The Hunger Games is now nearer than ever — duh. But March draws even closer as we enter Feburary, and Lionsgate plays on that fact by releasing another excellent trailer for the upcoming film. I think this trailer is better than the first, so don’t delay and hit the jump to check it out.

Without further ado…

I really love seeing the reasoning behind Katniss volunteering herself to compete to the death — while the other trailer displays this, this time around the close-knit relationship is profiled much better. I’m excited to see Jennifer Lawrence headline this film, as her talent almost exceeds her beauty.

The supporting cast is also no B-list, which also stars Josh Hutcherson, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, Liam Hemsworth, and Woody Harrelson.

The Hunger Games comes out March 23th, 2012.

What Did You Think Of The Trailer?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

GRADE: A

It has taken me far too long to finally see this Award Season Juggernaut. After being nominated for Best Picture for the 84th Academy Awards and winning at the Golden Globes, I made it my mission to see The Artist ASAP. While I had my own reservations because of the old school nature this film embodies, those we dashed by the brillance put forth in this homage to the ‘Golden Age’ of Hollywood Cinema. For anyone that considers themselves a film connoisseur or film fanatic, The Artist should be a must see added to your list.

For all the buzz surrounding The Artist, most of it that I’ve heard has surrounded the male lead Jean Dujardin. He plays George Valentin, a seasoned silent film star on top of the movie game, and very aware of this fact. His ego is so magnificent, his pride dictates his personality. He loves the limelight brought on by his success, but soon the film industry moves toward talking pictures making George a relic in the business. Because he is kicked aside for the fresh talent in talking pictures, George is destroyed as he’s no longer loved, cherished, or worshipped by the studios and their audiences.

The budding actress Peppy Miller, played by the enchanting Bérénice Bejo, has always looked up to George and pities his declining career. She tries to pull him out the nose dive, but it proves difficult with George’s pride and self loathing getting in the way of his happiness. The chemistry between this pair is apparent from their initial encounter, and continuously builds until the poetic ending. The final scene was by far my favorite of the whole picture. I also should note that in black and white, both of these stars’ faces radiate on screen. It almost felt as if this pair was born to play these roles — they perfectly fit the mold of the stars back in the primitive days of Hollywood.

The supporting cast is filled with talented Hollywood figures like John Goodman, James Cromwell, and Penolope Anne Miller. Then add an adorable dog, who is smarter than most in the film, acting as George’s right hand man, the euphoria increases ten fold. The piece of this film that really carried it from scene to scene and set the emotion within them all is the award winning soundtrack composed by Ludovic Bource.

My only gripe with The Artist has everything to do with my own personal preference for a movie with talking characters. I personally have a hard time enjoying any film made before 1980, and even flicks in the 80′s are a stretch for me. I love the movies of today with their perfected sound and visuals — they transport me into characters’ lives and other worlds much more readily than the movies of the past. Of course I respect the films that paved the way for today’s cinema, but that doesn’t mean I have to watch them, because I usually do not enjoy them. Sue me.

While The Artist is brilliant in so many ways – cinematography, acting, the beautiful score, the crisp black and white images, the story — I could never sit down and watch this silent film over and over. I could almost feel myself going crazy without spoken word for so long, and while constantly listening to my own inner dialogue during the film. I like my actors to speak and be heard during a film. I don’t think anything should be taken away from the silent effort, because making a unique film like this these days is bold and should be commended. It just isn’t my cup of tea — and look at how much I still loved it, a testament to the greatness that is The Artist.

Overall, this film is garnering national attention and getting a wider release for good reason — more people need to see The Artist. You definitely have to be of a certain type to appreciate this film — a Michael Bay purist does not fit said type — but even those not in love with old school cinema or silent films can gaze in wonderment while watching Dujardin and Bejo at their finest.

What Should You Do? See The Artist so you too can understand why it’s nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this month.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

GRADE: B-

The premise of this film is self explanatory considering the title. Man on a Ledge is the latest Sam Worthington flick, which also stars Jamie Bell, Edward Burns, Elizabeth Banks, Anthony Mackie, and Ed Harris. Worthington plays Nick Cassidy, a man, who is essentially on a ledge for the majority of the film. This is the quintessential example of a popcorn flick, a film that is purely entertaining, full of cheap thrills, and devoid of real emotion. It isn’t a narrative that progresses rationally, and some of the characters and many of the situations are over the top. But like I said, it’s a mindless popcorn flick akin to many Summer blockbusters.

