Movie Nation

The average new release on Metacritic or Rottentomatoes.com has a healthy sampling of America’s reviewers weighing in on its merits. Chances are, you can find a review to your liking or that fits your tastes — since a lot of people actually look at reviews to find somebody who agrees with them about the movie they just saw — justifying their tastes, in other words.

But there aren’t even half a dozen “God Isn’t Dead” reviews up there. Why?

Well, I tried to reach Freestyle Releasing and Pure Flix last week to get a screener or screening of the film. Never heard a peep. Some studios aren’t really set up to make that happen in time for newspaper or others’ deadlines. Others don’t make the effort. I suspect something just slipped through the cracks, here. Freestyle I’ve had good luck with in the past.

On the other hand, faith-based filmmakers often don’t want criticism. For a movie that supposedly is about Christians welcoming an intellectual debate about their beliefs, this is the coward’s way out. Sure, you worry about getting a fair shake, especially when you have, as this film did, all sorts of prejudices about “elites” and the educated and media people. But there are a couple of positive reviews out there, none of them worth taking seriously (Variety’s just reacting to the box office, and pandering. They do that.).

Then there’s the backlash you get from criticizing a Christian film in this country. I can pan “Divergent,” which reached 10-12 million people this weekend, and maybe a dozen people will complain in the comments here on my blog (where I aggregate all my wire service reviews). Pan something like “Son of God” (I didn’t) or “The Nativity Story” (I didn’t) or “Courageous” (I did) and you get endless tirades about Godless media, and “liberal bias” and every other cant rant under the sun.

Is it worth it?

You tend to have to overwrite the review, covering a lot more theology and logic and the like than you’d prefer. The review feels labored as  a result.  All because you know the brimstone storm that’s coming your way from the Duck Dynasty set.

So maybe some people tried and the studio wouldn’t accommodate them. Maybe some critics didn’t note that “God’s Not Dead” had opened in their market. And maybe some said, “Simply not worth it,” because seriously, you can’t “debate” people who treat facts, reason, science and education as “opinions.” And who weight the pandering words of a TV preacher the same way they’d credit a Nobel Prize winner.

And speaking for myself, there is no point in arguing with people who use circular logic to try and argue that “You’re just angry with God” when you take issue with their name-calling because, well, shoot, everybody believes what they believe and disagreeing with them is disagreeing with a supernatural deity. That’s the way of madness.

