Shrink (2009)

Directed by Jonas Pate
Written by Thomas Moffett, based on the story by Henry Reardon
Starring Kevin Spacey, Mark Webber, Keke Palmer and Dallas Roberts

Unable to cope with a recent personal tragedy, LA's top celebrity shrink turns into a pothead with no concern for his appearance and a creeping sense of his inability to help his patients.

A humorous, yet dark mosaic of the protagonists patients' lives, this film does a great job of bringing out the comedy in tragedy. The lives of the characters are all connected through mutual loss, drug addiction and depression, yet somehow find themselves amidst the chaos.

Kevin Spacey is fantastic, as has come to be expected from the two-time Academy Award Winner. He continues to prove himself as an actor that makes other actors better. That fact is most apparent in the scenes he shares with Keke Palmer.

I wouldn't go far to say that the young actress isn't talented. I would just leave it at her inexperience. Before this film, she had yet to impress me. And even as the troubled student aspiring to become a filmmaker, she never wowed. But it was definitely an improvement from other roles.

With a very basic and overdone plot, this movie won't stick out above many others. It is relatively formulaic and easy to predict. But it is definitely not a waste of two hours. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's entertaining. And in the end, that's all you really need from a movie.

My Rating 6.5/10

Movie Trailer Tuesday - 4/14/15

Aloft
Directed by Claudia Llosa
Starring Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy, Mélanie Laurent and Oona Chaplin
A struggling mother encounters the son she abandoned 20 years earlier.

I love this trailer. It plays like a beautiful montage with the poetic dialogue overlaying the incredibly soundtrack. While this movie definitely intrigues me, the ratings have been hit or miss. Maybe this will be one of those movies that half of the audience hates and the other half loves. "Aloft" does not have an expanded release date yet. But it does hit the Tribeca Film Festival on April 24th.



Survivor
Directed by James McTeigue
Starring Milla Jovovich, Pierce Brosnan, Emma Thompson and Dylan McDermott
A Foreign Service Officer in London tries to prevent a terrorist attack set to hit New York, but is forced to go on the run when she is framed for crimes she did not commit.

This just seems to be a standard action movie. It'll probably be fun, but without much substance. I am excited that "V for Vendetta" director, James McTeigue is taking the wheel with this though. It'll be a fun show at the movies. "Survivor" hits theaters May 29th.



Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Starring Olivia Cooke, Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler and Nick Offerman
A teenage filmmaker befriends a classmate with cancer and sets off to make a film for her.

My God this looks fantastic. It's like "Fault in Our Stars" but with normal kids rather than annoying pretentious teenagers. I feel the filmmaking aspect of it is going to bring a lot of nostalgia for me. I'm looking forward seeing this on June 12th.



Terminator Genisys
Directed by Alan Taylor
Starring Arnold Schwartzenegger, Jai Courtney, Emilia Clarke and Jason Clarke
After finding himself in a new time-line, Kyle Reese teams up with John Connor's mother Sarah and an aging terminator to try and stop the one thing that the future fears, "Judgement Day".

HOLY FRICKIN' SPOILER BATMAN! Well, they just got rid of any emotional impact of finding out that John Connor has been turned into a Terminator. What I don't understand is why did they feel the need to expand on what the plot was? It's Terminator! People will see it regardless of what the plot is. And now they ruined the shock of finding out what's going on. "Terminator Genisys" hits theaters July 1st.



Ant-Man
Directed by Peyton Reed
Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Hayley Atwell
Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Ugh… All these movies are beginning to look exactly the same. They feel so formulaic. Don't get me wrong. I'll see it! But I won't be waiting for this one. It's just beginning to feel like I've seen the same movie 1,000 times. "Ant-Man" hits theaters July 17th.

Tune in next Tuesday for more trailers! If you have any suggestions for movies or even trailers to cover in next weeks installment, comment or message me on Facebook at:

www.Facebook.com/MDCHicks

or follow me on twitter

@MichaelDCHicks

Disney and It's Fall from Grace

The following statement might cause me to lose a lot of things. It will certainly cause me to lose some friends. It may cause me to lose my family. But it will not cause me to lose my dignity. When you have something to say, it is more harmful to keep it inside and regret never saying it than it is just to blurt it out and deal with the repercussions. So here it goes…

I don't love Disney.

OH, SHIT!

Hear me out, Flynn and Pascal!