Nick Cassidy resides on a ledge because he is trying to prove he did not steal a gigantic diamond from Ed Harris’ character David Englander. The ledge is a ploy, a distraction from the real heist at hand — Nick’s brother Joey (Bell), and his girlfriend are hard at work trying to break into Englander’s vault to recover the diamond while Nick is on the ledge. As these films go, not all goes according to plan.

Man on a Ledge spends most of the time playing the ‘realism’ card, pretending that an event like this is not a far cry from reality. But early on I realized this film was diving head first into a fabricated fantasy full of stupid gimmicks. The fantasy aspect is most apparent from the inclusion of Genesis Rodriguez, the extremely attractive Latina woman playing the girlfriend and co-conspirator of Joey Cassidy. The relationship between this couple is not only laughable it’s so forced, but the two actually succumb to arguing while breaking into the highly secure vault — the consequences of getting caught, and what’s at stake (proving the innocence of Nick) are seemingly ignored by the couple as they waste time with trivial bickering.

Rodriguez’s purpose in the film isn’t to add dimension to the story (she isn’t fit to be a thief anyway), it’s to act as eye candy to fit into the Hollywood formula for success — sexy women stripping down to their bra and panties equals more dollars. The striptease happens in the guarded vault as she changes into a sleek stealth outfit, again wasting more precious time, instead of simply wearing the thief body suit underneath her street clothes. While every guy in the audience no doubt was drooling watching this would-be lingerie model showing off her goodies, this just showed me how forced some pieces of this film were. These aren’t the only pieces within that were a stretch, but those are the easiest to literate without spoiling too much. Because late in the film, Man on a Ledge really starts to push the capacity for unbelievability.

Overall, Man on a Ledge was fun to watch, but nothing I’d recommend anyone buy for their DVD/Blu-Ray collection. Worthington and the rest of the commendable cast do justice to the oftentimes hokie script, but even they couldn’t keep me from rolling my eyes every so often. The set up was enticing, the action was fast paced and exciting, and the payoff was not awful. Some of the shots staged by director Asger Leth were remarkable and brought the audience into the point of view of the man standing on the ledge — any filmmaker or film nut will appreciate most of Leth’s work. Man on a Ledge felt like an unpolished product — in more capable hands, this film could have been great.

What Should You Do? It’s worth the price of a matinee admission, but Man on a Ledge fits the January release profile — it isn’t a must see.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

GRADE: B++

Joe Carnahan has crafted a fine film that should not be considered a typical January release by any means. In fact, Carnahan recently told press that the only reason The Grey released on January 27th is because they were delayed in post-production by some effects shots. The studio has already agreed to re-release it in late 2012 for an Oscars push. While I think it will be a huge stretch for The Grey to earn Academy Award recognition beyond the great performance by Liam Neeson, that’s quite inspiring and should evoke confidence in potential audiences. Otherwise, the movie is quite a ride and really does keep you on the edge of your seat, unlike 99% of movies that use that pull quote from corrupt journalists.

The trailers are pretty inaccurate, as they project a mindless “I’m gonna fuck up some wolves” movie. Now, while a few wolves do get what’s coming to them, it’s way beyond a mindless film. It’s also nothing like most of Carnahan’s chaotic previous work (although I love Smokin’ Aces). Instead, The Grey explores the idea of pack leadership. There is the actual wolfpack and the predictability of their nature. But the film uses the wolves to accent the way the human characters evolve throughout the film. Like most movies, this one goes through a traditional genre-specific story arc. Survivors huddle and search for a way out. A leader emerges, but some don’t think he is fit to lead. People start dying. The leader stays strong and the doubters convert. But the path isn’t quite as direct as most films and it zig-zags through the tradition of survival films leaving it more unpredictable.

Unpredictability is really what makes The Grey work so well. There are quite a few jump scares in the film that keep you on the edge of your seat. And I can usually predict those moments coming, so I don’t scream like a little girl, but I legitimately jumped out of my seat at least twice. If the movie had delved into an endless barrage of scare tactics, it would have likely failed. Instead, they just keep your heart rate up throughout movie that is already so intense that you’ll likely burn a few calories just watching it.

It’s hard to imagine it without Liam Neeson as the lead – originally Bradley Cooper was cast as the lead, but dropped out. It’s nothing new for Neeson, but his schtick is not tired yet. What’s truly amazing is that he’s almost 60 years old and still completely believable as an ass-kicking, no-bullshit-taking scruffy nerfherder. He fills out the character in a way that makes his personal issues come to life and the raspy, grungy take on the leader-type is a pleasant escape from the typical movie character. There’s a kind of intensity to Neeson that oozes from him even when he isn’t grunting or yelling at people. You can get behind a guy like this. And that’s crucial considering the other characters in the film are ex-convicts and tough-as-nails assholes who need to at some point get behind Neeson – literally and figuratively.