“The Raid 2: Berendal” is the most violent movie ever made. The exploding heads, slit, gurgling throats and claw-hammer crunches and tears are so excessive as to make the works of Pekinpah, Tarantino and torture porn king Eli Roth seem almost quaint in retrospect.
Excessively complicated and excessive in length, it stands in stark contrast to writer-director Gareth Evans’ original film, a tight, visceral martial arts thrill ride that had one good cop (Iko Uwais) battling his way out of a mob-controlled apartment complex filled with villains. Rama (Uwais) was the last man standing, as corrupt police officials refused to send back-up and mobsters sent wave upon wave of cutthroats, kickboxers and gunmen to finish him off.
“Raid 2” still has Rama, but is more interested in viscera than the visceral, more wrapped up in confusing subplots than streamlined simplicity. It’s more about the blood and injuries sustained by hammers, machetes, box cutters and shotguns than about Rama or his latest quest. And that’s a serious shortcoming.
Our hero is sent deep undercover, into prison, where he does two years time, cozying up to and protecting Uco, the pretty boy son of a mob boss (Arifin Putra). Once out, he’s accepted into Uco’s dad’s gang. The idea is he’ll help ferret out corrupt cops who protect Bangun and his gang, the Japanese Goto gang, and the “half-Arab” wild card, the glove-wearing, cane-carrying opportunist Bejo (Alex Abbad).
Simple enough. But gleaning that from the panoply of characters played by unfamiliar actors while reading subtitles (it’s in Indonesian) takes some work. And that’s not really where Evans’ strength lies.
“Raid 2” is best regarded as a series of epic set pieces, fights that could be labeled and promoted the way prize fights often are.
There’s the Slaughter in the Snow. Then, the Punchout in the Prison Yard, where convicts kick, chop and stab as they’re writhing in the mud of a torrential rain.
The Butchery in the Bar introduces the skills of an older shaggy and unkempt hitman (Yayan Ruhian) who must take on all comers once he’s outlived his usefulness. Ruhian is the fight choreographer for this picture, and the best things in it are to his credit.
Murder on the Metro involves the petite, hammer-wielding “Hammer Girl (Julie Estelle), a ballerina when it comes to hammer-blows.
And so on.
The brawls are always crowded, but always broken down to individual combat. None of the villains seem clever enough to figure out, “Let’s RUSH him.” Rare is the engagement where guns play a big part. Those usually turn up in the car chases — a couple of dazzling ones — where Rama dodges assassins with shotguns and the like.
Evans cuts the fights into visually striking blurs of sound and fury. And there are so many fights that he had a lot of practice editing them into coherent, heart-pounding engagements.
But there are too many. And everything between the brawls is dull exposition, older gangsters trying to keep the peace, cops straining to stay a step or two behind the mob and bungling their loose reins on their man inside the mob, and younger gangsters plotting to turn this Indonesian world upside down.
Anthony Burgess’ phrase, “the old ULTRA-violence,” from “A Clockwork Orange” comes to mind at about the tenth gory stabbing, grisly slashing or gruesome bludgeoning that Evans serves up here. This is eye-averting stuff for all but the most hardened and emotionally disconnected. It is explicit video-game style violence, with Rama enduring beatings and hammer blows and deep cuts and yet somehow, fresh enough to tackle the next Clash in the Kitchen or Taekwondo in the Taxi (a particularly inventive and memorable fight).
“The Raid” was a great action film in which the violence, excessive though it was, served as obstacles in the hero’s simple quest. In “Raid 2” the violence is the movie, its excess used to cover for an inept story, thinly-drawn characters and dead spots. Cut this by 45 minutes and it would be no less confusing, but at least it would be a movie with all “cool scenes,” gory as they are.

MPAA Rating: R for sequences of strong bloody violence throughout, sexuality and language
Cast: Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Alex Abbad,Yayan Ruhian     Yayan Ruhian,  Julie Estelle
Credits: Written and directed by Gareth Evans. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
Running time: 2:28

“Divergent” had a banner Saturday to go with a healthy Friday, and should come close to $56 million by midnight tonight (Sunday.).

The weekend’s biggest surprise might be “God’s Not Dead,” another indie Christian studio (FREE) release that opened mostly in the South, features “Duck Dynasty” appearances, and looks to pull in $8 million. That’s almost as much as Tyler Perry’s last movie.

“Muppets Most Wanted” had a weaker Saturday than expected and will be lucky to make it to $18 million for Disney. It’s a pity, but the disconnect between today’s kids and those puppets is huge.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” did another $6-7, and is in the top ten, still. “Veronica Mars” isn’t. Both expanded their release this weekend, “Mars” is now up to $2.7 million, according to deadline.com. Hardly worth releasing it into theaters.

Hand it to Summit. Te “Twilight” co., which cranked up “Hunger Games” as it was swallowed by Lionsgate, knows its demographic.

Teenage girls are buying everybody in the office Bentleys. Again.

“Divergent,” which critics panned and felt like a soft pitch for a blockbuster a month ago, is now the latest smash to come out of the teen screen factory. It’s hitting the high end of predictions for its take this weekend, based on huge Friday numbers – $55 million or so.

When you think of how many franchises aimed at that demo have been tried, from “Golden Compass” to “Ender’s Game,” “Percy Jackson” to you name it, Summit’s ability to get a good director to make a plausible, workable picture out of a cut-and-paste formula book, well, that’s impressive. If I ran Sony or Fox or Paramount, I’d be all over Summit, trying to hire away the execs who keep making money out of dross like this.

