Edge of Tomorrow

One of the biggest complaints people have when it comes to movies is that they lack originality. I've been guilty of complaining about this. There are too many sequels and remakes and reboots. So, what happens when we finally get an utterly original, wholly entertaining film? No one goes to see it and it bombs at the box office. Thus, sort of proving to Hollywood big wigs that they are right - what everyone in the world wants is a fourth Transformer movie and not anything daring or original or different. We've only got ourselves to blame.

Edge of Tomorrow is that unique blockbuster that isn't a recycled plot you've seen a million times. Sure, you've seen it once or twice. In Groundhog Day, most famously. Or maybe you've read about it in a book like last year's spectacular Life After Life. But, this isn't the same old material regurgitated for the millionth time. Edge of Tomorrow stars the last of the great action superstars, Tom Cruise, as a cowardly bureaucratic Army guy who has never seen combat, or even trained for combat. He's a talker and a manipulator, not a soldier. But, he ends up on the front lines anyway and a "surprise" attack on the aliens lifeforms they are fighting turns horribly wrong. They've been waiting for the attack and Cruise's Cage is dead within five minutes. But, then he wakes up on the front lines again, ready to relive the day over and over and over until he can get it right, and kill the enemy leader. Eventually he teams up with Emily Blunt's super (read: BAD-ASS) soldier, Rita, and together the two relive the day dozens of times, maybe even more, changing little things every time, until they get it right.

I know, I know. This may sound repetitive and boring, but director Doug Liman does an amazing job of really getting the point across - Live, Die, Repeat, with humor and intelligence without making it seem like you are watching the same thing happen over and over. This movie is creatively done on all counts - writing, editing, directing, acting. This movie is clever and smart and absolutely satisfying on every level.

Tom Cruise is maybe the last of the great action stars. He's been one of the most famous people on the planet for decades now, and while I'm not necessarily a fan of him personally, I don't think you can argue with him as an actor. He's the rare kind of actor; the kind who is magnetic and charming enough to be a larger than life superstar, but still has the acting chops to pull off intimate character moments too. The only other person I can think of off the top of my head who has that same duality is probably Will Smith. And, sure, superstars make missteps, too (see: last year's Oblivion, which wasn't terrible, but was disappointing). But this film and role from Cruise is on point. He's electric to watch, and it's also fun to see him play someone who is so cowardly at the beginning. We aren't used to seeing our Tom Cruise making excuses for reasons not to go to war. He's usually kicking ass and taking names. But, really, the true star of this movie is Emily Blunt. This may be the only alien sci-fi epic feminist movie in existence. Blunt is spectacular as the kick ass super soldier. She is tough and tender and just all around bad ass. She is an absolute delight to watch, especially all the "Let's just reboot" scenes which are dark and funny. She should probably be the biggest star in the world right now, and I hope she becomes a huge household name. Action movies are usually no place for women. We are stuck either playing some sexy, leather clad villain, or the damsel in distress. But Blunt is just as tough, if not tougher, than the men in this movie. This is the sort of female character we need more of in films.

All in all, Edge of Tomorrow is a damn entertaining movie. Sure, it could have had a bit more character development, a little more back story on the war (we're pretty much thrown right into the story). But, then I guess, we'd all be complaining that it's too long. It's a shame this movie did so poorly at the box office, but here's hoping it finds a cult life when it comes out on DVD. This is the sort of creative, fun, entertaining action movie we should all be celebrating. We need more summer blockbusters like Edge of Tomorrow.

Grade: B+

22 Jump Street

The best thing about 22 Jump Street is it has a sense of humor about itself. Right from the start, it endlessly mocks tired sequels and the funniest parts of the film are actually courtesy of Nick Offerman and Ice Cube, who both repeatedly let the audience know that, yes, this is a sequel, and yes, they are aware it has to be bigger and more outlandish, and yes, they know the audience wants to see the same thing over and over again. This is a self-aware movie, unafraid to make fun of itself, and right from the start, we know that this is going to be a fun movie, not something that is overly serious.

After breaking up a drug ring in high school in 21 Jump Street, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) head to college this time around to find the supplier of a brand new drug called Whyphy (pronounced WiFi, which stands for Work Hard, yes? Play Hard, yes?). While part of the fun of 21 Jump Street was the fact that the roles were reversed - Hill's nerd became the popular kid, and Tatum's jock became the unpopular one - this time, it's more straightforward. Jenko finds a brand new soul mate in the form of Zook (Wyatt Russell, son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, new crush du jour of mine, thankyouverymuch), a hot Big Man on Campus quarterback. This leaves Schmidt feeling completely alone and left out. He's more than jealous of their new found bromance, and finds solace in a group of art students, including pretty girl Maya (Amber Stevens). From there, the movie is more or a less a retread of the original - one of the guys struggles to fit in, while the other gets an experience he completely missed out on the first time around. They bicker and fight and try to solve the crime, and eventually end up at Spring Break with a bunch of half naked co-eds. But, honestly, if you liked the first film, the second will not disappoint.

