Blu-Ray Review: 22 JUMP STREET

Starring Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Peter Stormare, Amber Stevens, Wyatt Russell, Jillian Bell. Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. (2014, 112 min).
Sony Pictures

I think it’s safe to say just about everyone was surprised 21 Jump Street (based on a TV show most-remembered for making Johnny Depp a teen idol) turned out as good as it did. What could have been just another cynical attempt to cash-in on a nostalgic brand name was instead re-imagined as a big, brash action comedy, loaded with raunchy one-liners, over-the-top sight gags and unexpectedly engaging performances by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Since it was a huge hit, I doubt anyone was surprised when the inevitable sequel was announced.

The problem with comedy sequels is that, more often than not, the initial premise is really only fresh the first time, and movie history is rife with completely unnecessary follow-ups which are little-more than stale remakes of the original (The Hangover II, Grown-Ups 2, etc). But even though 22 Jump Street is essentially more-of-the-same, perhaps part of the reason the formula still works is due to the episodic nature of the series it’s based on. In other words, if you enjoyed the original, there’s no reason you won’t like this one too.

This time, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) & Jenko (Channing Tatum) go undercover as college students to investigate who’s behind the distribution of a new synthetic drug (WHYPHY). But like the first film, the story is just a clothesline on which to hang lots of jokes and gags. Schmidt & Jenko are just as inept as ever, and much of the humor comes from them trying to fit-in even though they are noticeably older than the other students. This time around, however, it’s Jenko who manages to get caught up in the campus life, falling in with a bunch of hard-partying frat boys and becoming a star on the football team. Meanwhile, Schmidt begins dating Maya (Amber Stevens), but it isn’t until later (in one of the more amusing scenes) that it’s revealed this relationship becomes complicated in a way which wouldn’t be fair to give away here.

Channing & Jonah test drive the Not-So-Smart Car.

While the plot itself provides a few interesting twists, much of what makes 22 Jump Street amusing is the interaction between Hill and Tatum. They are often hilariously presented more like a troubled couple in need of counseling (which they actually get) than partners in an ongoing investigation.

Like a lot of low-brow comedies, not all the gags work (some go on far longer than they need to), and a few scenes appear to serve no purpose other than to provide gratuitous cameos (there are several throughout the movie). Still, 22 Jump Street is amusing enough to justify its existence. Not much has changed since the first film, but it’s still pretty damned funny. The best gag of all shows-up during the end-credits sequence, with a hilarious jab at Hollywood’s tendency to take a successful franchise and run it into the ground. With a third Jump Street film already in the works, lets hope that isn’t a self-fulfilling prophecy.

EXTRAS:

• Commentary by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, Jonah Hill & Channing Tatum
• 22 deleted/extended scenes
• “Line-O-Ramas” (alternate lines of dialogue)
• “Joke-A-Palooza”
• Zook & McQuaid Scout Video
• Jenko Split Video
• The Dramatic Interpretation of 22 Jump Street (10 minute cut of the film with all the humor removed)
• Featurettes: Casting 22 Jump Street; Everything is Better in College; The Mr. Walters Prison Scene
• DVD and Digital copies

FKMG RATING:

1/2

(OUT OF 5)

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT and My Personal Jessica

Starring Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Charles Fleischer, Joanna Cassidy, Kathleen Turner, Stubby Kaye, Alan Tilvern. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. (1988, 103 min).

1988, a year when I felt both lucky and inadequate, often at the same time…

I met a girl named Francie, a fun-loving blonde whose classic beauty reminded me of Ann Margaret & Marilyn Monroe rolled up into one, all dolled up in the prerequisite parachute pants and Madonna bustier fashionable in the 80s. For reasons I still can’t fathom, she agreed to go out with me. One date led to another, then another, then another, and before long we were seeing each other exclusively.

Even though I was no slouch, if you saw the two of us back then, you’d have never paired us up. Francie was flirty, perky and always sharply dressed. I, on the other hand, looked like a brooding reject from The Lost Boys. Part of me always felt like she was way out of my league - a feeling which persisted well into our relationship - and it was only a matter of time before she found somebody more worthy of her attention.

