FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Twister (1996) and Why We Love Disaster Movies.

Hey everyone! Zach who watches movies here and I am introducing a new weekly column "Flashback Friday". Every Friday I'll put up a review/retrospective of a past movie that is relevant to either a new release coming out that week or what's going on in the movie world. I've always liked the idea of revisiting past films both that I love and didn’t love, my mind has been changed on more than a few films with time as a barrier. Anyways, I am hoping this will be a cool way to start conversation about these films as well as introduce them to some people who maybe haven't seen or even heard of them before. Each week I will pick a movie sometime before Friday that is deemed appropriate for that week.  Either just one that I personally want to do or I will take a twitter poll to see what you guys want to see done and then revisit the film. After doing so I will write up a brief review and retrospective and see where I think they stand today. Do the movies we love hold up because they are actually great films or is nostalgia clouding our judgement? And when going back to films I wasn't a fan of the first time around I'll reevaluate the parts of it that bothered me and see if maybe I was too harsh or reaffirm my first thoughts that it's a bad movie. After reading let me know what you think of the idea and if you want to see more, I plan on doing them weekly. I also want to hear any of your favorite movies that you'd want to see me look back at. Thanks for reading as always and I hope you enjoy my first ever "Flashback Friday'.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY MAY 29 2015: TWISTER (1996) AND WHY WE LOVE DISASTER MOVIES

Twister (1996)

Action, Adventure, Disaster

Directed By: Jan de Bont

The Dawn of the Modern Action Spectacle: Is the best still in the past?

Hey guys! Zach Who Watches Movies here and I’ve got some rambling to do. With the recent release of Mad Max: Fury Road and the rave reviews from critics and movie nerds alike, I got to thinking about modern action movies. I left Fury Road boasting that it was one of the greatest action spectacles that I have ever seen; I even wrote it in my review. I personally think George Miller has outdone his previous best work, The Road Warrior, and created something unlike anything we have seen before. This leads me to why I am writing this article. I feel that Mad Max is only the most recent in a modern transformation of action cinema, just in the past few years we have seen modern works of genius like The Raid movies, John Wick, Pacific Rim, Snowpiercer, Edge of Tomorrow, and a whole bunch more all leading up to the new Max film. So I ask this question, is it time to finally accept some of these movies into the all-time greats of action cinema?

Ask any movie geek what their favorite action movie is, even if they answer with something modern, as soon as you bring up a classic like say the first two Terminator movies or Die Hard and that person immediately rethinks their answer. There is a variety action flicks from the 80's and 90's that have been considered the pinnacle of the genre. Movies like the aforementioned as well as Predator, The Road Warrior, Aliens, and The Warriors, I mean I could go on and on. They are the movies that created this mass moneymaking machine we love so much and in turn it has become almost accepted that they are untouchable and anything today that comes close owes it to them. I’m not saying this is wrong or even bad, these movies are considered the best of the best for a reason, but have we finally reached a point in both film and technology that we just can’t ignore it any longer?

Tomorrowland (Review)

Tomorrowland (2015)

Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

Directed By: Brad Bird

If there is one guy we all want working more in this business, it is Brad Bird. His films are more or less universally loved in the film community and for good reason. Starting out in animation he made his debut on the television anthology series Amazing Stories with his short "Family Dog" and from there went on to work on The Simpsons until making his film debut in 1999 with the criminally unappreciated The Iron Giant, a movie I adore. He followed this up with two fantastic Pixar movies, The Incredibles and Ratatouille that have gone on to find great success. It was in 2011 however that Bird finally took the jump from animation to live action with the fourth installment in the Mission Impossible franchise, Ghost Protocol. Within those frames he proved to the world that he wasn't only meant for children movies but something far greater. Ghost protocol was a visually stunning action film with one of the best stories and cast of characters in the entire MI series. He left us all wanting more, a lot more.

