Rebel with a Cause: “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” Lacks the Energy of Its Predecessors

“Mockingjay – Part 1” is flawed; just look at its title (the “Part 1” portion). This is one half of a movie, and like the last Harry Potter and many other young adult film adaptations, the movie-going public is forced to pay to sit through a movie that’s half finished. That would be fine and dandy if this first half of “Mockingjay” had a distinct beginning, middle, and end. It’s more of a really long beginning and some of a middle. Besides the structural issues, the movie is dank and bleak as was heavily implied by the dour cliffhanger ending of the outstandingly entertaining last entry. There’s nothing particularly wrong or bad about “Mockingjay – Part 1” but it essentially lacks the spark (no pun intended) of last year’s “Catching Fire.”

I get that the film would have Hunger Games survivor and District 12 heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, who could play this role in her sleep by now) riddled with survivors guilt and suffering from post-traumatic stress. But the closing shot of “Catching Fire” showed a face ready for retaliation. Instead, we’re given cowering Katniss who must be coaxed into becoming and being marketed as the symbol of the rebellion. But hasn’t she been that for the last two movies? Ever since volunteering for her younger sister it has become the catalyst for the uprising. So I expected some more actual uprising. Instead we trod into the depths of the mysterious District 13 which is almost run in a similar police state by steely President Coin (Julianne Moore) but without the couture of the Capitol.  Of course, this place isn’t nearly as bad as actually being ruled by the evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and his malevolent regime who insist on murdering members of the districts on live TV who show the slightest attempt at revolting. District 12 was destroyed but we’re only shown the aftermath.

The film’s plot is basically “let’s train Katinss to be the voice of rebellion – the Mockingjay, if you will – by hiring a propaganda film crew to follow her every move and intimidate the Capitol.” Some familiar faces show up to help including Jeffrey Wright’s tech guru Beetee, a sobered up Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), and former gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee (the late Philip Seymour Hoffman). Luckily, self-proclaimed refugee Effie (Elizabeth Banks) shows up to brighten things up a bit even if she’s forced into wearing grey rags. The emphasis in this third outing is definitely the love aspect which always felt quite shoehorned in this series anyways. Katniss does love Gale (Liam Hemsworth) but she’s also quite concerned about Peeta (Josh Hutchinson) as he’s been captured by the Capitol and completely brainwashed. It’s also a shame the movie can’t find anything interesting to do with Finnick (Sam Claflin) who was such an interesting character the first time around. And seriously missing is Johanna, also captured by the Capitol, who was also fascinating in “Catching Fire.”

The problem here isn’t director Francis Lawrence whose second entry improved immensely upon the already pretty great first film, but the script by Danny Strong and Peter Craig who fill the movie with so many political statements and allegories that it forgets to have any fun whatsoever. The suspense and excitement is replaced by stillness and exposition and waiting to see when the heck the final battle will actually begin. There are some fleeting moments of revolting and tension (as entertaining as bombings can be these days), and we get to see Katniss take out a bomber jet with her bow, but it’s all essentially just a tease. Even if the film exists as a setup for the ultimate conclusion it at least has a reason to exist, we just have to wait a little bit longer for the good stuff. It’s a decent appetizer for what is sure to be a delicious main course.  GRADE: B- 

Trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 on TrailerAddict.

Stupid is as Stupid Does: “Dumb & Dumber To” is Terrible

“Dumb & Dumber” is not even close to being a cinematic classic. It is, however, a terrifically funny silly comedy. And a lot of people love it, including me. It’s also undeniably dumb. The thing is though; it’s not a poorly made film. It’s simple, but it’s not simple-minded. It’s raunchy and juvenile, but you can feel that the people behind it knew what they were doing. You’ll hear it time and time again in Hollywood, comedy is really hard to do but it’s probably the least respected. Why that is I’ll never really know. “Dumb & Dumber” was special, probably because it hit right at the right time, and because it was one of several movies released that year that introduced the world to the brilliant, comedic talents of Jim Carrey. For anyone who fell in love with the comedy duo of Lloyd (Carrey) and Harry (Jeff Daniels) seeing them reprise their roles twenty years later is a proposition almost impossible to resist. The problem however is that seeing old Jim Carrey and old Jeff Daniels repeat the same goofy, slapstick humor is just sad and depressing, and surprisingly unfunny.

Yes it’s true; “Dumb & Dumber To” is a complete disaster from beginning to end. There’s nary a standout funny moment in its nearly two hour runtime. That’s just sad since the first film functioned on an “Airplane!” let’s see how many of these jokes and gags stick level. It’s twenty years later and I still find myself quoting lines from the film in everyday conversation. No one will be quoting the sequel, even months from now.

Bobby and Peter Farrelly who branded this type of silly goofy comedy back in the 90s (and for the record, haven’t made a good movie since 2005’s “Fever Pitch”) seem oddly distant from the material this time around. It really shows: the film feels sloppy, hastily put together, and has no real comic timing or rhythm, and it goes on seemingly forever. Something is just off. Perhaps it’s the six writers’ “attempt” to come up with any kind of story for these two characters that could possibly sustain another full length film. The end result is a terrible SNL sketch drawn out to feature length.

The plot is promising enough: Harry needs a kidney, and also finds out his has a long-lost biological daughter.  And the pair head out to find her in hopes she’ll donate her kidney. It’s a good idea to get these guys out on the road – a premise that worked extremely well in the first film – but the movie has way too many bumps along the road. The first film featured a serious kidnapping plot with an interesting MacGuffin that was the perfect counterbalance to the goofy goings on with Harry and Lloyd who stumble upon it. Here it’s too forced and feels almost too convoluted and overly complicated. And worst of all, you never care about this story or how it’s going to turn out. And it wastes the talent of the actors involved. Expect for the terrible actress  - who I won’t even name - who plays Harry’s grown up daughter who has no actual talent Her performance is just awful and it’s a major insult to all other actresses who could have played the part.

There were exactly two jokes that I found even remotely funny. One involves Harry and Lloyd ending up at the wrong address and another involves a throwaway reference to Asperger’s. That’s all. There is too much of an emphasis on silly sight gags with no payoff. How about, a meth cook as a roommate. Ok. The cat licks the crystal meth. Ok, where is this going. Then the cat… hangs from the chandelier. That’s all? Let’s not even mention the poorly throughout “mistaken identity” plot that takes over the film’s final act. Only two things in the entire movie that’s funny? Not worth the time or effort.

To think hundreds of people worked on this film for such little payoff. The most fun thing about the movie is counting all references to the first movie. Even the end credits, displaying shots from the original, reminds the audience that what they just watched was a subpar version of the movie they fell in love with decades ago. I’m not sure why anyone, Carrey and Daniels especially, felt this script was worth shooting considering the expectations of people waiting twenty years for a proper sequel (no, “Dumb and Dumberer” doesn’t even count). Yes the movie is dumb, we all know it would be, but unfunny? I don’t like it a lot.  GRADE: D+

Trailer for Dumb and Dumber To on TrailerAddict.

