Star Trek Beyond Continues The Rebooted Series' Hot Streak

I should get this out of the way a the start... By no means am I a Trekkie (or is it Trekker?  See, I have no idea).  I have never watched the original series, and have only seen a handful of the original movies.  That being said, I LOVED 2009's rebooted Star Trek.  I found it exhilarating and refreshing (Sure, it was basically J.J. Abrams tryout for The Force Awakens, but who cares?).  I also loved that it created an alternate timeline, which allowed the original series to co-exist with this one.  And, finally, I really like how the previous two films gave the late, great Leonard Nimoy one last chance to shine in the role that came to define him.

Now, on to Star Trek Beyond.   I have to admit that I was more than a little worried by the first trailer of this film.  It seemed like director Justin Lin (Fast 5, 6, & 7) was turning this franchise into The Fast & The Trekious.  However, the more I read about this, the more my fears subsided.  Co-writer Simon Pegg (Exceptional as always as Scottie) penned this film as an homage to the original vision of the Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry (although his decision to make Sulu's character gay surprisingly riled George Takei in a bit of mild controversy).  This one feels the most true to that original vision of the 3 new Trek films.

Beyond picks up in year 3 of the Enterprises vaunted 5 year mission to explore new worlds and cultures.  Boredom has set in (I really enjoyed the film's opening montage, which hilariously points out this boredom), and captain Kirk is coming to terms with his age (he's now one year older than his late father ever was).  However, the boredom doesn't last and the Enterprise is called to a Federation outpost in deep space to investigate a distress signal in the middle of a nebula.  Not-so-shockingly, the distress signal is a trap by the major bad dude in the film, Krall (menacingly played by the always superb Idris Elba), and the Enterprise is up to its elbows in major trouble.  Unlike other films in this series, this film mostly takes place in this one location.  I found this quite refreshing as it allowed the cast to shine.

Speaking of cast, the star of this film is the great Karl Urban as Dr. "Bones" McCoy.  He's been great in the other two films, but his added screen time in this one allows him to explore his character's neurosis to an hilarious level.  His interactions with the dead-panned Spock are truly special.  Speaking of Spock, there is a tear inducing moment in the film honoring Nimoy, which also adds to the depth and humanity of this Spock's character.

The action in this film is also top-notch without overshadowing the performances.  Justin Lin adds some of his signature Fast & Furious action sequences seamlessly in to the Trek universe without overshadowing the overall feel of this universe.  The call back to the song Sabotage from the first trailer (and first film) was my favorite action sequence of the entire film.  That being said, Beyond didn't break any new ground the way the first two films did.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable summer action flick, and another solid entry into the Trek franchise.  It did not boldly go where no film has gone before, but that's OK. With a 4th film in this franchise already announced, I am excited to get back in the Enterprise for another exciting trip through the cosmos.  Live long and prosper!

3 out of 4 stars.

Play It Again, Sam: Jurassic World

Welcome back to the second installment in my new series, Play It Again Sam,.  The concept of this series is that I will revisit movies that I originally didn't like (but most people do), and give it a second chance.

I was not a huge fan of Jurassic World during my initial viewing.  I found it to be a mildly entertaining sequel to one of my favorite blockbusters of all-time, Jurassic Park.  It didn't offer anything new to the series, and seemed to make all of its (dino-sized) profits based solely on nostalgia.  As my friend argued, the film is full of plot holes and unimaginative action sequences that we've already seen before.  The characters are completely one-dimensional, and there are some troubling sexist undertones to the script (basically, a woman can't be successful unless she can be a mother).  Going back in to this movie, I still had all these feelings bubbling close to the surface.  But I had to know if I was right in my assessment.  Could I be so wrong about such a colossal financial success?  After viewing the film again, I can answer yes and no.

Jurassic World still has a lot of faults and the plot holes are still readily apparent.  But I think I've finally found a way to (tepidly) appreciate this film.  Jurassic World works as a basic cable classic.  What's that, you ask?  A Basic Cable classic is a film that, no matter what point of the movie you enter, you'll sit and watch it if it's playing on cable TV.  It requires no effort and provides the viewer with an escapist getaway.  Jurassic World fits right in to the world of other Basic Cable classics like countless Van Damme & Segal 90's action "Thrillers."  If you watch this movie on a total superficial level and allow your mind to melt away, it's actually a decent time.  I probably won't go out of the way to seek this film out, but if it's playing at 2AM while I'm consoling a screaming child... I'll probably check it out.

