Good evening Mr. Patel.
Sit down, let's here about this breakthrough of yours.
I think I've cracked it.
The "artificial intelligence" you've been working on?
This is a computer system that might be smarter than a human!
I could show it a piece of art... and this thing, this being could judge...
THAT art.
It could decide if IT liked it.
Stop, please.
Do you realize you just came to a film critic and told him a robot can do his job now?
Sorry Dev, but this isn't "Johnny 5 Film Reviews", this is Movie Night!
Hello and welcome to Movie Night, in-depth reviews in less than five minutes.
I'm your host, Jonathan Paula.
Tonight we'll be taking a look at three more recent releases from winter 2015.
Beginning in chronological order, let's take a look at "Focus".
Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, this romantic dark comedy more than doubled
its $50-million dollar budget within a month of its February 27, 2015 release.
Will Smith stars as an accomplished con artist, who runs into an old flame while working a
job, sending his plans and feelings for a loop.
Once the most successful and bankable star in all of Hollywood, the Fresh Prince Of Bel
Air has unfortunately been on a bit of a slide lately, after the disappointing "After Earth"
- but thankfully, he's at top form here.
Endlessly charming and confident, he embodies the rich and powerful person all men want
to be.
He's shrewd and sharp, but has a penchant for gambling and the beautiful Margot Robbie.
Following her breakout turn in "The Wolf Of Wall Street", the Australian is a surprising
match for Smith - both intellectually, and physically, regardless of their 22-year age
difference.
Advising his new protégé on the strategies of a successful con, Smith tells Robbie that
you need to be willing to "die with the lie."
Despite their constant thievery and duplicity, these are compelling characters you'll find
yourself rooting for: even if they rarely show remorse for their reprehensible actions.
The R-rated plot is rife with twists and turns, many coming at the expensive of the audience
as well as the other characters.
But the surprises are often ridiculous and unrealistic, which doesn't help the already
disjointed plot.
The 105-minute film is paced well enough, but feels almost like two entirely disconnected
stories.
"Focus" is the first major feature to be edited on Apple's Final Cut Pro X, but its frequent
flashbacks and other non-linear narrative devices only serve to confuse the viewer,
rather than strengthen the story.
Individual scenes and characters provide fantastic moment and great entertainment however.
A high-stakes impulse betting spree against eccentric millionaire BD Wong during a football
game becomes particularly tense.
Later, a private negotiation constantly interrupted by the deafening noise of passing Formula
1 cars provides unique drama.
Bright colors and locations fill the 16:9 frame, while Nick Urata's score has an upbeat
energy to it that gives the movie a decidedly playful vibe.
Showcasing the lucrative underworld of con artists where the twists are expected, and
the characters can't be trusted, this movie often feels like a modern, sexier version
of the 1970s classic, "The Sting".
But where that film excelled was with a huge reveal in the final moments that locks everything
together in a satisfying way.
The ending here however was sloppy and rushed.
With some wonderful one-liners, fun criminal scenarios, and an extremely gorgeous leading-lady,
there's plenty to enjoy about this film... but all of its moving parts sadly don't amount
to much.
"Focus" displays flashes of excitement, but is ultimately unfocused - I thought it was
just ALRIGHT.
For tonight's poll question: what's your favorite artificial intelligence and/or robot-based
movie?
Leave your response as a comment below.
Speaking of robots, my next review is for "Chappie"
The third release from acclaimed South African director Neill Blomkamp was released worldwide
on March 6, 2015.
Within a few weeks, the sci-fi action film had made over $75 million against its $49-million
dollar budget.
In the near future, where Johannesburg is patrolled by a robotic police force, one droid
gains sentience, resulting in the world's first artificial intelligence.
The result of intentional programming, rather than a random "Short Circuit", this "RoboCop"
goes from being a pile of "Real Steel" to having real feelings.
All joking aside, this picture really does feel like the bastard child of those three
similar, and ultimately better movies - which have all been reviewed here on the show, by
the way.
The R-rated film stars Blomkamp's frequent collaborator Sharlto Copley as the motion-capture
and voice likeness of the titular creature: a sympathetic being who is taken advantage
of by his criminal babysitters.
Chappie is an expressive hero that begins life as a cute and curious robot, before becoming
a vulgar gangster.
His maker is portrayed by the young and talented Dev Patel who warns his creation, "Don't let
people take away your potential."
South African rappers Ninja and Yolandi appear as exaggerated versions of themselves: commanding
a great deal of the screen time in the process.
Because their characters are closer to home, their performances feel the most authentic
in the cast, to the unfortunate detriment of being annoying and unlikable.