Revenge of the Nerds: The Hilarious “Big Hero 6” Flies Animation and Super Heroes to New Heights

Super hero films have become so over-saturated in the movie marketplace it’s almost borderline annoying. At least most of them that come out are actually good. It’s just becoming sort of difficult to tell them all apart. They even come out in animated form as evidenced by Disney’s new action-comedy “Big Hero 6.”It’s sort of refreshing that Walt Disney Animation Studios have been diversifying their animated films as of late and it’s worked wonders for them. They can go back and forth from making princess movies to action comedies and haven’t taken a misstep since before “Tangled.” Hot off the success of the phenomenon “Frozen,” Disney gives us a something completely different yet just as fun, fresh, and beautifully animated. Sure there aren’t any musical numbers or magic, but they do deliver one of the most delightful Disney characters since Dory in “Finding Nemo.”

“Big Hero 6” takes place in a fictional amalgamation of San Francisco and Tokyo appropriately called San Fransokyo. Our young hero is appropriate named Hiro (Ryan Potter) who is a some sort of robotics genius 14 year-old who takes part in back alley robotics fights. He’s urged by his older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) to apply to the robotics program at his college. He invents these amazing microbots that he can control and morph into various objects and shapes with his mind, which obviously attracts lots of attention, but before you can say “every Disney movie needs a tragic family death” something traumatic happens in which the only thing left behind is a lovable, medical robot named Baymax  (Scott Adsit) made by Tadashi. Baymax, who senses that Hiro is hurting emotionally is activated and becomes his personal healthcare companion. Baymax is simply one of the most amazing animated characters in quite some time. Together, Baymax and Hiro form a typical bond found in movies like this (think “E.T.” or “How toTrain Your Dragon”) and eventually happen upon something quite sinister lurking in San Fransokyo.

The film is actually based on a little known Marvel comic book series. Having little knowledge of the comic, it can be said that the film at least is quite a success. The rich characterizations are quite something. Hiro doesn’t just feel like any kid who has experienced loss. And the bond between him and Baymax is simply a pleasure to watch. It’s funny and everything about these two feel genuine. Nothing here feels forced. Eventually Hiro and Baymax form a super hero team with his nerdy college-aged friends who are all super geniuses too. The group is diverse and every character feels memorable and is given something to do and there’s even a memorable villain on top of everything else. Don Hall and Christ Williams have taken an almost worn out genre and crafted a really great film that could easily become its own franchise with plenty of good characters to go around. 

“Big Hero 6” is a delightful family film. It’s a complete 180 from last year’s “Frozen,” but it’s every bit as good. It’s certainly more in the vein of “Wreck-It Ralph” or “The Incredibles” but it may be even better than those. The animation is really amazing (the microbot sequences in particular), Henry Jackson’s score is as exciting as the action and the humor in Robert L. Baird, Dan Gerson, and Jordon Roberts’ script works really well. The entire concept of Baymax is really outstanding, from his physical design (he’s described as a gigantic marshmallow at one point which feels accurate) to the terrific voice work. I was really blown away by this really funny, moving, and exciting animated film. It was a blast. GRADE: A- 

Feature Trailer for Big Hero 6 on TrailerAddict.

Galaxy Quest: The Audacious “Interstellar” is a Mind-Bending Intergalactic Journey

I don’t think I have a high enough brain function to ever fully understand everything that was going on in “Interstellar.” And that’s how you know you’re watching a great Christopher Nolan film: the amazing visuals outweigh the technical jargon and perplexing plot elements. My best approximation for describing “Interstellar” would be a cross between “Contact” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” filtered through “Inception.” Ok, so it’s basically “Inception” in space without the whole heist thing. It features crazy, top-notch photography, great performances from its Oscar alumni-heavy cast, and a fascinating story that seems to be polarizing audiences everywhere. No doubt about it though, this is a film worth seeing on the big screen and discussing for days on end.

The basic premise of “Interstellar” (which originally had Steven Spielberg’s involvement) isn’t anything particularly new. In the near future, Earth is no long able to provide a place for people to live. Dust storms ravage the land and people are forced to eat nothing but corn-based products. And like all great sci-fi films the only hope is to explore the possibility of leaving Earth and finding another place that can sustain human life. Enter Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) a former NASA test pilot who lives on a farm with his teenage son, young daughter Murph, and his father (John Lithgow). Murph believes some kind of “ghost” is haunting her, leaving a Morse code message which turns out to the coordinates of a top secret NASA facility where a mission to explore other galaxies in the hope of either transporting the Earth’s population or Plan B: repopulating a new planet with fertilized eggs leaving everyone on Earth to eventually die. The scientists have discovered a wormhole near Saturn, which they believe was placed by otherworldly beings, which would therefore make traveling such a far distance feasible.

The film’s setup is simple enough. Cooper is distraught about leaving his family behind, especially Murph, but he chooses the space mission in hopes that he can one day, even years in the future, return to his family on Earth. He’s joined by Dr. Brant (Anne Hathaway) and two other crew members, in addition to AI robots one of which is named TARS. Jessica Chastain plays Murph as an adult and the film spends much of its duration cross cutting from the devastating moments on Earth with the intense space sequences which are sometimes just as devastating.

To say anything else about Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan’s sometimes hokey script would ruin the fun. But let’s just say the film – like “Inception” – has a fun time playing with the concept of time and how in this film’s case, time is relative to your location in the galaxy. It’s certainly an audacious concept, and while one could easily find it farfetched, I really dug it. Most of these elements are based on real scientific fact and theories at least. It’s really the film’s final act that is most divisive as the film becomes truly bizarre and “out there.” But if you can make sense of “2001” then this film should go down easily enough.

The real reason any film fan wants to see “Interstellar” is for its amazing - non-3D - visuals. The cinematography is simply stunning. Nolan’s longtime DP was busing making his directorial debut and critically trashed “Transcendence” and was replaced by “Let the Right One In” cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema who shot a lot of scenes with IMAX cameras, one of which was reported mounted onto the tip of a Learjet. The sound design is appropriately loud and intense, though like last year’s “Gravity,” the film plays a lot with the fact that there is no sound in space. And Hans Zimmer provides another terrific score, not quite as bombastic, he was definitely going for something different here with some almost 80s sounding music queues that fit the visuals quite nicely.

It’s easy to want to compare “Interstellar” with last year’s “Gravity” but the whole films couldn’t be more different. But films are some of the most amazing movie set in space you’re bound to see. “Gravity” was simple, realistic space thriller. “Interstellar” is a much larger film on a such a big scale that it takes place in more than one galaxy! It has honest themes about family, time, and life that are truly impactful and there’s a surprisingly strong emotional core which I found particularly moving. Did I get everything that was going on at every moment? Heck no. However, Nolan certainly set out to give us something we haven’t seen before, and while there are plenty of elements gleaned from other films, he does give us a unique vision that was simply a pleasure to watch. Even if it’s not the nail-biting experience that was the swiftly-paced “Gravity,” this film certainly feels like another glorious giant leap forward for the movie going experience.  GRADE: A- 

Theatrical Trailer for Interstellar on TrailerAddict.

