Focus (2015)

Summary
Nicky Spurgeon is an extremely accomplished con man who takes an amateur con artist, Jess, under his wing. Nicky and Jess become romantically involved, and with Nicky's profession of being a liar and a cheater for a living, he realizes that deception and love are things that don't go together. They split, only to see each other three years later... And things get messy.

Genre : Crime/Drama
Country : USA/Argentina

Cast :
Will Smith : Nicky
Margot Robbie : Jess
Rodrigo Santoro : Garriga

Director : Glenn Ficcara,Rodrigo Santoro

My opinion   

"When you have their attention, you can take whatever you want.
You have to be safe."

"Focus" is a romantic crime movie in which the art of pickpocketing, manipulating and swindling is the point of focus (how appropriate). The end result isn't memorable cinema, but a typical popcorn movie with a scam duo fluttering around each other as lovestruck butterflies, playing a masterful game of seduction. Or is it also a con game? The whole film is a succession of ingenious orchestrated scams and ruses. Unfortunately, the ultimate scam is explained in detail very early in the film, so you can predict which direction its heading. Although, it's as entertaining as "Ocean's Eleven", filled with illusions as in "Now You See Me" and with a romantic storyline squirming itself through it.

It all starts in a restaurant in New York where Jess (Margot Robbie) tries to get rid of an annoying date by using Nicky (Will Smith) as a way out. What she doesn't realize is that Nicky is an experienced swindler who knows all the tricks of the trade and who recognized the subsequent attempt to defraud him immediately. Jess manages to become an apprentice of Nicky. Afterwards, they end up in New Orleans, the place to be at that time to steal as much generously stuffed wallets and other trinkets. Only Jess realizes too late that the personal world of Nicky is all about telling lies and cheating. And also that there's no place for romance in this life full of trickery. And certainly not, as his father taught him, with someone from the same milieu. 

 

After the appalling movie "After Earth", Will Smith is back to give shape to this crook (a kind of mature version of The Fresh Prince). Luckily he hasn't invited one of his offspring to participate in this stylish film with enchanting interiors, glitzy hotels, luxury clothes and haute-cuisine scenes (before you know it Jaden could appear in it, while wearing a skirt). And he's accompanied by the breathtaking and tantalizing Margot Robbie, who previously showed her sensuality in "The Wolf of Wall Street". And this also happens to be a brilliant film with conning people as main topic.  Besides being amazingly beautiful, this Australian actress can act too. Next to these two main actors, there were some who seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't place them immediately. Except BD Wong, who recently played the chief geneticist Henry Wu in "Jurassic World". He's the eccentric Chinese gambler Liyuan.

And Liyuan was also the key figure in the most (in my opinion) fascinating scene of this film. The Asian gambler who'll bet on anything. The crazier, the better apparently. This crucial scene shows what Nicky is capable of. How he manipulates his victims and indoctrinates them in a psychological way. As he recites somewhere in the movie : "You have to get inside the head of your victim.". But at the same time this also shows the weaker portion of the film. At a certain moment this film becomes highly confusing and it's getting more difficult to discern the difference between truth and deception. The first part is better than expected and sometimes brilliantly portrayed. For example the part where Nicky and his gang hit the streets of New Orleans and demonstrate their palette of pickpockets techniques. The second part looks nice when  it's about scenery (which is really beautiful) but lacks passion. Hopefully there aren't any individuals who are going to bring, what is shown here, into practice on a large scale !

My rating 5/10 
Links : IMDB

Chappie (2015)

Summary
In the near future, Indian born Deon Wilson, is a high ranking executive in a Robotic Police Force company. When he comes up with an idea to make a self conscious robot named Chappie to protect better, his higher-ups disapprove it. Nonetheless, he makes it and when the company finds out, scraps the robot. When 2 small time criminals planning a $200 million heist find Chappie, they kidnap Deon and force him to program Chappie to assist them in their heist. When power-corrupted military general Vincent finds out, he rallies all forces to stop Chappie, at any cost that leads to an monumental showdown between Good and Evil.

Genre : Action//SF
Country : USA

Cast :
Sharlto Copley : Chappie
Dev Patel : Deon Wilson
Hugh Jackman : Vincent Moore

Director : Neil Blomkamp

My opinion    

What do you mean, "reprogram him"?
Don’t play dumb! You know exactly what we mean.
Turn that robot into the illest gangsta on the block. 

