May 15, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues – Review

A recent transatlantic flight allowed me to catch four movies I have been meaning to watch. Thank you very much, United Airlines! Three of the four movies had sub-par reviews when there were initially released, so I hedged my expectations. But all three of them were exceeded expectations. Maybe the lesson here is to take reviews with a grain of salt (except reviews you read here at Tuesday Night Movies. Those are written in stone, digital stone).

The first of the four movies was Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. Despite wanting to see Anchorman 2 in the theater, it slipped past me, which is surprising because of how much I enjoyed the first movie. I don’t quote it as often as some of my friends, but I still think it and star Will Ferrell are great.

Anchorman 2 was mostly good, but a little bit of a let down towards the end. My enjoyment of the movie was a bit uneven. I really liked the idea of the current 24 hour news cycle being the byproduct of Ron Burgundy and company. And I absolutely loved any scene involving Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig. Their two characters, Brick and Chani, stole the movie in my opinion. Any scene they were in had me laughing perhaps a bit too loudly for a crowded airplane. My absolute favorite scene in the entire movie occurred early on, when we catch up to see what’s new with Brick since Ron saw him last. There’s no scene in Anchorman 2 that captures the magic of Afternoon Delight from the first movie, but Brick’s eulogy at his own funeral might have been the closest Anchorman 2 got.

I also really liked how much Ron’s son Walter emulated his dad. Whether it was dressing in the style of Ron, or insulting Greg Kinnear’s character Gary with the same accusations as Ron, Walter was hilarious. The attempted punch on Gary by Walter, followed by Walter’s reasoning for missing the punch is even funnier coming from him than it was from Ron.

The movie is insanely quotable, with great one liners. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself saying things like “I’m not trying to be funny, but are you sure he’s not a midget with a learning disability?” and “If you’ve got an ass like the North Star, wise men are gonna want to follow it.”

The movie doesn’t suffer until the climax, but that fight in the park really dragged it down for me. It just seemed to go on forever. I did like the various cameos of all the different news organizations that sprung up in the 1980s, but it wasn’t long until it felt repetitive. It’s too bad, because if that scene had been reworked, Anchorman 2 would have been a “Blammo!” instead of a triple.

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May 14, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 19

Billy and Dave preview and give their picks for new comic books coming out on Wednesday, 5/14/14. Dave has reached Forever Evil in his Justice League reread. Will he catch up before Forever Evil ends? Billy talks about his marathon Superior Spider-Man session on a transatlantic flight. The guys discuss their thoughts on the new Comixology app following Comixology’s buyout by Amazon.

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April 8, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Review

When it was announced that the follow up to Captain America: The First Avenger would be Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the comic book fanboy in me was beyond excited. The Winter Soldier is one of my favorite characters of the last 10 years, and as long as Marvel Studios didn’t drop the ball, this had the making of an awesome movie. They didn’t drop the ball. Captain America: The Winter Soldier rocks.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the Captain America movie we deserve. Captain America: The First Avenger was decent, but I would put it at the bottom of the list of Marvel Studios’s movies thus far. Winter Soldier, on the other hand, rockets to the top, with maybe Iron Man 1 and Avengers ahead of it.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW. If you haven’t seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier yet, see it first and come back. And if you’re an Agents of SHIELD fan, make sure you watch Winter Soldier BEFORE you watch the tonight’s episode!

I’m a huge fan of Ed Brubaker’s decade long run on Captain America. It was in this run that Brubaker debuted the mysterious Winter Soldier, whose identity remained hidden for awhile. Comic book fans are aware of the revolving door between death and resurrection among heroes and villains. Remember when Superman died, only to came back less than a year later? But there were two characters who seemed to be the exceptions to the revolving door rule: Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben and Captain America’s partner Bucky. Not only did Brubaker bring back Bucky, in the form of new Cap villain Winter Soldier, but he did it in a masterful story that seemed 100% plausible ( in a world inhabited by mutants and gods).

The movie is handled perfectly. Besides superhero fans, I’d recommend Captain America: The Winter Soldier to anyone who loves thrillers, espionage and movies like The Bourne Identity and Taken.

The opening hostage scene seemed to echo the opening of the PS2 video game Metal Gear Solid 2. The way Cap sneaks onto the boat, the ways he silently takes out the terrorists, I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching what could have been the opening of Metal Gear Solid: The Movie. And I loved it. I like that this movie from the start was more Bourne and Bond and less Superman and Thor.