Lens with Benefits: The Astounding “Nightcrawler” Features Newsworthy Performances and Suspense

Where the heck did Jake Gyllenhaal go? He looks all gaunt and squirrely, almost as if he’s wasting away, in his latest crime thriller “Nightcrawler.” It’s a scathing media satire and crackling crime thriller from first time feature director Dan Gilroy. The actor with his black slicked back hair and stark dark eyes almost fades into the background of the creepily shot scenes of wee hours Los Angeles where he begins as an amateur cameraman trying to get footage of accidents and crimes moments after they occurred so he can get paid by a local news channel who is struggling in the ratings. Gyllenhaal has given one outstanding performance after the next in challenging material be it “Prisoners” or “Enemy” and here he has found his Travis Bickle role with a performance that is sure to be remembered for years to come.

Any questions of whether Gyllenhaal is playing an immoral character is vanquished in the film’s first few moments when he assaults a security guard and is later seen wearing the guy’s fancy wristwatch. He’s a scavenger. Gyllenhaal is Louis Bloom who begins the film turning in scrap metal for cash. But then he witnesses amateur camera guys filming a car crash aftermath and decides to try it out for himself. In the film’s first half we witness the trials and tribulations of Lou becoming a “nightcrawler” - those pesky camera guys who are always shoving their lenses in the faces of innocent victims of crimes or accidents and freelancing the footage for local news stations. And then Lou almost perfects it.

Lou sells his increasingly graphic footage to a local producer Nina (Rene Russo channeling her inner Faye Dunaway) whose morning news show is the lowest rated in the city. Both Nina and Lou seem to bond over this creepy footage and Lou especially becomes obsessed with pleasing Nina’s outrageous quest for high ratings and his increasing need for more money. Of course he goes about it in the craziest ways possible whether that means moving a body to get the perfect shot or withholding photographic evident from the police to further his career. You can only feel bad for Lou’s naïve apprentice Rick (Riz Ahmed) who he hires as his “intern.” This is a film that forces us to follow along with a morally empty character who makes increasingly unethical decisions. And the film’s suspense is shoved into overdrive in the film’s last act when Lou makes some of the boldest and insane decisions imaginable.

“Nightcrawler” works like a modern suspense thriller version of “Network” much of if functioning as if were Michael Mann’s post-“Collateral” crime actioner. Cinematographer Robert Elswit shots the film as if it were a dirty, urban 70s noir. He captures the crime riddled LA nightscape with breezy intensity.  The movie, shot on actual film, captures the grainy cityscape perfectly, including an incredibly intense car chase that pits the viewer in the middle of the action. James Newton Howard’s electronic, almost rock-like score feels as strange as the film itself and works perfectly. Like Gyllenhaal’s character it’s odd but charming. In fact, Gyllenhaal’s scraggly, amoral but cordial (and arguably insane) character could be an evil distant cousin of his similarly rogue and heroic cop character from “Prisoners.” Both men are wholly solitary and strange individuals with completely different motivations.

“Nightcrawler” is compellingly watchable and that’s because Gilroy’s script and direction are top notch. Facing double duty, this guy makes the right decision at every possible time, resulting in a perfectly paced thriller with appropriately suspenseful sequences, impeccably shot and timed action, and a captivating morally bankrupt character at the center. It’s impossible to take your eyes off of him. The idea of satirizing the news media is not even remotely a new thing, but this film makes for one fascinating experience and is as relevant as ever.  GRADE: A

Trailer for Nightcrawler on TrailerAddict.

The Birdman Cometh: The Darkly Comedic “Birdman” is an Impressive Cinematic Achievement

How do you even describe the film “Birdman” to someone? I guess you can tell them it’s a black comedy about a former super hero movie actor who tries to reinvent himself as the writer, director, and star of a Broadway play while going through the wackiest midlife crisis imaginable. Oh and the guy who plays the former super hero movie actor is played by none other than former super hero movie actor Michael Keaton. And did I mention the film is gloriously shot to simulate taking place in one single, unbroken take. Think “Rope” meets “Death of a Salesman” meets “Noises Off!” If that isn’t the weirdest combination of movies imaginable I don’t know what is. In other words, “Birdman” is a triumph; it’s an entertaining, perfectly executed cinematic achievement with outstanding performances from its wonderful ensemble and mind blowingly amazing camerawork.

Michael Keaton is Riggan. Decades earlier he had played the title character Birdman in three Blockbuster films. But in his current form he’s just a washed up actor. Though he still has fans coming up to him on the street asking for photos and autographs. He’s plan for a career revival is writing and directing a Broadway play and starring in it as well. His friend/lawyer Jake (Zach Galifianakis) is producing the show. And the play also stars first time Broadway actress Lesley (Noami Watts channeling her "Mulholland Drive" character a tad), Laura (Andrea Riseborough), and last minute replacement and cocky Mike (a delightfully loose Edward Norton). There’s also Riggan’s daughter/personal assistant Sam (Emma Stone) who happens to be a recovering drug addict. The film follows Riggan in and around the theater during the last few days of previews before opening night including bizarre talks with his former Birdman persona.

What seems like a simple story is anything but as director Alejandro González Iñárritu, known for such dramas as "21 Grams" and "Babel," has decided to shot the film as if it were done in one single unbroken take. There is some digital editing trickery going on here to the watchful eye, but otherwise the film is chock full of long unbroken takes that are simply stunning to watch. It almost makes you feel as if you’re watching a play, and yet the film never feels stagey or stagnant. It’s wholly cinematic. And let’s not forget the utterly crazy good script with hilarious dialogue. It’s a scathing satire of Hollywood, celebrity, criticism, etc, which is certainly nothing new, but the craft here is impeccable. It feels like it was so expertly handled it’s as if Robert Altman came back from the grave to make it. And let’s not forget the amazing subtle aspects like, for instance, the minimalist drum score that goes from non-diegetic film score to source music within a single shot.

Sure the film isn't quite going to be for every taste. For every film nerd who will sit there at awe at the clever handiwork of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, there will be plenty who find the film’s more “out there” fantasy-like elements either over-the-top or downright confusing. And let’s not even mention the bizarre, what just happened ending, that will most likely get audience members into long film geek discussions after the credits begin rolling. Iñárritu, masterfully balancing both the comedy and drama, and his actors are in top form and they have all helped craft an utterly original and fascinating movie that is certainly one of the year’s best.  GRADE: A

Teaser Trailer for Birdman on TrailerAddict.

