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With big sandals to fill, “Ben-Hur” is an entertaining adventure film

Jack Huston plays Judah Ben-Hur, who escapes slavery to become a champion charioteer in “Ben-Hur”. Photo by Philippe Antonello.

Considering that the 1959 version of Ben-Hur starring Charlton Heston smashed box office records, won 11 Oscars and is widely regarded as one of the best films of all time, it would take a biblical miracle for this new remake to live up to its predecessor. The latest of several adaptations of the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (written by Civil War general Lew Wallace), the new Ben-Hur is directed by Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, best known for such stylized horror and dark fantasy vampire films as Night Watch, Day Watch and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It’s an odd, but intriguing, choice for this Romans vs. Jews remake.

Jack Huston, a supporting actor in Boardwalk Empire, American Hustle and others, has big sandals to fill as Judah Ben-Hur, the Jewish prince made famous by Charlton Heston. A friendly lifelong rivalry with adopted brother Messala Severus (Toby Kebbell) evolves into a bloodthirsty struggle as Severus grows up to become a Roman soldier. The tension between the Jewish royalty and the Roman oppressors in Jerusalem reaches its breaking point after an assassination attempt on Roman leaders. In an effort to save his family, Ben-Hur confesses to the crime despite his innocence.

Jack Huston as Judah Ben-Hur and Morgan Freeman plays Sheik Ilderim, one of the more commanding presences in "Ben-Hur".

Huston as Ben-Hur and Morgan Freeman as Sheik Ilderim, one of the more commanding presences in “Ben-Hur”. Photo by Philippe Antonello.

Severus makes an example of Ben-Hur and his family, enslaving the prince and sentencing his mother Naomi (Ayelet Zurer) and sister Tirzah (Sofia Black D’Elia) to crucifixion, despite the fact that Severus and Tirzah are in love with one another. Ben-Hur spends the next five years in the abusive galley of a Roman warship. After his ship is destroyed during battle, Ben-Hur miraculously survives and is rescued by Sheik Ilderim (Morgan Freeman) upon washing ashore. It just so happens that Ilderim trains horses and earns his wealth betting on chariot races, something that Ben-Hur knows a little bit about having grown up racing horses with Severus. With Severus now a champion charioteer, Ilderim trains Ben-Hur to compete in the upcoming chariot race.

This race in the 1959 version of Ben-Hur is lauded as one of the most exciting sequences in all of cinema. Naturally, the chariot race in the new Ben-Hur is the most action-packed part of the movie, with each racer plotting to take out the others and Ben-Hur looking for revenge against his villainous brother. It definitely has some intense moments, but it’s hard to say if it lives up to its predecessor.

Toby Kebbell as Messala Severus does battle with Ben-Hur in the climactic chariot race. Photo by Philippe Antonello.

An interesting subplot in this Ben-Hur is the story of Jesus (Rodrigo Santoro), who crosses paths with Ben-Hur and his loved ones on a few occasions, leaving an interesting impression each time. Jesus’ story runs concurrent to that of Ben-Hur, and their roles are reversed towards the end of the movie as it is Ben-Hur who shows compassion for Jesus during his torturous trials just as Jesus had done for him earlier in the movie. Despite the fact that these two stories are somewhat entwined, having Jesus’ struggles with Pontius Pilate (Pilou Asbæk) culminate after the chariot race feels a little superfluous, even though it ultimately plays an important part in the closure between Ben-Hur and Severus.

Ben-Hur is unlikely to ascend to the cinematic greatness of its predecessor. It’s still an entertaining adventure with some action-packed moments of redemption. Freeman is a commanding presence that helps bring the story together pretty well while the rest of the cast holds its own in grandiose settings.

“Suicide Squad” commits to impressive action and chaotic storytelling

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Jay Hernandez as Diablo, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbje as Killer Croc, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Will Smith as Deadshot, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag and Karen Fukuhara as Katana in Warner Bros. Pictures’ Suicide Squad. Photo by Clay Enos/ TM & (c) DC Comics.

