Monday, March 16, 2015

Get On Up - 7 stars out of 10

Get On Up - 7 stars out of 10

“Get On Up” pays tribute to the Godfather of Soul by telling his life story through the lens of the his strong and passionate personality.  There is never a moment in this film when you think “That isn’t actually James Brown.”  The performance of Chadwick Boseman is extremely convincing and this role is a strong follow-up to Boseman’s breakout role in “42.”  I appreciate his dancing but wish that he would have provided all of the singing.  In casting the film, director Tate Taylor chose to fall back on two of the actresses from his Oscar nominated film “The Help.”  I felt as if Octavia Spencer was underutilized but Viola Davis had a nice chance to shine.  Perhaps the best part of the film is its excuse to play Brown’s greatest hits and recreation of some of his significant career highlights.  The scene where Brown is questioned on the rhythmic disparity in “Cold Sweat” between the horns the drums is a simply awesome insight into his mind.  While I enjoyed the acting and the music, I had a few issues with the script.  There were times where it seemed logical to show the timeline out of order, and others where it did not.  I could tell that the titles of the various “chapters” had some sort of meaning but I didn’t really get any of them.  “Get On Up” is a valuable opportunity to learn about an important influence on modern music.  The story leaves out some key events so it cannot be taken as fact, but it is certainly a start into understanding the life of James Brown.



[Pictured: Boseman or Brown?  You won't be able to tell the difference]

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - 6 stars out of 10

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - 6 stars out of 10

I was pretty disappointed with “Anchorman 2.”  It was entertaining but after a grueling 9-year wait, I expected more from this sequel.  I suppose that my disappointment is a reflection of the genius contained within the first film.  The unpredictability, off-the-wall humor, quotability, and clever story just could not be replicated.  This is very apparent in Will Ferrell’s one-line exclamations (“By the hymen of Olivia Newton-John!”).  They were so funny in the first film but their appearance in the sequel makes them feel overdone; meanwhile, if they were left out, we would all be complaining.  This film simply could not win after the first one became so iconic.  The movie does have its high points, like the first scene with Brick.  The writers were smart to feature Brick and give him an equally dim-witted companion.  We all wanted to see another Battle Royale with rival news stations and we got it (including even more cameos and the ghost of Robert E. Lee).  The blind sequence creates some really funny jokes and the jazz flute even makes an appearance.  But this entire film felt like the writers were trying to insert new dialogue into the first film’s successful equation and the result is a total lack of cohesion.  It is fun to see these characters up to their old antics but “Anchorman 2” is just another failed attempt at a comedy sequel.  That being said, I'd still pay to see another installment in this series.


[Pictured: The movie could've used more Christina Applegate and less recycled jokes]