The Hangover Part III 2013 * * * Stars

Director: Todd Phillips

Year: 2013
Rated: R

Rating: * * * Stars

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong

Well I guess it's official, I'm eating my words as we speak. Yeah, I'm the guy who doesn't like sequels and yet here I am giving positive ratings to Star Trek Into Darkness and now The Hangover Part III. It's scary to think of what I might do next. If the new Fast and the Furious movie impresses me, I guess I'll just skip reviewing it and go straight into denial. But seriously folks, I went into the new Hangover with really low expectations. We're talking bottom feeder if you know what I mean. So from now on I think that's the key. I'm going to take this approach with every film I see. That way I'll stroll out of the theater as a movie critic that raves about everything and comes off as not so darn grumpy. Whoa, forget what I just said. I was merely kidding people!

Anyway, here's what occurs in part III. At the very beginning, we find mentally unstable "wolfpack" member Alan (Zach Galifianakis getting the most exposure he's had in any of the Hangover films) buying a giraffe, putting it in the back of his truck, and killing it on the freeway (I'm thinking you know how it happened). Upon doing this, he irritates his family and draws concern from the other "wolfpack" members (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha). Everyone but Alan, stages an intervention on his behalf to get him to a treatment center somewhere in Arizona. He'll agree to go if his three buds will drive him there. As the four of them set out on a moderately short road trip, their car is rammed off the road, they are dragged out of it (held at gunpoint mind you), and one of the crew (Bartha of course) is taken hostage. This sets off a chain of events which leads everybody to venture back to good old Sin City.

Well let's get down to it. Right off the bat I want to let you know why I liked The Hangover Part III. I enjoyed it for the exact reason that some critics panned it. This flick doesn't try to be like the other two in the trilogy. In fact, it feels like a totally different animal all together. Yes there is a dash of the funny (something part I did effortlessly and part II attempted miserably), but there's also a hint of darkness that comes close to turning everything into a sort of black comedy with shards of mild violence. For me, this is an effective way to wraps things up (unless there is a part IV of course). You can tell that the director (Todd Phillips) wanted to avoid copping out and injected part III with a little more juice (this is the other reason I liked it and most critics didn't. They think Phillips went way over the top or felt he had to prove something). He did the film justice by avoiding the same tired plot line (everyone gets smashed and wakes up not knowing what the heck just happened) while making an effort to tie together loose ends from the other two movies (by way of flashbacks). This is done to effect in the first 15 minutes and it sets everything in motion.

The actors then promptly assume their personalities from the first two installments. Doug Billings who's never around for the debauchery, plays the happily married nice guy. Alan, plays the screw loose, borderline mental patient who nonchalantly goes about his business. Phil, is the smug, unhappily married school teacher who is calm under pressure, and Stu is the manic anxiety ridden dentist who thinks all hope is gone. Together they fit their roles like comfortable old shoes. Overall their performances are manically unhinged. You get what's required of them coupled with a fresher more potently nasty script this time around (part II's had lazy written all over it).

As far as supporting work goes, I thought John Goodman (gangster Marshall) was a nice little addition to the Hangover family (he riffs off his Big Lebowski character but just not quite as intense). I also like the addition of a love interest for Alan (someone besides man crush Phil) in Melissa McCarthy. She seems to make a cameo in everything these days and certainly is a hoot as a pawn shop owner who candidly berates her wheelchair confined mother.

The only setback for this Hangover is the blatant deviation from the focus of the four stars of the movie (the infamous "wolfpack"). This exercise is bent on giving two supporting characters their own vehicle (Ken Jeong as Mr. Chow and Galifianakis). True these guys are funny and steal many a scene, but the other members of the cast don't get a lot of room to breathe. They get kind of pushed to the side and become sort of frowned upon (Bradley Cooper recently got nominated for an Oscar, give him some props for gosh sakes). And what's with always having Justin Bartha's character not present with the other members of the "pack" when the madness of their misadventures is going down. It seems predetermined and silly. What, is he not good enough an actor to occupy some precious screen time with his buddies (Bartha was in the colossal flop Gigli (2003) so maybe that's it, who knows).