Hill and Tatum have a great chemistry and they are still as fun to watch as ever. Hill is well known for his comedic talents and one would go into this movie expecting him to be super funny, and he is, but Tatum is just as funny, if not, at times, funnier. They play off of each other so well, and they are truly a great on-screen comedic duo. The movie is funny and action-packed. Not to mention, this movie has one of the greatest closing credit sequences that I can think of! Of course, the movie isn't flawless. It is redundant, at times, and sometimes it feels like it's a lot longer than it has to be. But, again, if you liked the first film, you can't really complain. The sequel is just as funny and just as fun.

And while Hill and Tatum are superb as the leads, there are a few actors with smaller parts who steal the show. First and foremost is Ice Cube. He's absolutely killer in this movie, but revealing why would give away a pretty big plot twist, which I won't do. Needless to say, he kills it though. Then there is Jillian Bell, as Maya's roommate, who absolutely hates Schmidt from the get-go and makes endless jokes about him secretly being an old man trying to pass himself off as a college student. I already mentioned Wyatt Russell, who is a good actor and not just dangerously attractive. But the real stand outs of the film, for me, have to be The Lucas Brothers as the identical twins who live across the hall from Schmidt and Jenko. They are a pair of finish-each-others-sentences, chill as f**k, stoner bros who steal every damn scene they are in.

Overall, 22 Jump Street is the rare sequel that is just as good, or maybe even slightly better, than the original. It's funny and self-aware, and you should definitely check it out.

Grade: B

The Fault in Our Stars

When I started to think about my feelings regarding this movie, I somehow managed to split the movie into two halves for myself. I like to refer to them as Pre-Amsterdam and Post-Amsterdam. Unfortunately, only one of these is good, or watchable, or effective in any way, shape or form. And that would be Post-Amsterdam. You have to give the writer and director credit for sticking so closely to the beloved book, but, at the same time, sometimes books just don't transfer to the big screen very well. Sometimes, you have to make changes in order to make it work for a movie. After all, books and movies are two very different animals. So, for the most part, I felt the first half of the movie was pretty damn bad, to be honest. The second half, post-Amsterdam, was a good movie - an unrelenting emotional roller coaster, but, by then? Too little too late.

The Fault in Our Stars is based on a almost universally acclaimed YA book by John Green, that I happened to absolutely love. It follows the story of Hazel (Shailene Woodley), a 16 year old with terminal cancer who meets Gus (Ansel Elgort) at a cancer support group. Gus is there to support his soon-to-be-blind buddy Isaac (scene stealer Nat Wolff), but is also a cancer-free survivor. Of course, Hazel and Gus fall in all kinds of love, and they are adorable and cute and all those things you want them to be. This is pretty much what the first half consists of, and it's all pretty terrible, to be honest. The witty, meet-cute dialog and banter that flows so well in the book? It sounds clunky and cheesy and over-wrought in the movie. It's just hard to invest in these characters because they don't feel like they are well-developed, it feels like the audience is just supposed to feel invested in them, because we read the book and that's how we are supposed to feel, and that's a short cut that isn't fair or good enough.

Then the story travels to Amsterdam. Hazel wants to meet the writer of her favorite book. She has a lot of childish questions regarding the ending the book, and Gus uses his cancer wish to take her (and her mom, since she's a minor!) to Amsterdam. Amsterdam, itself, is pretty hit or miss. The scene with the eclectic asshole writer played by Willem Dafoe is fantastic, and their sweet date night is beautiful. But then they go to the Anne Frank house and in the most eye-roll inducing scene you will see in all of cinema this year, they proceed to make out in the attic of the house while a bunch of uppity Dutch tourists applaud for them. I'm pretty sure people wouldn't give a standing ovation to a couple of horny teenagers who decide to suck face at a historical landmark, but maybe that's just me.

Post-Amsterdam, the movie gets infinitely better. The emotion from the book transfers very well to the big screen and it's an unrelenting emotional journey that just doesn't let up. You will cry during the last hour or so of the movie, and you may very well start crying and not stop for the entirety of said final act. I don't want to give anything away for people who may not have read the book, but, let's just say, it's a tearjerker. But, to be fair, you can't judge how good a movie is by how much it makes you cry. And the fact that the movie finally finds its footing is relieving, but also not quite enough.

The performances are a bit hit or miss too, as far as I'm concerned. I'm not entirely sold on Woodley as an actress. For all the times she delivers a scene perfectly, and beautifully, there is a scene like one of the voice over scenes. She was supposed to be telling her cancer story to Gus, but it doesn't sound like a character living these experiences. It sounds like an actress reading lines, and it's jarring and disappointing. But, she mostly delivers here, especially in the final act of the movie, although everything is elevated by then as well. Elgort is a mystery to me as well. He plays this part so overly excited and so earnestly, that sometimes his actions don't feel honest at all, but rather like he's trying to dupe Hazel for some reason. Although, if you read the book, you know he's a good guy, in the movie, he seems too good to be true, like there will be some final act reveal that he's truly evil, or something. The true star of the movie, for me, was Nat Wolff, who absolutely steals all the scenes as the blind Isaac. He's wonderful as the comic relief. He makes you smile every time he's on screen. This movie needed 100% more of him, and then at least when it was dreadful, it would have been entertaining.

Grade: C+