They set you in the mood right away with a new Disney graphic designed to look like the futuristic Tomorrowland, a nice touch if I say so myself. We open right on Clooney's face as his character appears to be recording a message to the future. All the while a girl off cameras keeps complaining that he is being too negative and he needs more optimism, a clear theme throughout the movie. This allows for a smooth transition into a flashback of Frank Walkers (George Clooney) past and how he first made it to Tomorrowland. We find out he was recruited at the World's Fair in New York as a child when he presents a Jet Pack prototype he built himself. The folks behind the secret world are looking for young, fresh minds who haven't given hope for the future.

Bring us back to present day where the world has vastly changed and our outlook toward the future has warped into something completely different. Here we meet our main character of the movie Casey Newton (Britt Robertson), the daughter of an ex NASA engineer. Casey seems to have inherited his intelligence and desire for science as she keeps trying to stop construction crews from taking down an old rocket launch site. After being arrested for trespassing and vandalism she finds a mysterious pin with her belongings. This pin takes her to another world; a future world. When the pins magic wears off she knows she has to find a way to get back there. Her new knowledge sets her on an adventure to track down whoever knows about this place and use them to get back. Casey does this with the help of mysteriously little girl named Athena (Raffey Cassidy) who claims to be from Tomorrowland. In my opinion she steals the show, even among powerhouse George Clooney she is the standout performance.

What I love about this movie is that it feels like an old school summer blockbuster. In today's age of massive action movies and super CGI we have been saturated with movies taking place in other worlds almost entirely. What Tomorrowland does that separates itself from these is that it makes the other world the mystery of the movie. I have already seen a number of people complaining that they wanted more of the movie set in the Utopian world but I personally thought the lack of said world is what made the movie work best. Bird and Lindelof clearly had a message they wanted to put out there and they couldn't have it resonate while spending two hours in another world entirely. Bringing the story to our world, to our now makes the message that much more effective.

What message is that? Simple: be better. People have tagged this movie as being way too preachy for a family summer blockbuster but I disagree. While it is at times a touch preachy it's not like they are promoting a negative message. The filmmakers are simply asking us to be better, to care more, and to not just sit back and let the world crumble while we do nothing. Is that such a bad thing to preach? I don't think so. This is also used as a clever technique to show how the view of the future has changed from generation to generation, each time seeming to become that much darker. As a 24 year old in today's society I can say that my generation typically doesn't look at the future as an optimistic place. Most of us see it ending in our own self destruction rather than redemption so I like that they are asking us to take action, any action.

Bird was at one point attached to Star Wars Episode VII but would ultimately drop out due to a commitment to an under wraps Disney project called Tomorrowland. The announcement surprised everyone and instantly built a huge curiosity around his new film. If he was willing to pass on a Star Wars, than it must be something special right? Damn right. There are a ton of small Easter eggs to pick up on, some obvious and some not so much. Ranging from Star Wars to all of Bird previous films, there are small details for everyone to enjoy. Add on some wonderful little cameos that will definitely put a smile on your face and this film embodies just about everything that makes a good summer blockbuster.

I know a lot of people are thinking "how original can a movie based on a theme park ride really be?" the answer is that it can be totally original, all you need are the right people. Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof have brought together a fun family tale that manages to find a deeper message than most films of its nature. The film has a few dull moments in its mid-section but every time it seems to be slowing down a little too much they throw you right back into the action.  It may not be as epic as say The Avengers but I believe Tomorrowland is a film that will grow over the years, as the message becomes more prevalent the audience will grow. This is the first big family blockbuster of the summer so grab everyone and take a trip to the theater this holiday weekend.