The action scenes in Winter Soldier were fantastic all around. I really felt like I was on the edge of my seat as I watched the movie, or at least as close to being on the edge of your seat you can be in one of big recliners at the AMC on 86th and Broadway. The fight between Winter Soldier and Cap on the Helicarrier seemed reminiscent of Cap’s scenes on the mothership in The Avengers, but it didn’t seem repetitive at all. That’s a nice balance to strike.

I thought Marvel did a great job with keeping the identity of the Winter Soldier a mystery leading up to the debut of this movie. Yes, if you read the comic books, you knew it was Bucky, but for anyone new to the story, Marvel did a good job of keeping the cat inside the bag.

The big stand out in the movie for me is Anthony Mackie as The Falcon. Mackie is just perfect in this role. He makes The Falcon so likable and cool that I hope we see Falcon in Avengers: Age of Ultron and don’t have to wait for Captain America 3 for his return.

If you saw the movie, hopefully you stayed for both end credits scenes. How many Marvel movies have to come out before everyone realizes that you do not get up until the very end of the credits? I’ve already talked to a few people who missed one or both of the end credits scenes. Stay in your seats!

The first end credits scene involved Baron Von Strucker, a compatriot of the Red Skull. The two twins he has imprisoned are Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Flash Fact: They’re Magneto’s kids. Though you probably won’t hear that mentioned in any Marvel Studios movie until the X-Men franchise rights return to Marvel. In the comics, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch started out as X-Men villains, but reformed and became early members of the Avengers. Because of this, they’re in the interesting place of being used by both Marvel Studios for their Avengers franchise and Fox for their X-Men franchise. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch will both appear in the upcoming X-Men: Days of Futures Past, but played by different actors than they’re played by in Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Also in that scene, Baron Von Strucker is in possession of Loki’s staff, which is powered by a glowing blue ball of energy. Like the Tesseract and the Aether, I believe this ball of energy is another of Marvel’s Infinity Gems. I’m guessing this one is the Mind Gem, since Loki used that staff to control people’s minds in Avengers. In the excellent comic book series, Infinity Gauntlet, villan Thanos (purple dude from the end of The Avengers movie) gathers the 6 Infinity Gems and gains power over pretty much everything. I think Avengers 3 will be based on Infinity Gauntlet. You should give it a read. It’s a great series.

In the second scene after the credits, Bucky is reading about himself at the Captain America Smithsonian exhibit. I’m already excited for Captain America 3, and more Cap/Black Widow/Agent 13/Falcon action. I’m guessing the four of them will team up to track down Bucky and rehabilitate him, with Crossbones and someone else as the big bad guys.

More Comic Book Connections:

Brock Rumlow, played by Frank Grillo, is the Hydra agent in charge of taking down Captain America. At the end of the movie, he’s recovered from the Helicarrier crash, badly burned and barely alive, and put into the back of an ambulance. Brock Rumlow is the alter ego of longtime Captain America villain Crossbones. In the comics, Crossbones was the Red Skull’s right hand man and later was involved with the Skull’s daughter, Sin. I expect we’ll see Grillo return as Crossbones in Captain America 3.

Agent 13, played by Emily VanCamp, is a huge part of Captain America’s life. She’s been his partner in the field and his lover. She is Captain America’s Lois Lane; if he ends up with one woman, you can expect it to be her. She’s also the grandniece of Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers’s best gal from the 1940s, the old woman Stever Rogers visits in the hospital in Captain America: Winter Soldier.

Sam Wilson/Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie, is another huge part of Captain America’s life. Falcon even shared the title on the cover of Captain America’s comic in the 1970s, when it was rebranded Captain America and the Falcon. Like many of the heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Falcon in this movie derives his costume and origin more from Falcon in The Ultimates than from the main Marvel Universe.

Overall, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one of the best, if the not the best, movies to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and one of the best superhero movies of all time. I cannot recommend seeing this movie enough.

For more on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, be sure to listen to this week’s episode of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast, where Dave and I discuss the movie in depth.

April 1, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Tuesday Night Comics Podcast #13

In the latest episode of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast, Billy and Dave discuss new comic books being released on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 and review the past week’s comics. Billy explains the Terrigan Mists to Dave, while Dave explains the current state of the New 52 to Billy. Billy learns to how to pronounce Madureira and Dave learns how to pronounce basilisk.

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March 28, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Now You See Me – Review

Watching Now You See Me, I couldn’t help but think I was watching Ocean’s 11 with magic. This isn’t a complaint, just an observation. And it’s not just because Now You See Me is a heist movie. It’s also the tone, the snappy dialogue and that the audience is worked through each magic heist after the fact.

