Reviews of the Past: Half-year review, 2013

The next set of reviews we’ll be publishing are some of the ones Roger Thomas has done exclusively for The Stanly News & Press. Roger has written movie reviews for The Stanly News & Press and other outlets for years, long before starting this blog. So we decided it would be good to give readers a sample of his previous work, in addition to posts of reviews of current films. Other reviews will run daily.

This year is half over. From Jan. 1-July 3 I have seen 50 different films in the theater. Clearly, I have not seen everything that has opened, but I have seen a little less than two films a week and I am fairly certain I have seen most of the best films that have played in our area. So here is my Second Annual Half-Year-List of the five films that I have enjoyed and more importantly that have inspired reflection since seeing them for the first time during the initial six months of 2013.  Here are my Top Five:

No. 5 – “Star Trek: Into Darkness”

I am an admitted “Star Trek” fan, but among all the big summer blockbusters so far, this is the best. Many films have wowed me with their visuals this summer. Among these CGI fests, “Star Trek” gave me the most food for thought. I have written often that I like movies that challenge me to think over any other films. This film has inspired criticism from some, but I think it works well. I could nitpick a few things, but in the end, the ideas and ideals in this film affirm what Gene Roddenberry’s original vision was all about. May mankind always move closer to the vision captured in Roddenberry’s creation. And may this film franchise “Live Long and Prosper.”

No. 4 – “The Purge”

Wow. I knew the premise of “The Purge” going in, but I truly expected to have just a good time being frightened. Nothing more. Like all the films on this list (yes, even number two), this thriller is about ideas. Moral issues in this case over scares. Make no mistake, it is a creepy film; and the last 30 minutes are fairly gruesome. But before that, there are discussions, decisions and questions that challenge the heart and the mind. Yes, the premise of this motion picture is extreme, but how many steps are between some of the very actions and choices we choose as a nation now and what is depicted in the film as our near future. Take someone with you so you can discuss after the viewing.

No. 3 – “The East”

I went to see “The East” because I saw Ellen Paige on “The Daily Show” and I was intrigued by her short description of the film. I knew it dealt with environmental terrorism but not really anything else. What a great experience to go into this film with almost no expectations. I encourage you to read nothing of the plot and take the journey. A film with many villains and few heroes, “The East” may ultimately be viewed by each individual differently. I find myself thinking about it more than I would have imagined. Like my number one film, there is much to fear in this movie if it even comes close to reality. And I am afraid it probably does.

No. 2 – “Monsters University”

No animated film made my list last year. So congrats to Pixar for creating another classic. In my review I wrote about the creativity, the colors, the fact that the filmmakers always fill the screen with great visuals. There are so many smart things about this film from beginning to after the last credit. But I have to praise most the story. What a cleaver idea to make a prequel and place familiar characters in college. Watching the film brought back great memories of frat parties and studying late and a whole host of other things I experienced over three decades ago. Finally, there is the climax in the story. For a moment, I thought it was going to be predictable. I did not have enough faith in the brilliance of Pixar. What a wonderful final 15 minutes or so.

No. 1 – “Disconnect”

Every time one of my children or myself takes out our phones in a restaurant, I think of this film. How are our devices affecting our lives? I am not getting rid of mine; but feel free to lose yours. The thought of disconnecting is alien to us now. “Disconnect” is frightening for parents and offers no easy answers or feel good messages. It only offers us brief glances at the destruction, heartache, immorality and division that is being created every day in our nation because we are now so easily connected. No film I have seen this year haunts me more than this one. But be warned, this is a mature film dealing with mature subject matter. In my full review I praised the film for its brave climax and final scene. That ending, along with all that brought us to that point, is why “Disconnect” is the best film of 2013 thus far.

Last year only two films found a place on my mid-year list and my final Top Ten for 2012. “(The Best Marigold Hotel” was in first place after six months and ended up fourth at the end of the year and “Bernie” was second and ultimately fifth.) Who knows if any of these five films will reappear on my final list as 2014 dawns?  As for now, these are the films to see, in a theater or coming soon to home video.

Reviews of the past: ‘The Purge’

The next set of reviews we’ll be publishing are some of the ones Roger Thomas has done exclusively for The Stanly News & Press. Roger has written movie reviews for The Stanly News & Press and other outlets for years, long before starting this blog. So we decided it would be good to give readers a sample of his previous work, in addition to posts of reviews of current films. Other reviews will run daily.

