DIRECTOR: Clay Kaytis, Fergal Reilly PLAYERS: (Voices) Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader ANIMATED COMEDY RATED PG THE STORY: After being pillaged by marauding pigs, a colony of birds sets out to get their revenge. THE LOWDOWN: While a handsome-looking animated film, there’s not much here beyond some slapstick and a thin, pointless plot, even by cartoon standards. I’m not surprised that the smartphone video game app Angry Birds became such a cultural phenomenon (it is, with a thousand-yard stare, that I remember the heyday of Tetris), even as it lurched out into the world of t-shirts and lunchboxes. What is strange to me, however, is that now — a half-decade after its popularity blossomed — someone decided it was time for an Angry Birds movie. Movies entail at least a smidgen of plot and characterization (except for an existential, Bela Tarrdirected Angry Birds, perhaps), and this game is a property that’s never needed that and doesn’t require it. No one’s playing Angry Birds for the Dostoyevskian themes, and I’m not sure who’s asking for an origin story for a game that’s about (you guessed it) birds who are angry. Yet, here we are, because Americans have spoken for five years now. And they love some pissed-off fowl, enough so that there’s a market for — and a dime to be made from — this film. But that still doesn’t solve the sheer superfluousness of an Angry Birds movie, at least from the point of view of building an origin story and personalities around a video game where the entire premise is shooting exploding birds at things. Presumably, anything can be made into a good movie with the right talent behind it, but Angry Birds, from its inception, is obviously more concerned about box office than quality. There’s a lot of money dumped into the visual style of the animation, which is honestly welcome since the look of the film is really its highlight (though in this day and age of technology, this is an expectation). The same can’t be said for the material these visuals are built upon. The plot, considering its source material, is serviceable. Red (Jason Sudeikis) is a bird with anger issues, something that causes few to take him seriously. This all changes when Red’s island is pillaged by a
boatload of green pigs who quickly dart off. Mad as hell and not taking it anymore, Red and his cohorts decide to follow the pigs to their home and take back what is theirs, simulating the video game to an extent, but with more plot and less interactivity. Beyond this, the film has a lot of the same problems as other modern animated films, falling backwards into smarminess, slapstick (no surprise in this case, of course) and an unfortunate shrillness that’s expected coming from this particular source material. No, I’m not expecting deep, emotional resonance nor some grand comedic masterpiece here, though some modicum of either would be nice. Even the somewhat recognizable glut of comedians on the voice talent roster does little since they’re slapped onto the film with little chance to do much, making the Angry Birds movie feel as much like a piece of merchandise as one of the aforementioned t-shirts and lunchboxes. Rated PG for rude humor and action. Playing at Carmike 10, Carolina Cinemark, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande. reviewed by Justin Souther jsouther@mountainx.com
Elstree 1976 HHHH DIRECTOR: Jon Spira PLAYERS: David Prowse, Jeremy Bulloch, Angus MacInnes, Paul Blake, Derek Lyons, Garrick Hagon, John Chapman, Laurie Goode, Pam Rose DOCUMENTARY RATED NR THE STORY: An in-depth look at the background actors who performed in the original Star Wars trilogy and how their connection with one of the most successful properties in film history continues to affect their lives. THE LOWDOWN: While probably only essential viewing for the Star Wars completist, Elstree 1976 is an engaging look at the men and women you might never have noticed around the margins of a film you’ve likely seen dozens of times.