Child’s Play: “Annabelle” Offers Decent Scares But is No “The Conjuring”

I can’t really complain when a horror movie is “decent.” Most of the time they’re just not even worth seeing, that I don’t mind when one is a little clichéd but at least has its moments. “Annabelle” is once such film. It’s a sort of prequel/spinoff hybrid (pre-off?) of last year’s overwhelming successful “The Conjuring” which remains of the best horror films of recent memory. In it we learned a little about the case of Annabelle, a possessed doll that wreaked havoc for a pair of nursing students. Here we learn about how the doll came to be possessed in the first place. It’s basically a made up story, and even the film knows it. The movie feels more inclined to remind you that it’s related to “The Conjuring” instead of reminding you that’ it’s “based on true events.” And rightfully so. But is it any good?

First off the film has a delightful “Rosemary’s Baby” vibe which I enjoyed. We’re introduced to a young, happy married couple Mia (Annabelle Wallis, yeah that’s her name seriously) and John (Ward Horton, sort of bland but likable). Mia is pregnant and everything seems right in the world. That is until satanic cultists murder the older couple next door (an extremely intense and well executed sequence) and attack Mia and John as well leaving Mia on permanent bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy. And you know that creepy antique doll that John just gave to Mia? One of the satanic murderers possessed it before killing herself.  Of course Mia and John don’t quite know it yet. Mia suspects something’s up as she notices strange occurrences in the house, one of which causes the couple to move to an apartment building after one intense incident. This sets into motion the clichéd idea that Mia is witnessing strange activity and her husband doesn’t believe her.

There is something strange going on and it has everything to do with the creepy doll that just doesn’t seem to go away, even when John tries to throw it out. Most of the visions and incidents that Mia experiences are similar to what we’ve seen in the “Insidious” films. And that makes sense since first time feature director John R. Leonetti was James Wan’s director of photography on those films (and many others). Where “Insidious” creeped us out with that scary red-faced demon, we’re given an equally creepy demon that stays hidden enough to cause a good case of the willies. He gives the film and equally creepy and familiar feel which sort of works. He emphasizes suspense over gore.  And his attempts to make normally unscary objects, like sewing machines, creepy sort of works. The film sort of hits all the standard horror movie beats and all the scares  are firmly in the right place but I sort of was transfixed by this likable couple and their plight, even if the story’s progression feels sort of herky jerky.

Most audiences won’t forgive this nubile couple for actually wanting such a creepy doll in their house, whether possessed or not, but sometimes you have to just go with it. The real life Annabelle was just a Raggedy Ann doll but I imagine Raggedy Ann sales would plummet if portrayed in such a way. “Annabelle” is a competently made movie. It’s nothing particularly special, but there’s nothing overtly terrible about it. It’s scary enough and sometimes that’s good enough. It suffers in comparison to the “The Conjuring” mostly in that Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are sorely missed but odds are if you enjoyed that film you’re bound to enjoy this. Just leave the creepy dolls at home.  GRADE: B 

Trailer for Annabelle on TrailerAddict.

Ben, Her: David Fincher’s Masterful “Gone Girl” is a Stylish, Absorbing Mystery

Is it even possible to remotely review “Gone Girl” without talking about its many interesting plot details? I’d say not really. So the only things that can really be said about the film are how truly great it is and that’s it’s definitely worth your time and hard-earned money. What little details can be said about the story without giving much away is what people who haven’t seen the film probably already know. That it’s about a man whose wife goes missing. Is she dead? Has she been kidnapped? And was the husband involved? Nothing more can be said nor should be said for anyone who hasn’t seen the film, except for this: by the film’s midpoint it’s a completely different ball game and you never quite know where the film will end up. It’s also completely intoxicating from start to finish due to Fincher’s dependable direction, tremendous performances, and such an intriguing story that any plot hole or other far-fetched element can be completely and rightfully dismissed.

Ben Affleck stars here, in another one of his more recent, outstanding performances, as Nick Dunne. His beautiful wife is Amy (a revelatory Rosamund Pike) and like him she’s a writer. The problem is the modern world is a horrible place for writers as they’ve both recently become out of work. Also recently, Amy has gone missing. Nick comes home to what appears to be a bit of a struggle in the living room but there’s no sign of his wife. There also doesn’t seem to be much concern in Nick’s face which sort of makes us wonder if A) he had anything to do with it, or B) he even cares that she’s missing. A detective (Kim Dickens, also great) is brought in to investigate and eventually Amy is officially considered a missing person.

What comes next is a complete media circus. This is where Gillian Flynn, who wrote the script based on her best-selling novel, really shines as the film is essentially, and appropriately, a complete dig at the news media. Every news outlet loves a story about a beautiful wife who goes missing and following the every move of the supposedly innocent husband who barely even seems to seem at all concerned in front of the cameras. This is an engaging, and surprisingly humorous look at the sensationalism purported by the media when an event like this occurs. And that’s exactly what it becomes when something horrible like this happens: it becomes an event, complete with logos, titles, and its own theme music.

But “Gone Girl” isn’t your average thriller, it’s smarter than that and certain things will be revealed throughout the course of the film which really changes everything you thought you knew where the story was headed. There’s more to Amy and Nick’s marriage then you know at first. And Fincher stages everything simply wondrously. He’s a guy we know gets a kick out of exploring the dark recesses of the human mind. He’s not afraid to take his audience to dank, depressing places. But what really elevates the film is its surprising sense of humor. And that mostly comes from Nick’s touching relationship with his twin sister Margo (Carrie Coon) and with a popular defense lawyer played by Tyler Perry, sans drag, of all people. Even Neil Patrick Harris, completely cast against type as someone from Amy’s past is outstanding as well. It’s an odd ensemble, but it all somehow works.

“Gone Girl” is a stunning cinematic achievement. All aspects of the production, with the help of Fincher regulars, are top notch. Everything from the evocative music (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross), the sterile cinematography (Jeff Cronenweth), expert cutting (Kirk Baxter), and aforementioned performances are all outstanding. The script is a surprisingly witty critique on the media and marriage and offers an amusingly dark and twisty plot. It may not always be completely air tight, but I’ll be damned if your jaw isn’t agape when it’s all over.  GRADE: A 

Feature Trailer for Gone Girl on TrailerAddict.

Paths of Glory: “The Maze Runner” is One of the More Outstanding Young Adult Adaptations

Everyone wants to duplicate the success of the young adult phenomenon “The Hunger Games.” And who could blame them? That series of films, so far, is a standout film series surely made to stand the test of time. “The Maze Runner,” adapted from the book of the same name, tries its hardest to capture the same dystopian feel with a more male-centric story about boys and young men trapped within the confines of a gigantic maze. It’s sort of “Lord of the Flies” meets “TheHunger Games” with a bit of “Lost” thrown in for good measure. Is it as good as “The Hunger Games?” No, but why should it be? It feels miles ahead of all other teen centric garbage flooding the multiplexes. It’s thrilling, action-packed, features impressive performances from its young cast, and gives us an undeniably fascinating premise.