Bad guys (and girls) await in ‘The Purge.’

I had seen the previews for “The Purge” and I understood the basic premise before I went into the theater. The film is set in 2022. Crime and poverty are basically nonexistent. However, this goal has been achieved because there is now a government sanctioned “purge” every year on the same night. For 12 hours, from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. there are no laws. Anyone can do anything to anyone else, and no one is accountable for his actions. Nice plot device to create a situation where people are brutally murdered like in most low budget, no plot, slasher films.

Make no mistake, there are some brutal murders in this film. But they only happen in the last 30 minutes of a 90-minute film. What comes before the violence is what makes “The Purge” special; certainly a film worth watching.

And a child shall lead them. “The Purge” focuses on one family of four who has a massive house in a gated exclusive community. “The Purge” has always been something they basically ignored. The husband sells security systems and their home is locked down before “The Purge” begins. Problems arouse however when the 12-year-old son begins to question the justification of “The Purge” and wonders why his parents do not participate in it or speak out against it.

To say more would ruin the plot. But suffice it to say, the moral questions posed and the actions considered in this film are stunning.Few films have the courage to pose these types of dilemmas for the characters. Heroes are not supposed to be faced with moral ambiguity, are they?I had no idea this “horror” film (which is really scary in certain parts) would be so incredibly philosophical. As I always write, give me a movie with ideas, and I am happy. “The Purge” bulges with ideas, questions and debates.

It is easy to watch the film and say, “Well, that would never really happen!” It does seem doubtful that a world of casual callousness where people throw neighborhood parties in honor of “The Purge” could ever exist. But as a society that is always in debate about how much we should assist one another, especially the least fortunate, at some point is it not a life and death issue? How much is cut from a budget before lives are threatened? In “The Purge,” poverty is almost non-existent because it is brutally eradicated every 12 months.

“The Purge” is depicted as a moral evil in the film. However, silence and inaction are also condemned. The point is not whether any society would approach to the extreme of the film;  rather how many steps closer could we get if we follow a philosophy of every man for himself, every family for themselves.

Years ago I had an ethics professor who said he used to pick up hitchhikers until he had a wife and children. Once they came along, he no longer felt he was free to put his life at risk to help another in that way. Some of the characters in “The Purge” are faced with similar options. But the scale is much larger. The parents in this story are not offering a ride to a stranger, they are offering life, at the risk of their own and their children’s.

“The Purge” clearly shows a world where self reigns supreme and selflessness has been lost from the human psychic, at least in many. In our real world, that would not be progress but rather a return to our primitive nature that ultimately would usher in our destruction.

“The Purge” stumbles slightly at the end, but overall, it is a fascinating frightening journey and film worthy of stellar post-viewing conversations.   

Box Office results

Domestic gross: $64,473,115

Foreign gross: $24,855,512

Production budget: $3 million

Opening weekend: $34,058,360

NOTE: Information from Boxofficemojo.com

Reviews of the past: ‘You’re Next’

The next set of reviews we’ll be publishing are some of the ones Roger Thomas has done exclusively for The Stanly News & Press. Roger has written movie reviews for The Stanly News & Press and other outlets for years, long before starting this blog. So we decided it would be good to give readers a sample of his previous work, in addition to posts of reviews of current films. Other reviews will run daily.

Sharni Vinson comes out swinging in ‘You’re Next.’ 

This summer has produced horror films that have been impressive for their level of quality. I wrote very positively about the horror movie laced with social and political commentary entitled “The Purge.” I still believe it was one of the best films of the summer. Right behind “Purge,” with less commentary but many more scares, is “The Conjuring.” I liked these two films for multiple reasons and both are on my short list for showing at my annual Halloween Horror Movie Party.

And now, a third horror film that is worthy of an audience opens in theaters just as the summer is winding down. “You’re Next,” like the two previous titles, is a well-crafted movie with plenty of jolts, surprises, and of the three, the most gore.

“You’re Next” tells the story of a family gathering together to celebrate the parents’ anniversary. The couple has four grown children, three sons and a daughter. Each of the four siblings brings along a companion for the weekend. They all gather at a really large house that the extremely wealthy parents own. The audience knows that the neighbors down the road have been brutally murdered the night before, but at the start of the film, no one in the family seems to be aware of any danger lurking.

