Nothing More, Nothing Less

★★★

A Review by Kevin Powers

A fanboy I follow on Instagram recently posted about how disappointed he was with director Colin Trevorrow's latest installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World. I wasn't. Thankfully, I had no expectations.

I have now seen all of the Jurassic Park movies on the big screen, each one a little bit worse than the one before (until this one), but the thing is this:  these movies are and always were straight up Hollywood popcorn blockbusters. They offer thrills and chills and spectacle. Nothing more, nothing less. Jurassic World is certainly no exception, and, as far as I'm concerned, it's the best since the Steven Spielberg original.

Truths from the Inside Out

A Review by Kevin Powers

★★★★

Truth. I am as far away from being an 11-year-old girl as possible.

Truth. I teach 12-14 year olds, so I know a few things.

Truth. I don't have kids of my own.

Truth. Pete Docter's new gem from Disney/Pixar, Inside Out, is now at the top of my list of the best of 2015...so far.

How is that possible?

Deus Meus

Two Reviews in One by Kevin Powers

A few days ago, I saw Avengers: The Age of Ultron. 

At one point early in the film, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) have a conversation about artificial intelligence. Stark, or Iron Man, the billionaire weapons/technology magnate believes that its time to dust of this old idea he had floating around, like, literally floating around. 

That idea was Ultron, basically a technological brain that may have the ability not only to think but also to adapt, to reason, to feel. He and Bruce, who most definitely does not want to get angry though we want him to, are giddy talking about it. There is even an air of concern about the possibilities. Then, of course, since we're in a Marvel comic book movie, everything goes haywire and no ideas are to be discussed any more because that would get in the way of all the shit being blown up. 

Top Ten Baseball Movies

Baseball is my favorite sport, the greatest sport. Sure. Football has replaced it as "America's game." Steroids nearly ruined it. But it is still the best game ever created. It takes not only talent but also immense skill, strength and speed. It is a game that, to paraphrase sports writer Bob Costas, has a pace, a rhythm unlike any other game. It allows for conversation and reflection. 

My wife and I have a life goal to visit every single MLB stadium. We've done at least one every year. So far, we've hit nine of them together. Numbers 10, 11, and 12 coming next month. There is just nothing better than sitting in the warm sun with cold beer, a hot dog, and some peanuts and rooting for the home team. 

Today is Opening Day. I'm with Ozzie Smith. It should be a federal holiday. We should all be off work and at the nearest ball park. Of course, it's raining here, so no ball would be played at our local temple, Smokies Park, Home of the Chicago Cubs AA affiliate, the Tennessee Smokies. No matter. 

Cinderella, courageous and kind

"Cinderella"     ★★★ 1/2

A Review by Kevin Powers

Every week for the past few months, I have participated in a weekly blog series called Thursday Movie Picks. A certain theme, or category, is thrown down, and movie bloggers around the world make a list of three picks that fit that theme. Last week's theme was Live-Action Fairy Tale Adaptations. I struggled. I honestly can't remember seeing one, especially one of the traditional ones, like say, "Cinderella."

I haven't seen the 1950 Disney Animated “Cinderella” in years, but I do know that screenwriter Chris Weitz ("About a Boy", "The Golden Compass") has done an incredible job of updating and fully enriching this already well-known fairy tale.

I'm Somebody's DUFF

"The DUFF"     ★★★

A Review by Kevin Powers

"When I was in high school in the 90s, we didn't have emojis. We had to use actual facial expressions." - Mr. Filmore (Chris Wylde) in "The DUFF"

I'm a sucker for teen movies, even though I'm at a point now, where, when I see teen comedies, I relate to the teachers more than the students. I feel old, yet I'm only four years older than the star of the new teen comedy, "The DUFF." Our heroine, Bianca Piper (Mae Whitman), is a senior in high school. At 26, Whitman totally works as an 18-year-old, and she, along with the great Allison Janney, who plays her mother, Dottie, is what keeps this movie afloat.

A veteran supporting actress on TV, most notably as "Bland" Ann Veal, or Michael Cera's girlfriend, in "Arrested Development" and as Lauren Graham's daughter in NBC's "Parenthood," and even GREAT teen movies like "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (2012), Whitman gets the opportunity to carry a movie here. She succeeds. It's not as game-changingly good as Emma Stone's work in the somewhat similar teen comedy, "Easy A" (2010), but Whitman has an endearing presence that works for me.