Thomas, (played by Teen Wolf’s Dylan O’Brien) who can’t even remember his own name at first, appears in the Glade, a grassy area that’s surrounded by gigantic walls. There are only other teen boys, wearing mostly tattered clothing. No one knows why they’re there, how they got there, or what exactly is going on, except that there are creatures beyond the walls that hang out in the maze that surround the relatively safe central Glade area. He meets some of the other teen boys, one of which is Alby (Aml Ameen) who appears to be the leader of the group. Gally (Will Poulter) also appears to be somewhat in charge but is way more antagonistic. Thomas also meets the most recent addition to the Glade, besides himself, Chuck (Blake Cooper). He also meets the mysterious Minho (Ki Hong Lee) who is a runner. The walls open up in the morning and the runners enter the maze to attempt to find a way out. Every kid seems to have a place within this small group but only certain people are responsible for finding a way out or finding out why they’ve been put there.

It’s a simply fascinating premise that grips the viewer instantly. There are many questions as the film progresses the film uses Thomas for us identify with. He knows as much as we do. O’Brien is certainly charming in his first major lead role and I can easily expect great things from him in the future. The film has an appropriately dark look and tone as many of these young adult adaptations involve depressing post-apocalyptic societies. This film is refreshingly void of any sort of love story. There’s just no time for love even when a girl named Theresa (Kaya Scodelario) is mysteriously sent to live with the boys. Director Wes Ball, making his feature film debut, injects a strong sense of mystery to the proceedings, as the script slowly reveals more and more information. He also unleashes some pretty intense moments which certainly help ramp up the suspense. The creatures, who the boys call Grievers, are appropriately scary and the visual effects are pretty well down for a modestly budgeted movie. I really liked the overall feel, tone, and look of the entire story-driven movie.

You really do get a sense that author James Dasher was heavily influence by the novels “Lord of the Flies” and “Ender’s Game.” I didn't enjoy the “Ender’s Game” film as I never felt invested in the story but here I was in it every step of the way. The ending may leave some people with more questions than answers but it sets up what is sure to be a truly fascinating series of films. For once, I can’t wait to finish reading the book and learn even more about this captivating world.  GRADE: A-

Trailer for The Maze Runner on TrailerAddict.

The Brother, Sister: “The Skeleton Twins” is an Expertly Acted, Mostly Depressing Drama

“The Skeleton Twins” should come with a disclaimer. Not because it’s bad or anything but because I can imagine people lining up to see the latest Kristen Wiig comedy expecting “Bridesmaids” and getting “Requiem for a Dream” instead. No, no it’s not that bad but the film deals with the tough subject matter of suicide and depression in a realistic way. It’s never exploitative or heavy handed; it just is what it is. It also features two truly dynamic and wonderful performances from its leads Wiig and her former SNL co-star Bill Hader. If you can go into this little indie gem knowing it’s not exactly a barrel of laughs you will be sad, depressed, but ultimately moved by the film’s interesting story and fascinating characters.

Wiig showed a lot of promise of her real dramatic acting chops in “Bridesmaids.” Sure it was a silly comedy, but go back and look at Wiig’s performance again. It’s alive with drama and subtle nuances of a woman completely overwhelmed and depressed. Yeah she’s hilarious, but she also shows dramatic range which is on full display here. Wiig and Hader (also amazing here) are Maggie and Milo, an estranged pair of adult siblings. They’ve had a rough childhood which can be seen in glimpses. After a failed suicide attempt, Milo goes to stay with Maggie in her upstate New York house. Maggie is married to Lance (Luke Wilson) and they have a rather normal and uneventful life. They’re trying to get pregnant though Maggie isn’t quite ready to have children. Milo is gay and lives the life of a struggling actor in LA. The pair hadn’t seen or heard from each other in ten years and we don’t really know why. This dramatic event just may be the catalyst to get their once close relationship working again.

It’s obvious that Milo and Maggie have a strong connection. We eventually get filled in on their childhood and upbringing. And suicide and depression tend to run in their family. It doesn’t help that they’re mother is basically MIA and was apparently too busy to attend her own daughter’s wedding. These are really sad people. It’s sort of hard to watch. They’re not happy with their lives even if they seem to have things sorted out for the most part. They both sort of think ending it all is the only option for both of them. But they need each other and that is where the true heart of the film lies.

Wiig and Hader have some of the most exquisite chemistry I have ever witnessed in a film. And why shouldn’t they? They’re obviously good friends from their tenure on Saturday Night Live and most likely know each other very well. They’re practically siblings and it comes across magnificently onscreen. Director Craig Johnson, who co-wrote the script with Mark Heyman, has weaved an interesting story for these two fully realized people. The script slowly reveals elements of these sibling’s pasts and we’re filled in on the events that lead them to their current states. The directing is fluid and realistic and the themes are throughout and work (it helps that the sometimes dark story is also set around Halloween).

This is a film that I can certainly recommend if you’re in the mood for something with heavy and dark subject matter. While the characters’ eventual connection is what really lifts this out of depressing territory, the film is rather morose - though with some well-timed bits of solid comic relief. It isn’t what I’d exactly call a feel-good film though when it comes down to it it’s ultimately uplifting. If you want to see another side to two of our best comedic actors working today you’re certainly in for a treat. If you’re expecting a raunchy comedy then you’ll certainly feel tricked.  GRADE: B+ 

Trailer for The Skeleton Twins on TrailerAddict.

Time Out! The Top 15 Most Ridiculously Stupid (But Awesome) “Saved by the Bell” Episodes

On September 1^st, the Lifetime network will air a made-for-TV movie about Saved by the Bell unimaginatively titled “The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story.” It sounds and looks utterly ridiculous. And you know why? Because the former Saturday morning teen sitcom was, and remains to this day, utterly ridiculous. If you need help remembering why you hated to love this awesome cornball of a show here is a list of the series’ most ludicrous episodes. Now it was actually pretty difficult to narrow down this list as nearly every episode has some kind of utterly preposterous element (like how about Zack scoring an impossible 1502 on his SATs or what about Screech’s unbelievable invention: a self-aware robot named Kevin with AI that would make the T-1000 jealous). This show is so amazingly awesome and stupid and here are fifteen reasons why:

15) The Teacher’s Strike (Season 4)

Premise: A teacher’s strike puts the annual Academic Bowl competition in jeopardy.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: I can’t imagine a realistic scenario in which the teachers at a high school would go on strike in the middle of the school year causing kids to miss classes. It just isn’t seem like it could really happen. Meanwhile, the guys go on a ski trip, where Screech catches a bad cold, where he ends up in the hospital, nearly delirious, and then Zack takes his place. This is one of those episodes where the big final competition literally lasts for 2 minutes and literally 4 questions are asked. And yet Jessie and Lisa spend days on end studying. And since when is Lisa the intelligent one?? They never even asked any fashion or gossip-related questions, geez.

