When you think about a heist movie, images of intense over-the-top gunfights, loud bangs, quick cuts, and intense closeups come to mind; however, Hell or High Water delivers a different take. One that focuses more on the characters, and the setting that has defined these people, with a few bank robberies mixed in-between. It is this very different emphasis that makes this movie stand out from others, and be one of, if not the, best movies of the summer.

The story is mainly focused on Toby (Chris Pine) who enlists his brother Tanner (Ben Foster) to aid with robbing banks in order to get Toby’s family out of poverty, and save their land before said banks can take it away. It is a classic tale of anti-heroes, stealing from the rich to save the poor, but before we even get into the mindset of these characters we are dropped into the world that has beaten them down to the point of desperation. This is almost immediate as the film opens with a 360 pan of what appears to be a small deserted town, graffiti tagged on buildings, empty storefronts, and boarded up windows. There is not much left in this part of West Texas, with one exception being the town’s bank that too happily takes money from its surrounding residents. It is here where we witness the brothers commit the first of several robberies.

The cinematography is so noteworthy because we are given so much about the brothers’ background without spoken words. Whether its wide shots mixed with bird’s eye views to show the barren, flat landscape that surrounds them, or patches of overgrown grass covering dilapidated swing sets, the message is clear: this is an unforgiving place where you have to do whatever is necessary to survive.

Not only does use of the setting help mold our characters, but the short yet sharp dialogue exchanges also lend aid. A lot of times screenwriters tend to hold the audiences’ hands, giving cookie cutting dialogue that can be too expositional and unrealistic in moments when it doesn’t feel like characters should be so blatant. Thankfully, Taylor Sheridan (Sicario) wrote the conversations with subtlety, giving just enough information to know more about these people and what events have occurred in their pasts.

Chris Pine gives a solid performance with his symbolic greasy and worn down appearance, but Ben Foster steals most of the attention as the much more frustratingly wild and comedic brother of the two. Together, they embody the best traits of what makes a good anti-hero: they’re in a tough spot, their hearts are in the right place, and they’re trying to get the job done without hurting anyone in the process.

But in the real world, these sort of actions can’t go unpunished, and that’s where police officers Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham) come into play. Both men play their roles brilliantly as they constantly butt heads over what course of action to take, as well as each’s philosophical and ethical beliefs. They are very much opposites like the brothers, one instance being Marcus’ fear of what comes after retirement, whereas Parker’s is not reaching that desired end. Their banter throughout the movie offers both humor, as well as insight on a larger problem than what plagues Toby and Tanner.

Although Hell or High Water does not have the sexiness and flash of the typical action movie, it more than makes up for it with great all-around acting, character depth, and immersive cinematography culminating in a suspenseful final act.

8/10

Lopes

Hey Readers,

With the dog days of summer slowly coming to an end, it’s about that time to preview what the rest of this year has in store for the moviegoers. After arguably one of the worst summers in recent history, let’s hope 2016 can go out with a bit of flair and make amends for such a lackluster season. Let’s get started and take a look at the most talked about movies releasing in September.

Sully (Sept. 9, 2016)

First on the list comes from acclaimed director-actor Clint Eastwood, and tells the remarkable true story of airline pilot Chelsey Sullenberger. After a mechanical failure, Captain Sullenberger improvises and glides his airplane along the waters of the Hudson River, safely rescuing all 155 crew and passengers. However, the bulk of this movie takes place after said event, and attempts to pull back the curtain on the unfolding investigation that threatened to destroy Sullenberger’s reputation and career.

Although Eastwood’s recent few directed projects have been up and down, he made a safe play casting Tom Hanks to play the titled hero. Even if the movie is subpar, we can all rest easy knowing Hanks will no doubt deliver his typical Oscar-worthy performance as a white American just trying to do the right thing in tough circumstances (Saving Private Ryan, Captain Phillips, Bridge of Spies, hell, basically all of his movies). Seriously though, Hanks is so good at this type of role that he could win an Academy Award every single time. He more than likely won’t as he’s already won so many damn times, but I will bet he at least gets a nomination.

