By Dave Montalbano

cinemadave.livejournal.com

With very little fanfare, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief opened in 2010 and earned a respectable box office gross. Based on a series of novels written by Rick Riordan, the film boasted a fine supporting cast, including Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan and Sean Bean. Fans eagerly awaited the sequel, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, which has now been released; but three years is a long time for a sequel based on juvenile fiction. The young leads Logan Lerman (as Percy) and Alexandra Daddario (as Annabeth) return, but the cost-cutting is very apparent.

In the first movie, Percy is a dyslexic kid who discovers that he has an affinity for water. Labeled a freak by the “cool” kids, Percy attends a Special Educational program and learns that his father is a god on Mount Olympus. At the school, Percy meets other “freaks,” who are actually “half bloods.”

After saving the world in the first movie, Percy and Annabeth learn that their school is in danger of being destroyed by an ornery Cyclopes (Derek Mears). The shield that protects the school is crumbling and it is up to Percy and his friends to find the Golden Fleece that was originally obtained by Jason and the Argonauts.

Despite the budgetary restrictions, this is an enjoyable film with clever moments. We eventually find out about a West Palm Beach connection and learn that the Sea of Monsters is another name for the dreaded Bermuda Triangle. Since the young cast is so likeable, it would be silly not to sit back and enjoy the ride, for this is a good family film.

For a free family experience before school starts next week, the 50th Anniversary Screening of King Kong versus Godzilla will be held at Imperial Point Library Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Admission is FREE and popcorn will be served while supplies last. Like the new Percy Jackson film, in this King Kong film, one feels the good intentions despite the budgetary restrictions

I was three reading levels behind my peers and 9 years old when I saw King Kong versus Godzilla. Forty-one years later, I have been the film columnist with the Observer for 14 years and have just self-published my second book, a mythical novella titled Davy Jones & the Heart of Darkness, which is available through Amazon.com.

By Dave Montalbano

www.adventuresofcinemadave.com/

This summer, movie goers have witnessed the end of the world in World War Z, Man of Steel and Pacific Rim. Given the repeated massive scale of this destruction, a “ho hum” reaction becomes predominant. Meanwhile, on a far smaller and more personal scale, films like The Body (El Cuerpo) and The Conjuring are creating memorable experiences featuring pity and fear.

Released a few weeks ago, The Conjuring has become a sleeper hit, grossing more money than 42, MaMa and Pacific Rim. It is an R-rated family horror movie, a film that will generate discussion over the dinner table and cause a few nightmares for the young. The unnerving factor is that this film is based on a true story in Rhode Island.

Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Elaine Warren (Vera Farmiga) lecture on the subject of “paranormal science” on a New England campus. The husband and wife team have battled ghosts and poltergeists for most of their adult lives. A recent battle with a spirit has weakened Elaine.

Enter the Perron family, who purchased a mansion on a lake in Rhode Island. Roger (Ron Livingston) is a truck driver and Carolyn (Lili Taylor) is housewife with four girls. The house is mostly a fix-me-up and, many things go bump in the night and create havoc for the family.

Despite the Warren’s semiretirement, Carolyn seeks them out at a university lecture. Reluctant at first, Elaine sees how desperate this mother is. As the Warrens confront the entity, Carolyn becomes possessed by the host demon.

Director James Wan (original Saw, Insidious) knows how to direct a terror flick. From the first off-putting shot to the final resolution, he takes the viewer on a spiritual journey. Wan’s shot construction is worthy of a James Whale or Val Lewton masterpiece. The pacing is excellent with a comedy break midway through the motion picture to relieve stress.

Perhaps the success of The Conjuring has been due to the respect shown to the Christian faith. The Warrens confidently battle this demonic apprentice, while the agnostic Perron family suffer the tortures of the damned. The Conjuring does not proselytize, but provides subtle common sense rules.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

As the Wolverine, Hugh Jackman burst upon the celluloid screen 13 years ago in X-Men directed by Bryan Singer.

Much like John Ford’s influence in developing John Wayne’s image, Singer presented Jackman as an iconic leading man for the 21st Century. For an unknown Australian song and dance man, Jackman has become a durable leading man.