Speaks' Predictions: The 87th Academy Awards

With the 87th Academy Awards telecast just one week away, I thought I'd go ahead and get out my rundown of most of the categories.

This year marks my twentieth go round with the Oscars. The first one I remember aired in 1995, for the year in movies, 1994. "Pulp Fiction" and "Forrest Gump," two movies that I still cherish to this day. Of course, I never saw "Pulp Fiction" until years later. At ten, my Mom wasn't ready to let me watch something quite that violent. But, man, do I remember that show. David Letterman hosted. The famous "Uma"/"Oprah" bit and whatnot. Tom Hanks won the Best Actor Oscar for the second time in two years.

I became obsessed with movie montages. In fact, when I think about the Academy Awards telecast, that's what I see. A movie montage of movie montages, laughs, nice dresses and tuxes, good times. This year's ceremony is poised to be a winner with Neil Patrick Harris at the helm.

I feel like, really there's not a lot missing here. I think Ava DuVernay could easily have been nominated for Best Director in the place of Bennett Miller, and, having recently re-watched "The Grand Budapest Hotel," which leads (tied with "Birdman") the pack with 9 nominations, I have just one question: Where is Ralph Fiennes? Anyway, I'm excited to see who ends up winning big.

There Goes My Hero, Part 1: Selma

Selma      ★★★ 1/2

A Review by Kevin Powers

As the latest criticisms of the recently announced Academy Award Nominations continue to stew, I so continue my quest to see all the Best Picture nominees. In the midst of all the negative press on the lack of diversity in the Nominations, I saw director Ava DuVernay's powerful new film Selma.

It's a worthy Best Picture nominee, not only in its power but in its craft. It's a well-made film about a time of great upheaval and change. I want to go on record and say that "NO. I don't think the Academy voters are being racist, but I do think they've missed by not nominating this film's director." She is a force to be reckoned with and found a lead actor in David Oyelowo who matches her will.

Selma recounts the days surrounding the emergence of Dr. Martin Luther King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in a small, rural town of Selma, Alabama. The fight at this point in the Civil Rights Movement is for voting rights.

There Goes My Hero, Part II: American Sniper

American Sniper     ★★★★

A Review by Kevin Powers

If there is still any question out there as to whether or not Bradley Cooper deserves his somewhat unexpected Best Actor Nomination, I'll answer. He does. He came in and edged out Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) and David Oyelowo (Selma), and I just can't argue. This is Cooper's third Oscar nomination in as many years, and this is his most convincing work yet.

As Chris Kyle, "the deadliest sniper in U.S. Military history," Cooper drives a film that requires just that...drive. It is a role that proves just how good he is as an actor. He can seemingly do anything. And Kyle is so much more than his reputation as a killer would suggest. I am grateful for that.

Chris Kyle came from Texas, the oldest son of a hard, yet loving father. As a young man, he lived the life of a cowboy. Riding bulls, drinking beer, chasing women. At 30, he was already an old man when he joined the Navy and made his way up the ranks as a member of the elite Navy SEALs.

The early scenes of this movie build this character with immense skill. The editing team of Joel Cox and Cary Roach win the Oscar if I have a say-so (sadly, I don't). The opening sequence of this movie will be familiar if you've seen the trailer, but its the transition out of that and into the chronological structure of this story that get you hooked.

Inherent Vice: An Experience

Inherent Vice     ★★★★

A Review by Kevin Powers

I feel I should be up front. Paul Thomas Anderson's seventh feature, an adaptation of a recent novel by Thomas Pynchon called "Inherent Vice," defies my star-rating system. It is seemingly pretty bad at times, good at times, and perfect at times (I mean, like, best movie you've ever seen...at times).

While it certainly won't appeal to everyone, to me, it is a wonder, a mystery, one of the most unique and original experiences I've had with a movie. Fittingly, that's what this movie is about as well... an experience.

Something that really kick-started my love for this movie, despite being a die hard P.T. Anderson fan to begin with, is that I recently listened to a nearly-two-hour interview with the director on the podcast, "WTF with Marc Maron." It is one of the greatest interviews I've heard. It clears up a large part of Anderson's thinking about making this movie, while spoiling nothing. And he even alludes to a secretive agreement between him and the author of "Inherent Vice," the reclusive literary genius, everybody's favorite author to try and fail, Thomas Pynchon.