I don't HATE Disney. They have made some fantastic movies-- Movies I grew up with! I will always love "The Lion King", "Beauty and the Beast", "Peter Pan" and many others. But I've grown skeptical of everything they make now. They used to be groundbreaking! They used to take risks! They used to make Hollywood better! But not anymore.

With the purchase of Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar and several other big-name companies in the film industry, it would be foolish to think that Disney doesn't run the majority of film making in the United States. Hell, they're the Alexander the Great of movie studios. It's only a matter of time before they own damn near everything.

But that's not why I've lost faith in them. I couldn't care less if they owned everything in Hollywood. My problem with them is that they've lost their creative touch. And very few people have noticed, because in their eyes, as long as there is still an over-crowded amusement park in two of the hottest, uncomfortable locations in the United States that they can walk around from ride to ride and wait in line for two hours for a two minute attraction and use the excuse that they're on vacation to completely forget their manners and be rude to one another, they don't care.

Not Pictured: Countless trampled bodies and a flood of children's tears.

When I say they have lost their creative touch, I mean that they have become too safe. They only care about films that will make money, rather than creating great content that will become classics. They're making a "Toy Story 4" for crepe's sake (yes, crepe was intentional)! IS NOTHING SACRED?!

Name the last, truly mind blowing movie that Disney has made. One that A) Was not a sequel or spin-off, and B) A movie you will not forget for years to come. If you said "Frozen", you're wrong and I will get to why later. If you answered "Up", you are correct!

"Up" was the last film Disney made to take risks. It tackled very sensitive topics such as love, infertility,  grief, death, aging, mortality, eviction and the sadness that comes with being forced into a retirement home. And that was just the first ten minutes!

Sure, 2009 really wasn't that long ago. But when you release as many films per year as Disney does, you have to wonder when they'll start making good ones again. They have become too soft. I thought they would redeem themselves with "Maleficent", but that just became another example of how they are too afraid to take risks anymore.

The riskiest moves they made in this movie were her cheek bones.

They took what is debatably, yet still widely considered Disney's best villain and made her into a hero! I get what they were trying to do with the whole change of perspective thing. But in "Sleeping Beauty", Maleficent was unequivocally evil. You essentially took a villain that people loved to loathe and made her into an allegory as to why we shouldn't be so quick to judge Hitler.

OK, I realize that's a bit of a stretch. But come on! You can make a movie about a villain and still humanize them! They did it with Hitler after all! I'm sorry I keep bringing up Hitler, but it's just so easy.

This was lazy, simple storytelling designed to look deep and thought provoking. But really, it's just showing kids that that guy who is offering them candy to get into their van may have just had his wings stolen by your Dad and just wants to get them back.

Speaking of films designed to seem like something their not:

"Frozen", the film that kids love and parents used to love but now hate. When it first came out, everyone talked about how empowering it was to women. How Elsa just wanted to be who she was and Anna, through terribly written lyrics found out she doesn't need a man to help her with anything…

Except she definitely does.

Anna was getting nowhere until Kristoff came by to save the day. Then Disney did what they do best, and had two people who barely know each other fall in love… AFTER THEY JUST MADE FUN OF THEMSELVES FOR ALWAYS DOING THAT A FEW MINUTES PRIOR!

How am I the only one to see the hypocrisy in that? They essentially promised us they were going to break from their normal plot formula and then proceeded to use their normal plot formula. HOW IS THIS NOT INFURIATING PEOPLE!? It's essentially calling out it's audience for being too dumb to realize what's going on. And apparently, they're right. So more power to them I guess.

Of course, this whole article is subjective. These are just the ramblings of someone who watches a lot of movies and is tired of seeing the same movie over and over again with different titles. But more than that, I'm upset that Disney has become too safe for their own good.

They used to have amazing, heart wrenching death scenes of major characters.

They used to talk about life.

They used to teach us important lessons.

And they used to give us hope.

I know it comes off as if I'm saying you can't love these movies and you can't blindly love Disney. If that makes you happy and these movies bring you joy, that's great. I only write these incoherent rantings because I have noticed a change in the way Disney makes movies.

Disney has straight up told Pixar they need to make more sequels than they do original, stand-alone films. I understand why they did it. But I just can't stand it. There was a time when Disney sequels were straight-to-DVD side projects. And I miss those days.

Since 2009,  there are only four worth while movies created by Disney. You'd think that almost one a year is great until I tell you that they have made 65 movies since then. Disney has really fallen from grace.