Dumb Dialogue:

Screech: “All right, astrophysics. First, think of Astro, the Jetson's dog. Jetson's means ‘jet propulsion,’ with properties A, B, C ... C ... see ya real soon!”
Jessie: “Oh no, he died!”

Implaus-O-Meter: 5

14) The Video Yearbook (Season 4)

Premise: Zack is in charge of shooting the school’s “video yearbook” and gets an idea to make a video dating tape instead.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: First of all let’s slap Mr. Belding upside the head for allowing the school’s most notorious troublemaker to be in charge of the video yearbook. And does a high school student really have the means and funds to make and edit this video, make lots of copies, and travel around to other schools and sell the videos? And why would Zack let SCREECH of all people be in charge of picking the prettiest girls? Doesn't he know Screech would think a giraffe with lipstick would be attractive to him? Or how about the school’s principal allowing the other students to get even with Zack after he wronged them? That just seems like a bad, bad idea. Also, Showgirls fans should note the foreshadowing as Jessie, stressed about delivering a quality yearbook to Belding, scarfs down a hamburger and French fries in true Nomi fashion.

Dumb Dialogue:

Zack, on last year’s yearbook: “Yeah this is a real turkey, got any gravy?”

Implaus-O-Meter: 5

13) Driver’s Education (Season 2)

Premise: The gang learns how to drive, but Zack gets jealous when he realizes that Slater is about to turn sixteen and get his license before him.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: Oh where to begin? First off, how about the fact that THEY’RE LEARNING TO DRIVE A CAR BY DRIVING A GOLF CART AROUND A CLASSROOM. Geez, who is in charge of this program? I don’t even have to mention how Slater is able to buy a junked up car that looks like it’s been through a Michael Bay movie and yet the gang is able to make it look brand spankin’ new in an afternoon. Yeah right. Zack’s scheme to get Slater kicked out of driver’s ed is just stupid and results in the car being wrecked and Kelly getting a bump on the head.

Dumb Dialogue:

Mr. Tuttle: “Pushy pushy, move your tushy.”

Implaus-O-Meter: 5.5

12) Love Machine (Season 4)

Premise: Slater is distressed because his ex-girlfriend from Germany is now magically attending Bayside; meanwhile Screech invents a love machine in Mr. Tuttle’s science class.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: On the surface, this episode doesn’t appear to be too unbelievable. But then when you get into it, you realize none of this, like most episodes, is even plausible. Slater’s ex-girlfriend Jennifer shows up one day, and he apparently never broke up with her? As if one day he would just magically move back to Germany or something. So apparently he’s been cheating on her with Jessie. And then Jennifer and Zack start going out which makes Slater jealous and then they use Screech’s love machine invention which can apparently test compatibility between two people or objects (important lesson learned: peanut butter has no feelings for jelly). This is one of those episodes with a complicated plot that doesn’t need to be complicated. Oh, and did I mention the old people cross dressing? (For LITERALLY NO REASON).

Dumb Dialogue:

Jennifer: "When Albert left, we made one of those promises that we wouldn't go out with anyone else ever."

Implaus-O-Meter: 6

11) Screech’s Spaghetti Sauce (Season 4)

Premise: The gang works on a public access show for their Communications class and they begin selling Screech’s grandmother’s spaghetti sauce.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: So apparently principals can just teach whatever class they feel like in the world of Bayside High so Mr. Belding has decided to teach Communications. They decide to do a public access show that’s “like The Today Show but for teenagers.” I don’t know about Zack but is it weird that I liked Good Morning America when I was like 12? But I digress. Screech appears in a cooking segment where he makes his grandmother’s spaghetti sauce. It tastes really good apparently and so they decide to bottle it and sell it to their classmates. Now here’s where the ridiculousness comes in. Why would the entire student body actually want to buy spaghetti sauce? Did these kids bring it home to their parents and say hey mom I got dinner! WTF? And let’s not forget the nearly racist spaghetti sauce commercial featuring really bad Italian accents. And then the “Betsy Crocker” company finds out about the sauce, somehow, and serves Screech a cease and desist letter in the middle of the school hallway. And I haven’t even mentioned the gold digging character Robin (played by a sluttier version of Punky Brewster) who thinks Screech has enough money to buy her gold jewelry. This episode is a classic and epically retarded.

Dumb Dialogue:

Screech: “The sauce-a you can have, but the secret she’s-a-mine!”

Implaus-O-Meter: 6.5

10) Rockumentary (Season 3)

Premise: The gang (sans Jessie) become a famous rock band but not before breaking up in true rock band fashion.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: When you think about it, this should really be #1 on this list. But when you learn the episode’s obvious twist – it’s all a dream! – you have to knock it down a few points. This is a glorious episode that is yet again absent Jessie. Even she was like, WTF guys a rock band, really? I’m gonna go become a stripper instead. Just playing around one day in the garage, a record producer named Brian FATE happens to be jogging by and likes their sound. He offers them (they're called the Zack Attack) a record deal obviously. And then he introduces him to their publicist Mindy who looks thirty years older than Zack so obviously they start doing it. She’s sort of the Yoko Ono of the group and insists that he go solo. Zack becomes “Mr. Madonna” but ultimately decides it’s not quite his look. Oh did I mention that they win Grammy Awards that are handed out by bad Madonna and Michael Jackson look-a-likes? Oh and they make it to the top of the Billbox charts. Ugh. This episode is utterly and epically ridiculous. I love it. And I forgot to mention the whole episode is narrated by Casey Kasem. Somewhere he’s doing “the Sprain” in Dance Party heaven.

Dumb Dialogue:

Kelly: “Are you really interested in us?”

Brian Fate: “Does Bart Simpson have animated zits?”

Implaus-O-Meter: 7

9) Jessie’s Song (Season 2)

Premise: Jessie can’t do her school work and be in a hot girl group so obviously needs to take caffeine pills, which she becomes unrealistically dependent on.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: Yes people, this is THE episode, the Saved by the Bell episode to end all Saved by the Bell episodes. It’s the one you remember the best, the one you quoted the most, the one that is just utterly terrible and yet so freaking amazing all at once. And it was more than just about Jessie getting unrealistically hooked on caffeine pills it would rank much higher on this list. But this is a list of ridiculous Saved by the Bell episodes, not the BEST Saved by the Bell episodes. In fact, I’m willing to argue that the fact that “Hot Sundae” is such a hot prospect of becoming an actual popular singing group is way more unlikely than getting hooked on caffeine pills. Although, Elizabeth Berkley overacts the hell out of the part which deserves most of the ridiculousness credit.

Dumb Dialogue:

Slater: "Those pills are dangerous."
Jessie: "Yeah? Well so's Geometry!"

