CBGB

Having premiered in 2013, this film has been on my to watch list mainly because of Alan Rickman and Rupert Grint. Having heard of CBGB, I was also interested in seeing the story of Hilly Kristal (Alan Rickman) and his iconic club.

CBGB follows Kristal a man with two bankruptcies as all the clubs he tries to open end up in failure.

Alan Rickman is incredibly talented and he handles this role with ease. Although, the script does make it seem like Kristal is a completely incompetent business man. Kristal had an eye for talent and those who got started at his club have nothing but good things to say about him.

The movie opens with Kristal having to borrow money from his mother to open another club even though he has just had to file for bankruptcy for the second time. It's 1973 and Kristal finds the perfect location in the Bowery. CBGB (Country Bluegrass and Blues) opens and is originally intended to promote the music it was named after. Things change when a band called Television auditions for Kristal and get a gig. Punk is on its way to being born.

From there we are introduced to a wide variety of people who made the club what it is including: Punk magazine co-founders Legs McNeil (Peter Vack) and John Holmstrom (Josh Zuckerman), filmmaker Mary Harron (Ahna O'Reilly) and record producer Genya Raven (Stana Katic). While it's cool to see all the bands that got their start at CBGB they are there for no other reason. None of these characters develop fully. The band that gets the most screen time are The Dead Boys and that's because Kristal decides to manage them. Justin Bartha plays frontman Stiv Bators and Rupert Grint plays guitarist Cheetah Chrome. They both give standout performances.

Running the club is not without its problems. The stage collapses, Jonathan (Kristal's dog) is always defecating everywhere and Kristal is at odds with his business partner as well as his daughter. Kristal,  his business partner Merv Ferguson (Donal Logue) and his daughter Lisa Kristal (Ashley Greene) are the main focus of the film. Kristal is horrible at managing his money much to the dismay of Ferguson and Lisa.

The film tries to stuff a lot into an hour and forty minutes, but the aesthetic is cool. It's awesome to see CBGB in its glory even if it's only on screen.

MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 102 Minutes

Directed by: Randall Miller
Screenplay: Jody Saving, Randall Miller

Starring: Alan Rickman, Malin Akerman, Justin Bartha, Richard de Kierk, Johnny Galecki, Ashley Greene, Rupert Grint, Taylor Hawkins, Stana Katic, Donal Logue, Joel David Moore, Freddy Rodriguez, Mickey Sumner, Bradley Whitford, Peter Vack, Josh Zuckerman, Ahna O'Reilly, Jared Carter

X-Men: Days of Future Past

4 Stars

With "X-Men: Apocalypse" nearing a premiere date, and plan to go see it with enthusiastic friends, I figured it was time I caught up with 2014's "X-Men: Days of Future Past". Of course, at this point I should probably catch up to all of them as I vaguely remember any of the films that came before "X-Men: First Class". Well except for "Wolverine Origins" which I do remember being awful.

Directed by Bryan Singer, the X-Men are at war with the Sentinels. The entire war can be prevented by stopping an event that occurred in 1973. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is tasked with traveling back in time as he is the only one who can withstand the force that it will take to do so.

It's great seeing the original X-Men interact with the new ones. One of the best moments is when Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Professor X (Patrick Stewart) interact with each other through Wolverine's mind. One major frustrating point comes in the form of Erik (Michael Fassbender). Magneto (Ian McKellan) insists they will need his past self in order to succeed, but really he becomes a major hindrance. It seems as though, they made Erik a major character simply because he becomes Magneto in the future. He made things harder on Wolverine and Charles Xavier rather than easier. Seriously, they could have had an Erik cameo and the outcome would have been the same, without all the unnecessary set backs.

There are X-Men brought into this film that the audience has never seen before, but are in the film for such a small amount of time that, it seems almost pointless for them to even be there while X-Men we met and got to know in First Class are dead. Again, it seems pointless to even have had them in the first place. One notable new X-Men is Quicksilver (Evan Peters). He is a cool character, but then his part is done and you are left with wanting more. I would have sacrificed pointless cameos in favor of getting other characters like Quicksilver, more screen time.

Don't get me wrong. It is cool to have the original actors and the new actors come together in one film, but if the focus is going to be on Jennifer Lawrence (Raven/Mystique) then why bother bringing in characters that are just going to be used as Easter eggs such as Rogue (Anna Paquin). Yes, "X:Men Days of Future Past (Rogue Cut)" exists, but when the majority of people aren't going to see it, why even bother? Include her from the get go.

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is still cool, but it seems like they're keeping him around because fans like the character. With each passing film, the focus becomes less on him and what he can do and more on the other X-Men. Which is fine, if they kept him as witty and violent as he's supposed to be. Instead, at least in this film, he does very little other than convince Charles Xavier and Erik that he's from the future. Hugh Jackman is great actor and he's still committed to his character, but it seems like the director and producers aren't.

Overall, the film was good. Yes the cameos were just meant to draw in fans, but it was still awesome seeing the past and future come together.

-L. Almanza

Rating: 4/5 stars
Release Date:  May 23, 2014
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Bryan Singer
Screenwriter: Simon Kinberg
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Nichoulas Holt, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Peter Dinklage
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, some suggestive material, nudity and language)

Race (2016)

Jason Sudeikis as Larry Snyder in "Race"

Never having heard of "Race" before it made it to the dollar films, I was surprised at how into the biopic I was.

"Race" tells the story of Jesse Owens, (Stephan James) the fastest man on earth. The movie kicks off as Jesse heads to college to train with the best track coach there is, Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis), and ends with him still facing discrimination in 1930s USA even after winning four gold medals in the Olympics.

While the film was enjoyable, some parts felt rushed and it seems as though some things may have been glossed over.

When not focused on Owens, the story follows Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons) as he negotiates with the Nazis. Having the Olympics in Berlin contained the possibility of Jews and Negroes not being able to participate and this is exactly what Brundage is trying to prevent. The Nazis allow both to participate as long as the the Olympic association agrees to support the Nazis in their endeavors.

It's fascinating to see Owens break multiple world records, both at home and abroad, and we also see him struggle to balance being an Olympic hopeful and being in the public eye. The NAACP does not want him to participate in the games. They say this would provide a public stance and show that the black community does not stand with the actions of the Nazis.

Overall, the film is formulaic. Jesse Owens is a fast kid and that attracts the attention of Larry Snyder. He becomes Owens' coach and from there they become friends. Snyder was close to becoming an Olympian contender in the 1928 Olympics, but wasn't able to. This makes him wise and is able to offer advice as Owens as he becomes more and more well known.

Jesse Owens is determined to marry the woman he has a child with, but other women offer distractions. Their relationship is threatened and he decides he doesn't want to lose her and they get married. There are moments where he has to discover who he is and other moments where he must make difficult decisions that are not ideal no matter what the outcome.

It is a feel good sports movie, but I did learn new things about Jesse Owens. The actors also have great chemistry together and they all provide great performances. James and Sudeikis bring the film to life with their relationship.

Of course we also get great performances from Carice Van Houten and David Kross who play Leni Riefenstahl and Carl Luz respectively. They also are there to prove that not all members of the Nazi party were bad.

Jeremy Irons also provides a strong performance as he negotiates with the Olympic committee as well as the Nazi party. He is a man who ultimately wants the best for the athletes he's fighting for even if his decisions are not the wisest.

Of course, being a white man he survives the scandal while Jesse Owens went on to be unacknowledged, despite winning four gold medals, until ten years after his death.

Twitter: @lluvia_almanza

lalmanster@gmail.com