A large part of Anderson's conversation with Maron is about the shared thesis of many of this film's reviews: the disintegration of the more liberal, free-lovin' 1960s into the paranoid conservatism of the 1970s. Having an understanding of this as a jumping-off point truly enriched my "experience" with this movie.

A Machine and an Enigma

"The Imitation Game"     ★★★★

A Review by Kevin Powers

"Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine."

The greatness of director Morten Tyldum's "The Imitation Game" as a whole didn't hit me until the very end. Going in, my want to see this movie had waned a bit, and I was expecting just another WWII-period drama. I knew very little of this true story, had read no reviews, and had no expectations other than I was sure I was in for a great bit of acting from British actor, Benedict Cumberbatch.

All expectations were exceeded.

True Stories, Part I: The Wanderer

Wild     ★★★★

A Review by Kevin Powers

Think about your life: your losses, your loves, your family, your happiness, your sadness, your problems.

Now. Imagine hiking a thousand miles in the wilderness alone. Imagine what your thoughts, your inner monologue might be. That is the essence of director Jean-Marc Vallée’s Wild, an adaptation of the real life memoirs of Cheryl Strayed.

Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) was a woman, like so many, who grew up the child of a single parent, a mother named Bobbi (Laura Dern), seeking refuge from an abusive husband. When her mother died, Cheryl and her brother, Leif (Keene McRae), were left, like so many, to figure out how to pick up the pieces of a broken life.

True Stories, Part II: The Wrestlers

Foxcatcher     ★ 1/2

A Review by Kevin Powers

Man, was I excited about this movie! That probably explains why I feel so let down. It also didn’t hurt that I saw Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher directly after seeing Wild, which is one of the best movies of the year.

Bennett Miller is a director known for three “Based on a True Story” movies. First, 2005’s Capote, starring the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, chronicled the writing process of In Cold Blood and suffered from being so brutally slow and bleak. His next work was an adaptation of Michael Lewis’ book about Oakland A’s General Manager, Billy Beane, the immensely likable Moneyball (2011), starring Brad Pitt. Finally, he ends up with Foxcatcher, telling the “True Story” (haha) of American billionaire John E. du Pont and his relationship with Mark and Dave Schultz, Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestlers. Like Capote, it boasts incredible, transformative performances beaten down by a painfully slow, nearly dead-in-the-water movie.

This is NOT the actors’ fault. It’s the filmmakers’ fault.

So…Golden Globe Nominations

by Kevin Powers

So, the 72nd Golden Globe nominations dropped last week. Some shocks, some surprises, some of this, some of that. As one of the stepping stones to the big Oscar show in early-March, mid-January's Globes provide a glimpse into the possible Oscar lineup. Many of the nominees of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual awards go on to Academy glory. With a much more expansive range of big awards among the worlds of both film and television, the Globes are always a blast to watch. Back again to host on January 11th, 2015, are Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. It's gonna be a fun show.

I'm going to focus only on movies here. I am caught up on so few new shows, that I would just end up writing about "True Detective" and "Fargo" and nothing else. I have my own personal 2014 Top Five in TV post in the works, so you can have my TV ramblings then.

Unnecessary Foolishness

Horrible Bosses 2     ★★ 1/2

A review by Kevin Powers

There is absolutely no real purpose behind the existence of the new comedy sequel Horrible Bosses 2. Most sequels are unnecessary anyhow these days, serving to only make money. Despite my feelings on that, I just can’t help it. Horrible Bosses 2 is hilarious and nearly as funny as the original.

            

For those who didn’t see the first installment, it focused on three buddies named Nick, Kurt, and Dale played, respectively, by Jason Bateman (Fox’s “Arrested Development”, the 2007 film Juno), Jason Sudeikis (“Saturday Night Live”), and Charlie Day (FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”). You see, they had jobs made unbearable by, well, “horrible bosses” played brilliantly by a maniacally evil Kevin Spacey, an idiotic, drug-addled Colin Farrell, and an absolutely sex-crazed Jennifer Aniston, the star of the show. The plot focused on their misguided and failed attempt to whack said bosses. I loved every minute of it, and my wife and I watch it on DVD often when we need some good laughs.