The Wolverine is Jackman’s sixth appearance as Logan, alias Wolverine. While this is a standalone movie, the film takes place after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand and before next Summer’s future blockbuster, X-Men: Days of Future Past. Stick around during The Wolverine’s closing credits for the exciting movie teaser.

The Wolverine opens with a depressed Logan, the ultimate soldier cursed with eternal life. In his long existence, Logan keeps losing the loves of his life. Recently Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) died at his hand and the guilt has caused Logan to become a hermit in the Canadian woods.

Enter Yukio (Rila Fukushima), an employee of Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), a dying industrialist whom Logan rescued from the atomic bomb blast at Nagasaki. Yashida would like to offer Wolverine the gift of death.

With such a serious theme in the background, The Wolverine could have been bogged down with theories and theology. Fortunately, director James Mangold has directed a visual treat (one feels like they are roaming the Morikami Gardens). The action sequences are directed with visual clarity; most notable is the creative detail utilized during a fight sequence aboard the bullet train racing at 300 m.p.h.

On a far more serious note, Blackfish opens tomorrow. This documentary reviews whale captivity and theme parks. Much like Ric O’- Barry’s The Cove, Blackfish presents how creatures of the wild cannot be confined to cages; for whenever there is a conflict between man and nature, monsters are born. In this case, senior trainer Dawn Brancheau died during a routine exhibition at Sea World Orlando on Feb. 24, 2010.

Also opening tomorrow is a Spanish Hitchcockian thriller titled The Body. After a femme fatale meets her maker, her body disappears from a morgue. This conspiracy-laced noir features Belen Rueda, Spain’s answer to Meryl Streep.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

I’ve been waiting seven months to write about Still Mine, a beautiful film that screened at the Miami International Film Festival and the Palm Beach International Film Festival. Still Mine quietly rides the emotional roller coaster from sadness to joy with understated dignity.

“Age is an abstraction, not a straight jacket,” says Craig Morrison (James Cromwell). In his 80s, Morrison proves this theory by living an independent life on his farm in Canada. His wife Irene (Genevieve Bujold) faces the onset of dementia. When she is injured in a fall, he decides to build an ergonomically friendly home on his own land.

Despite his knowledge and experience in construction, Morrison runs afoul government bureaucrats, upset that he is not pulling permits and waiting for building inspectors.

Still Mine, a universal story that echoes August Strindberg’s play An Enemy of the People and the writings of Thoreau, is also a love story that will attract Nicholas Sparks’ fans.

Based on a true story, writer-director Michael Mc- Gowan said of his film, “I didn’t want to sugar coat it, but I wanted authenticity. Craig is not a saint; but he was responsible for his own fate.”

Regarding Cromwell, Mc- Gowan said, “Collaborator, strong presence … made the film better, and we had no disagreement.”

“Michael had my back,” Cromwell added.

This collaboration was never more apparent than a brief outdoor shower scene with Cromwell in the buff and the intimate love scene with costar Bujold, who was reluctant to do a nude scene.

McGowan said, “She changed her mind when she saw that the crew was not gawking during the shower scene. Her scene was shot towards the end of production and it was comfortable. On the day of the shoot, the scene was vulnerable and intimate; she understood that and embraced it. In the end, she was happy she did it.”

Cromwell was introduced to the public four decades ago in the television show, All in the Family and has worked steadily with 167 credits, including films like L.A. Confidential, The Green Mile, and Babe, a life-changing motion picture that earned Cromwell his only Oscar nomination thus far.

Cromwell said about Babe, “I did not want to do the film. The character only had 16 lines, but it was a trip to Australia.”

For those who have seen Babe with an audience, tears are shed when Cromwell’s Farmer Hoggett says, “That will do, pig; that will do.”

Cromwell said, “I never paid attention in the past; but, this time, I looked in the lens and I saw the reflection of this person. I looked at the pig and I looked up and saw my father. When I said the line, my Dad was talking to me.”

In many ways, Still Mine reconnected me with lessons from my father, lessons I recommend to Observer readers.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

King Kong vs. Godzilla will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This international classic has been an influence for young people. The Japanese art form of “anime” is the flower that this film seeded.