That's it for today.  See you next time when I review a film that I initially despised:  The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Bourne Again: The Bourne Ultimatum

Bourne Again, Part 3 - The Bourne Ultimatum

Hello, and welcome to part 3 in my Jason Bourne series, Bourne Again.  Today, I'll be reviewing the third installment in the trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum.

If The Bourne Supremacy was all set-up, Ultimatum is all delivery.  This film, tightly directed again by Paul Greengrass, fires on all cylinders.  It picks up moments after its predecessor, with Jason Bourne once again on the run from Treadstone agents in his search to reclaim his memory.  In this film, we find out that Treadstone has been given an upgrade and is now called Blackbriar.  It's also super secret and the CIA will kill anyone who threatens its existence.

Bourne comes out of hiding when a British journalist threatens to go public over his discovery of Blackbriar.  The resulting sequence of events through Britain's Waterloo train station may be my favorite sequence in all three films.  The delicate game of cat and mouse had me (even after multiple viewings) on the edge of my seat.  What I particularly love about this film is that the cat and mouse game doesn't just stop there, it builds throughout the film as Bourne seeks the truth.

We (spoiler alert!!) the truth about Bourne's past and his involvement in the Treadstone project.  We see how he transformed from David Webb into superior killing machine, Jason Bourne.  Albert Finney shines in his role as the architect of the Treadstone program.

Finney, alone with the other supporting cast, are the highpoint of this film.  Joan Allen returns as the ambiguous CIA agent, Pamela Landy.  She brilliantly toes the line between helping and hunting Bourne.  David Strathairn is excellent as crooked CIA agent (in a long line of Bourne bad guys), hellbent on capturning Bourne.

The final chase throughout New York City, and the rooftop chase scene in Tangier are two series high watermarks.  Both are expertly directed and are tightly edited to elicit a premium adrenaline rush from the audience.

I truly enjoyed revisiting this series, and I'm definitely pumped for next week's 4th installment, Jason Bourne (Although I don't love the title.).  Thanks for taking this trip down the Bourne rabbit hole with me.

Bourne Again: The Bourne Supremacy

Bourne Again Part 2: The Bourne Supremacy

Welcome back to part 2 of my Bourne Again series.  This time, I'm taking you through the second movie in this thrilling trilogy, The Bourne Supremacy.  This film picks up years after the events in The Bourne Identity.  Jason Bourne and his girlfriend, Marie, are living in seclusion in India.  Jason is still struggling to put together his life after his struggles with amnesia.  Bits and pieces are slowly coming back to him, most prominently an assassination in Germany.

This movie, tightly directed by Paul Greengrass, ups the action ante compared to its predecessor.  However, at a slim 1 hour, 48 minutes, it is the shortest film in the Bourne trilogy.  It is the most limited in terms of storytelling, centered around a single memory in Bourne's still-rebooting brain.  After re-watching this movie, it's clear that The Bourne Supremacy is, at its core, a filler movie bridging the first and third installments.  That's not to say its a bad movie, just an incomplete one.  The action sequence are top notch, the editing is fast-paced, and the directing is second-to-none in the spy world.  What I mean by filler is that, while it advance the overall story, there's not enough in this one for it to fall anywhere but third (in my opinion) in the Bourne hierarchy.

There is plenty to like in this film.  Brian Cox gives another devilish performance as a shadowy figure in charge of covering up the Treadstone supersoldier program.  Matt Damon is excellent (as always) as the titular hero, Jason Bourne.  He's a man of few words, but always seems one step ahead of the game.  He also shows an impressive amount of vulnerability after the (spoiler alert!!!) death of his girlfriend early in the film.  While that death is an important moment in terms of plot, I feel that it also slightly limits the film because Bourne no longer has a character to play off of.  I'm also a big fan of the addition of Joan Allen as CIA chief, Pamela Landy.  She gives a great performance, and toes the line between making us believe she's out to get Bourne, while potentially helping him along the way.

The story of this film ultimately comes down to a story of redemption.  Jason Bourne struggles to overcome his first kill and come to the terms of the damage it did to the offspring of his targets.

Ultimately, The Bourne Supremacy feels like a "Part 1" in a two part film.  It sets up the events in The Bourne Ultimatum, while not delivering enough to stand on its own two legs.  In my opinion, it's the weakest of the Bourne trilogy.  I don't want to you to believe that I mean bad when I say weakest.  It's like me saying that Return Of The Jedi is the weakest of the original Star Wars trilogy.  Still a great film, but one of them has to come in third place.

Up next:  The Bourne Ultimatum.

