Carrie (2013) - 6 stars out of 10

Carrie (2013) - 6 stars out of 10

This new interpretation of Stephen King’s “Carrie” brings a lot of blood to the party but lacks the heart of the original.  In his 1976 production, Brian De Palma subscribed to the philosophy of “less is more,” focusing on the human elements of the story to give the supernatural finale a lot of punch.  This remake does the opposite, highlighting Carrie’s discovery of her powers throughout the film.  While the special effects are cool, the overuse of telekinesis in the first half of the film causes her iconic freakout to lose its element of surprise.  I think that the film plays well to this generation, incorporating cell phones and YouTube into the story while intensifying the shock value of the horrific imagery.  I was surprised by the casting of Julianne Moore as Carrie’s mother.  She demonstrates her seasoned acting chops through the mental abuse of Carrie, but the performance cannot live up to the high precedent set by Piper Laurie.  Chloë Grace Moretz was a great choice for the role of Carrie, using her body language to appear very uncomfortable in social situations.  She has been so active in Hollywood that it is easy to forget that she was only 16 when they shot this film.  Her transformation at the end is pretty terrifying and her transitions from evil to frightened are very effective.  The film is entertaining but Stephen King said it best: "The real question is why, when the original was so good?"  The 2013 remake of “Carrie” falls short of the original, but at least this interpretation has been enjoyed by more audiences than the failed Broadway musical.

[Pictured: The classic shot]

Godzilla (2014) - 7 stars out of 10

Godzilla (2014) - 7 stars out of 10

Gareth Edwards’ reboot of the famous monster franchise is surprisingly fresh and entertaining.  “Godzilla’s” special effects are astounding, but it is the perspective through which we see the monster that draws us into the film’s reality.  The biggest criticism of this film is that its human story is underdeveloped and, while I completely agree, it may be the key to making “Godzilla” a success.  The focus of the film is the titular monster, but any movie made directly about him requires an impractical suspension of disbelief.  A movie where a monster is the main character screams “Fiction!”  However, if you create a movie written about believable human characters and always show the monster through their lenses, it becomes much easier to believe.  This is why the movie “Cloverfield” is so effective.  It is farfetched to believe that this family could coincidentally witness monster attacks in Japan, Hawaii, and San Francisco over a two-day period and yet, it helps us to believe that we could see it for ourselves.  The director could have better utilized his best actors (Juliette Binoche and Sally Hawkins) if he wanted to impress us, but the acting is a means to an end (with the end being an epic battle between Godzilla and the MUTOs that you simply have to see).  I love that the writers wait an hour to finally give us a good view of Godzilla and wait even longer to reveal Godzilla as the hero of this film.  Any more information than that would turn into a spoiler, but trust me that they did a much better job than the writers of the 1998 version.  “Pacific Rim” and the “Transformers” franchise have made me skeptical of any film involving large creatures that fight... but I believe that “Godzilla” could be the film that inspires producers to revive the monster genre by CGI and motion-capture to show it in a way that we have never seen.

[Pictured: Godzilla.  That is all.]

Chef (2014) - 9 stars out of 10

Chef (2014) - 9 stars out of 10

“Chef” is a feel-good story about a man who has to lose everything to live his life the way that he wants.  The film certainly does not shy away from strong language but it doesn’t seem to interfere with the uplifting story.  I typically see Jon Favreau in small supporting roles but he handles this lead role (and writing… and directing…) with grace and finesse.  Apparently Favreau has a lot of Hollywood connections, casting all of the film’s small roles with huge stars like Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey, Jr., and Oliver Platt.  John Leguizamo makes a fantastic sidekick and Sofía Vergara really lights up the screen as this story takes advantage of the foodie craze and popularity of food trucks in America today.  The cooking has the legitimacy and interest of a great Food Network show and is perfectly paired with an underdog story.  Favrea even uses multiple cities as well as a contrast between gourmet and street food to avoid the monotony of cooking one style of food over and over again.  The use of social media in the story is very unique as it creates a false reality that will have you searching for the location of “El Jefe” by the end of the film.  There isn’t any major conflict or twist that leaves us feeling sad in the middle of the story because, let’s face it, this film is all about the food.  The plot is entirely unique and the characters are dynamic, which keeps us guessing from start to finish.  Add in a heartwarming father-son story and what's not to love?  Whether you are a foodie or not, “Chef” is a simple story whose cheesy ending is welcome as your tummy rumbles from the delicious food onscreen.

[Pictured: Who knew that Jon Favreau could carry a movie so effortlessly?]