Pacific Rim also owes a debt to this classic. This new release opens in 2013 when the first Kaiju attacks the California shores. Kaijus are giant sea creatures from the Pacific rim that want to eradicate mankind. The world governments unite and create the Jaeger Program. Jaegers are giant robots that are used to battle the Kaijus, piloted by two people in the central processing unit.

The robot vs. sea monster battles become a generational conflict. During one such battle, Raleigh (Charlie Hunnam) loses his brother and his Jaeger, Gipsey Danger, is sent into a storage unit. After years of self-imposed exile, Raleigh is greeted by his old boss, Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba). The Kaijus are planning a full frontal assault and the Gipsey Danger must be taken out of mothballs in what could be mankind’s last stand.

Like a good war movie from the Golden Age of Hollywood, Pacific Rim snatches victory from the jaws of defeat. Character clichés mount and Mr. Pentecost gives a rousing speech about the survival of mankind with a nod to Shakepeare’s Henry V and Bill Pullman from Independence Day.

Co-written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, this film is the director’s first movie in five years. Despite being on the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery IMAX screen, del Toro’s visual eye seems a bit rusty.

All of the battles take place at night, in the rain or underwater. Fortunately, his attention to detail is not lost in the background, especially in Hong Kong scenes that look like Disneyworld Epcot at night.

Ironically, the secondary characters create most of the audience empathy. Ron Perlman shines as Hannibal Chau, an entrepreneur who sells Jaeger anatomy on the black market. Nerds Geiszler (Charlie Day) and Gottleib (Burn Gorman) steal the spotlight as bickering scientists who unlock the secrets of the Kajiu.

Pacific Rim is the victim of high expectations. Fans of giant monsters and robots like the film. It should be interesting to see if the film will be remembered in 2063 anno domini.

Fans of the 1963 film King Kong vs. Godzilla will have an opportunity to see this epic FREE on the big screen August 17 at 2 p.m. For more information, call 954-357- 6530 at Imperial Point Library.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The Lone Ranger has created a cultural divide — mainstream media hates the film, while the RottenTomatoes .com opinion poll has proclaimed the film as “certified fresh.”

It is not a family-friendly flick like Despicable Me 2, but The Lone Ranger will likely, be on this film columnists Top 10 List this year.

It is definitely better than the Summer blockbuster World War Z, which presents Brad Pitt as a father who takes his family into the City of Brotherly Love. On the crowded streets of Philadelphia, people start to go crazy and become zombies. His family makes a hasty retreat.

Fortunately, Brad Pitt is a scientist with the World Health Organization. After his family is given shelter, Professor Pitt starts to track the germ that is causing all the problems. The contagion is part of a conspiracy with roots in Korea and the Middle East.

The problem with World War Z is deja vu. If you have seen 28 Days Later or Dawn of the Dead, or any of the Resident Evil movies, you have seen this flick already. Using the found footage documentary technique, it seems this low-budget motion picture spent most of their money paying Brad Pitt’s salary.

For those seeking a contrast between cowboys and zombies, Kristen Wiig’s Girl Most Likely opens next week. After suffering from a nervous breakdown, Wiig’s character returns home to her kooky mother. Annette Bening co-stars as the hippie chick Mama who is more interested in kinky sex than her daughter’s well-being. The preview looks funny.

Next week, Sally Kellerman returns to South Florida to promote her autobiography, “Read My Lips.” Last seen in South Florida seven years ago promoting The Boynton Beach Club, Kellerman will be visiting July 17 with lunch at Pier 66 and an evening at Cinema Paradiso to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award and be interviewed by film professor Foster Hirsch. On July 18, Kellerman will attend the Cinema Paradiso-Hollywood fundraiser before returning to California.

Introduced to the world in the movie version of M*A*S*H, directed by Robert Altman, in which she played “Hot Lips” Houlihan, Kellerman was featured in two more Altman movies, Brewster McCloud and Pret- A-Porter. She portrayed Jodie Foster’s mother in Foxes and Rodney Dangerfield’s love interest in Back to School. Her voice heard on many television commercials, she has released two albums and tours her cabaret act across the world.