Snowden (Sept. 16, 2016)

Another movie based on true events, Snowden details the story behind Edward Snowden, an NSA employee who fled the United States following his act of releasing thousands of classified government documents to the press. Whether you agree with what he did or not, the impact from his action was groundbreaking, and called into question everything we thought we believed in and about our country’s government.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Edward, and Oliver Stone, the man behind such movies as Platoon, JFK, Natural Born Killers, and Any Given Sunday, helms the project. Stone’s resume shows his versatility in multiple genres, so this is one definitely worth at least keeping one eye towards. However, if you need something more to sell you on this, look no further than the list of the cast where the name “Nicolas Cage” appears for an unspecified role. That man doesn’t get cast unless it’s for a surefire masterpiece (see Ghost Rider 1 & 2, The Wicker Man, etc…), so, yeah, what more do you need?

The Magnificent Seven (Sept. 23, 2016)

Rather than being based on a true story, the next on the list is a remake nobody had really desired, but Hollywood said, “Screw it,” and greenlit it anyway. Set during the times of the Old West, a town is under the ruthless control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue, leaving the desperate townsfolk with no choice but to employ a group of outlaws, bounty hunters, hired guns, and gamblers to save them.

Although this movie won’t be breaking any new ground in terms of originality, it boasts a pretty talented cast led by Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke. Denzel is an actor who attracts movie attendance just with his name, and Pratt is closing on that same status. This is mainly because, well, they’re pretty damn good at acting, so even though this movie doesn’t seem to offer anything new, you can at least go in knowing you’ll be watching a couple of the top actors deliver good performances. Despite the rest of the cast generally being unknown to the public majority, ensemble movies create opportunities for them to showcase their talents with the more famous actors/actresses, and make a lasting impression.

If you’re looking for a movie where you can shut off your brain, and just look for eye candy entertainment with a classic smiling and gun totting Denzel, then The Magnificent Seven should leave you satisfied.

Goat (Sept. 23, 2016)

A movie that will surely make you hate almost all of its characters, Goat is a story of a 19-year-old boy (Nick Jonas) who pledges the same fraternity as his brother in order to cope from a terrifying assault. However, the boy soon discovers that this frat will test his loyalty to his brother in some brutal ways.

It’s tough to know the main goal of this movie before actually seeing it. It appears to be something that aims to shed light on the Greek Life culture, and the many preconceived problems within and about it; rather than show us how those beliefs could be false. If this is the case, then this will no doubt have you shaking your head the whole time while thinking, this is why I f’ing hate frats. Depending on what transpires by its conclusion, it will be interesting to see if the audience can share any sort of empathy/sympathy with the characters as that’s an area that will make this movie either sink or swim.

Storks (Sept. 23, 2016)

Following the success of The Lego Movie and Happy Feet, Warner Bros. is taking another dive into the animated realm with the movie, Storks. As children, we all heard the stories of storks delivering newborn babies to the doorsteps of their parents, but what happens when that job is no longer theirs to do? Well they deliver packages for global internet giant Cornerstone.com of course! But when the top delivery stork accidentally turns on the Baby Making Machine and produces an unauthorized baby girl, it is up to said stork to deliver her safely to her home, and restore the storks’ true mission in the world.

Andy Samberg and Jennifer Anniston grab the top billing, and director Nicholas Stoller takes his first crack at animation following his live action comedies like Neighbors 1 &2, Get Him to the Greek, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. With those comedic successes, it appears Stoller is more than capable of directing something of top quality, albeit towards a family friendly audience; but having the hilarious and goofy Samberg as his lead certainly helps. Samberg manages to shine in just about anything he’s in, and judging from the previews this looks to be no different. This has the potential to be the family movie of the year.

Masterminds (Sept. 30, 2016)

Staying in the comedy genre, Masterminds is based on the true story of a night guard at an armored car company in the Southern United States who organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Holy shit, Lopes, how many more true stories are we going to get?!” Well I’m happy to say we still have one more! And that’s without even looking into the other remaining months of 2016!