But that's just my opinion… Perhaps my memory of Disney as a child overshadows the reality of it's mediocrity.

I do have high hopes for "Inside Out", though!

Movie Trailer Tuesdays - 3/24/15

Welcome back to Movie Trailer Tuesdays! This week, we bring back memories of trying to get the high score at the arcade so you could make your initials "A-S-S", I talk about my confusion of the story choice for the third installment of "Insidious", and we look at just how ridiculous "Mission: Impossible 5" looks. Here we go!

Pixels

Directed by Chris Columbus

Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad

When aliens misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, they attack Earth in the form of video games…

I'd be lying if I didn't say I think this looks awesome. It looks utterly ridiculous and filled with nostalgia. There is a 95% that this will be terrible, but screw it. I'll get excited for this one! I haven't been disappointed by a movie in a long time and I'm over due for one. "Pixels" hits theaters July 24th.

Man Up

Directed by Ben Palmer

Starring Lake Bell, Simon Pegg, Olivia Williams and Rory Kinnear

A woman who is mistaken for a stranger's blind date, goes along with the misunderstanding thinking it'd be harmless. But she finds herself caught up in the perfect relationship based on a lie.

If Simon Pegg made a movie in which he painted a room white with three coats over the span of an hour and a half, I would see it. He probably brings the most humanity to his style of comedy out of any actor I'm familiar with. So, I would see this for him alone. Lake Bell is just a plus. Even if she is doing a weird British accent (weird for her at least). "Man Up" will be at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19th. No release date has been set for the U.S.

Insidious: Chapter 3

Directed by Leigh Whannell

Starring Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson and Leigh Whannell

A prequel set before the haunting go the Lambet family that reveals how gifted psychic, Elise Rainier, reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead, in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.

This looks cool and all, but what happened to the family at the end of the second one? Where Specs and Tucker visit that hispanic family, and Elise Rainier (as a ghost) sees something in the shadows of the corner? That is what really intrigued me about a third installation. But now, they;re going back to before the first movie? I wanted the story they teased at the end of the last one. Oh, well… Maybe that'll be Chapter 4. "Insidious: Chapter 3" hits theaters June 5th.

Broken Horses

Directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Starring Anton Yelchin, Chris Marquette, Vincent D'Onofrio and María Valverde

The bonds of Brotherhood, the laws of loyalty, and the futility of violence in the shadows of the US-Mexico border gang wars.

This definitely looks intriguing, but I can't say I'm impressed with the trailer. It doesn't help that it opens with James Cameron telling us to go see the movie. and I also feel it tells too much. But who knows. Perhaps this is just the tip of the iceberg. "Broken Horses" hits theaters April 10th.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Alec Baldwin

Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate - an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying IMF.

"Hey! I have an idea for a 'Mission: Impossible 5'"

"We can't make another, Tom! How are we gonna top having you swing from a rope on the Burj Khalifa? It's the tallest building in the world!"

"Well, what if I and holding onto a plane… while it's flying!"

That's how I imagine the pre-production meeting for this movie went. And I'm not mad. This movie looks fun as hell and I am looking forward to seeing it. "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" hits theaters July 31st.

Thanks for checking out this weeks trailers. Be sure to come back next week when we'll have more. In the mean time, check out some of my reviews. You might find a movie you have never heard of before.

Movie Trailer Tuesdays 2/24/15

The Gunman
Directed by Pierre Morel
Starring Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, Idris Elba and Ray Winstone
A former Special Forces soldier and military contractor suffering from PTSD tries to reconnect with his long time love. But first, he must go on the run from London to Barcelona and across Europe in order to clear his name.

To me, this just looks like another "Taken". I'm not sure I feel about it. It's got great actors and it looks action packed. But the story seems tired. Perhaps this one will surprise me, but I'm not going to get excited about it. In theaters March 20th.


Kill Me Three Times
Directed by Kriv Stenders
Starring Simon Pegg, Teresa Palmer, Sullivan Stapleton and Alice Braga
Professional hit-man Charlie Wolfe finds himself in three tales of murder, blackmail and revenge after a botched contract assignment.

This one could go either way. On the one hand, I love Simon Pegg. On the other, all of the gags and jokes in the trailer have been done and overdone. I have faith that Pegg could bring his A-game and make this a decent movie, but only time will tell. In theaters April 10th.