The script of the film does a fairly good job of distinguishing between the 10 people who come together in this large old house. Some of them are more likeable than others. Some of them survive longer than others. In a movie with a hefty body count, the trick is trying to guess who will survive the longest. Another hallmark of films like this is that the longer one survives, the more gruesome the death will most likely be.

Ultimately, the greatest strength of the script is that the film continues to surprise. There are hints along the way of what might happen, but there were plenty of moments that were jarring. This is not a “Friday the 13th” or Halloween movie with mindless slashing and very little plot. Between the violence, there is a clever and conceivable plot. It is the presence of this plot that elevated the film for me.

One aspect of the “Next” that really surprised me, and in a good way, was that the fact that when the credits rolled I thought to myself, “Well, I am not sure there could ever be a sequel to that.” Far too often these days it seems almost all horror movies are set up to launch new horror franchises. This practice lessons the impact of some film’s story.

Of the three good horror movies of the summer, “You’re Next” would be my third choice. It is good, almost surprisingly good, but I think it would lose something in repeat viewings because the secrets have been already revealed. On the other hand, I believe “The Conjuring” will always give viewers that wonderful feeling of surprise, no matter how many times they see it. Then there’s “The Purge,” my favorite for the ideas of the film, not the chills. These thoughts about society and where we could end up if we continue to pursue an “Every man for himself” attitude are debatable, but the very concept of a horror movie stimulating conversation is grand.

With that said, see all three. “You’re Next” may be third among the three, but it is still good enough for the price of ticket, especially if you like mysteries, odd families and “slasher” films.

Box Office results

Domestic gross: $18,494,006

Foreign gross: $NA

Production budget: $NA

Opening weekend: $7,020,196

NOTE: Information from Boxofficemojo.com

‘Purge’ another night of horrific chaos

It’s a struggle just to stay alive for Eva Sanchez (Carmen Ejogo), right, and others on a night when murder and other crimes are legal. (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)

I liked the original “The Purge” very much. In fact, I liked it so much that I placed it on my top five list for the first half of 2013.

I thought the story was well constructed. The characters were developed and compelling.  But most of all, I liked the social commentary the film was promoting. Make no mistake, “The Purge” was more than your average suspense-horror film. I add the word horror because though the film does not have any supernatural elements, the things humanity does to one another in the first “Purge” film are increasingly horrific.

One year later, the filmmakers are back with “The Purge: Anarchy,” and the new film improves on the original in several ways.

The original focused basically on one family inside their home, and those who sought to harm them during the night of the Purge. An intriguing setup that worked well but seems simple and small in many ways.

The new film takes place in the middle of a major city. Instead of one family, there are three groups of people who end up facing the perils of the Purge in the streets and alleyways of the city. As expected, these three groups eventually find one another, but whether they can trust each other remains to be discovered. This setting and the events that happen to these five people make this film seem more epic than the first.

Another strength are the villains in this film, and there were three or four of these groups – depending on how one counts them – and all had varied agendas. Each expands the viewer’s understanding of what happens on the night of the Purge.

This film also builds on the history and information about the Purge that began in the first film. It is easy to dismiss these stories because the United States would never pass laws as depicted in the film. However, in spite of the exaggeration, there are glimmers of truth in this fictional ritual of murder and mayhem.

One class looking on another class with disdain would never happen to the extent of the auction scene and what follows in the “Purge” sequel. On the other hand, we do seem to spend a great deal of time debating whether anyone is entitled to anything, clean water, food, a vote, and the list goes on.

Finally, I liked the conclusion of this film. I will not give anything away, except to say, in all the carnage on the night of the Purge, there are those who hold fast to their humanity and compassion, and these traits serve them well.

One word of caution to those who watched and enjoyed the first “Purge” film: The second installment of this series is much more violent than that first, and the use of profane words from the characters vastly increases. I watched the first “Purge” again, before I saw the second film, so I was very familiar with the content of the original. Even if one saw the first and were not offended, the second film might be offensive.

As for me, looking beyond the excesses, I found this new film to be equal to or in some ways better than the original. So, if you are not easily offended by mature content, and you liked the first film, you will probably find “The Purge: Anarchy” to be a film you will enjoy and reflect on days after you exit the theater.

I wonder if there are plans for another film. Will a resistance rise and attempt to bring down a government that sanctions a night of slaughter called The Purge? If they make that film, I will certainly be curious to see it.