The 120-minute movie also features Sigourney Weaver, once again playing some hard-ass female
executive in a science-fiction story, while Hugh Jackman walks around with tights shorts
and a distracting mullet as the film's misguided villain.
A movie like this though lives and dies on the effectiveness of its hero - and while
Chappie is amusing and well-animated, he just isn't that interesting.
The 'dog-eat-dog-world' Chappie must survive is illustrated rather literally, when Ninja
shows his new robot friend a dog actually eating another canine.
Blomkamp's kinetic handheld style is ever-present, shooting the filth and desolation of urban
Johannesburg in the wide 2.35 frame.
I suspect the robot droids throughout the story were accomplished with a combination
of puppetry, lifesize suits and CGI - but the very fact that I can't say for certain
which technique was used when is a testament to this film's impressive visuals.
With some funny moments, cool effects, and an endearing allegory about humanity - this
is certainly a worthwhile picture: but it's about 30 years too late to really resonate
with audiences.
Besides that, it's inconsistent with its message; preaching the virtues of robotic impartiality
one minute before dismissing synthesized life as unpredictable and dangerous the next.
Fans of Blomkamp and AI-focused movies will likely enjoy this movie once or twice, but
I doubt I'll watch it again myself.
"Chappie" presents some unique visuals, but remains very familiar and unambitious.
I had a GOOD time with it though, so I'm scoring it accordingly.
Finally tonight, my review of "Insurgent".
Within three days of its March 20, 2015 release, this $110 million dollar dystopian action
film recouped its budget.
The young adult adventure, directed by Robert Schwentke picks up where "Divergent" left
off, as we follow Shailene Woodley as the leader of a resistance force hell bent on
taking down corrupt officials to save their faction-oriented society.
Based on the second book in the "Divergent" trilogy by Veronica Roth, this installment
feels like exactly that: the unfinished middle chapter of a larger story.
Familiarity with the first picture is absolutely required, as this film cuts right to the chase,
rather literally in fact when we watch our intrepid outlaws escape a pursuing police
force.
The young Woodley continues to impress, leading the 119-minute film with a determined anxiousness
that makes her performance believable and honest.
Although truth be told, I'm not a fan of the short hair.
The hugely overcrowded cast includes Theo James, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort,
Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd, Octavia Spencer, Ray Stevenson, Maggie Q, Zoe Kravitz, Naomi
Watts, and Daniel Dae Kim.
Or particular note is Courtney as the relentless villain, exhibiting shades of "Terminator"'s
T-1000 when he's in hot pursuit of our heroes.
James meanwhile feels stiff and disinterested, while Winslet is frankly too good of an actress
to even be involved here - and in fact, this is the first sequel that Oscar winner has
ever done.
A
thrilling simulation sequence that sees Shailene climbing around a rotating, floating house
is a striking, and well-executed visual that feels like a live-action version of a 3D Mario
platforming level.
Between the gunfights and zip-lining takedowns are some really strong emotional moments,
including a character defining fist fight on a speeding train as it heads towards the
ruins of Chicago.
Generally though, the dialogue here is too clunky and precise to be taken very seriously.
As if the parallels to "The Hunger Games" franchise weren't strong enough with the first
installment, this sequel feels particularly unoriginal.
In a market that has quickly become oversaturated with futuristic teenage romance and rebellion,
this PG-13 rated effort just doesn't do enough to separate itself from the pack.
That being said, it's honestly a really exciting and competent film.
Despite an annoyingly heavy reliance on dream-sequences and simulations: each individual scene is
strongly crafted, and quite compelling.
As a cohesive narrative however, "Insurgent" begins to fall apart.
Character decisions, the timing of events, and the locations of scenes all feel particularly
contrived.
As the continuation of a story, this a well-paced and satisfying experience that does its job
of getting you interested in where things will go next - but as a standalone feature,
it feels somehow lacking.
Commonplace ideas with an entertaining execution make "Insurgent" a COOL film.
Finally tonight, a look at what you're saying about films currently playing in theaters.
If you see a new movie in theaters, Tweet your review with the #JPMN hashtag.
In two weeks I'll be taking an extended look at the ever-growing "Fast & Furious" franchise
as I review all seven of its films, including my thoughts on the upcoming "Furious 7" which
comes out nationwide on April 3rd.
If you've seen these films, share your opinions by voting in the polls below, or by leaving
a comment review - I read them all, and will include the best in the next episode.
If you'd like to watch more Movie Night videos, check out the "related reviews" on the right,
or click SUBSCRIBE to be notified of future uploads.
Also be sure to follow me on social media for updates and exclusive content between
episodes.
Once again, my name is Jonathan Paula, thank you for watching and listening.
Until next time, have a good Movie Night!