The number of robots used in a science fiction is uncountable. Some of them can easily be classified under the label "A sad, technical case". R2D2 in "Star Wars" was a pathetic robot most of the time. Twiki from "Buck Rogers" was a helpless phenomenon. David from "AI" was a terribly sad cyborg with the sole desire to become a real boy. Even Ava in "Ex Machina" was a sad piece of electronics searching for freedom. But "Chappie" (so called because allegedly he was "a happy chappie") easily beats them all when it comes to pettiness. I  almost felt sorry for him. For the first time the gloomy existence of a robot was displayed. Doom and gloom all over the place. Chappie the outcast who began his career as an intervention robot to protect the civilian population against the ever rising crime, and whose final destination became the scrap heap after another impact of an explosive. And he ends up as a helpless artificially intelligent robot in the midst of a group of gangsters who start educating this childlike electronic device to become a gangsta. Just so he can help out in repaying a debt.

The last year there were quite some movies about artificial intelligence and the emergence of a consciousness in mechanical and electronic creations. "The Machine", "Automata" and "Ex Machina" are recent films using this main theme. The ability to transfer one's consciousness to a storage medium or an operating system such as in "Transcendence" is the other part which is subject to speculation. That's the leitmotiv throughout this cyberpunk story of Neill Blomkamp, the creative director from South Africa who tried to convey a socially critical message in "Elysium". Personally, I thought "Elysium" was a pretty good movie (I haven't seen "District 9" though). To quote myself : "A first-rate SF with extremely titillating images with a social message and mixed with a touching theme that calls for a happy ending". Obviously I was looking forward to "Chappie".

Visually it looks pretty decent. "Chappie" itself is one elaborated robot. Just look at the eyes formed by small pixel-like animations on two screens. A kind of extended "Short Circuit" robot, but without caterpillar tracks. No human appearance, but ultimately there are some kind of human feelings inside that metal body. Unfortunately, the similarity to the story of "Robocop" is a little bit too obvious. The rivalry between Deon (Dev "Slumdog Millionaire" Patel) and Vincent Moore (Hugh Jackman) was also used in Verhoeven's film. Deon is the designer of the successful robots like Chappie. And Vincent is trying (in a somewhat violent way) to impose his design called "Moose", a machine controlled by a human operator. The similarities between the "Moose" and the ED-209 are striking. The inevitable clash is more realistic, looks flashier and more action-packed than in "Robocop", which is again a plus.

There's one thing that leaves a lot to be desired. The interpretations. Dev Patel was an excellent choice for the naive, nerdy Deon. But Jackman looked more like a Michael Dundee, with his khaki shorts, participating in an "Indiana Jones" movie. The only thing missing was a fat cigar in his mouth. Him being the developer of such a sophisticated technology, seemed utterly impossible. Sigourney Weaver also played a meaningless small role as Michelle Bradley, the hard-hitting CEO of Tetra Vaal, who I'm sure has an impeccable career path, but still sweeps aside Deon's proposal to install an update so the existing robots could grow a consciousness. As CEO, I would at least form a workgroup to research that proposal. And then we have the gang of criminals. Probably I'll sound old fashioned now, but I'd never heard of the South African rap group "Die Antwoord". They are probably excellent when it's about rapping. The acting part though was something else. But despite their lack of experience and the amateurish look, they did a fine job as educators for Chappie and as low-skilled rabble that pushes the poor robot on the wrong track.

In hindsight this was an entertaining film where action and brutal violence was mixed with touching and even humorous passages. Although the latter actually is pure laughing at "Chappie". Aside from "Chappie" being composed of electronic and mechanical components, the reactions and the course of action still looks human. A pathetic robot in the hands of a few half-idiots whose own education failed. And despite the deep philosophical approach and serious themes, this film was not a boring affair full of intricate digressions. A trashy cyber spectacle with flashy action, a comfortable pace and fine SE's which make Chappie's look lifelike and after a while you actually forget you're watching at a computer animation.

My rating 6.5/10 
Links : IMDB

Spare Parts (2015)

Summary
Four Hispanic high school students form a robotics club under the leadership of their school's newest teacher, Fredi. With no experience, 800 bucks, used car parts and a dream, this rag tag team goes up against the country's reigning robotics champion, MIT. On their journey, they learn not only how to build a robot- they learn to build a bond that will last a lifetime.