When it all comes down to it, I found myself at ease with the way part III whisked by. It's darker than the first one, funnier than the second one, and more daring than both of them. I laughed, I winced, and felt confident in recommending this hot mess of a movie. It's a sequel all right, but it tries really hard not to be one. I admire that. With nothing to lose, you should go check out The Hangover part III. It's a solid time killer and a required "hair of the dog" if you will.

Written by Jesse Burleson

The Place Beyond the Pines 2012 * * 1/2 Stars

Director:  Derek Cianfrance
Year: 2012
Rated R
Rating: * * 1/2 Stars
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes

As I viewed the first frame of director Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond the Pines, I witnessed star Ryan Gosling fiddling about with a switchblade before leaving his dressing room. The camera then tracks him to a state fair circus area where he proceeds to do some daredevil stunt work. I'm not gonna lie. Within the first five minutes, I was pumped to see the rest of this movie. Gosling portrays motorcycle outlaw Luke Glanton and his screen presence is fiercely intimidating. Resembling a young Steve McQueen (not in looks but in stature) and having his own signature "movie walk" (it's the same in everything he's in especially Drive), he has the gift of being a great actor while relying on the most minimal amount of dialogue (I'm not sure if I'm right, but I think it's in his contract to be followed with the camera from his backside and not his front side). In "Pines," which is a long, winding film that drifts about into uncharted territory once too often, Gosling's Glanton is only featured in the first half (he inhabits about an hour of screen time). You follow his character  hoping that he finds peace of mind with his life choices. Alas, when he leaves the proceedings, the director asks us, the audience, to latch onto another character and then another (each with their own hidden agendas). So here's the gist of it: when watching The Place Beyond the Pines, you begin to realize that this is the movie equivalent of getting in a car, driving to an unknown destination, realizing that you're thousands of miles away, and stopping in the middle of nowhere. Two hours and twenty minutes after viewing it, I figured I was on some kind of meaningless journey (to where I have no clue) instead of fully immersed in an actual, relevant cinematic experience. "Pines" doesn't make much of a point and offers no real significance when it comes to its plot descriptions. The fact that it's well directed (lots of tracking shots and some hand held camera stuff), ardently scripted, and evenly scored only frustrates me even more as to the fact that I just can't recommend it.

Presenting itself as a three part character study and taking place in two fairly different time periods, "Pines" takes a gander at motorcycle stuntman turned bank robber Luke Glanton. He ditches touring around the state of New York to stay in town and befriend an old flame (he robs banks for extra money to support a one year old child he didn't even know about). Then there is police officer Avery Cross (played by Bradley Cooper) who while only a year on the job and in the line of duty, gets shot in the leg and winds up being a hero (he apprehends Glanton). Fast forward 15 year later, and we get a troubled boy (Glanton's grown up son) who searches for any information on the father he never had by resorting to a violent act of kidnapping.  All of these characters have serious moral dilemmas. They're all connected in some way either by blood or simple coincidence, and their lives intersect for minutes at a time. This is my biggest complaint with "Pines." The film plays like three different stories that all have deadening, superficial loose ends. We are not given a chance to think about and decipher each character because the plot already leads us into the trials and tribulations of another. Like I said earlier, this flick is a journey that leads to nowhere. The fact that it's well done only leads to my continued frustration with it.

In hindsight though, The Place Beyond the Pines is a film of utmost originality. If I'm not mistaken, it is cut completely from original cloth (its not based on a story, a book, or true events). But it was difficult for me to decide on who to root for, who to reason with, and who to feel sorry for when it came to the actions of the dissuaded players in the cast. One cast member in particular who had an interesting character motivation, was Luke's friend Robin Van Der Zee (played by Ben Mendelsohn). He persuaded Luke to do the robberies and then cut him off by eventually not helping him escape. Then when Luke's son comes knocking on the door 15 years later, Robin tells him what a great guy Luke was and what an amazing motorcycle rider he became. I don't know about you but this seems pretty hypocritical to me.