While this is Neeson’s film in many ways, it’s clear that Joe Carnahan had a vision and executed it wonderfully. If you are unaware, he actually brought the crew into the wilderness to film it authentically, with sub-zero temperatures and real elements impacting production. You can tell. The same way that Into the Wild felt real by the tactics Sean Penn used to film it, The Grey works in that realm as well. But it’s not your typical Carnahan film. It’s like a more hardcore version of The Edge or Alive (referenced in the film). It’s more like something we’d see from Neil Marshall (The Descent) than Joe Carnahan. One can only hope that he made The A-Team to get a studio to let him make a movie like this.

If Neeson is the star and Carnahan is the mad genius, the wolves are the icing on the cake. Few animals have been depicting quite as menacingly as the wolves in The Grey. It’s a more realized version of the wolf in 300, fitted with glowing eyes and a rabid snarl. Moreover, their aggressiveness is bound to the idea that they are only acting out of instinct as opposed to some poorly-written premise like rabies or some crap. These guys just crash landed in wolf territory and there’s no getting around it – they are fucked. It feels good to know that when you watch a movie – there’s no nuclear weapon to disarm with 3 seconds left or riddle to solve in order to catch the killer. The wolves are always there, somehow, somewhere, they are lurking in the shadows and the tension is heightened for it. More importantly, these mere mortal men have no way to really defend themselves, no matter how many clever weapon creations Neeson can come up with. And that concept runs through the entire film. It gives the environment and the wolves more than just teeth and drool. As does the idea that they are emotionally reminiscent of the group of plane crash survivors.

There are moments in The Grey in which the characters get philosophical. It’s a relatively quiet movie, but it has a lot to say. There are scenes dedicated to religion, survival instincts, leadership, family and love. Each one seems essential. I still want to see them get mauled by wolves, but I feel like the time in between wasn’t wasted on pointless crap. Most movies spend far too much time trying to flesh out characters only to kill them later. Instead, they need to focus on giving the characters something to say. Something universal. Something lasting. Because I don’t need to remember who this man was when he dies. Once he is dead, he’s out. That’s what I love about this movie. They don’t really know each other well enough to cry for hours over the latest dead body. They aren’t necessarily full-fledged characters, but rather ideas embodied by actions and short speeches. The only character we need to truly “know” is Neeson’s and we get plenty of that.

On top of everything, the ending makes it all worth it. It makes the trailer worth it and the whole journey worth it. While I’m sure many audience members will be disappointed, it left me with the same bittersweet sensation that Inception gave me. You want to see more, but you know it’s better in your head. If you absolutely have to know more, though, stay through the end credits. But I warn you, it kind of puts a damper on the gut-punch ending.

When you look at the movie times in January and February, it is hard to find motivation to hit the theater. As the Oscar bait late 2011 releases wind down, utter crap comes in. You may enjoy a movie or two, but they don’t stick with you. They are filler movies. The Grey is not. When it re-releases in late 2012, you’ll remember it fondly and you’ll recall the flurry of emotions it evoked from you during the coldest months of the year.

What Should You Do? See this movie or Liam Neeson and a pack of wolves will rip you to shreds.

This morning the 2012 Oscar nominations were revealed, which of course annually provides both heartbreak and jubilation for those nominated and those snubbed. This year, the Best Picture nomination pool is nine, and not the ten of years past. The nominations were reduced from the ten made standard in 2010, down to however many Best Picture nominees the voting body feels is necessary. This year they felt nine was appropriate, a number I do not agree with. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was left off the nominee list, as was its director David Fincher. In my opinion, these two headline the snubs this year, along with Steven Spielberg being left out of the nomination for Best Director despite War Horse earning a Best Picture nod. Hit the jump for the full list, and a few brief thoughts from yours truly.

To be honest, I do not understand the award committees not rewarding The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. While I don’t think the film has to win Best Picture, I find it odd that it has rarely been included amongst the Best Picture nominees. It is even harder to comprehend considering award committees tend to lean towards films that tackle difficult to swallow or hard hitting issues — Fincher’s latest has no shortage of rape, incest, domestic abuse, mutilation, and murder. From my stand point, this 2011 version accomplished lightyears more than the 2009 mediocre Swedish take — that alone should merit some recognition. Last year the Best Picture field held ten nominees, why not this year? The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo isn’t deserving? What about Drive? (And what about Ryan Gosling?) What about Martha Marcy May Marlene?

