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Taken 2 Blu-Ray Review (Kirk Haviland)

Taken 2 Blu-Ray Review

Starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Leeland Orser, Luke Grimes and Rade Sherbedgia

Written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen

New to Blu-Ray and DVD this week from Fox Home Entertainment is the sequel to the surprise smash hit from 2008, Taken 2. Returning as retired CIA operative Bryan Mills, Liam Neeson is back in action, but this time around HE’S getting taken. Writer/Producer Luc Besson brings aboard protege Olivier Megaton to direct, taking over from Taken director Pierre Morel, but is Megaton able to deliver the goods?

As a retired CIA agent with a very particular set of skills, Bryan Mills (Neeson) stopped at nothing to save his daughter Kim (Grace) from Albanian kidnappers in the original Taken. Now two years later, the father of one of the deceased kidnappers (Sherbedgia) has sworn vengeance upon Mills and his family. After he completes a job in Istanbul, Bryan’s daughter Kim and ex-wife Lenore (Janssen) meet him for a family vacation. Shortly after arriving Bryan and Lenore are taken hostage. Bryan must enlist Kim to help them escape, and then use the same advanced level of combat tactics to get his family to safety while systematically taking out the kidnappers one by one.

To say that Taken 2 is more preposterous than the original Taken would be a bold statement considering how over the top the first one becomes, but Taken 2 is on a whole different level. The script for Taken 2 feels more like a plot outline that was filled in as the film went along, and considering the entire third act was changed to remove a certain character from pivotal scenes and add them back in others seems to back this point. The cast actually does decent work with the material given to them, given that character motivations and actions designated to them by the script seem to make little sense at all. The fact that a still traumatized and jittery Kim when told by her father to go to safety declares she won’t because she is going to rescue him is completely against type. But despite this she grabs a gun and some grenades and under direction from dear old dad takes off to help. Janssen spends most of her time fading in and out of consciousness during the film, a lot of her work ending up on the cutting room floor.

The biggest issue with Taken 2 is that Olivier Megaton cannot deliver the goods action-wise behind the camera as well as Pierre Morel did in the first Taken. Morel had already directed the action classic “District B13” in his native France before helming Taken and his flare and eye for action is really missing here. Neeson also seems to have slowed down a step or two in the last four years. Whether it’s the staging, Neeson’s ability or a combination of both that is the cause, Neeson’s Bryan Mills between the two films seems to have aged as much as 1980’s Steven Seagal compared to 2012 Steven Seagal. The moves may be there but the speed seems stuck on slow motion. It also appears that Megaton was a huge fan of 2011’s “Drive” as he stages an entire sequence, complete with running timer, to the Chromatics ‘Tick of the Clock’ off the “Drive” soundtrack. Unfortunately the ensuing car chase sequence is nowhere nearly as well staged as any of the sequences in director Nicolas Winding Refn’s masterpiece.

The Blu-Ray is packed with special features as it contains the theatrical and extended versions of the film. The disc also includes more deleted scenes that did not make it into the final cut as well as an ‘alternate ending’ that is actually the entire original third act described earlier. The extended version contains a pop up trivia track entitled ‘Black Ops Field Manual’ and there is a fetaurette on Mill’s weapon supply case narrated by Leland Orser’s Sam character entitled ‘Sam’s Tools of the Trade’. Lastly there is a FX Movie channel interview with Neeson about his character and the film.

Ultimately Taken 2 falls desperately short of the expectations set by its predecessor’s tongue in cheek, action packed bucket of fun. Action sequences that play less realistically and a script that feels like it was finished on the fly add up to a watchable film but not a great film. Even suspending disbelief and playing along with the film, the end result cannot come off as anything but a disappointment. Taken 2 is a mild non-recommend.

Till Next Time,

Movie Junkie TO

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Miami Connection Blu-Ray Review (Robert Harding)

Miami Connection Blu-Ray

Starring Y.K. Kim, Vincent Hirsch and Joseph Diamand

Directed by Y.K. Kim, Woo-sang Park

When you think of B-grade action films from the 80s you might conjure up visuals of martial arts, big hair, uzis, large mustaches, gangs, and ninjas. With Miami Connection you get all that and more within the first 5 minutes! This practically never before seen film from 1987 is the masterpiece of Y.K. Kim who not only stars in the film but wrote, produced, financed, cast and even directed.