Just going by the cast alone, I’m surprised I didn’t see Now You See Me when it was in the theater. Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg…these are people who draw me to movies. Isla Fisher too, but for, um, different reasons.

The highlight of Now You See Me for me was that Morgan Freeman’s character, Thaddeus Bradley, narrates a movie within the movie, which made me laugh because Morgan Freeman IS movie narration these days.

There was something about the ending that didn’t jibe right with me. I’ll go into it after this picture of Dave Franco doing his best Gambit, so that anyone who wants to avoid SPOILERS, can.

Okay, so Mark Ruffalo’s character, Dylan Rhodes , the lawman who is always one step behind The Four Horsemen, is revealed to be the mastermind. I’m fine with that. I personally thought it was going to be Melanie Laurent’s character, Alma Dray, for a few reasons. One, it looked like she was feigning being asleep when Ruffalo walked into her room in New Orleans and found her passed out reading that book on magic. It seemed like she wasn’t really asleep and was planting that there for his benefit. Two, it really did seem that she could have fudged her whole Interpol background when she showed up. But I was wrong. Rhodes is the mastermind. Fine. And I thought they explained Dylan’s motivation well (though if Alma was the mastermind, his motivations would easily have carried over to her without any many changes). What I don’t get is, is The Eye real? And if it is, does Dylan actually have a connection to it, or was that all for the benefit of tricking The Four Horsemen into doing what he needed them to do. I noticed on IMDB that Now You See Me 2 is in pre-production. Hopefully some of these questions get answered in the sequel.

March 24, 2014 by Billy Henehan

The Lego Movie – Review

Everything is Awesome, the Tegan and Sara song that plays throughout much of The Lego Movie, could be used to describe The Lego Movie itself, because everything about this movie is awesome.

When I first saw the posters advertising The Lego Movie, I figured it would be nothing of note, just a 90 minute advertisement for the toy line. But then I saw my first trailer, and I was hooked. The movie looked good. Then I heard that Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, two of the creators of MTV’s very underrated and short lived animated series Clone High, wrote and directed The Lego Movie, and I was all in. I knew I had to see this movie. I am a huge fan of Clone High, and implore you to get your hands on the series.

If you haven’t seen The Lego Movie yet and would like to avoid spoilers, don’t read past this photo!

Unikitty is my new favorite Lego.

The voice cast in The Lego Movie is stellar. Will Ferrell is tremendous as Lord Business/President Business/The Man Upstairs. And Will Arnett’s Batman simply rocked. Will Arnett might be my favorite Batman actor not named Kevin Conroy. Also, Charlie Day steals the movie as Benny, the 1980s astronaut. That minifig was my favorite as a kid, and I loved that Benny’s helmet chinstrap was broken, just as mine and I’m guessing most others who owned that minifig’ helmet was.

“SPACESHIP!”

The Lego Movie did such a good job incorporating the fact that these Lego people are toys in real life. I loved President Business’s collection of artifacts that were simply mispronounced household items. And I think the decision to have the movie shift from animation to live action for the scenes involving the father and son was such a good idea.

I loved that the different Lego licences were incorporated into the movie. The Michelangelo Renaissance/Michelangelo Ninja Turtles joke was hilarious. I still can’t believe they incorporated the 2002 NBA All-Star team Lego minifigs! And my eyes bugged out of my skull when the Millenium Falcon showed up with Han, Chewie, Threepio and Lando. And with the original actors doing voices! Well, except for Han Solo. I was completely convinced that was Harrison Ford’s voice coming out of Han Solo’s mouth, but according to IMDB, it was actually Keith Ferguson. The dude does an awesome Harrison Ford.

Like The Grand Budapest Hotel, I’m looking forward to watching The Lego Movie a second time around. I caught The Lego Movie in 3D and highly recommend seeing it in 3D if you see it in the movie theater. The 3D wasn’t jarring and definitely added to the movie.

If you’re on the fence about seeing The Lego Movie, I definitely recommend seeing it. Writing it off as a kids movie would be as big a mistake as writing off Toy Story as a kids movie. Everything is awesome.

March 19, 2014 by Billy Henehan

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Review

If you were in New York City and were wondering where all the white people were during the weekend of March 8, they were at the movies catching the latest Wes Anderson film, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Teens and 20s were at the Regal in Union Square, 30s to geriatric could be found at the AMC Lincoln Center.