At any rate, six months later, it was Halloween and the bar where I worked was hosting its annual costume party. I think it was Francie who thought we should dress-up together, something like Bonnie & Clyde or a pirate and wench. I suggested we go as Roger & Jessica Rabbit, partially because Who Framed Roger Rabbit was the latest in a short list of movies which left me awestricken, but also because Francie was…well, built in all the right places, and she’d have no trouble filling-out a red sequined dress.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a watershed movie because I grew up loving classic, theatrically-released animated shorts by Warner Brothers, Disney and MGM, which were far more detailed, fluid and funny than the cheap crap shoved down our throats every Saturday morning in the 70s. Those old cartoons were often violent and politically incorrect, yet stylish, clever and brilliantly animated.

Now these characters were gathered together in a single film, regardless of which studio originally produced them. Bugs & Mickey, Donald & Daffy, Droopy & Goofy…all looking like they did back in the 30s and 40s, sharing scenes with newly created characters like Roger, Jessica & Baby Herman (who also looked like they would have existed in the 30s and 40s).

But Who Framed Roger Rabbit is no simple cartoon. It's a mostly live-action murder mystery taking place in a world where humans and cartoon characters coexist. Bob Hoskins plays Eddie Valliant, a boozing, burned-out private detective originally hired to take scandalous photos of Jessica cheating on Roger with R.K. Maroon, owner of Toontown (where all cartoons live). Things get more complicated when Maroon is murdered. Even though all evidence points to Roger, Eddie soon realizes the rabbit has been set up.

The brilliance of Who Framed Roger Rabbit lies in, not only its concept, but its execution. While combining live-action and animation was nothing new, it had never previously been presented this perfectly. There’s nary a single moment when we aren’t 100% convinced Roger and Eddie aren’t sharing the same space.

Aside from it’s technical achievements, there are other aspects of Who Framed Roger Rabbit which make it a great film. Bob Hoskins deserved (but didn’t receive) an Oscar nomination for performing a majority of his scenes with a character who wasn’t even there; he pulled it off magnificently with the same world-weary cynicism as Humphrey Bogart. Then there’s the screenplay by Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman, which not only turns the film noir genre on its ear, but is loaded with puns, gags, satire and a dash of sentimentality.

Finally, there’s Jessica Rabbit. Yeah, she’s a composite of every femme fatale from film noirs of the past. Yeah, she’s a cartoon character. Yeah, her physical attributes are exaggerated, to say the least. But she could arguably be the first hand-drawn character in history to ever actually stir the loins of male moviegoers (Kathleen Turner’s sultry voice work helps immeasurably).

If anyone could pull-off that look in the real world for a Halloween party, it was Francie. She was up for it of course, because her sheer self-confidence was one of the many qualities which attracted me to her to begin with. Once she threw on a red wig and squeezed herself into a skin-tight dress we found at Goodwill, Francie was truly Jessica Rabbit come-to-life. As her counterpart, I did my best to be Roger, with rabbit ears, bowtie and suspenders.

Then off we went to the costume party, me trying to pull-off a half-assed attempt at a cartoon character, and Francie’s physical attributes threatening to burst from her dress.

You can guess who was the belle of the ball when we arrived.

Despite the fact everyone (including co-workers) already knew we were a serious couple, they all wanted to talk to her, hang out with her, dance with her. Francie played-up her persona for all it was worth, meaning she didn't have to pay for a single drink the entire night (great for my wallet, bad for my self-esteem). We may have arrived as two characters from the same movie, but unless I clung to Francie’s side, most people assumed I was just a guy who randomly threw together a quick costume in in order to participate. I was relegated to the background, once again feeling like she was way out of my league. Even my best friend at the time spent most of the party in awe of her ample chest, and I don't think anyone in attendance could have told you her eye color either.

After spending most of the evening in a state of heightened anxiety, Francie and I returned home together. I gotta admit her Jessica Rabbit get-up was pretty sexy (something you can't ever say about a grown man wearing rabbit ears). Still, I liked to think, during one of those moments at the party when we weren’t joined at the hip, someone asked her, “What do you see in that guy?” and she simply replied, “He makes me laugh.”

Francie and I have been happily married for over 25 years now, and I still consider myself both lucky and inadequate. We're at the age when we're more into dressing up our kids for Halloween, but she'll always be my Jessica Rabbit.