Implaus-O-Meter: 7.5

8) Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind (Season 2)

Premise: The gang is shooting their own alien movie and come across an ad that will offer a reward for proof of alien life. Take a guess at what happens next.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: This is one of the more outlandish early episodes. The gang decides that they could easily fool a government official into thinking that Screech is an alien. So they rig up an impossible device that makes all the school’s lockers open at once (a gag recycled from the Lisa Card episode). This is easily the most implausible moment. I mean if every locker has a combination how are the characters able to open whichever lockers they want at will. So stupid. Just the IDEA that they think they could get away with this – though it turns out the government official isn’t exactly who he says either. This episode is just utterly ridiculous even by Saved by the Bell standards.

Dumb Dialogue:

Mr. Belding's Secretary: "Mr. Belding, please report to the gym. The water polo team has a horse in the pool again."

Mr. Belding: “Kids love horseplay!”

Implaus-O-Meter: 8.5

7) Model Students (Season 2)

Premise: Zack makes a calendar with Bayside’s prettiest girls, which obviously catches the attention of a world renowned fashion photographer.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: So Kelly is working at the school store, which up until this episode never even existed (or existed thereafter if you’re keeping track), and business is slow. Because it’s run by nerds and they sell things like clocks made from shells and Mr. Roger’s autograph. And by the way, if extra-pale flesh colored band-aids are the store’s best seller how can there be no sale records? But that’s not even the ridiculous part. To help business Zack has Screech, in full scuba gear, sneak photos of the girl’s swim team while in their swimsuits so Zack can make a Girls of Bayside calendar. Which begs the question: How did he get full high-quality shots of the girls posing if they didn’t know they were being photographed? How does the girls swim team not notice Screech swimming around in the pool with a camera? Just one of many implausible moments at Bayside High. Let’s not forget the fashion photographer who wants to select one lucky girl to be whisked off to Paris to start a modeling career. Oh this episode just gets better and better.

Dumb Dialogue:

Adam Trask: “The lucky girl is Kelly.”

Jessie: “Kelly?!”

Lisa: “With those hips?!”

Kelly: “What hips, shorty!”

Implaus-O-Meter: 8.5

6) No Hope with Dope (Season 3)

Premise: A random celebrity just walks into Bayside High in the hopes of shooting an anti-drug commercial there. Obviously.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: Did you even read the last sentence? Anywho, Saved by the Bell was never cornier than when it was trying to be preachy and teach a lesson. Here we learn that, I know I know: drugs are bad. Yeah I know you’re not supposed to do drugs and I never had and never will ,but I didn’t need Zack and the gang to tell me not to. Johnny Dakota (think Johnny Depp meets New Kids on the Block) just happens to stumble upon Bayside and is convinced by Zack and the group that it would be the perfect place to shoot an anti-drug commercial. Johnny’s biggest fan just so happens to be Kelly. Oh and did I mean that, cue the twist, Johnny is actually a pothead. But what’s so improbable in this whole episode is that Johnny, who is obviously way older than high school, invites the gang to his house to party and they’re actually allowed to go. Um, where’s the parenting in the Palisades?? And to top it all off Mr. Belding just so happens to be BFFs with the head of NBC programming cue the obvious meta jokes. Boy this one is too much.

Dumb Dialogue:
Screech: "Wow, my first Hollywood party. I wonder if the Simpsons are gonna be there?"

Implaus-O-Meter: 9

5) Fake IDs (Season 3)

Premise: The gang is taking a photography class and they make fake IDs so they can hang out at an over 18 dance club called The Attic.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: This episode is unbelievable for one reason: the fact that Screech knows how to actually recreated a realistic photo ID from TAKING A HIGH SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS. He sits there, pushing around a photograph in some liquid, in classroom with the lights on, and out pops an instant photo ID. The writers weren’t even trying with this one. Meanwhile Zack has the hots for a college girl so he must pretend to be college too. His excuse for why he’s never on campus is that he’s always in the darkroom (he’s a photography major). So what’s his excuse for why he’s always hanging out with high school kids? And on a different subject, are we really supposed to believe that Kelly would mistake Shamu the Whale for Mr. Belding’s wife?

Dumb Dialogue:

Screech: "You know Slater, through this lens, your nose hairs look like the Amazon Rainforest."

Slater: "If you don't get that camera out of my face, I'm going to have the natives come out and eat you!"

Implaus-O-Meter: 9

4) Cream for a Day (Season 1)

Premise: Screech unintentionally invents a miracle zit removal cream in chemistry class, though it comes with a catch. Meanwhile, Kelly  is on her way to being crowned homecoming queen.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: This is another one of those episodes where Screech invents something impossible and Zack tries to make money off it. The extent of my actual high school chemistry class involved boiling hot water over a Bunsen burner, if we were lucky. Probably one of the coolest “experiments” involved chewing Wint-O-Green Lifesavers in the dark. I don’t think we ever actually used any genuine “chemicals.” So the fact that Screech even had access to anything that could eventually become a miracle zit cream is as farfetched as they come. How exactly do Zack and Screech have the means or funds to package the cream into tubes? Of course the twist is that in a day or two the cream causes a maroon colored rash. Which just so happens to be one of the school’s colors…

Dumb Dialogue:

Screech: “Zack! My worst nightmare has come true!”

Zack: “You found out that ALF is a puppet?”

Screech: “He is?!”

Implaus-O-Meter: 9.5

3) The Gift (Season 1)

Premise: Screech gets STRUCK BY LIGHTING and then gains the power to SEE THE FUTURE, which will come in handy for Terrible Testaverde’s impossible midterm exam.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: If Screech getting struck by lightning isn’t stupid enough (or the fact that he seems physically fine except for puffed out hair) the fact that it gives him the ability to see the future is just utterly ludicrous. It just so happens to be the week of midterms and everyone’s in a panic for Mr. Testeverde’s history exam. You see, he’s the guy from the Micro Machines commercial and he talks really fast so no one can understand him. I’m pretty sure he would have been fired if he talked like that in real life. But remember, this is Bayside High which is practically an alternate universe where band members walk through the hall in full uniform in the middle of the day and students get ESP when hit by lightning. Screech can apparently “see” the answers to Testeverde’s test and Zack decides, obviously, to make a monetary wager with Slater that he can ace the test. The loser has to be other’s slave. I’m going to spoil it right now by saying Zack ends up with an F minus which I’m pretty sure isn’t an actual grade given out. And not to mention that Slater’s first task for Zack is to order him a pizza, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCHOOL DAY.
Dumb Dialogue:
Jessie: "You know, you guys, I just remembered, there was one time that I did not get an A. I was in the fourth grade, Mr. Simmons had a nervous breakdown and gave the entire class L's and Q's."
Implaus-O-Meter: 10

2) The Zack Tapes (Season 1)

Premise: Miss Wentworth gives a lesson about subliminal advertising (what kind of class is this?) which Zack uses to his advantage to trick Kelly into asking him to the school dance.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid: If you can get by the fact that a teacher is showing her class how to insert subliminal messages into standard music tapes then you’ll have no trouble buying into Zack easily mind controlling literally the entire school. He slips a message into Kelly’s Bo Revere tape (“it’s radical”) which she lets her friends borrow, effectively brainwashing them too. This episode is great for the moment in which Screech, posed as a girl, enters the girls’ locker room to switch Kelly’s tape and when confronted by Jessie the first name he could think of to say is Barbara Bush. And silly Jessie completely falls for it. Eventually everyone comes on to Zack’s scheming, and so Miss Wentworth, Mr. Belding, and the rest of the school get revenge on Zack to teach him a lesson. Crash landing, Top Gun. Boy, if I had a dime for every time the students in my high school were brainwashed by subliminal messages, I would have zero cents. PS – How exactly did Screech rig that balloon with his face on it in Lisa’s locker? Life’s big mysteries.