Bourne Again: The Bourne Identity

Bourne Again, Part 1: The Bourne Identity

In preparation for this month's Jason Bourne, I'm making my way through the first three (I don't include the Jeremy Renner stinker, The Bourne Legacy) Bourne movies.  The first film in the series was 2002's The Bourne Identity, directed by Doug Liman and starring Matt Damon as the amnesiac superspy, Jason Bourne.

If you can remember back to 2002, the film spy world was left for dead.  The world's most famous super spy, James Bond was on its last legs after a forgettable stretch of Pierce Brosnan stinkers.  And Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible series was a few years away from getting the J.J. Abrams makeover.  The world needed Jason Bourne, a no nonsense American spy, who lost his memory after a failed assassination attempt.

14 years later, this film still feels as fresh as the day it came out (save for some really outdated cellphone technology).  The character Damon plays is in direct contrast to other cinematic spies.  There are no exploding pens and cheeky one-liners, and no mask reveals or elaborate action set pieces.  The Bourne Identity is a straight forward, balls to the wall piece of cinematic storytelling.  I love that we, as an audience, get to experience the character of Jason Bourne come back to life.  Nothing is explained or spoon fed to us, we experience the movie as Bourne experiences his return to form.  It's almost as if he's a machine that has been given the factory reboot.  His abilities don't come back to him all at once, but only arrive as Bourne pieces his life back together.

Most refreshing about this film was its visual style.  It was cold and stark, again in direct contrast to the big budget 007, and Mission Impossible series.  The camerawork is handhald, and the camera itself is placed in up close and personal places, bring us closer than we have ever been to the action.  The editing is tight and frenetic at he same time.  The story never lags, or feels stale.  And the techno score (while it feels dated today) was a breath of fresh air.  I don't think Doug Liman gets enough credit for bringing this character to life.  He gets overshadowed by the flashier sequels and their director, Paul Greengrass.  However, I think The Bourne Identity is still my favorite in the series.

After watching this again, I am certain that we can thank it for both the Daniel Craig series of Bond films and for Mission Impossible coming back to reality (I really hated Mission Impossible II and all of its slow motion motorcycle chases).  Who knows where these franchises would be if not for Bourne.  Would we ever have gotten Daniel Craig's gritty, realistic take on cinemas longest running super spy?  I don't think so.

Up next:  The Bourne Supremacy

Play It Again, Sam: Interstellar

Greetings from Too Fat Headquarters.  I'm holed up here all weekend recovering from arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in my left knee.  With ample amounts of DVD/couch time (doctor's orders), expect to see a couple blog posts.

Welcome to a new series here on Too Fat 4 Skinny Jeans.  I'm calling this "Play It Again, Sam," where I will revisit movies that I originally disliked (and people love) to see if my initial feelings were misguided.  First up, is the 2014 Christopher Nolan space adventure, Interestellar.  I was not a fan of this film (I think my initial review was a not-so witty Facebook post that said "Interstellar?  More like Inter-No-So-Stellar...")  I remember being extremely excited about this film when it was first announced and intrigued by its initial trailer.  Christopher Nolan has established himself as one of the premier action/adventure movie directors of his generation.  His films (like Tarantino & Fincher) are must-see events to me.  He's managed to exist in the modern Hollywood blockbuster universe, while maintaining an aura of independent film maker credit.  He makes superhero movies with heart and smarts, and his ventures outside the DC universe are some of the best received, both by audiences and critics alike, in modern movies.

Needless to say, my expectations were high for this film.  And after my initial viewing, I felt a little bit let down.  I thought this film was all over the place.  I thought it didn't know what type of film it wanted to be.  It tried to be smart, and action packed, and suspenseful, but (I thought) it didn't succeed.  I think my biggest problem was, that at the end of the day, you had Wooderson (You know what I like about high school girls?  I get older and they stay the same age) from Dazed & Confused spouting Quantum Theory.  It was a big distraction for me (and judging by the snickering of the theater crowd, them too).  I felt that the film fell off a cliff in its third act and never recovered.

Upon second viewing, I can say that I was wrong.  Interstellar is a wonderful (but far from perfect) film.  The science makes more sense when I gave it a chance, and the Wooderson effect is far less of a distraction.  It is a film that requires a second viewing.  When you know what happens at the end, it allows you the opportunity to pay attention to the nuance.  It's a smart film that works for us less-physics inclined mortals.  There's also some genuinely thrilling moments in this film. The first planet they land on, essentially a world made entirely of water, is a delight.  And the planet with a marooned (SPOILER ALERT!!!) Matt Damon, which is (to me) the peak of this film.  The aesthetics of each planet are gorgeous, and Hans Zimmer's score presents a driving yet ominous tone that paces the film appropriately.

