They Saved The Last For Last..."Allegiant"

Allegiant (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Naomi Watts, Jeff Daniels, Octavia Spencer,

Directed by Robert Schwentke

The Story:

Tris (Woodley), 4 (James) and their crew decide to leave the walled city of Chicago and see what truly lies on the other side. There they meet David (Daniels) who claims that Tris is the key to rebuilding the future. But can he be trusted?

At this point, can anyone in this franchise be trusted.

So, I've stuck with the franchise this long, you feel you might as well finish with it, am I right?

Well, judging by the box office, about half of the fans abandoned ship this go round.

Possible reasons?

Well for starters, Allegiant does not rhyme with Divergent or Insurgent. Clearly the pattern was broken, and people may have mistakenly thought this was a brand new Dystopian Future movie.

;)

More likely, people are simply tiring of the Young Adult books brought to cinematic life after all of the Hunger Games, this series, the Maze Runner and a few other films as well.

These aren't superhero movies. These are films about depressing futures.

Oh, so maybe they are just like DC superhero movies. ;)

Either way, perhaps the audience is growing tired of that genre.

Or perhaps they are simply getting tired of a storyline that seems just a bit padded at this point.

Because, quite frankly, it seems like the same thing that happened in the last movie happens in the next movie.

They escape the ruthless clutches of a power-mad leader, only to watch as all of the factions begin fighting amongst themsleves to see who becomes the new power-mad leader.

So the franchise is treading water.

And when you bring in less than 100 million dollars from your previous film, the 4th film in the franchise, 4th!!?? gets changed on the schedule from a next summer in theaters to a next year on tv as a springboard for a new TV show.

Good luck with that.

So on that note, I bid this series farewell.

Final Grade: C

You'll Feel Yourself Aging Watching "While We're Young"

While We're Young (2014)

Rated R

Starring Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Grodin

Written and Directed by Noah Baumbach

The Story:

Josh and Cornelia (Stiller & Watts) are in their mid-40s, they've got no kids and they are just going through the motions in their relationship while all of their friends are having kids. Josh has been working on his documentary for nearly a decade but is struggling to finish. Into their lives breeze Jamie and Darby (Driver & Seyfried) and Jamie is also an aspiring documentarian and they get to know each other and begin hanging out. Life starts to change as the 40s and the 20s begin to mesh and mold with one another.

Meh.

It's not funny enough to be a comedy.

It's not dramatic or engaging enough to be a full on drama.

You can also see where the movie is going as Jamie may not be as honest as Josh thinks he is, but that's a realization that he has to come to on his own.

The movie also takes a rather gross turn midway through the movie as vomiting becomes an extended long scene that is neither amusing nor engaging.

I even debate as I write this as to whether the movie gets a passing grade or winds up on the worst of the year list, and quite honestly, I still don't know.

There was one really great line about the documentary that Josh was working on, delivered impeccably by Charles Grodin:

You just showed me a 6 1/2 hour movie that was 7 hours too long.

Thankfully this one was just a bit over 90 minutes, but there were several times, especially like the puking scene, where I was wondering why I was still even watching this film.

After I finished watching the movie, I see that it was streaming on Amazon Prime. Streaming, I would have definitely clicked this one off and found something else to watch.

I guess that decides it...

Final Grade: D+ it is!

Pleasant Surprise..."St. Vincent"

St. Vincent (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Bill Murray, Jaeden Lieberher, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, Terrence Howard,

Written and Directed by Theodore Melfi

The Story:

Oliver (Lieberher) and his mom (McCarthy) move in next to Vincent (Murray). He's obnoxious, crass, and just about anything else you can imagine not wanting in your neighbor. As Oliver tries to adjust to his new school and being bullied, fate brings these two together as Vincent ends up watching Oliver after school. A  bond begins to develop between the two as both of their lives change for the better.

Imagine a strange amalgamation of The Karate Kid or just about any other movie where a mentor takes a kid under his wing.

Then tip it over, shake it around, and you have St. Vincent.

Yet it works.

In a weird, strange sort of way.

Yet at the same time, Vincent learns just as much from Oliver and the two bond over the course of the movie.

It's both fun(ny) and dramatic. Sad and uplifting.

The things I take away from watching the film:

a) It's my favorite role that I've seen Melissa McCarthy in. Ever. She gets to use her sense of humor, but instead of dialed up to 11 like in everything else I've seen, she's got this one scaled back to about a 6, and it works. It works so well in fact, I wonder how and why she hasn't tried this before. A little of her brashness goes a long way.
b) It's Bill Murray's best role in ages as well. He's an a-hole with little redeeming qualities when we are first introduced to him. Then, like the proverbial onion, as Oliver and the audience gets a chance to get behind those layers and walls that Vincent has built over the years, the entire opinion of the man changes, even if the man himself doesn't. Totally at least.

Jaeden Lieberher also has the task of having the 2nd most amount of screen time and carrying his half of the storyline, sometimes with Murray, much of the time without, and the kid nails it. Not bad for his first movie role, and hopefully he enjoys a nice long career to come.

I would also be remiss to mention that the wonderful Chris O'Dowd kills it with his brief, but plot-needed character of the Priest who gives the assignment that culminates in the film's third act and delivers the emotional payoff the film has been building towards.

Good stuff if you missed it last year.

Final Grade: B+

If It Happened, Then "The Impossible" Is The Wrong Title For This Film...

The Impossible (2012)

Rated PG-13 for language and peril

Starring Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast

Directed by J. A. Bayona

The Story:

Henry (McGregor) and his wife Maria (Watts) are on Christmas vacation in Thailand in 2004 with their 3 children: Lucas (Holland), Thomas (Joslin) and Simon (Pendergrast).  As they are enjoying a wonderful day at the pool, they are suddenly and viciously hit by a tsunami.  The force separates the family, Maria and Lucas are swept one direction, Henry and the two little boys another.  As Maria fights for her very survival, Henry chooses to leave his sons to try and find the rest of his family.  Will they all survive? Will the family be reunited?

Well of course!

One, it's a true story, and that's what happened.

However, unlike many who have seen this movie, I was not emotionally traumatized and think this was a great movie.

It was okay, at best.

That's not to make light of the real-life tragedy of what occurred by any stretch of the imagination.

Somehow though, in the cold light of looking at this film, whatever emotional chords they are trying to pluck in me, it didn't work.

In fact, the most emotional scene in the movie...

SPOILER!

Is when the brothers are reunited.

That was a sweet moment, and seemed genuine and unforced, unlike the rest of the movie.

Those little boys looked absolutely thrilled to see their older brother.

Which makes me happy, yet angry as a father.

Sorry Henry, as much as you love your wife and other son, you make sure you get those 2 boys to safety, WITH  YOU, and then you work on finding the rest of your family.

Grr.

Final Grade: C...maybe even a C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not going to happen.