Wolverine: Metal Vs. Bone

Going in to see “The Wolverine”, every bone in my body was prepared for yet another disaster, the likes of which would follow in the footsteps of “X-Men III: Last Stand”, and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”; however, it would seem that Fox along with director James Mangold and the wolverine himself, (Hugh Jackman), have brought back this once devastated series from the brink of annihilation. Taking place after the events of “X-Men: Last Stand”, “The Wolverine” does the job it set out to do, which was to make a powerful, character driven stand alone movie which could lead to bigger and better things.

If you came to see “The Wolverine” expecting an all out thrill ride that revolves around the clashing beast that is ‘the wolverine’, turn back now. Action scenes are few in this film, and in fact, may have less action that the first five X-Men installments, so much so that it would almost seem more appropriate to have named this film “Logan”, instead of “The Wolverine”. That isn’t to say that it is a worthless film. I actually graciously enjoyed seeing Logan in this environment, one where his claws won’t get him out of every situation. The fight scenes however did feel more impactful when they arrive. A false sense of security will easily lull the audience in until the metaphorical, (and actual), gun is fired.

Mangold did an excellent job in this film with conveying how beautiful but deadly Tokyo can be, (and not only with the landscape). The actors truly meshed well with one another; that is to say, all besides one. Svetlana Khodchenkova plays the ever so devious mutant ‘Viper’, which, after a closer observation, had no real purpose in the film besides to simply have a leading female antagonist. She would kill, poison, or torture anyone who got in her way… which sounds cool in theory, but in all honesty, she had no reason for doing what she was doing. She had no master plan, and she didn’t even play a faithful puppet. Her entire roll was a meaningless character who could eventually be faught.

WARNING: some spoilers ahead. As the film begins we are introduced to a solemn, broken down and isolated Logan, (One that we’ve encountered many times before, had you seen the first five installments to the X-Men series), nothing new here besides the lumberjack beard. Jackman does do an amazing job at sporting a tortured-soul character, one that had to live through the death of everyone his loved ones, and even his enemies. It is evident here that the wolverine is a part of Logan that he would never truly accept again.

Through a series of dreams, it is revealed to the audience that Logan is seemingly haunted by his past, i.e. the murder of his loved one, Jean Grey, (Famke Janssen). Jean Grey’s appearance in this film was accepted with open arms, and truly allowed the film to progress at a greater speed, leaving out the ulterior possibility of having unwanted flashbacks of Logan’s misery. Yet as the film progress’ not only minutes, but hours, and you are still witnessing Logan’s dreams of ‘Jeany’, it would be quite understandable for you to grow slightly annoyed.

The Catalyst that throws Logan into a series of ninja fights is an invitation to Tokyo to visit an old ‘frenemy’ on his deathbed. Enter the old paralyzed Yashida, (Hal Yamanouchi); a man so close to death that it takes odd looking metal spiders to keep him alive. Yashida offers him the choice to opt out of life, a curse that has plagued Logan ever since World War II, when he suddenly stopped aging. And here in lies the path that Logan must set foot down.

Disregarding cheesy plot twists and out of place flashbacks, “The Wolverine” helps bring faithful comic book fans back to the root of one of their favorite heroes. I would absolutely recommend seeing this film is you are an avid comic book fan, or simply a fan of the superhero genre movies. If you aren’t one of those, you may have a hard time keeping up with the film. If at all possible, see it matinee. And as always, make sure to stick around throughout the credits. As you may have guessed, the credit scene involves a set up to next year’s upcoming “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, as well as the return of a few faces, and a quick mention to who the villain will be. If you saw “The Wolverine”, comment bellow and tell us what you thought of the movie or the credit scene.
Joe Monfoletto

Rotten Tomatoes Score as of 7/28/2013: 67%
My Score: 80%

World War Z: The world through the eyes of Gerry

Back when the trailer was first released, seeing zombies on the mass scale tossing over a bus and then climbing over one another to crawl over an immense wall seemed to be going overboard. However, once the film is received in its entirety, the zombie’s actions do seem a tad more believable than the trailer originally put forth. It is not seemingly indicated whether Marc Forster, (Director), intended to have the film version of “World War Z” stray away from the novelized version, yet what he ended up with is an interesting matinee popcorn flick. So long as you realize that this is not the “World War Z” that we deserve, but one that could be fun to watch with friends in a dark basement, then you should be satisfied.

Having the movie from the perspective of the character Gerry Lane seems to fit, in that his experience encapsulates the essence of this world’s zombie apocalypse. Where Pitt’s performance as Gerry Lane is truly engaging, that of the secondary characters lacks substance, and ultimately is forgettable. Since the story is constantly moving with Gerry, there are new characters every 15 minutes, which leaves us caring much less about those we met throughout the film.

WARNING, major spoilers ahead. Sure enough, there are obvious plot twists and screen shots that are inevitable within the conventional zombie movie genre that are translated to “World War Z”. Brad Pitt, (Gerry Lane), forced to leave his family behind on the air craft carrier to further explore the pandemic is somewhat an obvious turn of events. Indecently, once a character reveals an enormous wall, and claims it to be impenetrable to zombies, the audience can almost be certain to expect that the wall will soon come crumbling down.