Will you like The Grand Budapest Hotel? That question can be answered very easily by your answer to the following question: Do you like other Wes Anderson movies? If your answer is yes, then yes, you will enjoy it. If your answer is no, then I’m guessing you probably won’t enjoy it. If your answer is “Of course!,” then you’ve probably already watched The Grand Budapest Hotel and loved it. I loved it.

The reason I’m using previous Wes Anderson films to gauge how much you’ll like this Wes Anderson film is because in many respects, Wes Anderson movies are similar to each other. That’s not to say they are retreads of past endeavors, but that his movies share a style and tone that acts as Wes Anderson’s signature. When you’re watching a Wes Anderson movie, you know you’re watching a Wes Anderson movie. I’d say that Wes Anderson has a more distinctive style than any other current director out there, with maybe the exception of Quentin Tarantino. Maybe.

Ralph Fiennes is perfect in this movie. You know what, just hand him the Oscar. Seriously. I get that we have about 11 months to go before the Oscars are handed out again, but just give it to Ralph Fiennes now. He is the epitome of charm in The Grand Budapest Hotel.

I like that Anderson used a lot of his regulars for small parts during the scene that required the network of concierges across many hotels to contact each other. Any excuse to have Owen Wilson in a movie is okay in my book. It was funny seeing the commercial for The Grand Budapest Hotel after seeing the movie, because actors who are in the movie for roles that are “blink and you might miss them,” are given billing in the commercial as if they have main or supporting roles. Yes, the commercial is correct, pretty much everyone you love from previous Wes Anderson movies makes an appearance here, just don’t expect all of them to be onscreen for long. Maybe you shouldn’t order that large soda if you’re worried about missing their scenes.

I really have nothing bad to say about The Grand Budapest Hotel. It is currently my favorite film of 2014 (sorry Robot Cop). The Grand Budapest Hotel will be starting a run at Brooklyn Heights Cinema soon. I implore you to see it there, as that movie theater needs to raise money for a digital projector or face closing. Plus, Brooklyn Heights Cinema has the best popcorn in New York City!

March 18, 2014 by Billy Henehan

RoboCop – Review

When I first heard that RoboCop was being remade, my excitement level was at about zero. RoboCop is a beloved movie from my childhood, and the much panned Total Recall remake, along with every Michael Bay edition of my childhood heroes, had me just shaking my head at the prospect of seeing an “all-new” version of RoboCop.

But then I heard new RoboCop star Joel Kinnaman interviewed by Chris Hardwick on the Nerdist podcast, and my desire to see the new RoboCop, hereafter referred to as Robot Cop, grew. Hardwick seemed like he honestly enjoyed the advance screening he had of the movie, and Kinnaman came across as very satisfied with the final product.

I enlisted my pal Graig for a man-date to the Regal Union Square. “Two for Robot Cop, please.” Armed with a #2 combo, we took our seats. Side note: Morgan Spurlock should do a sequel to Super Size Me where he goes to the movies once a day and orders a combo at the snack bar. The medium soda at a chain movie theater looks as large if not larger than a super-size at McDonald’s.

Robot Cop is terrific. It’s a great action movie, and like the original, makes for good social commentary on America’s recent wars in the middle east, eugenics, and corporations vs the individual.

There’s one scene in Robot Cop that I just can’t shake, and it’s the one where Alex Murphy (Cyborg Constable) sees what’s left of his organic body after the explosion. It’s not much. Murphy demands to never see himself like that again. He had my full support in that decision, because I really wanted to stop looking at his lungs inflate and deflate.

I’m currently watching The Wire for the first time, so I was very excited to see Michael K. Williams play Alex Murphy’s partner, Jack Lewis. Omar’s a cop!

“Omar comin’.”

At the climatic rooftop scene, did you spot original RoboCop Peter Weller as one of the security guards? He has such a distinctive voice that I jumped in my seat as soon as he spoke. “Peter Weller! Peter Weller!” I loved that they incorporated him into the movie, but didn’t make a big deal about it.

Even more exciting than seeing Williams and Weller, was seeing the ED-209 in the movie. I had one of those action figures when I was a kid and thought it was the most bad-ass thing ever. It still is.

Side note, the second: When RoboCop’s black armor was revealed, all I could think of was Hooper X going off about Darth Vader in Chasing Amy.

