By Brett Blake It's been a summer packed with (mostly) good movies so far, and while I usually like to give my full attention to one movie at a time, a confluence of events conspired to have me view three movies in a very short time frame. As such, I've grouped them all together here. It's an eclectic assortment, that's for sure. MALEFICENT It’s always a risky proposition to take a classic story (say, in this case, the immortal SLEEPING BEAUTY story presented in Walt Disney’s animated masterpiece from 1959) and update or remake it. You hope for a fresh take on the familiar premise, that both honors what came before while also doing something different. With MALEFICENT, what we get is definitely a fresh take, and it is certainly different. It is also one of the more misguided family blockbusters of recent years. Ostensibly telling “Sleeping Beauty” from the villain’s perspective, MALEFICENT offers some neat visuals in the service of a muddled and confused narrative that makes a complete hash of the classic story in an attempt to turn its villain into a sympathetic anti-hero. It utterly botches the opportunity to tell a tale from an antagonist’s point-of-view, because - quite simply - the filmmakers chicken out and don’t really allow the title character to be much of a villain at all. They want to have their cake and eat it too, by giving Maleficent all of the iconic, dark trappings of her animated predecessor, and yet also making her a wronged woman with a heart of gold. In one of the most baffling of many baffling choices made by the screenplay, she actually spends much of the running time PROTECTING the young girl who is meant to be her nemesis and object of ire. Given that the character is pretty much a mess, it would not have been a surprise to see Angelina Jolie phone it in, but she completely throws herself into the part, and in the few moments where the script actually allows the character to display malevolence, she clearly relishes it. Even in the moments that are supposed to be more emotionally affecting, Jolie sells them. It’s a shame, then, that I found this version of the character to be such a non-starter. If Jolie had played Maleficent in a straight live-action retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” she would have knocked it out of the park and stolen the movie. As it stands with the film at hand, she’s the focal point, and the character (as written) can’t support that position of importance. The script is also curiously unfocused and structured, as well; we linger on scenes that have no apparent value to the overall narrative, while also racing through moments that should land with more of an impact. Sharlto Copley’s King Stefan and Elle Fanning’s Aurora (the formerly-titular Sleeping Beauty) are given particularly short-shrift, and while the performers do fine work, the characters’ ultimate fates land with dull thuds. The designs for the fantasy world and its various creature inhabitants show off some fun ideas, even if the CGI used to bring them to life is frequently of a more cartoonish variety (particularly evident in the rather hideously unconvincing work for the young princess' three fairy guardians, characters who also provide some egregiously ineffective comic relief). The strongest element of the movie, unquestionably, is the sublime musical score from James Newton Howard; it conjures up an aura of impressive high fantasy and adventure, which makes it one of the year's best musical efforts thus far. I don’t want to oversell the movie’s issues, because MALEFICENT is certainly not an outright disaster, but it's a severely wrong-headed approach to a legendary Disney villain, and it’s one of the more confounding “event” pictures to come from a major studio in recent years. JERSEY BOYS Taste in music is - obviously - subjective. However, there are a few inarguable musical truths, and one of these is that the songs of the Four Seasons are among the best of their era, with memorable melodies and one-of-a-kind harmonies. Director Clint Eastwood’s JERSEY BOYS - a cinematic adaptation of the Broadway hit - tells the rise and fall (and rise again) of the group from the early 1950s through the 1970s, complete with mob connections, familial turmoil, inter-group conflict, and an understated sense of humor, all powered by crisp, sparkling versions of the Seasons’ classic hits. For a good chunk of the early section of the movie, it is something of GOODFELLAS-lite, as we watch young Frankie Valli (John Lloyd Young) and Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza) navigate their way through their aspiring music careers under the watchful eye of local boss - and mafia connection - Gyp DeCarlo (Christopher Walken at his most Walken-ish). Soon, Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) and Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen) join the ranks, and the Four Seasons begin their ascension to the top of the charts. The story frequently involves the characters breaking the fourth wall and talking right to the audience, a device which might not have translated well from the stage version but actually adds an interesting flavor to the cinematic interpretation; there’s something captivating about an actor speaking directly into the camera, and it gives JERSEY BOYS a confessional, conversational sort of feeling. Eastwood, on the surface, might seem like a curious choice to helm what could be termed a “musical,” (though there are no instances of the characters spontaneously bursting into song; all of the numbers are presented as organic performances by the group itself) but one needs only to look at his background - which includes directing 1988’s BIRD, a biopic of jazz great Charlie Parker, as well as composing the scores to many of his own films - to see that music is a passion of his. His clean and straightforward directorial style pairs well with the more mob-inflected elements, and his handling of the musical numbers, though never flashy, offers some interesting staging. The four leads are all convincing, both on the acting and singing front, though Piazza’s the standout, managing to capture everything quintessential about being an Italian goon in that era without becoming a complete caricature. He also provides a great deal of the movie’s humor, an element that is never in the foreground but is always close by. There are even a few inside jokes and references to some classic gangster films, which eagle-eyed movies buffs should be able to spot. I’ve seen some criticisms leveled at JERSEY BOYS that imply the movie lacks exuberance or flair, that it’s a strangely dark experience. “No fun” is a phrase I’ve seen bandied about in some other reviews, but I don’t subscribe to this at all. Even at its most dark, there’s a feeling of playfulness on Eastwood’s part that is a marked contrast to the dour heaviness of some of his recent films (such as 2011’s J. EDGAR, a film I enjoy but whose tone would have been completely wrong for JERSEY BOYS). Though it tells a kind of story that we’ve seen before, this specific collection of characters (and their specific story) is unique, and coupled with the great music, it makes for an engaging and completely entertaining semi-musical biography. And if nothing else, JERSEY BOYS guarantees you’ll leave the theater with at least one (and probably several) of the Four Seasons’ classic songs stuck in your head, which is never a bad thing. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 2010’s HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON was the most pleasant of surprises: a thoughtful and exciting family film that didn’t talk down to (or insult the intelligence of) its audience. Four years later, we finally have its sequel, and it follows the solid foundation set down by its predecessor, offering a frequently exhilarating ride along with some thematic heft. The specific plot of this installment (which I’ll not describe here) is not some kind of revolutionary storytelling showcase (indeed, its primary villain is thinly-sketched and lacks really any satisfactory motivation; he’s on a quest to do vaguely-evil things because, well, that’s what villains do, right?), and the first movie was definitely more satisfying on a narrative level, but HTTYD2’s plot is effective enough to propel forward the more interesting singular moments and sequences, and to service a rather sophisticated emotional journey for its hero, Hiccup, and his dragon, Toothless. Indeed, the movie is primarily concerned with the old notion of finding one’s place in the world, and the way in which this movie handles that is compelling and unique, particularly for a piece of entertainment aimed at kids and families. One specific choice made by the filmmakers is almost amazingly daring and complex for most kids to be expected to wrap their minds around, and its worth celebrating when a movie attempts to challenge its audience along with its characters. I found it particularly interesting that the movie is at its weakest when it stops for interludes of comic relief; the humor’s actually pretty enjoyable on its own, but it feels utterly extraneous and unimportant, because when the movie’s playing it straight - with real stakes and consequences for the characters - it’s incredibly effective. Technically, the animation on display here is absolutely stunning. While the first movie had a freshness factor working in its favor, this film’s flying sequences are even more dynamic and arresting, and they’re brought to the screen on a scale that is nothing less than gigantic. Similarly, the dragon characters are rendered with great personality, and the “cinematography,” if you will, of the animated environments is top notch, with atmosphere to spare. One sequence - in which we meet one of the film’s primary new characters for the first time - is particularly striking, and a masterclass in using light and shadow to set a mood. One of the elements that made the first movie so successful was its Oscar-nominated musical score by John Powell, and he thankfully returns to tackle this film. He not only returns, but he tops himself, producing a musical work that stands as the best of 2014 so far. Grand melodies and delicate lyricism combine with explosive, even full-on-swashbuckling moments of action and adventure. With so many contemporary film scores embracing droning ambiance, it’s a real pleasure to hear a composer let loose and soar, and that’s what we get here from Powell. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 is imperfect, but its aim is high, and it’s packed with great ideas and memorable moments. I still give the edge to the first movie as an overall experience, but this sequel is easily more thought-provoking and interesting. How often can you really say that about an animated (non-Pixar) film?
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