And while my personal bias comes into play here, Fincher not being amongst the Best Directors this year is another disservice to the industry. I challenge any person to watch the original The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and then Fincher’s film and see the distinct difference an experienced and talented filmmaker brings in terms of final product. Fincher killed it on his end, and his work as a storyteller is rivaled by few in the game today — his name should be in the mix. In my opinion, every film nominated for Best Picture should be coupled with the film’s director. Period. If the film is good enough to be nominated for Best Picture, the person who was a central figure, if not the central figure, in molding the acclaimed final product should get due credit. That’s my two cents.

It’s nice to see that Leonard DiCaprio was left off the Best Actor list, as I felt his portrayal in J. Edgar was one of the worst performances of his career (that is still pretty damn good by most standards). His acting felt forced, and I didn’t think he deserved to be included like he was for this year’s Golden Globes. Also getting snubbed in their sophomore effort are Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for their work on… you guessed it, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The pair won the Oscar last year for The Social Network, and despite composing an amazing score for the film, they were left off the list of nominees. Yet, if you look at the list, John Williams is nominated twice for two different films. I don’t agree with that at all.

I think the category to watch will be Best Actress. Those listening to the podcast know my position on Meryl Streep winning Best Actress at the Golden Globes this year (I was not happy), and now she is up against even more talent with Michelle Williams being added to the mix for her work in My Week With Marilyn. Williams also won at the Globes, but in a different category for actresses (Comedy/Musical). I will get this out of the way now, if Streep wins the Academy Award for Best Actress I will lose faith in all humanity. She is up against Rooney Mara (who should win), Michelle Williams (who also deserves a W), Viola Davis (who could be the dark horse here) and Glenn Close. I really want Mara to win for her total transformation into the dark persona that is Lisbeth Salander, but I’d be fine with Williams or Davis winning. Just not Streep! She shouldn’t get awards in 2012 just because she has had a long and illustrious career.

You can tune into the Oscars Sunday, Feburary 26th. And of course, after the awards show, we will have all our thoughts right here on the Mash.

Best Picture

“The Artist” Thomas Langmann, Producer

“The Descendants” Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers

“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Scott Rudin, Producer

“The Help” Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers

“Hugo” Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers

“Midnight in Paris” Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers

“Moneyball” Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers

“The Tree of Life” Nominees to be determined

“War Horse” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role

Demián Bichir in “A Better Life”

George Clooney in “The Descendants”

Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”

Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”

Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn”

Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”

Nick Nolte in “Warrior”

Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”

Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”

Viola Davis in “The Help”

Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”

Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”

Actress in a Supporting Role

Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist”

Jessica Chastain in “The Help”

Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”

Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”

Octavia Spencer in “The Help”

Animated Feature Film

“A Cat in Paris” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli

“Chico & Rita” Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal

“Kung Fu Panda 2″ Jennifer Yuh Nelson

“Puss in Boots” Chris Miller

“Rango” Gore Verbinski

Art Direction

“The Artist” Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″ Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan

“Hugo” Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

“Midnight in Paris” Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil

“War Horse” Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography

“The Artist” Guillaume Schiffman

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Jeff Cronenweth

“Hugo” Robert Richardson

“The Tree of Life” Emmanuel Lubezki

“War Horse” Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design

“Anonymous” Lisy Christl

“The Artist” Mark Bridges

“Hugo” Sandy Powell

“Jane Eyre” Michael O’Connor

“W.E.” Arianne Phillips

Directing

“The Artist” Michel Hazanavicius

“The Descendants” Alexander Payne

“Hugo” Martin Scorsese

“Midnight in Paris” Woody Allen

“The Tree of Life” Terrence Malick

Documentary (Feature)

“Hell and Back Again” Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner

“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman

“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

“Pina” Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel

“Undefeated” TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)

“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement” Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin

“God Is the Bigger Elvis” Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson

“Incident in New Baghdad”James Spione

“Saving Face” Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Film Editing

“The Artist” Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius

“The Descendants” Kevin Tent

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

“Hugo” Thelma Schoonmaker

“Moneyball” Christopher Tellefsen

Foreign Language Film

“Bullhead” Belgium

“Footnote” Israel

“In Darkness” Poland

“Monsieur Lazhar” Canada

“A Separation” Iran

Makeup

“Albert Nobbs” Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″ Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng

“The Iron Lady” Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)

“The Adventures of Tintin” John Williams

“The Artist” Ludovic Bource

“Hugo” Howard Shore

“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Alberto Iglesias

“War Horse” John Williams

Music (Original Song)

“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie

“Real in Rio” from “Rio” Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Short Film (Animated)

