Self/less

So....mortality....kinda sucks, huh? We only get one crack at this life so you might as well make the best of it with what little time we have, right? Well, what if we weren't limited to just one go-around? What if we had another chance, maybe multiple chances? It's a potential-filled dilemma, one with countless layers. If we could, should we? I missed 2015's Self/less in theaters but was able to catch up with it on DVD.

A real estate mogul who has piled up fortunes on top of fortunes in a career spanning 40-plus years, Damian Hale (Ben Kingsley) is quickly dying of cancer that is spreading throughout his body. With doctors telling him he only has months to live, Damian undergoes a dangerous medical situation called 'shedding' where his mind/psyche are transported to the body of a much younger man, a body grown/built genetically in a lab. So while his body may have failed him, his mind won't, giving him a chance to live on and accomplish so much more as a younger version of himself (Ryan Reynolds). New and improved Damian dives into his new-found life, celebrating, partying and living life like he was actually running out of time. It all seems too perfect...and it is. Damian begins to feel funny, begins to question exactly what's happened. Can he figure it all out before something even more dangerous happens to him?

Ever heard of a movie called Seconds? Ha, well I have! I even reviewed it for you! You can read my review from 2010 HERE. It's got 6 whopping views so...yeah, it's a threat to go viral any second. 'Self/less' is a tweaked remake of the 1966 flick from director John Frankenheimer and starring Rock Hudson. It's a very 1960's movie with a fabulous ending, one that almost saved the movie for me. But that's my rule. If you're going to remake a movie, do one that has little to no reputation or has a ton of untapped potential. This version? It takes the basic premise and goes from there, doing its own thing.

What if you weren't tied to your physical being? What if your conscious could be moved to another vessel? In this frightening age of science, who knows? Maybe that's not too far away...if it hasn't happened already. Director Tarsem Singh turns in an unsettling, creepy thriller with that potential-filled premise. It received pretty negative reviews -- although fans seem to like it -- and bombed at the box office, making just $12 million. Not good. I liked it though, taking the remake and stylizing it and building up some great scenes of doom. It moves at a lightning-pace early on once Damian goes under the procedure, and I wish it would have slowed down a little bit, let it breathe and develop. It's always entertaining though and worth a watch.

This Ryan Reynolds fella, he's been in the news lately for a little movie called Deadpool. Heard of it? Yeah, it's doing pretty well in theaters. He's always been an immensely watchable actor through drama or comedy, but his HUGE movie never seemed to come along until Deadpool. As young Damian, Reynolds is us, he's the viewer. He's trying to piece it all together, knowing the pieces just don't quite fit...but not quite able to figure out why. I'll always think of Reynolds as motor-mouth, fast-talking Van Wilder, but he's shown previously and does it again here that he's quite capable of heavier drama into anti-hero territory. A very solid lead performance!

Now officially into badass, screen legend territory, Kingsley has some fun and gives the film some muscle early on as older Damian, a ruthless businessman who sees his clock running out. Just wish he'd been around longer! The always-solid Matthew Goode plays Albright, the suspiciously smooth doctor who offers the seemingly-dangerous medical procedure that moves psyches without too much risk. Victor Garber is a welcome addition as one of Damian's business partners and friend, making key appearances at the beginning and end. As for the rest of the cast, I don't want to give away too much about what's going on so...look for Natalie Martinez and Derek Luke in key supporting parts!

My theory I write about often is my Christmas Eve theory. Sometimes it's more fun not to know what your presents are. The build-up, the anticipation! 'Self/less' is a rare movie where the payoff works. So does the build-up. The mystery and all those unanswered questions do a great job building the tension as young Damian begins to figure out exactly what's happened. My biggest issue is that 'Self/less' didn't know how to wrap things up. The last 25 minutes or so degenerate into unnecessary action pyrotechnics with car chases (that's actually pretty cool) and a chase and gunfight. I liked that simmering tension and unease through the first 80 minutes more. So thankfully, my issues aren't deal-breakers. An enjoyable thriller with a cool premise and good cast. Worth a watch for sure.

Self/less (2015): ** 1/2 /****

Friday Night Lights

There have been many, MANY football movies over the years and plenty classics from Remember the Titans to Rudy, We Are Marshall to Any Given Sunday. I've got a favorite though, and it isn't especially close. I watched it in theaters when I was in college, read the book soon after and have rewatched the film many times since. But it had been awhile so I was very glad to catch up with 2004's Friday Night Lights.