Dumb Dialogue:

Zack (on tape): “Zack Morris is a ten.”

Kelly: “Ha! Two fives is more like it!”

Implaus-O-Meter: 10

1) Pipe Dreams (Season 3)

Premise: While putting in a new goal post on the football field, oil is struck, effectively making Bayside the richest high school on the planet.

Why It’s Ridiculously Stupid:  Even though I said Jessie’s Song is the episode to end all episodes, “Pipe Dreams” remains the definitive ludicrous Saved by the Bell episode. There is literally not ONE plausible moment in the ENTIRE episode. Oh but it’s glorious, simply glorious. Where do we even start? So the gang is taking biology class this semester and they’ve all been assigned animals that have been selfishly taken from their natural habitat, the school pond. Meanwhile, a construction team working on the football field magically strikes oil. At first they think it’s just a pipe but they “struck it rich” according to Screech. Cue the fantasy sequence in which they all ponder what it would be like to attend a rich high school including Screech’s offensive Middle Eastern characterization that somehow made it past the Standards people. And apparently being rich has turned Lisa British. A class assembly is held to discuss what to do with this awesome discovery including a newly planned Bayside because obviously when natural oil is found underneath a high school the high school gets rich. But Jessie isn't buying it, she hates oil, even though it’s used in the plastic earrings she wears. Oh snap. The kids put their animals back in the pond and literally minutes later an oil spill occurs killing all of the salamanders and frogs and turtles. And even Zack's duck, but according to Screech she's "Where the oil can't hurt her now." How comforting. Later, during another assembly, in the matter of one 2 minute presentation by goofball high school student Zack the entire school board is convinced to stop the drilling - because Zack “accidentally” covers the oil guy with oil – (to which Kelly keenly observes, “At least you’ll be alive when you clean it off”) and leave the plans for a “bigger, better Bayside” as a distant memory (And that wondrous flow of oil is shockingly never mentioned again). Is any of this even remotely realistic? Not in the slightest. And what about the protest scene in which Jessie, Kelly, and a nerd strap themselves to a rather well-made oil derrick that probably looks like it took weeks to construct. This is the most preposterous episode of Saved by the Bell ever. It’s so goofy and self-serious and yet utterly amazing.

Dumb Dialogue:

Jessie: “Quiet Belding, I’m tracking down environmental polluters. I’m gonna tie their noses to exhaust pipes until they go solar.”

Implaus-O-Meter: Off the charts

What do you think are the most ridiculous Saved by the Bell episodes? 

The Suck Zone: “Into the Storm” Offers Decent Tornado Action and Not Much Else

Well at least there are no sharks in these tornadoes. “Into the Storm,” a new “found footage” style disaster film from the director of “Final Destination 5,” gets a lot wrong. The idea of shooting a weather disaster movie like this isn’t necessarily a stupid idea but even director Steven Quale sort of gives up half way through, presenting us with shots that are very clearly not from any character’s point-of-view (and surprisingly a non-diegetic film score). I’m willing to forgive that sort of stuff, but what I’m not willing to forgive is the utterly stupid characters that are presented before us and we’re forced to endure for the brief 89 minute runtime. It’s hard to not make comparisons to the almost nearly as critically trashed tornado opus “Twister” but this film, while offering some stunning if not particularly memorable action scenes, has some just downright awful things going for it and is hardly able to recover.

There are several sets of characters we’re forced to follow along until they eventually all randomly join together for the film’s climax. First we have Donnie (Max Deacon) a high school junior, who’s commissioned with making a video time capsule for his school. He’s tasked to also film the upcoming senior graduation, which is set to take place outdoors even though the weather forecast looks dreary. He has an obnoxious younger brother Trey and a widowed dad who “just doesn’t understand him.” Donnie goes against his father’s wishes and ends up in an abandoned factory with his coed crush Kaitlyn (Alycia Debnam Casey). Meanwhile, filmmaker/storm chaser Pete (Matt Walsh) shows off his tank-like vehicle which is impervious to winds up to 170 mph, even though many strong tornadoes have winds in access of 200 mph, but I digress. (For those interested, tornadoes are now rated on an EF scale – Enhanced Fujita – while in “Twister” they used the now outdated regular Fujita scale). Pete’s goal is to film inside a tornado. He has a team of cameramen and a meteorologist Allison (Sarah Wayne Callies) tagging along. And then there are the clichéd redneck hillbillies who are “YouTube” daredevils who film themselves doing stupid things. They’re in a totally different movie.

I still don’t care about any of these people or the pathetic makeshift plot that screenwriter John Swetnam has come up with. In the end it doesn’t really matter because what anyone who sees this movie comes to see are the tornadoes. These twister scenes are intense and powerful, but here’s my one gripe: the tornadoes have no real personalities. “Twister” for all its stupid plot elements and silly characterizations, it has some pretty memorable twister scenes. Each twister was bigger than the last and each felt one felt distinct from the other. Here we’re given tornado after tornado which doesn’t really amount to anything too memorable besides one that is literally ON FIRE. And then there’s the obligatory EF-5 finale twister which is always the one that’s nothing like anyone has ever seen. Pete, like Dorothy in “Twister,” really gets to fly here in a sequence that is utterly ridiculous and yet startling and disturbing. Let’s just say it would make a good theme park ride someday.

So if we can finish things up here, these are my final thoughts. The movie is all about cool special effects, and for a lower budgeted movie they’re pretty decent. Some of these scenes are pretty intense. Any scenes that don’t include CGI tornadoes are downright terrible. The shaky cam effect does feel rather forced and is altogether abandoned in parts probably because this particularly style of filmmaking has become simply inane. “Twister,” for all its faults, is definitely the superior tornado extravaganza.  There just isn’t the same level of talent (on screen and off) involved whatsoever. If we can learn anything from “Into the Storm” it’s this: when a tornado is heading your way put the camera down and seek shelter immediately.  GRADE: C+

Trailer for Into the Storm on TrailerAddict.