“Dimanche/Sunday” Patrick Doyon

“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg

“La Luna” Enrico Casarosa

“A Morning Stroll” Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe

“Wild Life” Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)

“Pentecost” Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane

“Raju” Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren

“The Shore” Terry George and Oorlagh George

“Time Freak” Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey

“Tuba Atlantic” Hallvar Witzø

Sound Editing

“Drive” Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Ren Klyce

“Hugo” Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl

“War Horse” Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson

“Hugo” Tom Fleischman and John Midgley

“Moneyball” Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin

“War Horse” Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″ Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson

“Hugo” Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning

“Real Steel” Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

“The Descendants” Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

“Hugo” Screenplay by John Logan

“The Ides of March” Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon

“Moneyball” Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin

“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)

“The Artist” Written by Michel Hazanavicius

“Bridesmaids” Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig

“Margin Call” Written by J.C. Chandor

“Midnight in Paris” Written by Woody Allen

“A Separation” Written by Asghar Farhadi

What Do You Think Of The Nominees?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

I had the pleasure of finally sitting down and watching the critically acclaimed Disney animation Tangled which came out in 2010 — this fact alone makes me ashamed to admit I am just seeing now. While I’m sure many out there have already seen it, I loved this film so much I had to gush about it and recommend people look for it on Netflix. Tangled isn’t my favorite Disney film, but it definitely oozes with the magic that has made the Disney logo one of the most recognizable castles on the planet.

This narrative is another Disney princess tale, this time with Mandy Moore voicing Rapunzel, a beautiful blonde imprisoned by her greedy mother in order to protect the powers held by her extremely long hair. Just before her 18th birthday, a thief on the run named Flynn (voiced by Zachary Levi) seeks a place to hide in her tower prison. The two strike a deal to help the other out, and Flynn and Rapunzel set off on an adventure. Tangled features the typical development that starts with distaste between the two but slowly buds into everlasting love (spoiler alert!). While Disney has run this course a thousand times, they always seem to execute with style and creativity that makes it all feel fresh.

Tangled showcases the singing talents of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi with more brilliant Disney song and dance. Another nod should be given to Donna Murphy who voices Mother Gothel, the oppressive mother of Rapunzel and the story’s villain. The songs advance the narrative and add context to characters in addition to perfectly fitting the mood of the scenes they are featured in. Another big plus in this film is the stellar animation with bright and bold colors accentuating the crisp images. The imagination behind the great visuals plummeted me into this fabricated Disney environment.

For those who haven’t had the chance to see Tangled, I strongly recommend you do. This is one of those films for all ages, one that will entertain both adults and children. I had a smile stretched across my face throughout the film stemming from funny situations, the characters within them, and the strong and quirky personalities given to the chameleon Pascal and the horse Maximus. No one gives non-speaking animals vibrant personalities better than the folks at Disney. Anyone who owns and loves dogs will get a kick out of seeing Maximus acting very much like ‘man’s best friend’ in Tangled. Disney restores the magic to their animation division with yet another princess tale, one for all to enjoy.

Netflix This: Tangled 

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

In this weeks’ edition of The MashCast, Matthew, Mike and I discuss some of the films that we saw last week, including: Flowers of War, Haywire, Man on a Ledge and Red Tails. We also discuss a HUGE Dark Knight Rises spoiler per an interview with a member of the cast, where she let a bomb drop about the identity of her character. Last on the docket, the new trailer for the Keanu Reeves documentary Side by Side, which tackles the ongoing debate about the technological revolution/transition of film-to-digital filmmaking.

Click play below to listen and be sure to leave your comments after the break, as well ast on Twitter: #MashCast.

Download audio file (Episode-3_-_Dont-Google-That_.mp3)

What Do You Think? Discuss.

GRADE: C

Haywire is exactly what you would think stemming from the previews; elite super solider-esque persona who gets double crossed and must fight back against a system that possesses a lot of firepower. Despite having a run-of-the-mill premise, this is far from the typical action flick. It’s unique from the mindless action genre because it features the distintive talents of Steven Soderbergh’s less serious storytelling and slow paced cuts, as well as his favor for an upbeat jazzy Ocean’s 11-type soundtrack (which I felt was totally off). Don’t get me wrong, Haywire has a lot of great ass kicking and action scenes within, but that unfortunately is where my praise stops.

First, I’ll start off with Gina Carano. She really is, ‘all that is man’ but in a more feminine way. She can beat up on the stronger men in Haywire, pull off all the stunts required of her, and still look good while doing it. But the thing is, this is Carano’s first experience as an actress — her first endeavors were American Gladiators and MMA fighting. She isn’t necessarily a bad actress, and was believable in her ‘tough guy’ role. But she does not have the star power to carry a film like this. Here she is asked to shoulder the load with little spoken word — she must drive this character with a strong but quiet hardened presence. This is a task that Ryan Gosling was up to in Drive, and George Clooney in The American. I just rattled off two of the game’s best, so carrying a film like in this manner is no easy task. Carano just didn’t have the screen presence that captivated my attention and kept me glued to her character.

