Theatrical Releases: Monsters University & World War Z

June 21, 2013 / Leave a Comment

WORLD WAR Z || June 21st, 2013

	As far as underdog tales go, “Monsters University” lands above average, with no huge laughs, but plenty of chuckles throughout, matching the tone and emotion of “Monsters Inc”. The voice acting is impeccable, with John Goodman remaining one of the best voice actors of all time. Piling on a few too many characters and not reaching the creativity of the original, the film falls a bit flat in certain areas, but combines enough premises in one film to keep things interesting along the way.
	“World War Z” reaches beyond the run-of-the-mill Hollywood blockbuster and delivers a smart, thrilling, and often impressive zombie film. Lead by Brad Pitt in one of his most genuine performances yet, the progression of the plot in this loose adaptation of Max Brooks’ novel of the same title, benefits all the characters involved, getting the most out of each performance and breaking stereotypical roles. With an entertaining and often horror-based feel, this film, at almost two hours, is over before you know it, where it easily could have been three hours and would have still kept my attention.

	“Alien Uprising” looks more like an episode of “Falling Skies” than it does a feature film. With no real stars and questionable graphics, it seems the coolest thing about this film is its poster.	PASS
	James Marsden as a father and Claire Danes as a mother? With “As Cool As I Am” I am brought to a glimpse of what getting old will be like, seeing the actors and actresses that you grew up with becoming the adult characters. Although there’s a lot of melodrama happening in this trailer, there’s also enough star power to peak my interest, along with some mature and deep-seeded emotions.	25% MAYBE
	As foreign thrillers come, “The Attack” looks taut and emotional, but I’m afraid that’s where it stops for me.	PASS
	When a trailer for a film is ambiguous, it means one of two things: 1) there’s not much there and this is the best they could muster up or 2) there’s something good here and they don’t want to give it away. As far as star power, Julia Stiles is on the fence as far as becoming a great actress, but Melissa George and Taye Diggs are good-looking enough to warrant a viewing at some point just to see what this film actually is.	25% MAYBE
	There’s something about Heather Graham that attracts me to her films. Now, the obvious answer is her physique, but there’s something more there that I’ve been drawn to since “Boogie Nights”. She’s sexy, fun, and can convey deep emotion. “Compulsion” looks to be a dark comedy of sorts with what could be a Hannibal twist. But Heather Graham is eye catching enough to get me intrigued in this.	RENTAL
	I remember the beginning of Napster. I remember downloading my first song and remember the emotion that came with having any song you could think of at your fingertips. But I never knew the story, or vaguely heard news clippings on the subject, so having a documentary spanning the rise and fall of the music sharing company is phenomenal.	RENTAL
	There’s parts of “The Haunting of Helena” that look like they could be enjoyable, like the scene where the teeth fall from the ceiling on a little girl cowering under a table and the dress dragging blood in the hallway. But horror films can be all over the place and this one does not look strong at all.	25% MAYBE
	“A Hijacking” could have best foreign film potential at next year’s Academy Awards, with emotional realism, but this comes off much too like “Captain Phillips” with Tom Hanks, and that looks so much better. However, the wheels are in motion for this to represent Denmark at the Oscars if it holds steam and continues on with its 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.	PASS
	Reminiscent of the film “Gossip” in which a game between friends turns sinister, “Liars All” takes truth or dare to an entirely new level and feels like a thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. The seduction and sex in the trailer also does a nice job of selling this film and is ultimately what sets this film apart.	75% MOST LIKELY
	Despite not being a huge fan of the first person viewpoint of the film, this being a horror film, I am already on board. Having Elijah Wood play a serial killer is interesting casting for “Maniac” and even though I feel like this film could get old somewhat fast, I am still willing to give this a shot.	75% MOST LIKELY
	As interesting a premise of a woman stealing someone’s identity to accept the money from an old deceased man’s will, “Rushlights” is lacking any sort of hook to get your excited. None of the actors really hold any weight and the second half of the trailer takes the film on a complete tonal shift.	PASS
	Unsure where the title is coming from, “Somm” is about an elite group that knows all there is to know about the world of wine and that are then welcomed into some high end wine club. Were I more of a wine connoisseur, “Somm” would interest me a lot more than it actually does.	PASS
	So you advertise Toni Collette as the narrator of the film, but then don’t have her narrating the trailer? What exactly is going on there? Not to mention the film being titled “Storm Surfers” and 9 out of 10 of the surfing clips in the trailer are people falling down, who do not appear very good at surfing at all. I would assume the waves will look amazing in 3D but since I hate 3D, there’s nothing for me here.	PASS