It's 1988. It's west Texas, and hopes are high in the town of Odessa where the local high school, Permian, has an epic tradition of success on the football field with the Panthers. Expectations are especially high this year for head coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) for the upcoming '88 season. The team is incredibly talented, returning a bunch of veterans, but most importantly star running back Boobie Miles (Derek Luke), a no-doubt future star in college and possibly the NFL. That seemingly perfect season though is undone almost immediately as Miles seriously hurts his knee in the Panthers' first game. Now, Gaines and the entire team must band together to figure something out, to turn things around and do it quickly. It isn't just pressure from within though. The entire town is putting a pressure over the team and program that hangs above the players and coaches like a dark cloud. Can they overcome?

'Friday' is based off the book of the same name by author H.G. Bissinger. He followed the team throughout the 1988 season, eventually writing the book that went on to become a lightning rod for good and bad. The book became more than just a story about sports, but about a west Texas town madly in love, devoted in obsessed fashion to their Permian Panthers. It delved into racism, politics and all sorts of deep-seeded topics. The movie streamlines much of those topics, zeroing in on the football, the head coach and the players who feel so much pressure to win and win big. Emotionally effective, often uncomfortably realistic, it's a gem.

Actor-turned-director Peter Berg has quietly built himself more than a solid reputation behind the camera over the years. This is his best work that I've seen. He films with confidence, giving the film a visual look that's incredibly appealing. During the football action, it is always on the move, with the players and coaches in quick, hard-hitting sequences. The colors are almost washed out, emphasizing Permian's iconic black and white -- simple, straightforward and classic -- uniforms. There are some touches that add that late 1980's feel but never to the point where you feel like you've been hit over the head with the idea. Just some jean jackets and bad hairdos and we're moving on. And also, the soundtrack from Explosions in the Sky, a post-rock band from Texas, the music quasi-trance, quasi-electronic but blending with the story in almost effortless fashion. An underrated, highly memorable score.

Three performances stand out from a uniformly positive cast. Thornton is a gem as Coach Gaines, a talented, bright coach who feels the weight of the town on his shoulders. A snide dig here, a menacing throwaway comment here. He pushes his players and pushes but knows when to pull back a little. Next up, Lucas Black as Mike Winchell, the QB who struggles with pressure and is just a nice, quiet kid who happens to be a good football player. Gaines and Winchelll's relationship is fascinating, coach-quarterback with a touch of father-son mentality. Black is a subtle scene-stealer here, Winchell always being my favorite. Last but not least, Luke as Boobie Miles, the star running back with confidence and cockiness to burn. It's only after his injury we see the true Boobie, including a heartbreaking scene with his uncle, L.V. (Grover Coulson).

The focus is on a handful of players so also look for Don Billingsley (Garrett Hedlund), the fullback who struggles with fumbles, Brian Chavez (Jay Hernandez), the safety who's already been accepted to Harvard, Ivory Christian (Lee Jackson), the almost silent defensive end dubbed 'Preacher,' and Chris Comer (Lee Thompson Young), the third string running back thrust into a far bigger role when Boobie goes down. Also look for Connie Britton as Sharon, Gary's wife who supports her husband through thick and thin.

As a sports movie, 'Friday' is epically successful. What helps it rise above so many other like-minded sports movies is the portrayal of the town and the pressure placed on these high school football players, just teenage boys when it comes down to it. It is almost a cult, an obsessed following begging the kids to win...but it's more than begging. It is an obsession that pushes everyone involved with the program to the brink. Any and every sports team ever WANTS to win, but that is an inward pressure. This is a community that lives and dies with the Panthers, almost defying them to lose. We see that in most frightening fashion in Don's father, played to creepy perfection by Tim McGraw.

Too many good moments to mention. The football scenes crackle with energy and adrenaline. Thornton's Gaines delivers one great speech after another, especially in the finale pre-game. My favorite has him quietly delivering a message to Winchell before a key turning point, smiling and stating "There ain't no curse." Boobie's breakdown with his uncle is heartbreaking as we finally see who he is, not all the sports cockiness. Mike's continuing struggle to live up to expectation, and my goodness, that ending. Just too perfect. If there's any advice I can offer, it's this. Don't go looking on Wikipedia for the true story. If you haven't seen it, go in fresh and enjoy the ride throughout. A sports classic.