Genre : Drama
Country : USA

Cast :
George Lopez : Fredi Cameron
Marisa Tomei : Gwen Kolinsky
Jamie Lee Curtis : Ms. Karen Lowry

Director : Sean McNamara


My opinion   

"No matter what happens up there,
I don't want the word "Hooters" coming out of your mouth."

Is your mood not that positive and you've lost your faith in things, then I advise you to go and watch this movie, because this is a feel-good movie of the first rank. After watching this "everything-is-possible" movie, maybe you're going to realize that things aren't that bad and that for every hopeless situation there's a solution. You should only believe in it and grab every opportunity with both hands. Nothing seems impossible as long as you don't waste your perseverance. Voila, thus the positive tone of this film has been set. It's a film that contains all the ingredients needed to make some kind of Disney-like story in which a group of students without a future (and some without identity) and looked at as outcasts and hopeless underdogs, have to compete against individuals who have everything and whose future looks promising. Without much effort you can mention countless movies dealing with the struggle of the weak against the strong (like "The Karate Kid", "October Sky", "The Blind Side", "Forrest Gump", "Major League" ...)

 

 

"Spare Parts" also belongs in this list. Young people of Mexican descent, most undocumented, are attending a high school in Phoenix and being assisted by passionate teachers and an enthusiastic director (Jamie Lee Curtis), despite their sometimes desperate situation, so they can obtain a proper education. Fredi Cameron (George Lopez), an engineer, is apparently desperately looking for a job and therefore applies for the vacant position as temporary science teacher. At the insistence of Oscar (Carlos Pena Vega), who due to the lack of a birth certificate can't enlist in the US Army, Fredi accompanies a group of students to compete in a national robot competition against renowned universities such as MIT and Virginia Tech.

   
The sad thing about such "underdog-contending-with-a-superior-group" films, is that the outcome is already known before the film started. An additional issue covered in this film is the problem of people living illegally in the USA. The constant threat of being arrested and deported, is regularly brought up. Furthermore, the known clichés aren't eschewed either. The sympathetic teacher who acts as a father figure and apparently suffers of a trauma out of the past (although this is not really explained in detail in this film). The romance that blossoms between him and fellow teacher Marisa Tomei (Gwen Kolinsky), a single mother who also happens to know a bit of programming. The animosity between the young people that slowly turns into an intense friendship. And of course the ultimate denouement which is so obvious. Although I had to restrain myself from spontaneously bursting into an applause. But that's usually the objective of such a movie.

Certainly you can't say this film is truly original, but the performances are admirable. The diversity of the teenagers and their array of talents ensure both funny and heartfelt moments. Maybe at times a little bit too corny. Oscar is the driven leader. Christian (David Del Rio) is the intellectual who has a proper scientific solution for every problem posed. Lorenzo (Jose Julian) is the electronics specialist and Hector (JR Villarreal) is not the brightest of them all but surely is useful when it comes to lifting things. Both the interaction between these characters and the way they build a prototype with cheap material and spare parts (even tampons solve a problem) creates humorous moments. And I thought Jamie Lee Curtis was a surprise as a supporting act. A director who uses non-conventional methods for running a school. Brilliant at times.

"Spare Parts" certainly isn't a blockbuster and will appear in the VOD circuit. It's no more than a TV movie based on a true story, as so many movies have already been broadcasted. The most captivating moment was when Jamie Lee Curtis announced the results via the intercom, and you see that nobody is really listening. A brief moment so meaningful : a school community where certain individuals do well-intentioned efforts and you realize that this school community show no interest in it at all. Fortunately, it's not always like that ! 

My rating 5/10 
Links : IMDB 

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Summary
Jupiter Jones was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning other people's houses and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine Wise, a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along - her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos.

Genre : Action/Adventure/SF
Country : USA/UK

Cast :
Mila Kunis : Jupiter Jones
Channing Tatum : Caine Wise
Sean Bean : Stinger Apini

Director : Andy & Lana Wachowski

My opinion  

"It can be difficult for people from underdeveloped worlds to hear that their planet is not the only inhabited planet."