It was obvious Carano would not be great with a dialogue laden script, so the lack of spoken word worked to an advantage. But without the moxie to flourish as a non-speaking character, her lack of speaking can leave the audience in the dark. I get that she has that hardened impermeable exterior, but almost every character written needs vulnerabilities or traits that shine through fortified walls. Humanity is briefly toyed with after ‘someone close’ dies, but it’s a feeble attempt.

The script even references a former relationship between Carano’s character Mallory and Kenneth (McGregor), a past that isn’t developed in the slightest despite the characters interacting quite a bit. Not only that, but after getting a heavy dose of this callous female character why would the audience ever think Mallory is even capable of an intimate relationship with this vague character Kenneth? The script can proclaim whatever it wants attempting to create rounded characters or backstory, however, that doesn’t mean it fits together or works.

With Carano playing alongside this dynamite cast like Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas and Ewan McGregor (Bill Paxton and Channing Tatum also star), these leading men sometimes stole the ‘thunder’ from the leading lady. One could argue surrounding the inexperienced Carano with a star studded cast will help hold her up — but these supporting characters are so infrequently on screen, their presence is disjointed. This is especially true when Carano crosses paths with a young teen and narrates her whole story to him as if he will play some importance in the end, as if he will be the one to tell her side of the story — then he disappears. Paxton comes in at the end, Fassbender has a brief appearance, and McGregor has no chemistry with Carano. None of these additions help Mallory feel more whole.

Even the sound design and lighting were less than remarkable. A few times I noticed glare off character’s faces from a non-diagetic light (a light that isn’t natural within the scene) which is a very big no-no in production. The sound design, especially from the combative standpoint, was underwhelming. The fight scenes were often shot from a distance, keeping the audience at arm’s length from the action. I did not like this choice in shooting style, nor did I like how the sound fx resembled this distance approach.

I do like how Soderberg chose not to use a blitzkrieg of cuts — which is common in this genre — to piece together the action. The longer cuts made the fighting feel organic and more realistic. However, as stated above, the overuse of medium and wide shots made me feel as if I wasn’t ‘involved’ with the action going on. I was kept at an arm’s length. I also did not get a good feel for the environment in which the characters were in, another demerit for Soderberg as director. Oftentimes he failed to establish the space that his characters occupied — this is more bothersome than destructive.

Another huge problem I had with this film is the lack of tension. The audience is left without the expectations for what’s to come. Scenes progress with poor transitions putting Carano in a new places and situations exacting revenge on another who crossed her — this is on full display in a final scene with Ewan McGregor. The film also featured a fairly simplistic narrative to start, but then it got muddled at the end with new unnecessary layers being revealed all via exposition. In fact, almost the entire story and character relationships are exposition.

Overall, I liked Carano in the role — she fit the character and is excellent in the action pieces, but her lack of experience makes it hard to carry the load as a silent assassin. I love how Soderberg didn’t spend the film sexualizing a character who clearly lacks feminine qualities. On the downside, Soderberg doesn’t seem to take the film as seriously with his direction and music choices as Lem Dobbs did writing the resolute script. Dobbs’ effort is also flawed — too much exposition, not enough establishment of a concise story, or the characters and their relationships.

What Should You Do? I won’t recommend anyone stay away from Haywire, but I didn’t personally find it worthwhile aside from the great hand to hand combat sequences.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

GRADE: F

Yes, I went there. A pun review title. And trust me, that’s still less cheesy than Red Tails. You know how they say January is the dumping ground for bad movies? Red Tails reinforces that, and it’s unfortunate because the story of the Tuskegee Airmen deserves so much. If it didn’t take itself so seriously, maybe it could have been less embarrassing.

Before we get into the problems with Red Tails, it should be noted that much of the blame is being placed on George Lucas. While I don’t mind that, since he did personally finance the film and was even rumored to conduct re-shoots after expressing disappointment in some scenes, it’s not entirely accurate. Television director Anthony Hemingway sat in the director’s chair for this production, and while it oozes George Lucas schlock, we can’t forget that Hemingway is still the director. But it’s more fun blaming Lucas, so why not? Plus, he is the one representing this film across the press circuit, so he basically labeled himself as the man responsible. Whatever the case may be, the film is a disaster.

