mikerapuano Reviews

The Monuments Men (2014)

Not nearly the worst film of 2014, but the most disappointing one so far.

[6/10 · 9 February 2014]

The Monuments Men is directed by George Clooney, staring himself, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett. It tells of a group of soldiers tasked to locate and preserve pieces of art that have been stolen by the Nazis during World War II.

It's no secret that The Monuments Men was one of everyone's most anticipated movies of 2013, and looked like a solid awards contender, until it was pushed to a February release date, purportedly due to the need for more time to be spent on the special effects.

The truth is, The Monuments Men could be, and really should be much more entertaining than it is. The best part of the film, and at the same time, its major problem, is the script. There are seemingly continuous laughs coming from quick one liners and witty character interactions, which keeps the audience somewhat engaged, although with such bleak subject matter, it's debatable that a movie dealing with the eradication of an entire culture's achievements should be as lighthearted as it is. But the flaw with the script is that it seems like the first act eats up almost all of it's running time. It's as if the film is missing large portions of the actual plot to make room for massive amounts of unnecessary exposition. Secondly, the film's characters are stale and one dimensional at best. I invite anyone who sees the film to wait an hour after finishing the movie, and try to remember even three of the character's names or what their role in the mission was. There isn't a moment in the entire film where it isn't simply John Goodman or Bill Murray dressed as World War II soldiers and not fleshed out characters. Albeit all of the actors are exceedingly fun to watch, I assume that just watching all of these actors talk together at a press conference would be just about as entertaining.

The Monuments Men isn't even close to the worst movie of 2014 by a long shot, even though it is only February, but it's arguably the most disappointing film of the year as of yet. I take no pleasure in saying this, but it's noble intentions fell utterly short due to awful pacing, and forgettable characters. I haven't read the book, but I have to think that it must be much better constructed and does this fantastic real life story more justice.

Labor Day (2013)

A surprising film from Jason Reitman, but not a disappointing one.

[8/10 · 1 February 2014]

Labor Day stars Gattlin Griffith, Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, and the voice of Nick Carraway. The film is the latest by writer/director Jason Reitman, who, for my money, has never turned out a truly unsatisfactory movie. Labor Day is no exception.

Now there are a few flaws with the movie. When going to see Labor Day one needs to bring a very generous portion of "suspension of disbelief". Mainly the plot setup itself, the relationship between Adele and Frank (Kate Winslet & Josh Brolin) is more than a little far fetched. The logic behind their eventual infatuation with each other is the idea that they are both wounded by their past relationships, but to be honest, it isn't handled very well. Very quickly after an escaped convict starts passively aggressively threatening her, she wraps her hands around his as they prepare a peach pie in a particularly ridiculous sequence that is referenced a few times throughout the rest of the film. The beginning of the relationship is executed quickly and sloppily, rather than the slow burn that it should have been. There are several slightly unbelievable events throughout the movie, and it's often a little irritating early on in the film to try and play along.

However, after the first act is out of the way, the film finds its feet. Once the main relationship has been established, the major threat of the film comes not from Frank, but the people hunting him. The reviews of Labor Day have hailed it as a perfect date movie. This is true, but rather than being a date movie in a romantic sense, this is a date movie in the same way as a horror/thriller movie. The movie deals less with romance and more with suspense than most trailers are emphasizing. The fact is, the romantic aspect is almost sidelined, and the main focus is on keeping the harboring of a fugitive a secret from the police and Adele's particularly nosy friends. The film features an array of extremely nail biting sequences in which Frank finds himself on the verge of being caught, that had me genuinely shaking. This is suspenseful in the same way that Argo was suspenseful, and that's an outstanding compliment.

I think that negative reviews of this film are either a result of inaccurate expectations, or the slight implausibility of some of the plot. If you see Labor Day, understand that it is a film that deals with a romantic relationship, but even more so on the aspect of hiding a wanted fugitive in a suburban neighborhood. That being said, the film is beautifully shot and directed. The performances are universally excellent, with special emphasis on Kate Winslet. All in all, if your willing to play along with some of the more unbelievable aspects, Labor Day is a very entertaining and somewhat thrilling experience.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Possibly the best Middle-Earth film to date.

[9/10 · 13 December 2013]

I feel I need to start by saying I have not read The Hobbit, nor any of the Lord of the Rings books for that matter. I will not be discussing any aspect of the film in relation to the book. I have, however, seen all the Lord of the Rings films, and An Unexpected Journey in their theatrical and extended cuts. That being said, and having thought about this for a while, I can honestly sum up my feelings on The Desolation of Smaug in one sentence.

I believe this is the greatest Middle-Earth film to date.

I enjoy the Lord of the Rings films, my personal favorite being Return of the King. Largely because of the fact that Peter Jackson brilliantly brought the story to life in a way that felt like you were watching an dramatized account of long lost history rather than a fantasy story. However, I do believe that the films are, put simply, too long. The films aren't terribly consistent in terms of pacing, and there are some great moments in between what feels a little dull at times. They go from genuinely engaging to sometimes flat out boring very quickly, and repeat that cycle throughout the films. (And, no I don't mean solely elaborate fight scenes when I say engaging.) This was my major flaw with the trilogy.

In 2012, when An Unexpected Journey was released, I went in with mixed feelings. After seeing it, I found it had the same problems mentioned above, but without much engaging scenes in between what felt like filler. The movie moves at an infuriatingly slow pace, and it could easily be half as long and still feel monotonous. Not to mention the fact that the entire film has an atmosphere of silliness, which makes it impossible, when the characters encounter actual danger, to feel any sense of concern for them. This set my expectations nice and low for The Desolation of Smaug, and I'm overjoyed to be dead wrong.

The Desolation of Smaug is brilliant. There is one thing that separated it from all the films preceding it, and that is that the movie was NEVER dull. Having been introduced to all the characters in the first film, we return to the group continuing their quest toward the Lonely Mountain. The movie immediately gets going at a fast, thrilling pace, and just gets more and more engaging. The company comes across many obstacles, while still being pursued by the Orcs, minions of the Necromancer (whose presence much more evident in this installment). But the film reaches its climax the second that Smaug the dragon appears on screen, who, voiced magnificently by Benedict Cumberbatch, is easily the best and most terrifying part of the film. The film ended wonderfully in such a way that screams "the best has yet to come". This movie is an all together thrilling experience from start to finish, and for the first time in this series, it earns every second of it's running time. I won't go into detail plot-wise, to avoid spoilers, but I have nothing but praise for this movie and urge you to see this at your nearest IMAX as soon as humanly possible.