In terms of views and images, "Jupiter Ascending" is a spectacle with an impressive space footage, sometimes rousing action sequences and titillating extraterrestrial fantasies. But just as a book of Jack Vance, it really doesn't make any sense in the beginning. The difference is that while reading that book of Vance, the intended message becomes clear to you. With "Jupiter Ascending" it's still fairly muddled and incomprehensible in the end and you seem to sink into hotchpotch of futuristic ideas. An epic work that throws together different aspects from other SF classics such as "Flash Gordon", "Star Wars" and "Battlestar Galactica". The added Cinderella fairytale with someone living on earth whose DNA equals that of some space queen, makes it complete.

Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is of Russian descent and has to get up early every day to help her mother clean up rich people houses. Every day she plunges the toilet brush in dirty toilets, without realizing that she has identical genes as the deceased matriarch of the house of Abrasax and in that way she's the owner of planet Earth. The house of Abrasax is an alien royal family that owns several planets. These planets serve merely to be harvested so they can produce a youth serum. The remaining heirs Balem (Eddie Redmayne) Kalique (Tuppence Middleton) and Titus (Douglas Booth) only benefit from the disappearance of this earthling. And that's when Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) shows up. Caine, a former soldier, has been instructed to protect Jupiter.

The Wachowskis not only experienced a physical (at least one of the two) transformation, but there's also something missing when it comes to creativity because they seem to be unable to match the masterful and groundbreaking "The Matrix". Visually "Jupiter Ascending" is a masterpiece, but the story is a messy and chaotic whole. The release of the movie was delayed because of certain deficiencies and they still needed to adjust the visual character of the film. That wasn't a good omen in the first place. Especially the characters without depth, the ridiculous dialogues and a forced romantic story make this film pretty weak. I admit that the rescue operation at the beginning of the film in which Caine prevents Jupiter being abducted by alien "Keepers", while flying around on his jet-like roller skates, was a breathtaking part that lasted for ages. The flashy chase between the buildings is intense, exciting and masterfully portrayed. But that wasn't the last time he had to save her. The film seems like an endless rescue operation. And after a while those special skates aren't that special anymore.

The weakest point of this movie are the characters. Mila Kunis is better than expected but unfortunately it feels as if she's running around the whole movie screaming out loud, while showcasing her "looks". Channing has a tough appearance, but soon gets bogged down in an uninspired parody of himself, struggling with his own feelings. The duo eventually ends up as a kind of "Danny and Sandy in space" couple. A faint love story about two people from two different space systems. The Abrasax family is also a mishmash that didn't really convince. Tuppence Middleton plays no significant role at all. And Redmayne surprised me completely (after I've seen him shine in "The theory of everything") as the wily and cruel Balem who sounded fairly menacing with that whispering voice. Until he starts shouting out of anger and frustrations in a fit. I spontaneously started to chuckle. The only two actors who were convincing were Sean Bean and Douglas Booth. And let's not forget the Russian family sitting together at the dining table. These scenes achieved the highest grade of humorous content.

Do you want to be lead away through the infinite universe where you'll experience one surprise after another and become completely bewildered by the brilliant computer graphics (and as I have been told the 3D version is unprecedented) ? Well, then you have to see this epic space story, full of strange creatures, aliens and exotic places. You also like some romantic posturing and a happy ending ? Than you shouldn't miss it either. But are you also wishing for a fascinating story filled with interesting characters, then this will be a huge disappointment. A better alternative is "Guardians of the Galaxy" where the mix of all these ingredients doesn't create a bitter aftertaste !

My rating 3/10 
Links : IMDB

Jurassic World (2015)

Summary
22 years after the original Jurassic Park failed, the new park (also known as Jurassic World) is open for business. After years of studying genetics the scientists on the park genetically engineer a new breed of dinosaur. When everything goes horribly wrong, will our heroes make it off the island?

Genre : Action/Adventure/SF
Country : USA

Cast :
Chris Pratt : Owen
Bryce Dallas Howard : Claire
Vincent D'Onofrio : Hoskins

Director : Colin Trevorrow

My opinion  

Universal Pictures pulled out his magic box once again and gathered a horde of extinct dinosaurs, which are resurrected with the use of some scientific tricks, on the big screen. Looking at the box office (apparently almost $ 1 billion), it seems like everyone was eagerly looking forward to seeing those prehistoric creatures rumbling around again. Although some scientists were so quick off the mark to prove that some things don't correspond to reality (not all dinosaurs lived in the Jura era, the velociraptors weren't bigger than a turkey and were covered with feathers, the mosquito from which the DNA was extracted, didn't suck blood and the mosasaur wasn't so big as it's portrayed), it's still a lot of fun. I was ready to be overwhelmed and before I knew it, I was looking at the bottom of my bag of popcorn, which is a good sign and a reliable value indicator when it comes to the entertainment content of a feature film.

