thekansan.com

Movie review: ‘Fast & Furious 6’

By Ed Symkus — Fri, 24 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000

You can have a great time getting caught up in the outrageous action of the sixth entry in this money-making machine of a series without having seen any of the previous films. But you wouldn�t understand the nuances of the characters and their interrelationships, you wouldn�t get why they all keep talking about the importance of family, and you wouldn�t really know who you�re supposed to be rooting for, or why.
But, again, you can still have a great time. A �Fast & Furious� movie consists of [...]

Movie review: Last call for ‘Hangover’ gang

By Dana Barbuto — Fri, 24 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000

�The Hangover III� takes forever to get started and then never wants to end. Farewells are always tough, but the end it is, as the �Wolf Pack� embarks on one final off-the-rails road trip.
The journey � from California to Tijuana to Vegas � is mildly amusing, even hysterical at times. But most of those giggles are of the cringe-inducing ilk, as in �I don�t know why this is funny but I�m LMAO.� Ken Jeong eating dog food sounds grossly unfunny in theory, but on screen, well, I almost fell out [...]

Ken Jeong bares his soul - and body - in ‘Hangover 3’

By Ed Symkus — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:07:57

Though he stole all audience attention away from every other actor in his brief scene as Dr. Kuni in �Knocked Up,� no one was ready for Ken Jeong�s intro in �The Hangover.� He leaped out of a car trunk, wearing only black socks, and proceeded to beat the tar out of Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis with a tire iron. That�s right, wearing only black socks. His Mr. Chow eventually became an important character in that film and its sequel. In �The Hangover Part III,� Chow, naked again, [...]

Heather Graham returns to ‘Hangover’

By Ed Symkus — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:06:28 +0000

It was with the release of �Boogie Nights,� in 1997, that Heather Graham became everybody�s favorite porn star with a heart of old. No, not actually Graham, but her character in that film, Rollergirl.
The blond-haired, blue-eyed actress had been around the Hollywood scene for some time already, with parts in �Drugstore Cowboy� and �Swingers,� as well as an ongoing role on the oddball TV show �Twin Peaks.� But it was �Boogie Nights� that pushed her to the next level, part of which is her [...]

Movie review: 'Star Trek: Into Darkness' an adrenalin rush and a love letter to fans

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:27:32

Although the special effects are now somewhat dated, the "Star Trek" original series has always occupied a special place in my geeky heart. What the show may have lacked in budget, it more than made up for with great characters and good storytelling. Captain Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Dr. McCoy, Scotty and the rest of the original Enterprise crew have become some of science fiction's most beloved characters. Though we never got to see the end of their five-year mission, they've never [...]

Movie review: ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’

By Ed Symkus, More Content Now — Wed, 15 May 2013 1:00:00 +0000

Despite its grim title, this sequel to J.J. Abrams� really, really good, but not quite great reboot of the �Star Trek� franchise is going to be an absolute joyride for a lot of viewers. The writing has been knocked up a few notches; though Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) still remain at the film�s center, the rest of the crew has been given more to do this time; and most important, �Into Darkness� is truly a valentine to �Star Trek� fans, especially those who have been into it [...]

Movie review: The best ‘Gatsby’ adaptation yet

By Ed Symkus, More Content Now — Fri, 10 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000

Hardcore F. Scott Fitzgerald fans have always written off the idea of a movie adaptation of �The Great Gatsby� as something impossible to get right. A look back at the four films that it�s been turned into so far reveals that their negative thoughts have been pretty accurate. Of the versions made in 1926, 1949, 1974, and 2000 (for television), only the �74 film, with Robert Redford as Jay Gatsby and Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan, has come close to capturing the essence of the book, but even so, [...]

Movie review: 'Iron Man 3' a fun start to the summer movie season

By Ashley Bergner/Newton Kansan — Mon, 6 May 2013 19:14:15

"Big man in a suit of armor � take that off, what are you?"

That's a question Captain America asks Tony Stark/Iron Man during "The Avengers" movie. Of course Stark fires back one of his trademark snarky replies � "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" � but he's not forced to seriously consider that question until "Iron Man 3." The first two "Iron Man" films were all about Tony creating the suit and coming to grips with his new [...]

Leonardo DiCaprio brings Jay Gatsby to life

By Ed Symkus, More Content Now — Mon, 6 May 2013 16:19:09

Jay Gatsby is a strikingly handsome, incredibly wealthy man who�s shrouded in mystery, at least involving the source of his riches. He�s terribly lonely, and regularly throws wild parties in his opulent mansion, just so there are people around him. He�s hopelessly in love with a (married) woman from his past, and will do anything he can to win her. What actor wouldn�t want to play the lead in �The Great Gatsby?� Well, five have attempted it on film, to varying degrees of success. There was [...]

Movie review: ‘Iron Man’ franchise still soaring

By Ed Symkus, More Content Now — Fri, 3 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000

This series hit the ground running five years ago, then it and its title character took to the sky, and in the third terrific installment, it�s still soaring. Although Jon Favreau, who directed the first two films, sticks to just acting here (playing bodyguard turned micromanaging head of security Happy Hogan), the transition to director Shane Black is a smooth one, partly due to the great collaboration he and star Robert Downey Jr. shared in Black�s most recent film, the underrated �Kiss Kiss [...]