The cast of Red Tails is in an unfortunate position. It must be an honor to be cast in a film that highlights one of the most uplifting stories in black history. Who wouldn’t want to be in this film? And the ensemble is essentially a who’s who of young black actors in Hollywood, many of which the mainstream audiences will not recognize. But the film lacks any real character development and the dialogue throughout is riddled with cliche time-wasting material that simply fills the void between dogfights. It raises the question of why certain scenes exist – especially the side-narrative of one pilot’s love affair with an Italian beauty that inexplicably reminds me of Anakin’s sand speech. And nearly every scene in this romance has poorly executed green screen work, but let’s get into that later.

The narrative is just so weak that the characters ironically become lost in the fighting. And while the pilots would like nothing more than to be considered equal to the rest of the American fighters, I doubt they want to be as one-dimensional. Their only depth exists in a single quirk within each character – one has a drinking problem, one is a hot head, one talks funny, one “just wants to fly,” one chews their pipe funny and one likes music.  And of course, while each person in the real 332nd likely had a quirk, they surely had more to them than just that.

But George Lucas hasn’t been promoting this as a character-driven film. He has gone around on talk shows and magazine interviews labeling it as “made for 13-year-old boys” and “corny” and non-flattering anecdotes. I’m sorry, but this is not the subject matter to do that with. And the fact that this movie is being labeled as “made-for-TV” quality is an insult to the greatly superior made-for-HBO film The Tuskegee Airmen. There’s no need to compare Red Tails to anything. It’s just a bad movie. And this isn’t the actors’ faults – they try their best. It isn’t history’s fault – this is a fantastic story. It comes down to the decision to make this a CGI-heavy history lesson.

A problem I have with this film as a history lesson is that it never once left the theater of war. It never once showed the stateside Americans who might be inspired by these actions. It never once showed a news reel playing in America showcasing the actions of these brave men that disproved the stereotype that black men don’t have what it takes to fight in the war. The movie ends just before we would even get a chance to see that. And I feel that is just as important as what actually happened. But that’s beside the point, it’s just a gripe I have and doesn’t help or hurt the argument that this movie is terrible.

The editing is the best example of why Red Tails is more like Red Fails [*zing*]. Scenes are abandoned before they even seem complete. You’ll be in the middle of a conversation, and out of nowhere the scene does a quick fa

The most confusing aspect of all is that one of the industry’s leaders in visual effects made a film that looks like a video game. In many cases, the chaos of the dogfights comes across as exciting and relentless. There is even a moment in which I did pump my fist and say, “HOO-RAH!” You’ll know it when you see it (if you punish yourself by actually seeing this movie). But for every mid-air dogfight, there are a dozen unnecessary green screen moments. It’s as if they shot the entire thing on a stage. Every vista is clearly CGI and if you look through any doorway, you’ll see just how fake it looks. And the edging around characters who are standing in front of doorways or windows is so soft that it’s obviously fake. The worst violation of realism is seen in the final scene in which I would argue 90% of the actual actors are computer generated. It’s abysmal. It looks like a video game and begs the question, how much did George Lucas actually change in this thing?

Cougar in Top Gun

One scene in Red Tails is good. It is a scene from Top Gun re-purposed for this story. And I really don’t care to even call it a spoiler because you should stay home and watch The Tuskegee Airmen anyway. Ray ‘Junior’ Gannon is injured in an aerial battle and team leader Marty ‘Easy’ Julian escorts Junior back to base. Junior has been almost completely blinded and is flying with this problem. As you can imagine, the entire scene plays out identical to the escort that Maverick gives Cougar. And yet, the awful music composed for Red Tails makes it inferior to the scene in Top Gun.

I have to give credit to one aspect of the film that succeeded in my opinion. The sound design was exceptional. Skywalker Sound actually took this movie seriously and the mix is stunning, especially during the aerial battles. And when the Germans enter the battle with new planes in the final act, your ears will have multiple orgasms. But even then, I couldn’t help but hear the sound of Copy/Paste shortcut keys being pressed from the podrace in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. It’s a good scene to pull from though, so I gave them a break.

The real Tuskeegee Airmen

Much like the Transformers movies, Red Tails is an overwrought CGI-experience disguised as a narrative, but this one commits the mortal flaw of also trying to be a history lesson, which it really isn’t at all. And I enjoy the Transformers movies. I can only imagine that over time, we’ll make fun of Red Tails and that’s truly unfortunate, considering how hard the real men behind this inspiring story sacrificed their lives to inspire a nation and protect fellow Americans. And you can’t even make the argument that “at least their story made it to the big screen” because The Tuskegee Airmen was and still is a great film and did just fine on HBO.