Miami Connection tells the story of a group of Tae Kwon Do musicians called Dragon Sound who end up crossing paths with a group of local drug dealing punks. It’s not a very friendly get together and things quickly get ugly… for the punks! But when the punks enlist the help of biker ninjas, the fights turns out to be more than Dragon Sound expected.

While this is a Blu-ray release, don’t expect pristine visuals and audio. The disc opens with a message stating that “Miami Connection was almost lost when a hurricane destroyed the film’s original negative in 2004. Our transfer was assembled from the best existing materials and scanned at 2K resolution. Due to the nature of the available elements, some imperfections and inconsistencies may occur.” While there is no fault in the transfer of the film, the film is full of print damage. There has been no restoration done and while that is a little disappointing, one might say it adds a bit of an “authentic feel” to the presentation.

The story behind Miami Connection from how it came about, to how it disappeared, to how it was eventually found again is almost as interesting as the film itself and is documented in a small booklet insert. Other extras include “Friends for Eternity: The Making of Miami Connection” which runs about 20 minutes long and is less a making of and more a retrospective consisting mostly of interviews with cast and crew some 20 years after the fact. There’s an “Alternate Ending” which running a little over two minutes is actually the original ending which was later re-shot when Y.K. Kim couldn’t find anyone who liked the movie. There are a bunch of “Deleted Scenes” running a total of just under 12 minutes. “Dragon Sound Reunion Concert from Fantastic Fest 2012” is 10 minutes of footage shot at Fantastic Fest of the actors on stage blended with film footage as Dragon Sound perform a 6+ minute version of “Friends” followed by “Against the Ninja.” Running about two minutes long “Who is Y.K. Kim?” is a cute little piece that gives some background about Mr. Kim through what must be an introduction video used at seminars Y.K. Kim puts on before he comes on stage. “The New American Dream” is over 22 minutes long and is an infomercial for Y.K. Kim’s “The New American Dream” program. The main extra is the audio commentary by Y.K. Kim and Joe Diamand mediated by Drafthouse Cinema programmer Zack Carlson. It is mostly Mr. Carlson doing a screen specific interview as he tries to get the two guys talking. Rounding out the extras are trailers for The Ambassador, Bullhead, Klown, Wake in Fright, the Drafthouse Alliance Stinger, and the 2012 trailer for Miami Connection, a reversible cover for the Blu-ray, and a digital download of the film.

Y.K. Kim first set out when making this film to promote his philosophy and physical ability. Despite the poor acting (most actors in the film were simply friends of Y.K. Kim), low budget, and clear lack of filmmaking talent (Y.K. Kim had almost zero encounters with movies prior to taking on many of the aspects of the film), Miami Connection clearly drives home the ideas of friendship, perseverance and positive attitude. It’s especially obvious in the theme song “Friends” with its catchy chorus. Though not intentionally comical, those involved in the film seem to have come to embrace the fan reaction of this film who clearly enjoy it as a piece of b-movie schlock full of camp, and fun filled sequences. The film as a whole plays out as a very entertaining advertisement for Tae Kwon Do just as Mr. Kim intended. Except that, upon viewing it, Y.K. Kim noticed that it was extremely violent which was in contrast to his martial arts teachings. So, in perfect b-movie fashion, in order to rectify this over abundance of violence he added a simple sentence to the end of the film (as if a few words would correct the 80 previous minutes), “Only through the elimination of violence can we achieve world peace.” An almost perfect ending to this SoBIG (so bad it’s good) martial arts extravaganza.

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Blu-Ray Review (Kirk Haviland)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Blu-Ray

Starring Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Peyton List, Grayson Russell, Laine MacNeil, Rachael Harris and Steve Zahn

Written by Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky

Directed by David Bowers

Back for their third outing are Greg, Rowley, Fregley, Greg’s brother Rodrick and the rest of the family for Dairy of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. The new release from Fox Home Entertainment is aimed squarely at the teen and preteen set, focusing on physical humor and teaching a lesson or two. But is there enough in the film for the entire family?