Friday Night Lights (2004): ****/****

Glory Road

As long as there are sports, I think there will always be unique, entertaining and well-told films about sports. The natural drama and tension translate well to the big screen, and all the better when the stories are true to history. Going for some timely reviews with the Final Four and National Championship game around the corner, but here goes with 2006's Glory Road.

A high school girls basketball coach, Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) is hired by Texas Western, a small Division I school in El Paso, to lead the men's basketball team. With virtually no budget, no facilities and no history to speak of as a program, Haskins has to think outside the box as he tries to assemble a team that can win some games. Not surprisingly, many highly touted/ranked players are interested in playing for the little school so Haskins starts to recruit African American athletes who are getting no interest from other DI schools. Just about everyone at the university bristles at the very thought, but Haskins doesn't care much what others think of him or his program. He gets the athletes to come out and play, but the odds are stacked against him. In the mid 1960s when black athletes were still a rarity in basketball, Haskins has seven black players on his roster.

From director James Gartner, 'Glory' is the true story of the 1965-1966 Texas Western men's basketball team that ultimately won the National Championship, defeating powerhouse Kentucky in the championship game. Read more about the team HERE.That in itself isn't hugely appealing, is it? Nah, it's how they did it. Utilizing an entirely black lineup, coach Don Haskin's team defeated an entirely white Kentucky team coached by coaching legend (and known racists) Adolph Rupp. Spoilers? Eh, sorry, I figured if you made into the third paragraph of a sports review, you knew the history. My bad. It was a strategy, a season, and ultimately, a game that changed the face and direction of college basketball. It revolutionized how the game was played, something that still has quite an impact on basketball today in 2013.

Telling the story from the angle of the players and coaches, 'Glory' follows Haskins' hiring through his recruitment, preseason, season and ultimately the NCAA tournament. Clocking in at 110 minutes (hold the credits), it tackles quite the large topic, racism (even civil rights on a bigger level) in a rather turbulent time in American history. Black players dealt with death threats, racist chants and "cheers," any number of horrific things. At times, 'Glory' goes down the heavy-handed route to show us the prejudices they faced. It gets almost tiring to the point it's exhausting as the season develops. Is this how it happened in real-life during the season? Unfortunately, yes, very much so. Racism -- small scale or a bigger scale -- is horrific, but watching it doesn't always make for an enjoyable story. Interesting? Yes, but uncomfortable to the point it takes away from the enjoyment.

Playing real historical figures -- real figures who are still alive at that -- can be a daunting task, but the performances here are solid. As Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins, Lucas makes the most of a familiar part; the coach trying to get his players to gel and be the best they can. Emily Deschanel is solid as Don's wife, Mary, dealing with the prejudice/racism on the home front. Evan Jones plays Don's nerdy assistant, Moe, while Red West is a scene-stealer as Ross Moore, a longtime basketball and strength coach with the weathered face and years of knowledge. And in a small part, Jon Voight is solid as legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp.   

And then there's the players, both good and bad. The movie runs under two hours and has a lot of characters to deal with. Texas Western's team includes Bobby Joe Hill (Derek Luke), a skilled guard out of Detroit, David Lattin (Schin A.S. Kerr), a bullish, skilled forward from Houston, Orstin Artis (Alphonso McAuley), a Gary, Indiana YMCA kid with flash but not fundamentals, Harry Flournoy (Mehcad Brooks), a strong-willed all-around player from Gary, Willie Worsley (Sam Jones III), a fiery little guard from Brooklyn, Willie Cager (Damaine Radcliff), an energetic, skilled worker from Brooklyn, and Nevil Shed (Al Shearer), a gifted player from Brooklyn without the toughness. The white players on the team are generally kept in the background, Austin Nichols and James Olivard being the most visible. With so many characters, they come across at times like cardboard cutouts. They're given issues to deal with -- distracting girlfriends, toughness, work ethic, health issues, overly emotional -- in an effort to humanize them.

There's something missing here in 'Glory' that prevents it from being a classic that I can't put my finger on. The history is generally portrayed accurately with some artistic license taken on how the games are portrayed. The movie scores are vastly different from some of the real-life games. Yeah yeah, I get it, drama over accuracy. As well, the basketball scenes feel rushed and much more like a 2006 style than a 1966 style. If I'm wrong so be it, but I don't think there was a lot of alley-oop dunks or off the backboard passes for throwdowns. Still, it's a good underdog story overall. If it doesn't rise to classic status, so be it.