Elstree 1976 fills an interesting niche as a documentary, one that many Star Wars fans may not have realized was missing from their engagement with the films so many have obsessed over. Following the course of oral histories presented by the actors and actresses who played less-notable roles in the original trilogy, Elstree finds the human core behind what has become a monolithic behemoth of financial enrichment for George Lucas and Disney — as well as a topic of fixation for hordes of obsessive fans. Some might find the level of attention afforded to background actors tedious at times. But, if you’re the type of fan who has ever wondered what Boba Fett really looked like under the helmet or whether or not he got along with the guys who played the X-Wing pilots, Elstree 1976 is the movie you’ve been waiting for. Although Elstree takes its time getting started — the actors recount their personal histories for about 20 minutes before Star Wars is ever mentioned — the context it establishes provides a fascinating new layer of analysis for a series of movies that would seem to have already been examined in every way imaginable. That the film is able to contribute anything novel to the mythos surrounding this multibillion dollar series is something of an accomplishment in itself. The film’s greatest value, however, lies in the extent to which it humanizes the actors who were an essential, yet long-neglected, aspect of these films, and in the way it explains the mixed blessing the experience has proven for many of those involved. It is this capacity to invite the audience to identify with the extras (or “supporting artists,” as one defines his involvement) that makes Elstree so compelling. It is certainly far easier to overlook the contributions that these men and women made to the history of the Star Wars saga than to consider that the Stormtrooper who bumped his head walking down the corridors of the Death Star has had to defend his identity against usurpers for the last forty years. These are the men and women selling autographs at convention tables, their careers defined not by their turns starring in Shakespearean stage adaptations but by a few days on a soundstage in a brightly colored latex mask. This is a film less concerned with the debate over whether or not Han shot first and more interested in why the smoke emanating from Greedo’s costume looked so realistic (the effects crew blew up a dummy dressed in the actor’s wardrobe and
T HE AT E R L I STIN GS Friday, MAY 27 Thursday, jUNE 2 Due to possible scheduling changes, moviegoers may want to confirm showtimes with theaters.
Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. (254-1281) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (PG-13) 12:00 (Sat-Sun only(, 3:30, 7:00, 10:15
Carmike Cinema 10 (298-4452) Carolina Cinemark (274-9500) Alice Through the Looking Glass 3D (PG) 11:15, 1:55, 4:35, 7:15, 9:55 Alice Through the Looking Glass 2D (PG) 10:55, 1:35, 4:15, 6:55, 9:35 The Angry Birds Movie 2D (PG) 12:00,12:25, 2:35, 2:50, 5:10, 5:15, 7:40, 7:45, 10:20 A Bigger Splash (R) 10:35, 1:30, 4:30, 7:25, 10:05 Captain America: Civil War 2D (PG-13) 12:30, 3:50, 7:10,10:30 The Jungle Book 2D (PG) 10:40, 1:25, 4:05, 7:00, 9:45 Love & Friendship (PG) 12:05, 2:30, 4:55, 7:30, 9:55 The Meddler (PG-13) 10:30 Money Monster (R) 9:50 Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (R) 10:30, 12:20, 12:55, 2:45, 3:20, 5:10, 5:45, 7:35, 8:10, 10:00, 10:40 The Nice Guys (R) 10:55, 1:45, 4:35, 7:25, 10:15 X-Men: Apocalypse 3D (PG-13) 11:10, 2:25, 5:40, 8:55 X-Men: Apocalypse 2D (PG-13) 11:50, 12:50, 3:05, 4:05, 6:20, 7:20, 9:45, 10:35
Co-ed Cinema Brevard (883-2200) X-Men: Apocalypse (PG13) 12:30, 4:00, 7:30
Epic of Hendersonville (6931146) Fine Arts Theatre (232-1536) Love & Friendship (PG) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, Late show Fri-Sat 9:00 The Man Who Knew Infinity (PG-13) 4:20 Sing Street (PG-13) 1:20, 7:20, Late show Fri-Sat 9:30
Flatrock Cinema (697-2463) (R) The Meddler (PG-13) 4:00 , 7:00 (Fri, Sat, Tue, Wed, Thu) 1:00, 4:00 (Sun)
Grail Moviehouse (239-9932) Elstree 1976 (NR) Fri, Tue, Thu: 5:10, 7:20, 9:30 Sat, Sun, Mon: 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30 Wed: 7:20, 9:30 High-Rise (R) Fri, Tue, Thu: 4:45. 7:10, 9:35 Sat, Sun, Mon: 2:20, 4:45, 7:10, 9:35 Wed: 7:10, 9:35 The Jerk (R) Fri: 4:55, 7:05, 9:15 Sat, Sun, Mon: 2:45, 4:55, 7:05, 9:15 Tue, Thu: 4:50 Wed: 7:05, 9:15
Regal Biltmore Grande Stadium 15 (684-1298) United Artists Beaucatcher (298-1234)
MAY 25 - MAY 31, 2016
mountainx.com 61