Following the critical panning, yet massive box office success, of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the third installment of the DC Extended Universe has been the talk of fanboys and critics alike for the past few months. From outrage over the facial tattoos and blingy grill of Jared Leto‘s Joker to rumors of rushed reshoots, Suicide Squad, with its ensemble of lesser-known DC characters, could either be DC’s answer to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy or another lackluster attempt to recreate the magic of beloved comic book and cartoon characters.

The first act of the movie offers quick introductions of some of the world’s most dangerous criminals, supervillains and metahumans as government agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) explains her plan to assemble a team of bad guys to help protect humanity from the possibility of an evil metahuman with Superman-like powers. Waller’s superiors naturally have some trepidations about employing the talents of death row inmates, and the villains are reluctant to cooperate with their oppressors. But when witchy would-be Squad member the Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) starts turning Midway City into some sort of mystical weapon to take over the world, the Suicide Squad is forced into action.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as pro wrestler-turned-supervillain Killer Croc is one of the highlights of “Suicide Squad”. Photo by Clay Enos/ TM & (c) DC Comics.

With Deadshot (Will Smith) assuming the role of leader, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) falls in as his hyper-sexualized crazy chick sidekick. These are the obvious stars of the film and the only characters — aside from field commander Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), whose girlfriend is possessed by the Enchantress — that evoke any emotional connection with the audience. Deadshot longs to be able to see his daughter again while Quinn is incessantly texting with the Joker, who eventually shows up to try and whisk her away from the chaos. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje‘s portrayal of former sideshow performer and alligator wrestler Killer Croc is impressively ominous for most of the film before providing comic relief toward the end. Otherwise, most of the Squad is relatively forgettable.

Like Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad‘s biggest flaw is that there is simply too much going on in one movie, despite a runtime of more than two hours. Director David Ayer, who has proven to be adept at directing movies with villainous main characters (Training Day) as well as rough-and-tumble ensemble casts (Sabotage), does his best to introduce a multitude of characters, explain their motivations (some better than others) and advance the story as quickly as possible. However, had we been introduced to some of these characters in previous movies, Ayer’s job would have been much easier here.

Another problem with Suicide Squad is that it often contradicts itself, most notably when Quinn gives the Squad a pep talk about why their desires don’t mesh with those of “the normals” of the world. Moments later, the Enchantress casts a spell on members of the Squad, allowing them to see their true desires, all of which involve the same happy home lives for which the rest of society strives. Keep in mind that these are mentally unstable metahumans, so we shouldn’t expect logical consistency from them, especially when they are being enchanted by an equally unstable witch. So, this inconsistency can be explained away fairly easily.

Facial tattoos are very common in “Suicide Squad,” most notably with Common‘s Monster T, Jared Leto’s Joker and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. Photo by Clay Enos/ TM & (c) DC Comics.

Despite its setbacks, Suicide Squad gives comic book fans something to look forward to as DC’s cinematic universe continues to expand. Ben Affleck reprises his role as Batman for a brief appearance, which makes sense considering that this film features four Gotham villains. At least one other future Justice League member makes a cameo (it’s not Hawkman, even though Midway City is traditionally his base of operations). And there’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it recreation of Alex Ross’ Batman: Harley Quinn cover art, one of several visually stunning moments in the film.

Are these characters faithful to their comic book counterparts? Not completely. Do the movie’s departures and contradictions make it any less fun to watch? Not at all.

www.suicidesquad.com

The Avengers disassemble in “Captain America: Civil War”

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Photo by Film Frame.

Only a couple of months after DC’s top heroes did battle in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Marvel’s Avengers are at odds with one another in Captain America: Civil War. Loosely based on the comic book series of the same name, Civil War finds the superhero team continuing to save the world from villains like Crossbones (Frank Grillo) while receiving growing scrutiny for the toll these battles take on the surrounding areas. Even the Avengers themselves can’t deny that chaos and destruction seem to follow them wherever they go, and the subsequent damage and death of innocents overshadows the good they are trying to do. In order to better keep these superhumans in check, the United Nations proposes the Sokovia Accords, an international institution to govern the activities of the Avengers and other superpowered beings.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) urges the rest of the Avengers to sign the Accords in order to stay in the public’s good graces and avoid further conflict with the world’s governments. Captain America (Chris Evans) feels that the Avengers should be able to act freely rather than get bogged down in bureaucratic processes, refusing to compromise. Never known for seeing eye to eye, Iron Man and Captain America’s friendly rivalry becomes more and more heated, especially after a bomb goes off at the Vienna conference where the Accords are to be enacted. When the Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) becomes the main suspect, tension reaches an all-time high within the Avengers.