As always, thanks for reading! I am Zach Who Watches Movies and you can find me on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later

Pitch Perfect 2 (Review)

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

Comedy, Music

Directed By: Elizabeth Banks

Way back in 2012, when the world was supposed to end, summer moviegoers of all ages were given an unexpected treat when Pitch Perfect chimed into theaters. While the movie tended to be geared towards the YA audience it didn't stop it from becoming one of the biggest movies of that year. I myself am not ashamed to say that I unabashedly love it. The flick is surprisingly funny, witty, smart and completely fresh. It was a movie I never thought I'd go for that I ended up loving, so it goes without saying that me and a lot of other people had our hopes up for the sequel. With Elizabeth Banks stepping into the directors chair for the first time all eyes were on her and for the most part, she delivers.

The next chapter in the Bella's tale picks up three years after the events of the first movie. It's senior year for Beca (Anna Kendrick) and The Bella's have been dominating the collegiate acapella scene ever since she took the reigns. We also find out that Chloe (Brittany Snow) has purposely failed the past three years just to stay and compete, the team has become their lives. That is until the good name of the team is dragged in the mud after an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction, they find themselves suspended indefinitely. With it being the final year at Barden for many of the girls they refuse to just take their punishment. They make a deal with the board to reinstate the Bella's if they win at the World Championships. A feat no American team has ever accomplished, of course.

What's most fun about the sequel is that The Bella's aren't the boring Bella's we had to suffer through for most of the first movie. While the arrangements were still solid they just weren't as energetic and exciting as the rest of the soundtrack. It made every time they hit the stage in the new one that much more exciting, we didn't know what they were going to do. They also make better use of the competition as well. Between all the musical numbers in the first two acts and everything at the Worlds, Pitch Perfect 2 brings in a much more diverse and expansive soundtrack.

Personally, I think a lot of my love for the first film comes from my deep adoration of Anna Kendrick, and the same goes for this one. When she's on screen almost all of my attention is on her and she almost never disappoints. Dabbling a little more with comedy this time around, Anna ends up delivering some of the funniest side jokes of the movie. If we are speaking of comedy though, Rebel Wilson steals the show. Reprising her role as our favorite "Fat Amy (Patricia)" she had me in tears from the first moment she appears on screen. She takes the hilarity to the next level in the first ten minutes of the movie and never lets up.

Banks does a solid job as a freshman director. Considering the anticipation for this movie and the giant task at hand it's hard to believe this is her first time behind the camera. The movie isn't perfect but neither was its predecessor. This is more or less a movie made to please the fans and that's precisely what it does. Banks basically turns the dial up to 11 bringing in more songs, higher stakes, tons more characters and plenty more jokes. She reprises her role from the first movie commentating the events alongside the wonderful John Michael Higgins and their comments are even racier, if you can believe it. Oh, and did I mention cameos? Tons of fantastic cameos. (I'm calling for a spinoff of a certain bald comedian playing a certain bald music producer. It would be incredible) 

Banks doesn't get too deep emotionally with the story, though she does a good job blending in some important themes. The most prominent being life after college. We see this problem brought up repeatedly with our main cast as they try to figure out what to do after graduation. We see Kendrick's character take an internship at a studio to try and try and follow her dreams while also keeping it secret from Chloe. She's been purposely failing to stay in school and though she says its for the Bella's it doesn't take long to realize she has no idea what she wants to so after she leaves. This problem resonates with  the young adult crowd more than ever these days and is often overlooked in mainstream cinema. Often college set movies will end with the cast going off to live the amazing lives they planned out in college, something that rarely happens in the real world. 

If I had to make one major complaint about this flick it would be that there isn't enough Trebelmakers and not enough Adam Devine. This is basically The Avengers of teenage acapella movies though so I understand it's hard to give everyone screen time. They do find plenty of screen time for new comer Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) though, as it seems like they want her to take the reigns if they want to keep this franchise rolling (after seeing the opening numbers it's hard to believe they won't want milk this thing as long as possible). I don't know how I feel about more movies without familiar faces like Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson but they found a good place to start, with Steinfeld. Inevitably this could never live up to the original, it was just too fresh of an idea and there was really no way to recapture that first time magic. With that being said, Elizabeth Banks and company brought to screen a more than worthy sequel that will satisfy all your a-ca-needs. I took my little brother and sister to see a matinee and there were nothing but smiles leaving the theater. 