Once it was announced that Matthew Fox would be accompanying Brad Pitt in this film, I was happy to hear this once “Lost” star would have work on a major movie. So as silly as this may sound, I was disappointed when Matthew Fox never appeared in the film. He was however listed in the cast and crew, and credited for a character only known as “Para-jumper”. It was somewhat confusing why they would place an actor like Matthew Fox into a pointless role, when they had other unknown actors play bigger roles.

Where “World War Z” thrives is through its emotional and suspenseful scenes of non-stop thrills. Watching the characters run constantly causes an essence of panic for the audience, and keeps us on our toes. Normally, it wouldn’t seem believable that a character like Gerry Lane would be able to not only save, but protect his assigned body guards throughout the story, but all was set straight with quick mention to Lane’s past with the armed forces.
Although it was somewhat out of place, the fluffy happy ending didn’t seem unwanted. Normally where having a zombie movie end with an “everything will be alright” mentality could ruin the film, “World War Z” almost thrives. That isn’t to say that a darker ending wouldn’t have been welcomed with open arms. Gerry Lane’s sacrifice at the end of the film almost seemed trivial after being able to walk away unscathed.

At times, the film could feel as shaky as the plane scene itself. There really isn’t much done with this movie that other zombie stories hadn’t done before, and yet it has an air of arrogance about it that would normally feel out of place, but for some reason fits. There were moments that truly seemed out of place, or even forced; with Pitt’s performance carrying “World War Z” to its credits, you will have somewhat of a fun ride. Worth a matinee or watch it at home with friends.

Joe Monfoletto

Rotten Tomatoes Score as of 7/24/2013: 67%
My Score: 78%

The Lone Ranger: Hi Ho Silver… stay away

With the runtime of approximately two and a half hours, “The Lone Ranger” does a good job at providing a reason to take a bathroom break or two. Gore Verbinski, (director), puts together a team of what seems to be an all-star cast, only to end up with a lame horse of a movie. Johnny Depp, (Tonto), really settles into his normal role of the ‘marbles slightly loose’ character, yet can’t seem to mesh into the story as the other characters do, (or at least try to). Armie Hammer, (John Reid), performs his lone ranger cowboy with a melancholy, monotone, unlikable feel. All the while you’ll be watching Hammer and Depp fight for the spotlight, and truly downplay their faux friendship, leaving the audience wondering why they would ever work together.

WARNING, some spoilers ahead. Right from the first scene, you’ll be stuck feeling awkward not only for the characters, but also for the seemingly forced laughs that the movie will produce. The flashback scenes not only remove us from the story, but they also leave the audience wondering why Tonto lives in a museum after the events of the movie take place. Not to mention the horrid makeup placed on Depp to make him look like an 80 year old Native American business man

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Then we have the love affair that could make any movie-goer uneasy. Ruth Wilson, (Rebecca Reid), seems to be placed into the movie simply because they needed a leading female role. Her addition adds no balance to the film, and the practicality of an honorable cowboy falling in love with his brother’s wife, (even before his brother is dead), simply leaves a strong distaste in my mouth. In today’s movie culture where the controversial hero is celebrated, Lone Ranger falls short of following this tradition despite obvious attempts to embrace it.
In a firefight that is arguably an overzealous interpretation of a 1930’s Western confrontation, Butch Cavendish and his gang flawlessly takes down an entire crew of lawmen from hundreds of yards away. By the end of the film however, these same men transform into lumbering fools, and you’ll be left wondering how their gun wielding abilities could go from excellent to sadly pathetic in such a short period of time.

The movie itself almost knows how senseless it is, which produces a potent disconnect with the audience. With main characters Tonto, (which incidentally translates to ‘dumb’ in Spanish), and the other with the nickname Kemosabe, (roughly translated to ‘he who does not know’), you’ll realize why the story itself seems so dumb-witted. “The Lone Ranger” had the opportunity to become reminiscent of the old Westerns that in American culture and beyond have become timeless classics. What it does instead is teeter on the side of mockery- a disconcerting tendency that threatens the heart of the genre. If “The Lone Ranger” can’t take its own world seriously, then why should we?

That isn’t to say that the film went without creating a spectacle or two. Hans Zimmer brings forth true talent through the musical score, and works us back into the story, (as much as the characters might try to pull us out). The actors should be recognized for the stunts that they did on their own; watching William Fichtner, (Butch Cavendish), jump off a train and onto a horse was quite impressive. However the stunts quickly achieve familiarity with the audience, as one character after another jumps off a train and onto a horse, or off a banister and onto a horse, or off of a house on a horse, you’ll begin to believe that jumping is all these characters know how to do. Variability in action sequences would have made the movie a more breathless experience.

All in all, had there been no flashback sequences and no oddly integrated romance taking place, this could have been a much better movie. Don’t waste your money, don’t see it matinee, and don’t even buy the DVD.
Joe Monfoletto

Rotten Tomatoes Score as of 7/24/2013: 27%
My Score: 23%