Photo by Film Frame.

As the battle lines are drawn, the rest of the team chooses its sides, joined by new Avengers Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland). When these forces collide in an epic airport battle scene, it’s what every comic book fan has imagined it would look like if the pages of their favorite books were to spring into live action. After the battle ends and both sides realize they have to work together to stop Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl), who has been playing the Avengers against one another while he tracks down the other five Winter Soldiers. But when Zemo reveals a dark secret that connects Cap and Bucky to a tragic event from Stark’s youth, an enraged Iron Man lets loose on both of them, resulting in yet another brutal fight that leaves all three of them in bad shape.

Considering the punishment the Avengers take at each other’s hands in Civil War, it will be interesting to see how things play out in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But for those who stick around for the post-credit scene, there’s a pretty strong clue as to how this web will continue to be spun.

marvel.com/captainamerica

Vengeance drives DiCaprio’s performance in “The Revenant”

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The first few minutes of The Revenant are not unlike the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan, with a first-person perspective of the carnage that takes place when Arikara Indians attack a group of unsuspecting fur trappers. The hopeless and vengeful tone is set from the very beginning and only intensifies as things become more bleak in the snowy northern portion of the Louisiana Purchase.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as legendary explorer Hugh Glass. Photo by Kimberley French.

Shortly after the survivors flee the Native Americans, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) ventures into the wilderness alone only to be viciously mauled by an incredibly realistic bear protecting her cubs. With a maimed ankle and severe wounds covering his entire body, Glass runs a fever and is unable to move or speak. John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) sees Glass as a hinderance and tries to convince the rest of the expedition that Glass should be put out of his misery. Fitzgerald’s motivations are fueled by more than just practicality and the desire to cash in on his pelts, however, as his disdain for Glass’ half-Indian son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) is no secret.

Hawk and Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) volunteer to stay with Glass while the rest of the expedition continues on. Fitzgerald offers to stay as well, under the guise of protecting the two younger hunters. Fitzgerald’s ominous intentions are soon made clear and he eventually leaves Glass for dead. Driven solely by vengeance, Glass eventually musters the energy to crawl on, surviving brutally cold weather, near-fatal encounters with Indians and other setbacks that most healthy men would be unable to survive. His struggle is reminiscent of Cold Mountain and The Grey, motivated by his own teachings of survival to Hawk, as well as catching up to Fitzgerald.

Tom Hardy stars as the devious John Fitzgerald. Photo by Kimberley French.

With long portions of the film dedicated to Glass’ struggle to survive, DiCaprio’s talents are starkly on display. But it’s not just his performance that’s impressive here. Hardy’s portrayal of a bitter man who has the battle scars to back up his prejudices towards Native Americans creates the proper foil to Glass’ goodheartedness. The supporting cast, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ Domhnall Gleeson as Captain Andrew Henry, does a convincing job of providing additional sympathy to Glass’ cause. And the intense cinematography of director/writer Alejandro G. Iñárritu recalls his earlier works, as well as those of fellow Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (namely Children of Men). The fact that it’s based on real people and actual events (as well as Michael Punke’s novel of the same name) makes it all the more remarkable.

www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-revenant

Fey and Poehler are once again display comedic chemistry in “Sisters”

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Katie (Fey) and Maura (Poehler) throw one final party in the childhood home in “Sisters”. Photo by K.C. Bailey.

Considering the comedic chemistry that is apparent between Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to find out that they are long lost sisters. In Sisters, these Saturday Night Live alumnae join forces once again to portray siblings who have, for very different reasons, found themselves 40-ish and alone. Ever the party girl Katie (Fey) is still sowing her wild oats while her teenaged daughter Hayley (Madison Davenport) finds herself taking up the responsibility role, growing more and more estranged from her mother as a result. Maura (Poehler), on the other hand, is always more concerned with the well being of others than she is of herself, which is probably why her recent divorce still weighs heavily on her conscience. When they find out their parents (James Brolin and Dianne Wiest) are selling their childhood home, Katie and Maura decide to have one final epic party like the ones they used to have in high school.