Unfriended

Directed by Levan Gabriadze

Starring Matthew Bohrer, Courtney Halverson, Shelley Hennig and Will Peltz

A group of online chat room friends find themselves haunted by a mysterious, supernatural force using the account of their dead friend.

So this is it… The end of movies… This is an all new low. At least movies like "Paranormal Activity" and "The Blair Witch Project" actually try. This is just lazy. Not to mention, that shot of whats her face shooting herself, that is a technique that would only be used in bad movies. This just looks terrible. Don't get me wrong, I'll still see it. I see everything. Except the movie that shall not be named. This hits theaters April 17th.

In the Hear of the Sea

Directed by Ron Howard

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw and Brendan Gleeson

The story that inspired Herman Melville to write "Moby Dick", this movie tells the story of the Whale ship Essex. The ship was destroyed by sperm whale and stranded many of it's crew in the ocean. The crew, all in separate life boats, drifted apart. Some resulted to cannibalism, others found land. But they were call changed by the event.

Initially set to be released in March 13th, the release date has been pushed to December. This could either be good or bad. It already had a PG-13 rating, so unless they plan to re-edit it or do re-shoots, I don't think it's to have more time to complete it. What I'm hoping is that they pushed it back to give it a better chance in next years Award season. Meaning they think it's good enough to contend. I have been waiting for this movie since October, and while I'm upset it was pushed back, I'm hoping it was for the latter reason and we have a truly fantastic movie on our hands. In theaters December 11th.

Faults

Directed by Riley Stearns

Starring Leland Orser, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lance Reddick and Jon Gries

Claire is under the grip of a mysterious new cult called Faults. Desperate to be reunited with their daughter, Claire's parents recruit one of the world's foremost experts on mind control, Ansel Roth.

The trailer makes it seem like a dark comedy in the likes of the Coen Brothers (Yes, I stole that from one of the title cards). If that is the case, that is fantastic news. This looks very interesting and has a ton of great actors in it. It definitely seems like it's going to be weird, but what good is a movie if it isn't weird at all? This hits theaters March 6th.

Come back next week for more trailers!

The History of Film Part 1: Sallie Gardner at a Gallop

Movies and cinema are relatively new invention in contrast to the length of human existence on Earth. It is so new in fact, that there are some people still living that are older than motion pictures, or at the very least the wide distribution of it. Movies didn't begin to gain popularity until the early 1900s due to limited technology. So the chances that one of the oldest people living remembers a time when displaying 23.97 sequential pictures a second seemed like magic are pretty high.

With every invention, there is a beginning. Of course the very beginning of cinema is the photograph, there is another event in history that paved the way for all the films, directors and actors we all know and love today. And we have a horse to thank for it. A horse named Sallie Gardner.

"Aw, shucks!"

It all started with a question. While at a gallop, is there ever a moment where a horse as all four hooves off of the ground? While this may seem like a stupid question now, you have to remember the time period.

In 1878, Leland Stanford, and American tycoon and eventual Senator for California own a farm where he bred and trained race horses. While trying to improve the performance of his horses he became interested in his horses gait action. When the horses galloped, their movements were to quick to determine if there was ever a moment where the momentum kept the horse airborne. Even if just for a fraction of a second.

He financed a science project to determine the answer and he commissioned photographer Eadweard Muybridge (Because his birth name Edward Muggeridge just wasn't complicated enough). Together, they set up a series of 24 cameras, each with their own trip wire that would be triggered by the horses legs. The result of which were a series of pictures that gave them their answer.

Sallie Gardner at a Gallop

 The First Motion Picture,  June 15, 1878

After some time and examination, Muybridge first projected the images in quick succession during a presentation at the California School of Fine Arts in 1880, becoming the first ever exhibition of a motion picture ever. Could you just imagine how mind blowing that must have been to experience?

Let's just hope no one in the lecture was on 'shrooms, for their sake.

Muybridge eventually met with Thomas Edison (presumably in between schemes to screw people over) ,who later went on to develop the kinetoscope. The precursor to the modern movie camera. And thus, motion pictures were born.

Just think, this was a time when people barely knew what a photograph was. And the one who did know were still in awe of the new invention. The excitement one must have felt when seeing a moving picture for the first time, as an adult who could understand the scale of it's significance must have been overpowering. 

I only wish we still lived in a world where new inventions had more of an emotional impact. An impact past the "oh, that's pretty cool" feeling that is all I can seem to muster with each new invention. How amazing that would have been,