But the biggest upside has to be audiences discovering the wonders of Shailene Woodley. I have interviewed her a few times, based  on her work in “The Descendents,” “The Spectacular Now” and “Divergent.” She’s the real deal, and to me, a more empathetic actress that Jennifer Lawrence. And now she’s going to be world famous and get the A picture offers. Here’s my latest chat with her re: “Divergent.”

“Muppets Most Wanted” is living down to the low end of expectations — $19 million. Reminds me of an interview I had with Frank Oz a few years back when he directed the Brit version of “Death at a Funeral.” I had kids and we were looking at the latest DVD re-issue of “The Muppet Show” and I asked Oz why the Muppets have endured.

“Have they? I don’t know. I doubt it.” Kids, far removed from the vaudeville-ish buffoonery of the TV series, disconnected from movies and with way more choices than just “Sesame Street” weren’t an automatic audience for this rebooted franchise. Their parents will dig the new film, but kids aren’t demanding to see it. Jim Henson is long dead and gone, and the charm has kind of worn off the puppets. It’s a shame, but there it is. They spent a lot of money on this, not comic book effects picture money, but I don’t see another film coming out of the Muppets any time soon

The studio releasing “God’s Not Dead” didn’t want their picture reviewed, just unleashed on the public. It’s doing quite well on 700 or so screens. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” opens much wider this weekend, and isn’t improving its numbers that much, which backs up the strategy of platform release for Wes Anderson pictures. No point in sending it out everywhere at once. The top end isn’t that promising.

That’s what the prognosticators says. The latest femme-friendly YA (young adult) action film in the “Hunger Games” mold will do do Katniss-sized business, at least on its opening weekend.

“Divergent” is a pre-ordained franchise. There appears to be nothing in the studio’s playbook that says it will fail, so they’re already prepared to to do the other films in the series — “Insurgent,” “Indulgent,” “Indifferent,” I forget the titles.

Box Office Mojo says “Divergent” will skip past weak reviews and do a boffo $53 million or so this weekend — 3D, lots of screens, spring break for a lot of the 12-18 year old girl target audience.

Box Office Guru agrees — well over $50 million.

The Hollywood Reporter figures those numbers are low. High interest, lots of hype, new book series (apparently commissioned to be a formula cut and paste job JUST like “Hunger Games”), THR says $60 million by midnight Sunday.

I am wondering if those numbers, tracking and research based, aren’t high. Reviews and Katniss loyalty could tamp down interest, big time. “The Host” and other pretenders to this audience bombed. I’m thinking below $40.

Nobody is thinking “Muppets Most Wanted”, funny as it is, with much better reviews, will connect with kids too young to have any memories of anything older than the last film in this series. Will it clear $20? Mojo thinks “no.” Mid-20s guesses “Guru.” I think low $20s.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” opens wider this weekend, so expect it to bump further up the top ten ladder. Maybe. There’s a crowded top ten ahead of it, and last weekend’s movies will slide, but not all the way out of the list.

Before you go popping off here, all snarky and such, quick question — Have you seen “The Frozen Ground”? How about “Joe,” his latest?

He wasn’t bad in “Bad Lieutenant”, was he? And he killed in “Kick-Ass.”

So none of this generic “seen him, hated that” stuff about Nicolas Cage. He’s doing some good work. He just turned 50, and perhaps his darkest decade, full of bad thrillers, bad sci-fi and bad comic book films may be behind him.

Is he in Russell Crowe/Mel Gibson/Kevin Costner territory, a guy the audience has tuned out? If so, they’re missing out. He’s still one of the most interesting leading men in the movies. And “Joe” is one of those Southern Gothic re-inventions, a “Mud” or “Shotgun Stories” from the director who made “Undertow” and “Prince Avalanche.”