With most of their high school friends having settled into careers, marriage and parenthood, it takes a while for everyone to let loose like they did in their youth. Good thing they invited any random person they talked to earlier in the day – that cute guy James from down the street (Ike Barinholtz), the Korean pedicure girl (Greta Lee), sleazy drunkard Dave (John Leguizamo), and various other former SNLers (Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon) – to get things going. But it’s not until Dave’s friend thuggish drug-dealing friend Pazuzu (former WWE‘s John Cena sporting a weird neck and face tattoo) arrives that the fun really begins. (In much the same way he did in Trainwreck, Cena proves to be a great comedic talent.)

Wild girl Katie (Tina Fey) hits on drug-dealing thug Pazuzu (John Cena) in Sisters. Photo by K.C. Bailey.

Wild girl Katie hits on drug-dealing thug Pazuzu (Cena). Photo by K.C. Bailey.

Having already had several sexual encounters in their childhood bedroom, Katie remains sober in hopes that Maura can pass this rite of passage with James before the sale of the house is finalized. Even drunk and stoned, however, Maura remains as awkward as ever, resulting in some hilariously uncomfortable romantic moments. With a couple of noise complaints, a swimming pool filled with blue paint and Alex (Moynihan) inadvertently ingesting some of Pazuzu’s stronger stimulants, this party gets out of control just in time for Katie and Maura’s parents to arrive with Hayley. Despite this disastrously fun night, the family is able to come together to make the necessary repairs (to the house and their relationships), finding comedy even within the tragedy of destroying the house they were so attached to. In the end, they are able to spend a happy Christmas together in their new home thanks to the emotional rebuilding that takes place in the aftermath of the chaos.

www.sistersfilm.com

“Star Wars” is reawakened with “The Force Awakens”

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Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) plot their escape from the First Order. Photo by David James.

A little more than three years ago in a Magic Kingdom not so far away, the Star Wars franchise (and the rest of Lucasfilm) became property of The Walt Disney Company. Considering how most fans feel about the George Lucas-directed prequel trilogy, and how well Disney has handled The Muppets and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney’s acquisition of sci-fi’s most famous franchise was a relief for many. After years of anticipation, the day has finally arrived that we get to see if director J.J. Abrams can reawaken Star Wars the way he did with Star Trek.

It’s doubtful that my thoughts on Star Wars: The Force Awakens are going to influence anyone to go see this seventh installment in the series. Most people have already bought tickets to at least one screening and will, in fact, probably be avoiding reviews such as this one until after they’ve seen the movie. What fun is there to be had, after all, of having your speculations on who’s behind Kylo Ren‘s ominous mask or why Luke Skywalker hasn’t appeared in any of the trailers confirmed or debunked. Don’t worry, though. I’m definitely not going to be the one to spoil any such surprises for you.

Rey (Daisy Ridley) doesn’t know exactly what she’s getting into with this BB-8 droid. Photo by David James.

Though a lot has changed in this far away galaxy since the Rebel Alliance‘s victory over the evil Galactic Empire in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, many things remain the same. The First Order, led by the Darth Vader-worshipping Ren (Adam Driver), has built an earth-shattering new weapon capable of destruction even more massive than the Death Star. Ren is under the guidance of the Emperor-like Supreme Leader Snoke, a computer-generated creature portrayed by Andy Serkis that wouldn’t look out of place in The Lord of the Rings movies. X-wing fighter pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is tasked with protecting a crucial piece of Resistance information, which he entrusts to his BB-8 droid just before being captured by the First Order. This droid is discovered by a feisty female scavenger named Rey (Daisy Ridley) who soon finds herself being swept away by a hustler with a big heart named Finn (John Boyega). All this action naturally brings to mind characters like Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), and it doesn’t take long for them and other familiar faces to show up. The relationships between some of these characters are as shocking as Darth Vader’s revelation in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, but likely not in any of the ways you might be thinking.

Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), with his unique lightsaber, is one of the more mysterious new characters. Photo by David James.

While all of these elements will be familiar to Star Wars fans, The Force Awakens is not simply a retelling of a story we already know. In much the same way that Creed introduces the Rocky story to a new generation of filmgoers, The Force Awakens carries on the Star Wars tradition while introducing enough new characters and story elements to keep fans of all ages invested. Aerial dogfights between X-wings and TIE fighters are juxtaposed with one-on-one lightsaber battles between a new generation of Jedi and Sith warriors. And the romance, politics and other drama add depth to the story in much the same way the original trilogy did.

The Force Awakens is everything Star Wars fans wanted from the prequels, but didn’t get. If this is the direction Disney is going to continue going with these movies, fans will continue jumping to lightspeed to get tickets to upcoming installments.

www.starwars.com/films/star-wars-episode-vii-the-force-awakens

Protest is more powerful than pistols in “Chi-Raq”

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Chi-Raq (Nick Cannon) shows off his mic skills before gunfire erupts in “Chi-Raq”. Photo by Parrish Lewis.

From racially-charged police brutality and mass shootings within the United States to terrorist attacks in Europe and ongoing strife in the Middle East, sociopolitical tension is on the rise around the world. Never one to shy away from such subjects, Spike Lee provides his unique brand of cinematic insight with Chi-Raq, a film that addresses gang and gun-related violence in Chicago’s south side. As we learn in the film’s extended opening featuring Nick Cannon‘s hip-hop lyrics juxtaposed with statistics comparing Chicago’s bodycount to the number of American’s who’ve died in battle in Iraq and Afghanistan, the unflattering nickname Chi-Raq is a mashup of Chicago and Iraq.

The fact that most of the dialogue is spoken in rhymes is fitting considering that Cannon plays the film’s namesake character: an aspiring rapper and leader of the purple-clad gang known as the Spartans. The reason for the poetic delivery, however, is more Greek theater than street posturing as the movie is a retelling of Lysistrata, the Aristophanes play in which Greek women deny soldiers sex in order to end the Peloponnesian War. In the case of Chi-Raq, however, Cannon’s Spartans do battle with a gang of orange-outfitted Trojans led by Cyclops (an eye-patched Wesley Snipes). After gang violence ends one of Chi-Raq’s concerts (as well her post-concert romp with the rising rap star) and a stray bullet from a drive-by takes the life of an innocent child, Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris) takes the advice of her mother Miss Helen (Angela Bassett), rallying the gangbanging girlfriends to go on a sex strike until the violence ends.

Teyonah Parris leads an empowering protest as Lysistrata. Photo by Parrish Lewis.

Samuel L. Jackson is Dolmedes, the pimped-out narrator of the story whose name sounds a lot like Dolemite when Lysistrata addresses him (fitting, given the blaxploitative feel of this movie). Dolmedes steps in occasionally to add emphasis and humor to the on-screen developments, which become more and more satirical the longer the pussy protesting is prolonged. From a frustrated strip club owner (Dave Chappelle) to Mayor McCloud (D.B. Sweeney), the men of the neighborhood become more and more frustrated, plotting for ways to convince the women to let them unload their proverbial guns. (Particularly entertaining, despite only being a minor character, is the neurotic Oedipus, played by Wade F. Wilson, preoccupied with upsetting his mother.) Meanwhile, the power of denying their private parts is further exemplified when Lysistrata leads the women in quickly overtaking and occupying a military facility with seduction being their only ammunition, inspiring similar protests around the world, as shown by news reports.

Despite its grim subject matter, Chi-Raq, like the Greek comedy on which it’s based, is rich in satire and talent. So much so that John Cusack as a white preacher in a predominantly black church (an odd bit of casting that is explained during an encounter with Chi-Raq later in the film) plays a supporting role and Mrs. David Otunga (better known as Jennifer Hudson) seems to get even less screen time. But this ensemble cast provides the right mix of star power to properly deliver Lee’s messages while letting a rising star shine in Parris.

www.chiraqthemovie.com