For more information on Kellerman’s itinerary, call 954-525 FILM.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

When I heard that the politically-correct Walt Disney studios would be producing The Lone Ranger, I started posting on websites — “They had better play The William Tell Overture stanza March of the Swiss Soldiers.’” Director Gore Verbinsky did not disappoint. The adopted Lone Ranger Theme is heard and it was one of the most rousing moments in cinema since John Williams conducted the “Indiana Jones Theme” 32 years ago. The audience exploded and clapped in unison.

Inspired by Miguel Cervantes Don Quixote, this story is told from the perspective of the trusty sidekick Tonto (Johnny Depp). We meet the tenderfoot lawyer from Harvard, John Reid (Armie Hammer). Unlike the stoic portrayals by Clayton Moore and John Hart, this future Lone Ranger is a bit goofy and is slow to adapt to the culture of the wild wild west. Then again, it is important to remember that this story is told from the perspective of Tonto.

While on patrol with his While on patrol with his brother, Reid and the Texas Rangers are ambushed by the notorious Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner), who is part cannibal. Unlike pretty boy villains from The Avengers and Star Trek, Cavendish is one of the most loathsome villains to arrive on the big screen since Bruce Dern shot John Wayne in the back in The Cowboys.

Tonto rescues Reid and convinces the neophyte to wear a mask to disguise his identity. As the pair track down the Cavendish Gang, they encounter a railroad baron (Tom Wilkinson) and a prostitute with an ivory leg (Helena Bonham Carter). When a white horse joins the pair, the legend of The Lone Ranger begins.

The Lone Ranger returns the viewer to the thrilling days of yesteryear. Like a good action serial that inspired The Rocketeer and the best Indiana Jones movies, Verbinski directs uncomfortable moments that lead to a satisfying conclusion each time. There is also an homage to the Buster Keaton Classic The General, featuring the stonefaced Tonto riding the rails.

As much as Moore’s Lone Ranger encouraged being a responsible American citizen, this update features modern cultural concerns. We see corrupt businessmen in collusion with government officials. When bunny rabbits get too aggressive, Tonto states that “nature is out of balance.” The purity of The Lone Ranger’s values might be old-fashioned, but are still needed in the 21st century.

Along with Star Trek Into Darkness, The Lone Ranger is the best summer blockbuster this summer. There is not a better movie to see this 4th of July weekend.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Before Midnight & Monsters University Before Midnight is a film 18 years in the making.

In 1994, actors Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy and director Richard Linklater collaborated on an art house movie titled Before Sunrise. Filmed on the streets of Vienna, this plotless movie featured Jessie (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) talking about the meaning of life.

Nine years later, Hawke, Delpy and Linklater reunited in Before Sunset. Shot in real time, this 80-minute motion picture reveal Jessie and Celine in their 30s. This time, they roam the streets of Paris and talk about regrets. Both movies ask the question — will Celine and Jessie get together?

Before Midnight presents the morning after. Now in their 40s, Jessie suffers from a father’s guilt, while Celine feels like she has betrayed her career aspirations by becoming a mother. The couple has spent the summer in a writer’s retreat on a Greek Archiplelago. When the host family agrees to babysit the children, Jessie and Celine are given one night of intimacy.

For the first two thirds of the movie, Before Midnight seems to be repeating the formula of the first two movies. However, things change for the worse when the two arrive in their claustrophobic hotel room. What were once cute volleys and flirtations, now become ugly and abusive.

To Hawke, Delpy and Linklater’s credit, Before Midnight is a truthful movie. The three dig into their own personal barnacles and let them scrape each other. The fight in the hotel room is not comfortable to watch, but it does feel like a logical extension from that one night in Vienna 18 years ago.

Twelve years ago, Shrek battled Monsters Inc., in what became a symbolic battle between DreamWorks and Disney/Pixar studios, respectively. Shrek won the first ever Oscar for best animated feature, but Monsters Inc. won more awards and the box office gross. After four movies, Shrek retired into his swamp, but the characters from Monsters Inc. never lost public affection.