Dark, primal, very Southern.

Questions for Nicolas Cage? Serious questions? Comment below, and thanks.

“Muppets Most Wanted” is funnier than the last Muppets movie, with far better songs (by Bret McKenzie), punnier puns and all manner of geo-political gags, cultural wisecracks and star cameos.
Sure, you can take the kids. But will they get the Swedish Chef in a remake of Ingmar Bergman film “The Seventh Seal” joke? Will they know who Celine Dion is, and why Miss Piggy wanting to sing a duet with her is funny?
And clocking in at a kid patience-testing 1:52, you have to wonder if Disney doesn’t realize, after the 2011 Muppet revival, that it’s making these films not for children, but for the people who loved the TV show back when Liberace and Liza Minnelli were guest starring with Jim Henson & Co. Lady Gaga and Usher may need no 10-and-under introduction. But Salma Hayek, Josh Groban, Ray Liotta, Saoirse Ronan, Danny Trejo, “Thor” villain Tom Hiddleston (in light red hair), Tony Bennett and Frank Langella? They’re going to give grown-ups a giggle.
Kermit and the Muppets have barely reunited as a group when a predatory manager (Ricky Gervais) lures them into a world tour with promises of sold-out shows and worldwide Muppet adoration. But the tour is basically a plot by Dominic Badguy (“It’s pronounced ‘Bad-gee.’ It’s French.”) to put a criminal mastermind and Kermit look-alike in charge of The Muppet Show.
Constantine, “the world’s most dangerous frog,” breaks out of a Russian gulag, covers his facial mole in green makeup and tries to twist his Russian accent into Kermit speech to make the switcheroo work. Somehow, almost everybody is fooled, even the insistently lovesick Miss Piggy.
“Peeg, vas I wearink sign dot sez BOTHER ME?”
Constantine and Badguy schedule Muppet shows in Berlin, Madrid and Dublin in an effort to rob next-door museums. And with the villains indulging every lunatic vanity project of every lunatic in the company — Piggy’s Celine songs, Gonzo’s “indoor running of the bulls” and the like — nobody’s the wiser. Interpol’s silliest Frenchman (Ty Burrell of “Modern Family”) and the CIA’s Sam the Eagle are slow to catch on as well.
Meanwhile, Kermit’s the one dragged back to the Gulag,where fellow inmates Ray Liotta, Jemaine Clement and Danny Trejo accept him as their murderous leader — sort of. And camp commandant Nadya (Tina Fey, terrific) puts him to work casting and planning the prison’s musical revue.
The production numbers are epic — from the “everybody knows a sequel is never quite as good” opener, to a Gervais duet with Constantine, Miss Piggy sharing a song with her idol Celine and Tina Fey’s ’60s girl group style prison show stopper, “Big House.”
The Boris & Natasha accents that Fey and the hilarious Clement (“Dinner for Schmucks,” TV’s “Flight of the Conchords”) sling are just hilarious, as is much of what pops up here.

The new voices don’t quite match your memories of the original cast, a good reason to keep Kermit off camera for much of the film. And “Most Wanted is entirely too long, which puts a strain on the slight sight gags (Towering Ty Burrell and Sam the Eagle stuffed into a tiny Interpol police car) and time-worn puns.
There’s a Pixar “Monster’s University” short, “Party Central,” that has about as many laughs as last summer’s feature length snoozer, to make the trip to the cinemas even longer.
But “Most Wanted” is amusing enough to make you think, “So what if the kids don’t dig it? Hire a sitter!” This is what PG comedy was meant to be, with the giggles mixed with the groans, something only “Macarena” dancing Muppets can deliver.
　
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild action
Cast: The Muppets, with Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Jemaine Clement, Celine Dion, Ray Liotta
Credits: Directed by James Bobin, written by James Bobin and Nicholas Stoller. A Walt Disney release.
Running time: 1:52