mentor. She's very physically fit, and she sells her action scenes incredibly well. As Pym himself, Michael Douglas proves that actors can possibly get a career resurgence from Marvel. The real star ends up being Michael Peña who is absolutely hilarious. The post-credits scenes are very good, and there are two, so stay until the lights turn on. It's worth it.

So here's what didn't work for Ant-Man. I didn't really believe Corey Stoll to be a good villain. I'm a huge fan of House of Cards on Netflix, and he was great in that series, but I just don't think he pulled off the role of Yellowjacket. The Yellowjacket idea was good, and the whole plot was a nice departure from what many people expected with the film. Marvel just doesn't succeed with its villains aside from Loki. I said this before with Ultron, they just cannot write a good villain who doesn't come off as a stereotype or caricature. The movie also lacked a certain style. It was funny, but I wouldn't call it a comedy. Ant-Man certainly isn't an A-team superhero, so there has to be a selling point, demonstrated last year with Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and the Guardians. It's not serious enough to become a drama like the DC Batman movies. The whole feel of it is just a little awkward. For those who don't know, the director of Ant-Man was fired halfway through production, and they hired brand new screenwriters. I'd attribute this to the disjointedness of the film, and I think it will hold off from it being an iconic success. But Ant-Man is still a very good movie worth your time if you're a diehard Marvel fan.

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Minions Review

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Pierre Coffin, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Geoffrey Rush

The sidekicks of the Despicable Me franchise have finally gotten their own movie. Neither Disney, Pixar, nor DreamWorks, Despicable Me has made Illumination Entertainment one of the biggest animation studios today with just two films. Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 (a much better movie in my opinion) were deeply rooted in emotion, and the plot was based on Gru adopting daughters in the first one, and the girls finally getting a mother in the sequel. While the Minions are the most popular part of these two films, there's no denying the success comes from Steve Carell's incredible voice performance and the surprising emotional heft. Minions doesn't have either. It's the gibberish humor you would expect, with not a lot of messages. But I guarantee you, it's a fun time.

In Minions, three Minions named Kevin, Stuart, and Bob go on an adventure to find the biggest, baddest boss. Geoffrey Rush narrates the opening, in which they jump from boss to boss. This is funny, but if you've seen the trailers, you've seen the exact same sequence. Eventually they find Scarlet Overkill, the first female supervillain in 1968, and her husband Herb. Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm continue the trend of unforgettable characters with great voice performances. Everyone does a great job with their voicework. There honestly aren't very many human characters besides the two, so there's not a lot of English. While you can't understand the Minions, they are incredibly funny and each has their own great personality. Bob steals the movie with his charm and innocence, and he has some hilarious scenes. Everything Bob does is amazing, and he's so cute. A really fantastic character.

One of my favorite parts of Minions is the language. The script is incredible, and it's barely English. I sort-of feel like that's a drawback, but the Minion language is so well created, it's hard to call it a fault. The way the interact with Scarlett Overkill and how she responds to their language is great. Another great thing about Scarlet is how relentless she is. There's no backstory, she's just an evil woman, and you actually feel like she will kill Kevin, Stuart, and Bob. An issue with the film is just that it doesn't know where its roots are. Is it for kids? Or can someone like me, and my family enjoy it? We all loved it, but it's hard to ignore that it's a very childish movie. Of course, there are some adult jokes (way more than you'd expect) but at the end of the day, I was rolling my eyes a couple times. But the laughing totally overpowered it, and the spectacular ending that ties this movie to Despicable Me is so well done. Go see Minions! You'll have a great time!

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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Review

Starring: Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, RJ Cyler, Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon, Connie Britten

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is the winner of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. If you're unfamiliar with this event, it's where all independent filmmakers show their movies to try and get distributors like 20th Century Fox to pick them up. The group of films that previously won include Whiplash, (500) Days of Summer, Heathers, and The Usual Suspects. So it's a pretty big deal when one wins. It's instantly one of the biggest Oscar contenders, and it pretty much guarantees great reviews. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a little different than those other movies. It's quirky. It tells the story of an awkward pessimistic high school senior, and how his mom forces him to befriend a classmate diagnosed with leukemia. Sounds sad, right? Nope, this movie is a comedy. Oh, and the protagonist Greg and his best friend Earl remake classic movies into low budget B-movies with funny names. A Clockwork Orange becomes A Sockwork Orange, Peeping Tom becomes Pooping Tom. It is incredibly quirky, but has a lot of heart. I really enjoyed Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. I wouldn't call it the next Whiplash, which transitioned into a bonafide sensation, but it's a must-see nonetheless.

We see the world of high school through Greg's narrow-minded eyes. He has gone his whole life creating a false image of himself, and one that fits into all cliques without becoming part of any of them. He is literally able to slip through unnoticed, without being one of the unnoticed kids (apparently that's a clique too). His only friend is Earl, but he's too self-conscious to call him his friend. They're "co-workers". Like I said above, Greg and Earl make low-budget ripoffs. And nobody's allowed to see them until Greg lets Rachel, a senior diagnosed with leukemia watch them, and finally lets somebody into his life. It's a wonderful story about adolescence and life in high school, and doesn't stray away from the deep topics. Greg wants nothing to do with Rachel until his mom forces him to hangout with her every day after school. She gets her first real friend, and he gets to do charity work. Until he actually starts to love her. I promise you, this is not a The Fault in Our Stars mushy romance. They are purely friends from the movie's start to its end. And it evokes big questions about what the death of a friend means, and where life goes after it.

The acting is particularly good, but it's nothing I'd say is immediately "Oscar worthy." Everyone has their moment, which is great. Connie Britton and Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation) are great as Greg's quirky parents. Greg's dad is methodical and ponders sociology and life, and he's hilarious to watch. His mom is very pushy and deeply contrasts Rachel's mother played by Molly Shannon, who is as funny as she always is. She drinks and hits on the high school boys, but you get to see how losing her only child as a single mother will destroy her. Thomas Mann is a great lead, playing a very flawed character with a huge character arc. The best performance I'd say is Olivia Cooke as Rachel. There's a scene where she tells Greg she's going off chemo, and he yells at her that she's "given up." The way that scene is filmed, with her her back to him, never turning to face him as she icily berates him over how little he knows of actually living, is amazing, and proves that a comedy isn't afraid to tackle scenes of such a serious nature. And she takes her hat off, and you see how much her face and her head has changed. It's heartbreaking, to say the least. This is the scene where you realize he finally cares about someone, but is still a little selfish too. I also have to give a shout-out to RJ Cyler as Earl. He does great! He's funny, but his scenes are also deep, and he has a lot of skill for a new actor. I can't wait to see what career choices he makes going on.

So do I recommend you see this? Absolutely. There were a few things I didn't like though. The camera angles at the beginning were a little mind-boggling to me, and distracted me from the plot. I also felt like the script didn't really know where it was headed at the beginning of the film. Once it kicks into gear, it is a fabulous film with great characters, and great moments of immense sadness and joy. You'll laugh and you'll cry. But what separates this movie from all the other teen movies, and other movies about death? It's that this movie is not about a singular death. It's about how life never truly ends. You can live in the fear that the day you graduate, your life as you know it ceases to exist. That's how Greg lived before he met Rachel and he wasn't truly living. And Rachel embodies the message that a death doesn't mean the end. When a friend or loved one dies, you don't stop learning about them. Their life grows and grows even after the heart stops beating, and in this case, Rachel taught someone a lesson they'll never forget. I loved this movie, and I highly recommend it. It's not perfect, but it has some very important things to say.

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