Anyways, even though September is looking like it should be called True Story Month, there is always the chance for comedic success when you have the likes of Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, and Kristen Wiig leading the way. Galifianakis plays the main character who is duped into the heist by double-crossers attempting to make him the fall guy, and must evade authorities as well as a hilarious looking and acting hitman (Sudeikis) while trying to turn the tables on his betrayers. The preview did make me audibly chuckle several times, with Sudeikis’ character being the main provider; however, it is PG-13 so there is the risk of the humor being too tame. Let’s just hope the best jokes weren’t used for the trailer.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Sept.30,2016)

Based on the true st– ah just kidding, it’s based on a book instead! Director Tim Burton lends his visionary mind to this best-selling novel adaptation about a boy who discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times that lead him to a place home to children with peculiar powers. As he learns more about the children’s powers and their enemies, the mystery and danger deepen forcing him to use his own peculiarities to save his new friends.

If you are a fan of Tim Burton’s, than that alone should entice you towards seeing this movie. This seems rather fitting, as his weird, unique storytelling and imagery matches the story’s, and sets him apart from all other directors; you know when you’re watching a Tim Burton movie. Eva Green plays the caretaker, Miss Peregrine, and also seems suited for this kind of fantasy yet dreary stylized world following her success in the gothic Showtime series Penny Dreadful. Samuel Jackson plays the villain of the movie, and has proven to deliver a top performance whether he’s on the good or bad side. Look for this to be the first entry of a franchise if this produces well in the box office.

Deepwater Horizon (Sept. 30, 2016)

Closing out September is our last true-story-inspired movie about the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, which exploded April 2010 and created the largest oil spill in United States history (it seems like September is trying to show us our history’s biggest f ups, and dammit they’re doing a helluva job!)

The disastrous event is witnessed through the eyes of Marky Mark Wahlberg’s character, who must gather the remaining crew together as they attempt to survive and search for a way off the sinking structure. One thing that can be guaranteed is there will be no shortage of heart pounding drama and action, as director Peter Berg is no stranger to this type of movie following his other true story adaptions Lone Survivor and Fright Night Lights. Even if the you know the story’s outcome, Berg has a way of keeping you in the moment and on the edge of your seat as his highly suspenseful scenes play out.

 

That concludes our sneak peek at September’s movie releases. Be sure to keep a look out for more monthly previews as the year continues to wind down.

Lopes

From the twisted comedic minds of Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, writer-producers behind outlandish yet hilarious comedies like Superbad, Pineapple Express, and This is the End, comes Sausage Party, a film centering on various grocery store foods and products facing an existential crisis after learning everything they believe is a lie. It is the duo’s first attempt at using animation as a medium, but they do not fail in creating something that is just as original, raunchy, offensive, and consistently funny as past films while also providing commentary on problematic current events.

After opening with an R-rated musical tune sang by the assorted foods, the story begins on the morning of July 4th weekend showing how these humanized products are hopeful of being chosen by the gods (the customers) and led to the Great Beyond where a heavenly fate awaits. For some of the foods, like the hotdog Frank (Seth Rogan) and the bun Brenda (Kristen Wiig), being selected means they could finally consummate their romance; something unachievable due to their plastic encasings. But after a deeply traumatized Honey Mustard (Danny McBride) warns his fellow products there is only death and horror, Frank begins a quest for answers. What he finds is Earth-shattering, and he becomes determined to save his fellow foods and he from their impending doom.

Although the films poses the lofty theological notion of the effects upon learning God isn’t real, there is enough sexual references and innuendo (with some being borderline X-rated), as well as impure humor using racial and ethnic stereotypes as its ammunition, to remind viewers this is still a comedy first and foremost. That being said, this film is definitely not for those who are easily offended by these certain jokes since they primarily makeup the film’s gags; tacos are Mexican, potatoes are Irish, fruits are homosexuals, bagels are Jews, and lavashes are Middle Eastern. That’s just the tip of the iceberg as there is also a box of Mr. Grits (Craig Robinson) who hates crackers, a Native American liquor Firewater (Bill Hader) who constantly smokes weed, a wheelchair-confined piece of gum akin to Stephen Hawking, and a literal douche (Nick Kroll) who acts as the villain with the personality of, well, a douche. It’s obvious one of the film’s aims was to push every boundary possible, which Rogan and Goldberg did with a style that throws up two very large middle fingers to the PC culture this world, but mostly our country, has morphed into. This agenda culminates in a scene that combines the words “food” and “orgy” in a way you would never imagine.