What Should You Do? Rent or buy The Tuskegee Airmen and sit comfortably in the comfort of your own home. Red Tails is an embarrassment and the only reason I don’t want it to fail miserably at the box office is because it could be a terrible nail in the coffin for the future of African-American ensemble cinema.

GRADE: A-

In our screening of The Flowers of War, a female audience member broke down into hysterical tears complete with sobbing and moaning. I had never heard a vocal reaction like that in a theater and it is one as unforgettable as the terrible events that transpired on screen. And the woman was well within her rights to do so, as the epic war film from China depicts some of man’s most detestable actions and rarely hides such details, though there is the occasional comedic relief thanks to (sometimes) drunk Christian Bale.

A brief look into the history of this film’s focus, the “Nanking Massacre,” will tell you just what kind of terrors this film explores. Rape and murder are around every corner. While this is not the only movie currently in theaters that depicts graphic rape scenes (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), it is surely the most difficult to watch. While watching the film, I couldn’t help but try to understand why it was presented so directly. I kept going back to the culture of Chinese cinema. I’m no expert on foreign markets, but it’s clear at times that The Flowers of War is not a film made for Hollywood’s typical audience. It isn’t a blockbuster designed from the very beginning as a showcase for the next hot star and explosive entertainment with no true ramifications for the actions on screen. We are told in the beginning that the events are based on a true story, and what follows is disturbingly unbelievable. It would still be hard to swallow even as fiction, but the reality of these events makes it all the more difficult.

This direct depiction of the atrocities seems to be troubling many of the audience members. The film is receiving unfavorable reviews, mostly calling it overly melodramatic and excessive. Yet, it seems like these critics are missing the point. It’s as if they are comparing it to regular Hollywood fanfare, which it most definitely is not. It’s a passionate, no-holds-barred telling of historical events. And the fact that it comes from China tells me one thing – they made it their way. And if you watch anything from Asian culture, especially footage of Asian people crying, you will instantly understand that Eastern culture is much more theatrical in their emotion than Western culture. This translates directly onto the big screen with The Flowers of War. Throughout the film, the numerous women that make up most of the main characters are crying hysterically, as a group. The group crying comes off as silly and overdone at times, but you need to remind yourself that this is how things happen in reality. And while this is a chinese film, much of the dialogue is spoken in English thanks to the American main character. When it needs subtitles, they tend to move too quickly, which is unfortunate, but I never felt like I was behind on the story.

Many are unaware of this film’s existence, let alone its plot. It is apparently based on stories that have over time combined myth with truth, so it is naturally theatrical. While much of the movie is filled with horrendous acts of violence towards women , it rewards your patience with an emotional finale that is overflowing with heroism. And while Christian Bale’s performance is astounding, his character is rather routine. He plays John Miller, a drunken looney of an American who is in China as a mortician. He is reckless and aloof, but over time his character predictably has a change of heart and becomes a hero. While Bale brings his typical transformative abilities to the character, the real stars of the film are the women, particularly the enigmatic and mesmerizing Yu Mo (Ni Ni). The gentle exterior and rugged interior of the women in Flowers of War is inspiring and engaging.

But this film is a raging epic. It exists entirely in the middle of Nanking’s occupation and every corner is riddled with invading Japanese that are so violent and filled with rage that they may as well be in 28 Days Later. But the horrors of this story exist in a film so beautifully shot that it would be a shame if it didn’t get worldwide recognition. Every shot is composed and lit with such attention to detail that it could stand up against any of the Best Cinematography nominations of this year, though its foreign status seems to forbid that competition. I challenge you to find a war film in the last decade shot as well as The Flowers of War.

But the one thing many will walk away from this film thinking is how disgusting and vile the actions seen in it are. It is hard to watch and makes even the toughest moviegoer uncomfortable. There was plenty of squirming and hiding in our theater, and what seemed to be a few walkouts as well. Add the hysterically sobbing woman in that mix and you’ve got quite the emotional theater. This is a film you truly need to be prepared emotionally to see. But it’s one that reminds me that cinema is the world’s best medium for telling stories. This one in particular needs to be on the big screen, not a book and not a set of pictures. It needs the dramatic violin work of Qigang Chen’s score and the emotional performances of experienced actors. And it gets just that. It’s a graceful film even when it showcases horrible things.

What Should You Do? If you enjoy cinematic films of grandeur and historical tales, this is an absolute must. Prepare for extremely graphic material and violent war scenes, but the trailer is a pretty accurate depiction of the scale of this film. Make a night of this one.