Beyond 'The Avengers': Marvel prepares for 'Phase 2' of superhero franchise

By Ashley Bergner/Newton Kansan — Thu, 2 May 2013 11:51:39

Before 2008, many people weren't familiar with the Marvel comic book superhero Iron Man. DC Comics characters Superman and Batman had long been the two most famous superheroes, and no one was expecting a movie based on Tony Stark � a snarky narcissist in a metal suit � to be a mega-hit.

However, Robert Downey Jr.'s great performance not only rebooted the actor's own career, it also helped launch an impressive theatrical run for a line-up of Marvel superheroes, culminating in last [...]

Movie review: 'Oblivion'

By Ashley Bergner/Newton Kansan — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:01:03

At first glance, Jack Harper doesn't seem very different from other average, everyday Americans. Each morning, he wakes up, travels to work, comes home, eats dinner, goes to bed, and then wakes up and does it all over again.

Yet there is something that separates Harper, and that's the fact he happens to be the ONLY person on the planet Earth who is still following this routine. "Oblivion" is set in the year 2077, and Harper (Tom Cruise) and communications officer Victoria [...]

2013 summer movie preview

By Ashley Bergner/Newton Kansan — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:58:20

As a self-professed film addict and lover of all things fantasy and science fiction, summer tends to be my favorite time of the year at the box office. :) This is when Hollywood tends to roll out the best of its big-budget films, and this summer, we have quite a selection: from superheroes, to giant fighting robots to the return of the USS Enterprise. Although the reception to the 2013 films released so far has been a bit lukewarm, quite a few hotly-anticipated films will come out in the [...]

Mark Wahlberg talks about ‘Pain & Gain’

By Ed Symkus, More Content Now — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:07:31

When Mark Wahlberg takes on a role in a film, he becomes that character. Not in any method way of acting. Rather, he preps for the part, then infuses any relatable pieces of himself into whoever he�s playing. In the case of the darkly comic, based-on-fact �Pain & Gain,� he plays Daniel Lugo, the not-very-bright bodybuilding mastermind of an absurd plot to get a wealthy client�s money in order to start living his version of the American dream. Suffice it to say, things go very wrong. Wahlberg [...]

Movie review: 'Jurassic Park 3D' a worthy upgrade

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:37:22

I'll never forget the first time I watched "Jurassic Park." It's an intense, harrowing experience � and one that continues to make me jump, no matter how many times I've watched it since then. From the moment the characters first land on the ill-fated island where dinosaurs have been brought back to life, to the end where the survivors barely manage to escape with their lives, director Steven Spielberg doesn't give viewers much of a chance to stop and catch their breath. If the T. [...]

Movie review: G.I. Joes return to the big screen with "Retaliation"

By Ashley Bergner/Newton Kansan — Mon, 1 Apr 2013 20:42:53

All film fans have their guilty pleasures: movies we know fall short of cinematic greatness, but for whatever reason, we still love them anyway. Maybe it's the over-the-top alien invasion movie "Independence Day" with its endless explosions, or maybe it's "Armageddon," featuring Bruce Willis and Co.'s quest to destroy a giant asteroid headed for Earth. For me, one of my favorite film guilty pleasures is 2009's "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. [...]

The myth of the blockbuster: How marketing impacts the films we see — and the ones we don't

By Ashley Bergner/Newton Kansan — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:03:41

The Rotten Tomatoes movie review site gave it only a 20 percent rating, classifying it as "rotten." Critics weren't kind in their assessment of it and made comments such as, "It's confusing and excessive and it just missed the mark completely"; "a painful blend of overproduced action"; and "(a) violent, crude, pointless sequel."

While this may sound like the recipe for a flop, the film went on to make an [...]

Movie review: ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ will have you cheering

By Ed Symkus, GHNS — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 5:17:00 +0000

There are all sorts of lessons to be learned in this violent, exciting, flag-waving chunk of action cinema.
One: When a knowledgeable military person radios his chopper pilots with the warning, �Be on the lookout for possible advanced weaponry,� pay attention.
Two: When you�re a depraved bad guy, and a vengeful good guy says to you, �I�m gonna stick my knife through your brain,� take heed.
You�ve probably figured out that the Olympus of the title has nothing to do with Greece and [...]

Movie review: ‘Admission’ adaptation won’t please fans of the novel

By Ed Symkus, GHNS — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 5:15:00 +0000

Films like this comedy have a guaranteed opening weekend audience just because a big TV star has the lead role and is all over the poster. That would be �30 Rock�s� Tina Fey. Those folks probably won�t be disappointed in this lightweight film, even though Fey plays it kinda bland, as is called for her character.
But fans on the novel it�s based on are going to have some problems, in that so many of the story�s elements have been changed beyond recognition.
The basic plot is about [...]

Movie review: 'Oz the Great and Powerful' worth another trip down the yellow brick road?

By Ashley Bergner/Newton Kansan — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:11:23

It's been more than 70 years since Hollywood first took us on a journey down the yellow brick road into the magical land of Oz. In the 1939 musical classic "The Wizard of Oz," a girl named Dorothy dons a pair of sparkling red slippers and sets off on a quest to end the reign of a wicked witch and find her way back home to Kansas.

"The Wizard of Oz" continues to be one of Hollywood's most beloved films, and it's one of my [...]