After the amazing and impressive Jurassic Park in 1993 (Damn, that's 22 years ago), two lousy sequels were released for the dino-crazy public. Unlike the first film, of which I can recall large parts as if I saw it yesterday, I barely can remember anything of the two successors. And let's not mention the awful rip offs that were subsequently thrown on the market (recently I gave "Jurassic City" a chance and already dropped off after 10 minutes due to lousy special effects). In "Jurassic World" they returned to the successful formula of the well-known theme park. Only now it's not an empty amusement park, which should be approved by a select group of scientists, but a crowded park where the owners want to add a new attraction. But again the end result is (as you might guess) less attractive and cozy. It's perfectly summed up by the words of Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) in "The Lost World": "Yeah. Ooh and ah, that's how it always starts. But then later there's running and screaming".

The two teenagers Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson), the first one is a dinosaur fanatic and the second one has more interest in the opposite sex, are on their way to the amusement park of InGen, where their aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) works as a operations manager. Of course, the latter doesn't have time to babysit and she leaves them in the hands of her assistant Zara (Katie McGrath). To ensure the income of the park and meet the demands of the main sponsors, the small army of geneticists fabricated a hybrid version which would be even more frightening than the existing species. They use the genes of prehistoric predators and contemporary species. The owner of the park wants Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), the Velociraptor trainer, to check the enclosure of the hybrid. And soon Owen comes to the conclusion that once again they are playing with fire.

Is "Jurassic World" an impressive film? Yep. Did the special effects and computer animation make me drool again ? Yep. Are those fearsome dinosaurs overwhelming again ? Yep. Did it exceed the first film ? Uh, actually not quite. What makes this film memorable ? Well, the park itself for starters. A sort of Disneyland but with unparalleled attractions. The monorails, the infrastructure, the holographic displays and the overall total picture were impressive. The mosasaur was the masterpiece of this film. Superbly imaged. Both the physical appearance as his natural living space. The "gyrospheres" and the accompanying scenery is the first attraction I would like to try out. The action-packed part at the pterosaur cage was breathtaking. But the rest of the used scenes showed similarities with the first film. A park where the situation turns out to be life threatening. Again a couple (who had a thing in the past most probably) need to bring two teenagers in safety while they are surrounded by dangerous prehistoric creatures. Even Claire imitated the dress of Dr. Sattler at one time: an unbuttoned shirt over a T-shirt.

What I didn't get while watching "Jurassic World", were shivers down my spine and goosebumps moments. Emotionally, I don't think there'll ever be another movie (with prehistoric monsters) that surpasses the experience I had while watching "Jurassic Park". When Dr. Grant turned around,peered over the valley where different prehistoric species wandered around and said "Look at that. It's a dinosaur.", my hair stood straight up. When the T-Rex left his cage and started chasing the jeep and you could see the gaping mouth approaching in the rearview mirror. The raptors sneaking through the kitchen with two teenagers scared to death. These are all particular moments I've missed in "Jurassic World". Yes, it was terribly exciting and impressive to see. But that subtle difference was there anyway. I also missed a character like Jeff Goldblum with his dry humor and pertinent observations. And then of course the charismatic dreamer John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), who saw a fantasy collapsing. In some ways it was all there, but it didn't feel the same way.

 

But forget about my nitpicking and hurry to a cinema to watch this two-hour action packed, exciting and entertaining film. The success of "Jurassic World" is its link with the first movie and the overall nostalgic value. You can add the question "How did you feel after watching Jurassic Park?" to the long line of historical questions such as "Where were you when Kennedy was shot ?" And "What were you doing when the radio broadcasted Elvis passed away ?". "Jurassic Park" had a major influence on films that appeared afterwards. My main conclusion is that "Jurassic Park" was far ahead when it's about CGI, because the creations at that time looked as lifelike as those in "Jurassic World". But I am quite convinced that I'll never set foot in such a park, would it ever exist in reality ...

PS. Funniest moment for me : pay attention to what a visitor does during the pterosaur attack ... Yes, he saves two cocktails ! I almost choked on my coke!

My rating 7/10 
Links : IMDB