Aside from all of that, Sausage Party also shows an influence from other film genres like horror. It spoofs certain tropes like how sexual activity can lead to certain death, but really showcases horror’s impact through the ways a monster (in this case humans) brutally and mercilessly murders its victims in a fashion that may have you second guessing how you prep and eat your food. There is also a war movie homage similar to the Beaches of Normandy scene in Saving Private Ryan that has the hotdog, Frank, witnessing the carnage around him following a collision between shopping carts.

This all may seem like the makings of a film that is just a dumb comedy full of shock and vulgar jokes, but surprisingly there is more behind it. Rogan and Goldberg make an effort to comment on world issues such as the religious turmoils in the Middle East brought forth through the Jewish and Arabic foods arguing who has taken over whose territory on the grocery shelf. The method to the madness behind this humor is to explore the fears and small-mindedness that continue to keep people apart and prejudiced.

Sausage Fest is a lone bright spot in what has been a pretty disappointing summer for films. If none of this has rubbed you the wrong way, then Sausage Fest is going to have you laughing from start to finish, while also have you leaving with questions to contemplate.

7.6/10

Lopes

The releases of Man of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and the subsequent universal panning by both critics and fans, planted DC and Warner Bros. on their heels at the edge of the cliff. With one more push needed to send them plummeting, the two studios needed Suicide Squad to be their saving grace, and allow them to stride forward as they attempt to catch up with the ever-growing Marvel tree. But does this ensemble piece make up for the sins of its family’s past? Sadly, no, and in fact adds more trouble to this seemingly damned cinematic universe.

Suicide Squad begins with Viola Davis’ character, Amanda Waller, having dinner with a few other government bodies where she presents her case to bring together “a group of bad people who can do some good.” She uses the emergence of Superman, and the events of BVS, to bully the officials into supporting the creation of Task Force X as they are ill-equipped to handle these super beings. This leads into stylish and fun montages that highlight the backgrounds of the squad members. However, after the team assembles and given their vague mission is when the movie takes a nosedive and becomes what these movies fear most: boring and predictable. It’s a bad sign considering the movie is not even halfway through its running time.

Although the introduction montages presented some good eye-candy and catchy songs, albeit these were the only instances where the songs seemed to correctly fit, the audience is never given an opportunity to connect more deeply with most of the characters. That creates a bit of a problem, because you’re deprived of feeling any sort of compassion or understanding for why these people are what they are and do what they do. This is largely in part to having too many characters and not enough time to flesh them out. The film attempts to provide context with flashbacks, however, the editing is extremely choppy, making them feel crammed in as opposed to fluid transitioning back and forth. It takes you out of that world, and has you questioning how this movie made it past the editing stage. Examples being a shot of Harley Quinn standing up only to immediately cut to her sitting back down, or Rick Flag switching back and forth between hair styles during the final act.

The movie isn’t exactly an utter disaster as there are some elements that can be hailed as positives, but they are few and far between. Will Smith gives a humanizing performance as the hitman Deadshot, and although his side arc is that cliche and cheesy “I do bad things but I do it for my daughter so I’m kind of good,” he uses his star presence and A-list acting skills to make up for the elementary writing: one of the largest problems of the movie.

Davis showcases her role extremely well as the coldhearted and ruthless Amanda Waller who conducts her job with a “by any means necessary” approach. This style works since her task is to gather and keep in constant check a group of hardened criminals, so it’s needed to have a believable someone that even the big bad guys fear. She holds your attention in every scene she’s in, and it’s when she’s absent that the movie loses a lot of its steam.