Blu-Ray Review: I AM ALI

Starring Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ali Jr., Maryum Ali, Hana Ali, Rahaman Ali, George Foreman, Marvis Frazier, Tom Jones, Mike Tyson, Gene Kilroy. Directed by Clare Lewins. (2014, 112 min).
Universal

Muhammad Ali is to boxing what Elvis is to rock & roll, dragging a disreputable sport kicking and screaming into mainstream public awareness. He was boxing’s first rock star, a charismatic celebrity who garnered massive attention both in and out of the ring. At the height of his career (the 60s & 70s), Ali was also a polarizing figure. Unlike Elvis, who always came across in public as an aw-shucks good ol’ boy, Ali was brash, egotistical, confrontational and never shied away from controversy due to his religious, political and civil rights views. But regardless of your personal opinion of the man, there's no disputing his status as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Fan or not, you must admit Muhammad Ali is a fascinating, larger-than-life figure whose story is total Hollywood fodder. We’ve seen dozens of documentaries and dramatic biographies over the years, the best being When We Were Kings, which chronicled his 1974 bout with George Foreman, the worst being The Greatest, starring Ali himself in what amounts to a self-congratulatory vanity project.

Mike Tyson appears...hardly an endorsement.

I Am Ali falls somewhere in between. It’s technically a documentary, but not a traditional chronicle of his life and career. In fact, Ali himself only appears in archive footage (along with interludes of recorded phone conversations with family members and acquaintances). There’s also surprisingly little footage of his historic bouts. The film consists mostly of vignettes in which those closest to him (ex-wives, sons, daughters, old rivals, former managers, etc) lovingly recall Ali’s glory days and his impact on them personally.

Hence, some of more controversial or negative aspects of his life are fleetingly mentioned, but mostly glossed over, as this is more of a tribute to Ali than a life story. He’s seldom depicted as anything less than legendary, inspirational, saintly and beloved. That’s not necessarily a huge strike against the movie, but it does ultimately end up preaching to the converted. If you’re an Ali fan, this will confirm your love for the man. However, the uninitiated will learn relatively little about what truly made him such a dynamic personality, loved and loathed in equal measures.

Writer/director Clare Lewins deserves some kudos for the bittersweet tone which permeates the film, making us well-aware of the greatness of his achievements, yet sad in the knowledge those days are long gone. Even though he’s still around, we sometimes feel like there’s one less true hero in the world. I Am Ali also looks and sound terrific. Lewins creatively juxtaposes old footage with newly shot locations and interview settings, along with effective use of songs popular during Ali’s glory days.

Ultimately, I Am Ali is an interesting film, featuring scores of entertaining interviews with those who knew him best. But it definitely could have been so much more if it had presented a more unflinching look at all aspects of his life, the good & bad, the ups & downs, the victories & defeats.

EXTRAS:

• Several Featurettes: Fighter - The Legendary Boxer, Brother - The Civil Rights Supporter, Lover - The People’s Champion, Father - The Family Man, The Music - Telling the Story
• Additional/extended interviews not included in the final cut
• Digital copy

FKMG RATING:

(OUT OF 5)

FKMG presents SEVERELY CONSTIPATED SUPERHEROES*

*A public service message from FREE KITTENS MOVIE GUIDE, advocates for the prevention of ESI (Extreme Superhero Irregularity).

Movie Haiku of the Week: MAN OF STEEL

“Superman never

Killed before!” cried the fanboys.

“So?” said Hollywood.

Disney Movies Anywhere on Google Play: Free Copy of WRECK-IT RALPH Available

DISNEY AND GOOGLE PLAY TEAM UP TO BRING DISNEY MOVIES ANYWHERE TO ANDROID DEVICES

Free Digital Copy of Disney’s WRECK-IT RALPH Available For A Limited Time Through Disney Movies Anywhere 

The Walt Disney Studios and Google Play today announced a partnership enabling millions of U.S. Android users to enjoy their Disney, Pixar, and Marvel digital movie collection across their devices through Disney Movies Anywhere.

Disney Movies Anywhere is an engaging and family-friendly digital destination that makes it simple for consumers to manage and enjoy their digital collection of Disney, Pixar and Marvel movies in one place, at home and on the go. The integration with Google Play means that it’s easier than ever for consumers to buy the films they love, and then enjoy them through the free Disney Movies Anywhere app and website, as well as everywhere Google Play Movies is available. Just download the Disney Movies Anywhere app and connect to your Google account.

For a limited time, Disney Movies Anywhere users who connect a new participating retailer account will receive a free digital copy of Disney’s hit animated film “Wreck-It Ralph.” The launch of Disney Movies Anywhere on Google Play also coincides with the release of “Maleficent,” one of the year’s biggest hits, and Disney’s animated “Planes: Fire & Rescue,” both out on digital and Blu-ray today.