This is still a film with faults (for example, how are they still drinking beer years after wheat is able to be grown?)  I still feel like the movie peaks 2/3rds of the way in.  The payoff with Matthew Mconaughey and his daughter seems a tad anti-climactic.  However, I think the beauty of the film outweighs the flaws and it is worth repeated viewings.  Christopher Nolan makes big movies with big ideas, and I'll take a flawed original idea over an endless series of pointless remakes and reboots (unless said reboots are directed by Christopher Nolan) any day.

Final verdict:  Interstellar is definitely worth checking out (multiple times), and it's a better film than I originally gave it credit for.


 Next up:  Jurassic World

Finding Dory breaks the summer sequel curse

Finding Dory Movie Review

by Brian Wezowicz

Hello faithful readers of this would-be movie and exercise blog (Hi Mom!)!  It's been awhile since I've posed something here, and I hope to rectify that.  I'm going to make a concerted effort to dust off the keyboard on a more regular basis with regular updates.  I do hope to get more exercise related content out there, since it has been a REALLY long time since I've done anything related to the original purpose of this blog... working out and getting in to shape.  I will say that having two kids makes it a lot harder to workout than I thought it would.  I also lost my gym membership when we switched the kids' daycare schools.  I also tore my meniscus and have surgery scheduled for next week (I hope to get a little content out of that ordeal), so it's been a tough stretch in Skinny Jeans Land.  With that being said, here goes the first of (I hope) more regular content on this site.

It's no secret that summer 2016 has been brutal for Hollywood sequels, remakes, and reboots.  From Turtles to X-Men, seemingly every sequel trotted out this summer has failed to live up to expectations.  Sure, Captain America: Civil War is a huge hit, but Marvel exists on a different plane than other franchises.  Would be can't miss hits (X-Men: Apocalypse, TMNT 2) are laying superhero sized turds weekend after weekend.  Should Hollywood be worried that its gravy train seems like it's drying up?  Probably.  Will it stop them from releasing an endless string of so-so sequels and reboots?  Sadly, no.  Looking at the trends out there in the weekly Box Office report, it seems like audiences are finally smartening up to the fact that you can't polish a turd and call it gold.  Audiences will get out there if the content is good... reboot, sequel, or original.  They just won't throw down hard earned cash for something that's not worth it.  That brings me to today's review.  A solid hit from my favorite animation studio:  Pixar's Finding Dory.

I have to admit that I was a little hesitant to take a trip back to the coral reef and swim with America's favorite memory challenged fish.  While I enjoyed Finding Nemo, it wasn't my favorite Pixar film.  I am of the opinion that, for the most part, animation works best when it's telling new and original stories.  Sequels are usually destined for the straight to video shelves, and for good reason, they almost always stink!  Even Pixar, Hollywood's gold standard for animation shied away from sequels.  With the exception of the Toy Story franchise, the only Pixar sequel was the forgettable Cars 2.  After viewing this sweet, tender film, I have to say that my fears were unwarranted.  Finding Dory is a highly enjoyable film with a heart of gold that will be the cure for your summer sequel blues.

We start the film a short period of time after the events of the original have passed.  Marlin, Nemo, and Dory are settling into their life as the cutest, most nontraditional family in the ocean.  Soon after, Dory starts getting flashes of her parents, and she's off to find them.  The trio sets off across the ocean on a whirlwind adventure that leads them to San Diego.  They encounter a few bumps in the road and meet some old friends (Crush!) along the way.  Ultimately, they end up split up and this is where the film shines.  Ed O'Neil steals the show playing a surly octopus that reluctantly agrees to help Dory navigate her way through a marine rescue compound, while dealing with his own insecurities.  There are some other great voice cameos in this movie, including Idris Elba as a seal and Sigorney Weaver as herself (trust me, it was great).

This movie is ultimately about family and the power of love and the comfort that can only come from being a part of one.  While it didn't move me the way last year's stellar Inside Out did, Dory had some genuinely moving parts and had me laughing out loud at more than a few points.  I was a little bit bummed that Marlin and Nemo were basically relegated to bit players in this movie, but I understand that it was Dory's time to shine.

I give this movie 3 out of 4 stars.  It's the second best animated movie I've seen this year (behind Zootopia).  If you're looking for a good time out of the house, definitely go see it.