A Different Drummer

“Whiplash”     ★★★★

A Review by Kevin Powers

Writer/director Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash” is alive and breathing. It bleeds. It sweats. It cries. It is one of the most intense movie experiences I’ve had. I was one of only four audience members at my screening.

            

Miles Teller plays Andrew Neiman, a first year jazz drummer at a prestigious New York music conservatory. His goal is a simple one: “I wanna be one of the greats,” he says. Andrew’s first step towards greatness comes at the beginning of the film as he works out a beat in an empty practice room. The school’s top teacher and conductor, Terence Fletcher, played by a fierce J.K. Simmons, overhears him, comes in, and starts conducting. The stage is set for one of the greatest acting duels I’ve ever seen.

            

Eventually, Fletcher, after interrupting the lowly first year jazz ensemble at rehearsal, asks Andrew, playing second chair, to come in to work with his top band, the Shaffer “Studio Band.” A storm brews. We sit awestruck in the middle of it. We don’t dare move a muscle. 

Awakening the Mockingjay

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I”     ★★★

A Review by Kevin Powers

Picking up pretty much right where “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (2013) left off, the first of two installments of the final part of the trilogy captures the same gritty tone that the previous set up. Sadly, though, we just get more set up after the masterful previous film and have to wait another year to see the action-packed ending.

We can credit the continuation of tone to director Francis Lawrence (no relation to leading actress, Jennifer). Taking over after the first film to direct the final two/three, he has really done a great job making a visual spectacle out of a series of Young Adult novels that demands such. This one, just like the book, is the darkest yet. Almost too dark.

Bundle Up and Binge-Watch

by Kevin Powers

Well, I guess winter done come a month early this year. I am freezing as I type this, and I’m inside with the heat on plus two layers. For those who know me, I’m not the skinniest fella either.

            

When the cold’s getting to you this holiday season, why not sit back for six-hour stretches of TV shows? That’s what we do at the Powers’ Homestead.

Netflix is the way to go for this. And they have so many great ones to choose from. What follows are my recommendations, categorized.

Unstuck in Time

“Interstellar”     ★★★ 1/2

            

A Review by Kevin Powers

Listen: 

I have come unstuck in time.

            

It happened in our local IMAX Theater at Regal Pinnacle 18 in Turkey Creek. I sat for nearly three hours in a trance, literally glued to the screen, delighted, touched, happy, often with goose bumps, sometimes confused, mostly amazed. Christopher Nolan, acclaimed director of “The Dark Knight Trilogy” and “Inception” (2010) has done it again. He has made a visual spectacle powered by emotion and creativity to the point that the awe we see in the visual effects is overridden by feeling.

            

In “Interstellar,” Matthew McConaughey plays a man named Coop, a farmer in a near-future America devastated by drought and famine. He lives in a farmhouse with his two young children, Tom (Timothee Chalamet) and Murph (Mackenzie Foy). He has nightmares from his former life as a NASA pilot. In this future, there is no need for things like space exploration. In school, the children are taught to be “caretakers” of the Earth, not scientists. Farming is pretty much all there is. The only crop left is corn. Dust falls from the sky like rain.

            

In young Murph’s bedroom, books and objects begin to fall on the floor. A pattern of dust from outside emerges on the floor. Coop and Murph find this pattern to be some sort of message in binary code. Murph claims “ghost” or “poltergeist,” her father thinks “gravity.”

Tours de Force, Part II: A Night Crawler

“Nightcrawler"     ★★★ 1/2

A Review by Kevin Powers

Characters like Lou Bloom don’t come along very often. Like Robert DeNiro’s Travis Bickle in Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” he is a man alienated from society. He has big aspirations and achieves his goals in misguided ways.

            

Jake Gyllenhaal has been doing some fine acting these days. He has garnered much praise for his work in last year’s “Prisoners” and the odd doppelganger thriller in “Enemy,” released earlier this year. I have seen neither of those. I now will.

            

As Lou Bloom, Gyllenhaal has created a performance unlike many I’ve seen. Bloom, a small-time thief, who mostly steals scrap metal from construction sites and expensive bicycles in Venice Beach, comes off from the start as an eerie oddball. He has a way of selling himself. Early in the film, he tries to get a job at a scrap yard. He tells the owner that he believes in the idea that “if you want to win the lottery, you have to have the money to buy a ticket.” In director Dan Gilroy’s “Nightcrawler,” Gyllenhaal puts his money where his mouth is and then some.