Unfortunately, Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn did not quite live up to the expectations the trailers would lead one to believe. Many of her jokes fell flat and forced, or were ruined by the multiple three minute trailers leading to the movie’s release. Her flashbacks felt out of place when they were used, and also left out needed context. It should’ve been noteworthy to include how Harley fell in love with the Joker, but the flashbacks occur after the fact leaving one to wonder how in the world a trained psychologist could fall head over heels for the most deranged criminal in the DC Universe. Don’t get me wrong, Robbie definitely looks and acts the part, and the role of Harley Quinn is almost as tough to portray as the Joker. It’s just when she has to deliver the Harleyesque jokes that you notice the missteps, which, again, may be credited to using a lot of them in the trailers.

Jared Leto’s Joker is a chilling portrayal, and despite coming off similar to Ledger’s performance at times with certain mannerisms and speech, Leto does distance himself enough from the past incarnations. Here, he is the Clown Prince of Crime coming off even more psychotic and dangerous, with a greater emphasis on physical pain rather than emotional much like a mob boss. The one downside is that since the Joker isn’t the main villain, his subplot forces itself into the main story rather than run perpendicular with it. By the end, he hasn’t left much of an impact on the movie as a whole, and makes one think the movie would have benefitted in excluding him in order to focus on the other, weaker developed characters.

Amanda Waller, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and the Joker were the most padded characters of the group, which really isn’t saying much since these four still have development faults. As for the others, well, I’ll try and do my best with what was given. The rest of the squad consists of Killer Croc, an African cannibal with a rare skin condition and abnormal strength; Enchantress, an ancient powerful witch; El Diablo, a tatted gangbanger who can control fire; Captain Boomerang, an Australian robber who uses boomerangs to do things but you don’t really know what; and Slipknot, a Native American who uses ropes to, uh, climb things. Honestly, its a mystery why Slipknot and Captain Boomerang were even included as you really don’t know what they can bring to the table when stopping forces that only super powered people can fight against. This is even furthered when Slipknot is the only character without a introductory montage, and is subsequently killed ten minutes after he arrives.

This random group of bad guys is led by Joel Kinnaman’s Commander Rick Flag who comes off lacking in the leadership department, making you disbelieve he could ever fully control the squad. Flag is aided by his bodyguard, Katana, who appears over halfway through the movie, and is almost completely silent making her more of a glorified cameo much like Slipknot. She also wields a sword that takes the souls of its victims which everyone just chalks up as normal, even though the emergence of Superman and his abilities was such a culture shock.

With everything said about the characters, these issues harken back to the biggest problem of all: the writing. Whereas BVS at least tried to create an interesting and original story that provides more insight about the main characters, Suicide Squad said ‘screw it’ and created something we’ve seen countless times. From the bland villains and their army of zombies to the cliche love and family stories, you could predict every beat from a mile away while rolling your eyes to every tacky line. At times, it felt as though the studio considered the audience too dumb to grasp things, thus creating unnecessary dialogue exchanges such as stating the same love interests various times or instances like,”OK now we can go use X to destroy Y and save Z.” Even the action scenes were mundane, coming off more as time-filling montages as the squad blasted through the zombie hordes with relative ease. So easy in fact that you don’t understand why this special task force was even needed. Fuel is added to this notion in that they’re accompanied by a group of regular soldiers who have little to no trouble holding their own in these scenes.

Suicide Squad is a much different style of movie compared to the first two entries of the DC Extended Universe, but like the others it fails to live up to its hype. It starts with a fury while seeking to firmly cement itself as a new take on comic book characters, only to lose its excitement and succumb to the same cliche and predictable story beats that continue to plague these movies. Its flashy on the outside, but hollow as you delve within.

Since its first trailer released at Comic-Con last year, I could not wait to finally see this movie. If I came off as an unrelenting basher its only because I had such high hopes, and thought it would right the course for the future DC movies. I did not expect to watch something severely lacking in heart and thought, especially when the writer-director David Ayer has movies like Training Day and End of Watch to his credit. Ultimately, this is strike three for DC and Warner Bros., here’s to now hoping Wonder Woman can be the next believed savior.

5.6/10

Lopes