As always, thanks for reading! I am Zach Who Watches Movies and you can find me on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later

Mad Max: Fury Road (Review)

“Oh what a day! WHAT A LOVELY DAY!”

Mad Max: Fury Road

Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

Directed By: George Miller

Full disclosure: I have just returned from my first viewing of the movie and it is 1:30 in the morning and I am running on pure adrenaline from this insane ride. I need to get this down while the movie is fresh in my head, although every frame of this movie will be forever engraved in the fabric of my mind and never forgotten. What George Miller has brought to life is what I believe to be one of the greatest cinematic spectacles of all time, at least that I’ve been able to witness in my short life. It has everything that has made going to the movies my favorite part of the summer and then some.

The plot is fairly simple, Furiosa (Charlize Theron) is enacting a plan long in the making when she decides to use the regularly scheduled gas run to sneak out a group of young girls. We are in a post-apocalyptic world where water and gasoline are the most treasured resources and a ruthless man, Immortan Joe (The Toe Cutter himself, Hugh Keays-Byrne) controls the supply in a colony called The Citadel. The group of girls Furiosa is trying to break free are being kept by Joe as his personal brides whose main purpose is to provide babies, so you can see why they have decided to go AWOL. As for our title character Max, played by Tom Hardy, after a series of unfortunate events he finds himself paired with these women on the run. Although trusting strangers goes against all of their better judgement they know the alternative is far worse. Hot on their trail is a band of mutant psychopaths, all hellbent on bringing back the brides and killing all traitors.

Tom Hardy does an excellent job stepping into the shoes of Max, previously played by Mel Gibson, to bring back to life one of the greatest action heroes of all time. He says maybe 50 words the entire movie and it’s more than enough. Simply put: he’s bad-ass. That being said and as I’m sure you have all heard, this isn't entirely his movie. His may be the title character and the one movie fans around the world adore but by the end of Fury Road the movie is all Charlize Theron’s. She completely owns this movie from start to finish and is easily one of the best female action heroes we have seen in a long time. Her character Furiosa is given just the right amount of back story to make you feel her pain and wish for her vengeance.

The action of this movie speaks for itself, all I can really tell you is to go see the movie. It’s unbelievable what Miller has brought to life, a true vision only he could see. The movie is more or less a two hour car chase through the wastelands that will mystify you. We know from the previous Max movies however that Miller can create action bliss so its the characters in fury Road I want to give a shout out. This one breaks the mold of the previous three of having one dimensional characters thrown into an action epic and while Max is still the same cold road warrior we know and love he is surrounded by all sorts of interesting people. As mentioned already Theron’s character steals the show, shes a kick-ass woman with a terminator arm and it is just awesome. We also get a little peek into the other side of the fight with Nux. A mutant, slowly dying from the radiated wastelands who finds himself in the fight. Nicholas Hoult plays him bringing some serious acting brass to an area previously left fairly cold in the earlier movies (Minus The Toecutter, of course. He is just awesome). Keays-Byrne is ruthless as Immortan Joe along with great support from Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Josh Helman, Zoe Kravitz and more.

I don’t think I could spoil this movie even if I wanted to, I could give you a scene by scene rundown and you’d still have to see the movie to believe it and even then you’d be amazed this was ever made. I’m amazed this movie was ever made. If you are familiar with the previous Mad Max films, especially The Road Warrior (don’t worry no spoilers even if you haven’t) then you know a big part of what made them a huge part of film history were the amazing car chases done with actual stuntmen and practical effects. Every time you saw a car flip, or explode or whatever you knew it was actually being done. Miller brings it all back for Fury Road and on a scale ten times that of the greatest moments of any of the predecessors. Go see this movie and make sure it is on as big of a screen as you can find. It is truly a spectacle that should be experienced by all movie fans. Lets make this movie a hit you guys, we need more movies of its kind.