With this new partnership with Google Play, it’s easier than ever for consumers to buy the films they love, and then enjoy them through the free Disney Movies Anywhere app and website, as well as everywhere Google Play Movies is available. Just download the Disney Movies Anywhere app and link to your Google account.

The Disney Movies Anywhere App is available in the U.S. for free from the Google Play store at http://di.sn/fxx and from the iTunes App Store at: http://di.sn/srf. Sign up is also available through the Disney Movies Anywhere website.

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR Official Trailer Released

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR is a searing crime drama set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically the most dangerous year in the city’s history. From acclaimed writer/director J.C. Chandor, and starring Oscar Isaac (INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS) and Jessica Chastain (ZERO DARK THIRTY), this gripping story plays out within a maze of rampant political and industry corruption plaguing the streets of a city in decay. A MOST VIOLENT YEAR will be in NY and LA on December 31, 2014 and will expand in January 2015

We’ve all been there…sitting in a theater, watching a trailer for yet-another creatively-bankrupt Hollywood product and thinking, “Who gets paid to come up with this crap?” Endless sequels, origin stories, pointless remakes, movies based on toys, reboots of franchises whose corpses are still warm.
Sure, there are exceptions. On paper, The Lego Movie sounds like one of the dumbest ideas of all time, but it confounded everyone’s expectations by being creative, clever and ultimately heartwarming, the total opposite of the cynical product we all thought it would be. But for every Lego Movie, there’s a Battleship, an idiotic attempt to pander to an undemanding audience’s familiarity with a brand name. For every movie that truly warrants a franchise, we see studios trying to resurrect and reboot old properties (cartoons, games, belated sequels) with the hope of striking box office gold.

The following is a list of upcoming films, either in development or in production, that are truly stupid ideas which have flop written all over them…

10 Upcoming Films That Are Terrible Ideas

 from WhatCulture.com

Blu-Ray Review: A MOST WANTED MAN

Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdama, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, Grigoriy Dobrygin. Directed by Anton Corbijn. (2014, 122 min).
Lionsgate

This film is a bit sad, knowing the great Philip Seymour Hoffman died earlier this year and this is his final starring role. The fact we often think about this while watching is also a big strike against it, because while it features note-perfect performances by the entire cast (especially Hoffman), A Most Wanted Man is the kind of movie where admiring how well-crafted it is doesn’t necessarily mean you enjoyed it.

Hoffman plays Gunther Bachmann, a German agent who keeps tabs on the Muslim community in post-9/11 Europe. He has a special interest in Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), an illegal immigrant who may or may not be a terrorist with Al Qaeda connections. With the aid of immigration lawyer Annabel Richtor (Rachel McAdams), Issa stands to inherit his late father’s wealth (money laundered by shady banker Tommy Brue, played by Willem Dafoe), but for what purpose? Bachmann himself is aided (and equally hindered) by American diplomat Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright, who’s nearly unrecognizable).

Only one of them truly knows who farted.

Like any film based on a John le Carre novel, this film has an ambiguous, labyrinthine plot which requires 100% of your attention the entire time because it spoon-feeds you nothing. But unlike the recent Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which was equally low-key & complex but had dynamic characters, A Most Wanted Man doesn’t really provide anyone we can root for or against (and maybe that’s intentional). Since the story requires us to spend a great deal of time just trying to sort everything out, the film ultimately becomes  too exhausting for us to care about these characters anyway, despite each actor bringing their A-game.

Sadly, the final shot also sums up Hoffman's career perfectly. A Most Wanted Man ends as abruptly as his life did, leaving us to wonder what could have come next, yet disappointed in the knowledge we’ll never get to find out.

EXTRAS:

• The Making of A Most Wanted Man
• Spymaster: John le Carre in Hamburg
• Digital copy

FKMG RATING:

1/2

(OUT OF 5)

Dia de los GUARDIANS!

In the spirit of the holidays, we got our hands on some stunning artwork by artist Orlando Arocena featuring Star-Lord and Gamora of Guardians of the Galaxy!

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy arrives on Digital HD plus Disney Movies Anywhere November 18th, and on Blu-ray™ 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray and On-Demand December 9th.

GAMORA 

STARLORD