Glory Road (2006): ***/****

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Everyone has seen Armageddon, right? No? Shame on you. Everyone should see it, but here's the gist. What if Bruce Willis and his motley crew didn't destroy a world-ending asteroid on a collision course with Earth? Those left behind would be limited to a few days of survival before the asteroid ultimately struck the planet. An interesting premise for sure brought to life in 2012's Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.

A 70-mile wide asteroid named Matilda is hurtling toward Earth, and now that a NASA mission (think the one in Armageddon I'd assume) has failed, it is only a matter of time before the asteroid impacts and destroys the planet. Matilda is still several weeks away from impact, leaving the population of Earth a limited time to come to terms with their coming doom. Dodge (Steve Carell) is one of those people, struggling to cope with what's coming, more so when his wife jumps out of their car and runs away. People are looking for answers, for happiness, but Dodge doesn't know what he wants.....and then it clicks. He wants to go find his long lost teenage love and see her once more. Along for the ride is his neighbor, Penny (Kiera Knightley), fresh off a breakup. They hit the road as the asteroid plummets closer and closer.

More than anything else, it was the premise/story that caught my attention here. This isn't one person who knows they're going to die in a set amount of time. This is the entire planet. Everyone. No one is going to survive this world-ending asteroid. How then do you think you would react in that situation? If you knew you only had a few weeks to live -- as does everyone else -- what would you do? Director Lorene Scafaria's film delves into that topic with varying degrees of success. It is neither a comedy or a drama, but instead, it's somewhere in that messy ground in between. My biggest issue is that the tone changes with the wind. One scene, it's trying to be a comedy, but the next scene, here comes the gloom and doom from the drama department.

When it does work, the movie is excellent. There are little snippets in the episodic story that are near perfection. Carell's Dodge goes to a dinner party (seems reasonable, doesn't it?) at the home of his long-time friend (Rob Corddry) and his wife (Connie Britton). Corddry's Warren has adapted a 'Screw 'em all!' mentality, intending to live up his last few weeks. He passes vodka to his kids, encouraging them to chug martinis, jokes that firecrackers are dynamite, but they can't hurt you unless you stand this close. Varieties of hardcore drugs pop up, Patton Oswalt's Roache trying some to check off his bucket list while also trying to get Dodge to get involved in a threesome (or maybe only a two-some...wink). It's these moments that work to perfection. No one is going to react to the end of the world in exactly the same way, and we see a lot of those tendencies. Dodge for one, continues to go to work.

I'll get into the cast more later, but the spotlight is on Carell as Dodge and Knightley as Penny. They're opposites in a lot of ways, but they find a common bond, a link, as the end of the world nears. The story is a quasi-buddy story with a road trip along for the ride so we the coming doom from their eyes. Dodge doesn't see the point in really getting to know someone new because let's face it, they'll all be dead in a few weeks. Penny -- fresh off a breakup with stoner mess-up Adam Brody -- wants to see her family one last time. I like both actors, but I didn't especially care for either character here. Carell seems pegged into this part as a quiet, worrisome guy. It's supposed to be understated, but I wasn't interested. Knightley as the quirky Penny is okay, but she seems to be trying too hard to be quirky, and that's never a good thing. The story starts off at a lightning-pace, funny, smart and dark, but as it progresses (and it's only about 94 minutes without the credits) it loses all the dark humor and is just.....dark.

The episodic story allows for some interesting characters and appearances, none of them around for more than a scene. Corddry especially is a scene-stealer, as is Oswalt in his awkwardness. Along with Britton and Brody, also look for Rob Huebel as Dodge's suicidal co-worker, Tonita Castro as his persistent cleaning lady in a great running bit, Melanie Lynskey as a woman with a crush on Dodge, William Petersen as a helpful truck driver, and Derek Luke as Speck, Penny's ex preparing for the end of the world in military fashion. The best part though goes to Martin Sheen in a quick appearance late as Frank, Dodge's father who he hasn't seen in years. The parts work because they're quick and effective without brow-beating you with a message.

I really liked parts of 'World' and struggled to keep up with the sometimes severely slow pacing in other parts. I loved Mark Moses as a national news broadcaster, providing a face of calm and serenity for viewers as the world is torn apart. We see some react with riots, others in peaceful fashion, embracing what little time they have left. There's no twist or huge surprise in the finale, an ending that works exceptionally well. I just wish more of the movie could have been like that. Still worth a watch, and maybe I'd like it more on a second viewing, but for now it gets a slightly above average review.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012): ** 1/2 /****