Honestly, there are three questions you have to ask yourself when viewing this thing: is this film about Glanton's need to take care of his family (his young boy and his forgotten lover played by Eva Mendes) by committing multiple motorcycle robberies, is it about Cooper's character who works on a corrupt police force and wants to break free by becoming New York's youngest district attorney, or is it about Gosling's character's misguided, unloved son who resorts to stealing, kidnapping, and alleged drug dealing to get through the day? I wasn't sure and I couldn't make up my mind on who was the main focus. This is a vehicle that comes off as a set of ideas in search of a major voice. Cianfrance's earlier release, Blue Valentine at least had the audacity to keep the storytelling locked in one area and not have it break off into tangents like he does here. If you choose to see "Pines," see it for its whimsical pace (this film moves at a fast clip for having a 2 and a half hour running time), its decent performances and its raw like tone. Just know that it may leave you "beyond" cold in the end.

Written by Jesse Burleson

Silver Linings Playbook 2012 * * * 1/2 Stars

Director: David O. Russell
Year: 2012

Rated R

Rating:  * * * 1/2 Stars    Cole's Rating: * * * * Stars

Cast:  Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence

When you watch a David O. Russell film, you know what to expect. This is a good thing. He's a talented director who sticks to what he knows best. Rapid fire, whip smart dialogue, solid casting, and off the wall plot descriptions are Russell trademarks. If you've seen Three Kings (1999) and I Heart Huckabees (2004), you know what I'm talking about.  He gets the most out of his actors. It seems as though the camera is always peeking in on them.  Scenes in his movies get drawn out, taking to the extreme.  But I like it.  The rawness of Russell's film making fascinates me.

Up for multiple Oscars at last year's Academy Awards, we get "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012). This is Russell's ode to the city of Philadelphia. We get Bradley Cooper as Pat, a mental patient (former school teacher) who gets out of the hospital early and goes to live with his parents in the outskirts of Philly. His dad is Pat Sr. played by Robert De Niro.  Pat Sr. is a huge Eagles fan who has been kicked out of Lincoln Financial Field for getting into fights during the games. Then there's Pat's loving mother Delores played by Jackie Weaver. She goes to pick up Pat and his buddy (played by Chris Tucker) at the hospital with the help of the courts giving him permission to leave a little early. While trying to get his life back together (he lost his wife, his house, and his job), Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a young woman with similar pain in her life. The two meet and form a beautiful relationship.  Listen, I cant dive too much into the story so I'm just gonna say that the whole film comes down to a bet involving a dance contest and an Philadelphia Eagles/Dallas Cowboys game. 

Silver Linings Playbook is a feel good film with a few rough edges.  It shows that even though every family has problems and a certain level of dysfunctionality, they love each other regardless. I like the relationship and the dynamic between Copper's character and his parents.  I also adore Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany.  Almost every performance in this film is solid, but Lawrence just plain hits it out of the park. Somehow, she is able to out act De Niro, Weaver, and Cooper all in the same scene. In her early twenties, she's got one heck of a career ahead of her.  

All in all, Silver Linings Playbook is not a perfect film.  It leaves behind a couple of loose ends with the characters.  The Chris Tucker character and the brother of Cooper's character don't really have a lot to do.  You don't know what their motivation is because they fade in and out of the film. Then there is the script. Like I said, the acting is terrific, but you get the sense that the actors just run out of things to say so they improvise to the point where it's not needed. Yes, I do like Russell's style of directing, but this is what keeps "Sliver Linings Playbook" from being a bonified 4 star movie. However, when the film is over, you feel invigorated and it has the power to get someone to see it multiple times. That's why I'm recommended it highly. It reminded me of the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine.  That was a another feel good vehicle with similar themes and nuances.  

One thing to notice when watching Silver Linings Playbook, is why the heck does Bradley Cooper always wears a trash bag when he's running.  Oh, and be on the lookout for Jackie Weaver's varied facial expressions throughout the proceedings. Priceless.

Written by Jesse Burleson