School’s out and Greg (Gordon) is looking forward to enjoying the best summer of all time. But when his dad (Zahn) decides that some father-son bonding is in order, directly opposing Greg’s plans for video games and hanging out with the girl of his dreams Holly (List), Greg must do everything he can to keep him from ruining his vacation. So he hatches a plan to pretend he has a job at the ritzy country club that his best friend Rowley (Capron) takes him to. But Greg’s plans never go completely as planned and lead him further into trouble as he manages embarrassing mishaps at a public pool and a camping trip that goes horribly wrong. The hare brained schemes of his brother Rodrick (Bostick) aren’t helping his case to stay out of military school either.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days sadly forgets that anyone but 8-15 year-olds are in the room as the focus is squarely upon them at all times. The gags are goofy and unimaginative, the humor is mainly slapstick and born out of goofy situations and settings. The actors are in their third go around and for the most part can perform these roles with their eyes closed. Gordon actually has some charm in the role of Greg, but the actions of Greg in the film make his character very easy to dislike, and he is our supposed to be our sympathetic lead. His lack of realization of the consequences of his actions is the main message and story of the film, but it’s because of this that he becomes someone you stop rooting for halfway through. The character’s treatment of Rowley is particularly awful and their eventual reunion is very implausible.

The set pieces in the film also rarely seem to work as they are over-the-top and take you out of the story. A particular sequence involving a sweet sixteen party is particularly bad. Director Bowers seems to be a follower of the ‘bigger is better’ philosophy as he keeps adding more layers of goofiness in a failed attempt to add scale to the production. The entire camping sequence comes off very poorly and the extremely dangerous nature of the sequence is ignored almost completely in favor of the slapstick resolution the script and director call for.

The Blu-Ray does feature a solid amount of special features. Director Bowers does an audio commentary for the film and we also get a moderately funny gag reel. We also get a FX movie channel featurette and an additional featurette entitled Class Clown. Finally, we get the obligatory trailer package covering new attractions and the Dog Days trailer itself as well as the deleted scenes.

With other more entertaining and family friendly currently available, like the amazing ParaNorman and the fun and endearing Rise of the Guardians, there may be better options for your money. Hardcore fans of the series will be sure to enjoy this installment, but likely a lot less than its predecessors. But the film falls flat in its efforts to entertain the entire family as most parents will likely want to leave the room. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a non-recommend.

Till Next Time,

Movie Junkie TO

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Zero Dark Thirty Review (Kirk Haviland)

Zero Dark Thirty (2013)

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong, Edgar Ramirez, Chris Pratt and James Gandolfini

Written by Mark Boal

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Returning to the big screen for the first time in four years, Academy Award winning director Kathryn Bigelow goes back behind enemy lines to bring us Zero Dark Thirty. Zero Dark Thirty is the tale of the hunt and eventual termination of the world’s most wanted terrorist: Osama Bin Laden. The real question is can Kathryn Bigelow deliver a film based on the saga of the hunt for Bin Laden that is as gripping and thought provoking as The Hurt Locker?

Starting from the attacks of September 11 2001, exhibited here as only sounds over a pitch black screen, we follow the career of CIA operative Maya (Chastain) as she starts her decade long obsession into finding Osama Bin Laden. From bleak interrogation rooms in CIA black sites, Maya quickly learns under master interrogator Dan (Clarke) the extremes her fellow countrymen are willing to go to for leads and answers. Maya’s own obsession starts with trying to find the Abu Ahmed, allegedly one of Bin Laden’s most trusted men. The search continues for a decade, until an oversight is discovered that sets the movements in motion for the raid that ended Bin Laden’s life.

As much as director Bigelow’s last theatrical film, 2008’s The Hurt Locker, was a mainly insular and ultimately star-making turn for Jeremy Renner, Zero Dark Thirty belongs utterly and completely to Jessica Chastain, and she is more than up to the task. We see her Maya go from a young, enthusiastic, hopeful lady to a hard-edged, worn and ferociously tenacious woman through the course of the film. The supporting cast, aside from strong turns from Kyle Chandler and Jennifer Ehle, are mainly background characters who help push the story along – this is Maya’s story. The only other actor given ample time is the impeccable Jason Clarke who is fantastic here. Clarke’s Dan becomes one of Maya’s most trusted allies in the fight for her desire to chase after Abu Ahmed when everyone else thinks she is chasing a ghost. The final scene with a imploding Maya as she realizes she has done nothing but chase this man for a decade and has forsaken everything else, including a place to actually call ‘home’ is pure cinematic brilliance in her performance.