As always, thanks for reading! I am Zach Who Watches Movies and you can find me on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later

Avengers: Age of Ultron (Review)

Let me start by saying that this is my review of the film, this will not be a piece on all the opinionated bullshit going around the web right now. Age of Ultron is a movie and I am going to review it as such, I’ll leave the rest up to the other guys. So without further delay, my review of highly anticipated sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Directed By: Joss Whedon

On May 4, 2012 super hero audiences were introduced to a new age of comic book cinema when Marvel Studio’s The Avengers hit theaters. The movie took the world by storm, quickly becoming the fastest movie to make $1 billion worldwide (dethroned just this year by Fast 7) while absolutely dominating the month of May. From there Marvel moved onto Phase two giving a third installment in the Iron Man franchise as well as sequels to Phase ones Thor and Captain America. They also made huge waves last August when surprise smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy was released. I think it’s safe to say that we were more than ready for this sequel. And when I say sequel that’s exactly what this is. 

Despite all the new breakthroughs in the other movies since, Age of Ultron still feels completely like a continuation of the first film. The movie opens up right into the action with The Avengers already teamed up and running a mission. They have finally located Loki’s scepter which has been lost since the battle of New York and the entire team is ripping through Hydra agents like they are paper people to get to it. So right out of the gate we are already being pulled back into the world of the first movie and it’s clear that “The Avengers” are now at least a semi established team. Loki’s scepter is the key to this film yet again, without being two spoilery as to how I’ll just say it leads to Tony Stark and Bruce Banner creating the artificial intelligence that will become Ultron, our main villain of this movie. James Spader owns his role, even if you think he becomes a bit repetitive by the end of the movie. He nails every line he was given and is, in my opinion, the next best villain so far besides Loki in the entire MCU. With all of the the heroes they have to get screen time we have to accept that it’s difficult to build a brilliant villain in just one movie (here’s to hoping all of the Thanos build up pays off big time). 

Age of Ultron gives us the usual gorgeous action sequences and Joss Whedon goofy dialogue we love so much but it separates itself a tad from its predecessor with two rather interesting side stories. They finally give Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) something more than small quips and zombie eyes and develop him into a true Avenger, almost more so than anyone else on the team in hindsight. Then of course there is the highly talked about and debated Banner/Romanoff kind of romance story line (which we will not get into here). I’ll state that I was a fan and it was great to see those two characters get a little more to do.

On top of all of that, Marvel introduces three new rather Important characters to the universe. Quicksilver, Scarlett Witch, and Vision, who might I say is the “Hulk” of this Avengers flick. By that I mean he (Vision) completely steals the show in the third act, much like Banner/Hulk in the battle of New York. Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Paul Bettany are wonderful in their roles (people have opinions on the Twins accents, I think they are fine. This is a fantasy movie remember). With all of this jammed into two and a half hours it’s quite amazing Whedon was able to give every character any screen time at all. That being said, I want to see that first cut that is three and a half hours long. Bring it on Mr. Whedon, I’m sure I’ll adore it. 

Unfortunately the opening of this movie has been tainted by some bad apples and I’ll go only as far as to say I think it’s all being way overblown and the movie is just super fun. Whedon took a risk trying to add a deeper level to a rather fluffy comic book movie that unfortunately didn’t work for everyone. If you want to know what it’s all about just go see the movie and form your own opinion. If you are a fan of what the MCU has delivered so far it’s hard for me to believe that you won’t enjoy this movie. It delivered on multiple different levels for me and after seeing it twice now I’m super excited for what it’s shown for the future of these movies. If you’re really skeptical of this movie, just go for the Hulkbuster. That alone is worth the price of admission.

As always, thanks for reading! I am Zach Who Watches Movies and you can find me on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later