Monsters University is the prequel and puts the focus upon the one-eyed midget Cyclops Mike (voiced by Billy Crystal). While buddies in Monsters Inc., we discover that Mike and Sullivan (John Goodman) were undergraduate rivals. In their petty rivalry, Mike and Sully run afoul Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren), the hardnosed administrator who is part dragon.

This is a fun motion picture with an upbeat musical score. However, it lacks the heart of the first motion picture, which induced some tears. In fact, the short subject that precedes it, The Blue Umbrella, contains more heart than either Before Midnight or Monsters University.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

At the recent Fatality Fest convention, actress Debbie Rochon and I discussed the cinematography of The Blair Witch Project. On the big screen, Debbie found the film nauseating, but enjoyed the narrative on the television screen.

Perhaps the opposite will be true when Man of Steel leaves the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery IMAX Theater. On the smaller screen, the spectacle will be diminished because of the plot holes and weak character development.

The film opens on the doomed planet Krypton. Despite his best efforts, scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) is unable to prevent the end of the world, so he sends his only begotten son, Kal-El, to the cornfields of Kansas on the planet Earth. The boy is raised by John (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane) Kent and adopts the name Clark Kent (Henry Cavill). A stranger in a strange land, Clark is raised with moral values and he learns to fight for truth, justice and the American way.

Surviving the destruction of Krypton is General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his army of mercenaries. Zod has a grudge against Jor-El and his family. When he learns that the son of his arch enemy is living on Earth, Zod destroys the planet in pursuit of revenge.

Man of Steel is not a linear story. The film is full of flashbacks that are not in chronological order. The slower episodes featuring Clark and his step parents are the most emotionally poignant. We see a special needs student who is bullied. We all know that Clark Kent could easily demolish his tormentors, but John Kent teaches his son restraint and discipline. These values present Man of Steel’s finest moments.

The film sags with an over-reliance on special effects and attention-deficit-disorder editing. Moments of cliffhanging thrills are lost. The fight scenes lack fluid motion and visual sense. With a $116 million record-breaking gross, Man of Steel is THE motion picture of the moment.

The reviews and word of mouth about this Superman reboot have been split between either love or hate. Younger audiences are proclaiming Man of Steel the best Superman ever, while the older crowd misses the innocence and heart of the movies and television series.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Of all the summer blockbusters out there, Now You See Me is the most underrated movie this summer. The film features an interesting story, characters with dual motivations and veteran actors like Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine teaching a clinic on how to give subtle, understated performances.

Let’s remove the film’s major flaw quickly … this film about the illusion of magic has too many cinematic special effects. Enhanced by some attention deficit disorder editing, Now You See Me defeats the film’s core assertion about the importance of magic in our lives. Had some of the magic tricks been pulled off in a single frame camera shot, Now You See Me would have become the sleeper hit of the summer.

In the opening sequence, we are introduced to four different characters who become known as “The Four Horsemen.” Atlas (Jessie Eisenberg) is a mouthpiece barker, McKinney (Woody Harrelson) is a “mentalist” who shakes down marriage infidelities, Henley (Isla Fisher) performs death-defying Houdini stunts and Wilder (Dave Franco) seems to have an affinity for death. The four are recruited by a person in a hoodie, who represents the “Eye of Horus” from Egyptian Mythology.

While performing in France, the Four Horsemen steal a fortune from a secure bank. In hot pursuit is Detective Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), who tracks the Four Horsemen to New Orleans and New York in a desperate attempt to arrest them.

Now You See Me is a great title for this movie. While the over abundance of special effects mar this movie, it is the character development that one comes to appreciate in this fine mystery.

Speaking of mystery, Murder on the Beach bookstore in Delray Beach is hosting Mystery Writers University at the Delray Beach Marriott. This one-day seminar features academic and awardwinning authors teaching classes, as well as doing a book signing. For more information, visit www.mys terywriters.org.

Author/ actress Harley Jane Kozak is flying in to teach a seminar on “Character.” Hopefully, the producers of Now You See Me will consider Harley’s lesson plans in designing a sequel.