Boal has crafted another intelligent script that makes you feel like an insider, behind the walls where all the decisions are made. Bigelow has made a smart choice in going with mainly traditional camera and not all handheld like Hurt Locker was, which plays so much better considering the more epic scale of the story being told. Her framing works very well and the steady hand behind the camera keeps the story focused and on point with Maya, even when it does go off on tangents like Ehle’s character, Jessica’s meeting with a potential spy within Al Queda, it returns it focus back to Maya almost immediately. The film is hardly short with a running time slightly over 2 ½ hours, but the time flies by as the film itself is enveloping and never feels like it is taking too long to get anywhere. In fact its running time will likely be shocking by the end of the film. The careful recreating and crafting of the sets and locations lends another level of authenticity, the Bin Laden compound looks pitch perfect and the other compounds and black sites are painstakingly recreated.

Never feeling like an over the top propaganda film, in fact Zero Dark Thirty is pleasantly devoid of a lot of those politics and shines a harsh light on some of the practices of US interrogators. Zero Dark Thirty is an enthralling account of the hunt for one man and the obsession of one woman. A more complete, grand scale and satisfying film than Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty stands to be Bigelow’s most accomplished and rewarding film to date. Zero Dark Thirty is a strong recommend.

Till Next Time,

Movie Junkie TO

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Les Misérables Review (Kirk Haviland)

Les Misérables (2012)

Starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Samantha Barks, with Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen

Based on the Original Stage Musical: Boublil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables

Screenplay by William Nicholson, Herbert Kretzmer Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg

Directed by Tom Hooper

The director of 2010’s multiple award winning “The King’s Speech”, Tom Hooper, is back with his latest Oscar baiting offering, an adaptation of the award winning and long running play based the Victor Hugo book “Les Misérables”. The production is a huge undertaking and has assembled a high profile cast under Hooper’s guiding hands to bring the tale to the screen. But is Hooper ready to helm a film that is well beyond the scope and scale anything he has ever done?

Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story full of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption and stands as a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Ex-prisoner Jean Valjean (Jackman), after breaking his parole, has managed to start a new successful life under the guise of Monsieur Madeleine, a small town mayor and factory owner. But all the while Valjean is being hunted, for decades, by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe) who is determined to see Valjean back on the chain gang after breaking his parole. When Valjean agrees to care for former factory worker Fantine’s (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever. Valjean raises Cosette (Seyfried) until she is a young woman, but as the french student revolutionaries poise themselves to make their first strike against the government led by Marius (Redmayne) and Enjolras (Tveit), Javert has picked up Valjean’s scent yet again.

Tom Hooper’s take on Les Misérables is very successful, but is not without its flaws. Not having seen a stage production of the play, the film is very long at 2 1/2 hours, but keeps a reasonable pace throughout. Audiences who do not like musicals should know that the combined amount of dialogue not sung in the film is probably half an hour of the runtime at the most. Some of the staging of the songs and placement of intro and outros do come off as awkward. The songs are quite good, the play has been around for decades because of its writing, and Hooper plays it mainly straight here without different interpretations. In fact many scenes are staged as they were on a stage instead of for film, with very mixed results.

The performances are just as varied here. Hugh Jackman is likely one of the few in Hollywood with the traditional chops to take on Jean Valjean, and he gives a solid performance in the role. Sadly his counterpoint is Crowe playing Javert and Crowe struggles mightily with the performance as many times the songs he is required to perform are well beyond his range. Anne Hathaway is phenomenal as the tragic Fantine. Her performance is strong, fragile and tragic all at the same time, and she delivers a brilliantly stirring rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream”. Matching her brilliance is Redmayne as Marius. This is a star making performance for Redmayne as his performance outshines all of the other males here. And in a supporting performance, Samantha Barks in the role of Éponine is simply divine.

Some of the films missteps, other than Crowe’s, come in supporting roles and overall staging. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as the innkeepers are performances that start strong but become very distracting towards the end. One of the bigger set pieces of the film is the barricade set up by the revolutionaries after they ambush a public official’s funeral. The siege at the barricade is where Hooper’s limited experience in shooting action comes to light as the sequence becomes a mish-mash of quick cuts, screams and people barking orders. The sequence is poorly shot and seems out of place with the pacing and tone of the rest of the film. Where the final shot staged in front of the French parliament buildings works brilliantly being set as if on the stage, the barricade being built as a stage style prop, does not help the action sequence at all. But these missteps do not hinder the overall enjoyment of the film.

Some amazing performances and fantastic music make Les Misérables as extremely satisfying cinematic endeavour. The film will be relevant around awards season and hopefully the performances from Hathaway, Redmayne and Barks do not go unrewarded. For these noted performances alone Les Misérables is a strong recommend.

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