When we left the movie, we had a most confusing experience, as there were over 100 20-something hipsters lined up to get into our theater. These guys are all here to see Cyborg Sheriff? As it turned out, no they weren’t. They were lined up for The Grand Budapest Hotel, which makes a lot more sense. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging them. We would have fit it perfectly in that line, and I even saw Grand Budapest Hotel two days later. The only thing setting us apart from the people on line was that I was making robot noises as I robot walked out of the theater. RoboPatron. It was just funny initially thinking that group was eagerly anticipating being let into Robot Cop.

March 2, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Oscars Pool Cheat Sheet 2014

Need help filling out your Oscars pool ballot? Tuesday Night Movies has you covered!

Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o from 12 Years a Slave pulls a win over Jennifer Lawrence.

Supporting Actor: I feel like Jared Leto has a lock on this one.

Actor: See what I wrote about Leto for Supporting Actor, but replace his name with Matthew McConoughey.

Actress: Oscars 101: Never bet against Meryl Streep. Except this year. Bet against Meryl Streep. August: Osage County has been panned, and everyone seems to adore Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine. Cate Blanchett with the win as the David to Streep’s Goliath.

Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years A Slave, though I’d personally like to see Philomena take it.

Original Screenplay: Her. This seems to be as much a lock as the male acting categories.

Director: Cross out all choices except for Cuaron and McQueen. Now flip a coin. Or go with Cuaron. I’m going with Cuaron.

Best Picture: Again, I think it’s Gravity vs 12 Years a Slave. While I think Cuaron will beat out McQueen in the directing category, I think 12 Years a Slave will take home Best Picture. As long as American Hustle doesn’t win, I’m happy.

Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezski – Gravity

Editing: This is another one that I think will come down to either 12 Years a Slave or Gravity. Like Director, I think this one will fall to Gravity’s side.

Score: Gravity

Song: I LOVE Pharrell’s Happy, but Let it Go from Frozen is a juggernaught that can’t be stopped. Let it Go – Frozen.

Foreign Language Film: The Great Beauty – Italy.

Documentary Feature: 20 Feet from Stardom

Animated Feature: Frozen with a lock.

Documentary Short: The Lady in Number 6

Live Action Short: Just Before Losing Everything

Animated Short: Get a Horse! – More like get a broom; Disney sweeps animation this year.

Make-Up: Dallas Buyer’s Club, though I would love for Bad Grandpa to be able to call itself “Oscar Award Winning Movie Bad Grandpa!”

Costume Design: The Great Gatsby

Production Design: The Great Gatsby

Sound Mixing: Gravity

Sound Editing: Gravity

Visual Effects: Gravity

February 26, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Philomena – Review

Out of all the movies nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards, Philomena may be the most charming. At first look, you might not expect that. Philomena is the real life story of an Irish woman forced by nuns to give up her infant son to adoption, and her quest 50 years later to find him. It’s a story full of heartbreak, but screenwriters Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope encase that story in a screenplay full of wit and wry humor. The seriousness of the subject matter is never in doubt, but Pope and Coogan’s humor provides a much needed pressure valve on a heart-wrenching story that could sink into despair in the hands of less capable writers. Philomena is my pick for Best Adapted Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards.

Philomena travelling through the airport in style with “Martin Sixsmith – News at 10.”

Coogan also stars in the movie as Martin Sixsmith, the real life BBC journalist who reported the story that this movie is base on, “The Lost Child on Philomena Lee”. Sixsmith is flawed, but he’s driven. And when it comes time for a reconciliation between the protagonists and the church, it’s Sixsmith that boils over with the outrage felt by probably everyone in the audience over Philomena’s plight. Hint: Forcibly taking her baby and putting him up for adoption is just the first in a list of trespasses by the church against Philomena.

The real-life and the on-screen Martin Sixsmith.

Dame Judi Dench plays Philomena with a subtle grace. Philomena comes across the way your grandmother probably would if they made a movie about her. As Sixsmith describes her in one scene, she’s like a walking issue of Reader’s Digest. She comes across both intentionally and unintentionally funny, and I can’t decide which scenes I like better. But it’s Philomena’s grace that really comes through when it’s time for a confrontation with the church. The woman has all the reason in the world to be justified in wrath, but instead meets them with compassion.

The real-life Philomena Lee and Philomena screenwriter/star Steve Coogan.

When I walked into the theater, I was afraid I was walking into a Hotel Rwanda-like assault on my emotions. While parts of Philomena were definitely trying on my emotions, I left the theater with a smile, and the thought that EVERYONE should see this movie. Philomena shines, and is definitely one of the best movies in this year’s class of Oscar nominees.

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