Robocop

Movie Name: Robocop
Year of Release: 2014

Director: José Padilha

Stars: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish, Samuel L. Jackson, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Jennifer Ehle, Jay Baruchel, Aimee Garcia, Douglas Urbanski, John Paul Ruttan, Patrick Garrow, K.C. Collins

Genre: Action, Crime, Sci-Fi

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

27 years after the original "Robocop", Brazilian director José Padilha makes his english language feature debut with a remake, that updates the visual effects, but maintains some of the spirit that defined the original film. The story focuses on detective Alex Murphy, a family man who is on the verge of unmasking some corruption within the Detroit police department. In parallel with his investigations, the film also focuses on Omnicorp, a large corporation (with a charismatic chairman by the name of Raymond Sellars), that is trying desperately to get robots as part of every day life in America, but see themselves unable to due to legislation. Due to a failed murder attempt, Alex Murphy finds himself as part of a new program that Omnicorp has: a machine-human hybrid, a robot-cop, that patrols and battles crime without ambivalence.
Director José Padilha has made a name for himself with the successful films "Tropa de Elite" ("Elite Squad"), and he brings a degree of intensity combined with a documentary tone, to the new version of "Robocop". The narrative of the film is somewhat similar to the original, though it lacks the rawness and visceral impact that Paul Verhoeven's film had, though it does aim for and creates a sense of political satire with the insertion of Samuel L. Jackson's character. The film ends up feeling almost too sanitized when compared to the extreme violence that dominated the original feature - it also tries to incorporate a sense of family dynamics into a story that doesn't allow for that to be successfully flushed out. "Robocop" features a fantastic cast, particularly Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Jackie Earle Haley and the always underrated Jennifer Ehle, who lift the story beyond the trivial. A medium effort still worth checking out.

Best films of 2013

2013 was an uneven year for films. On one hand there was an absurd amount of sequels, all of which with varying qualitative results. Interestingly enough though, the independent production was very strong, allowing for really great titles to reach wider audiences. It was also a great year for established authors to return to the screens with interesting and daring features. The year presented us with very good films from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh and Guillermo Del Toro. Below is the list of my ten favorite and best films from 2013.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Director: Martin Scorsese

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, Joanna Lumley, Cristin Milioti, Shea Whigham, Christine Ebersole, P.J. Byrne, Ethan Suplee, Henry Zebrowski, Jake Hoffman, Stephanie Kurtzuba

Her

Director: Spike Jonze

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Kai Chen, Brian Cox

La Vie D'Adele

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Stars: Adele Exarchopoulos, Lea Seydoux, Salim Kechiouche, Aurelien Recoing, Catherine Salee, Benjamin Siksou, Mona Walravens, Alma Jodorowsky

Mud

Director: Jeff Nichols

Stars: Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shepard, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Ray McKinnon, Paul Sparks, Joe Don Baker, Bonnie Sturdivant, Johnny Cheek

Trance

Director: Danny Boyle

Stars: James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, Rosario Dawson, Danny Sapani, Matt Cross, Mark Poltimore, Wahab Sheikh, Tuppence Middleton

Short Term 12

Director: Destin Cretton

Stars: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr, Kaitlyn Dever, Stephanie Beatriz, Rami Malek, Keith Stanfield, Frantz Turner, Melora Walters, Alex Calloway

12 Years a Slave

Director: Steve McQueen

Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Lupita Nyong'o, Paul Giamatti, Bryan Batt, Scoot McNairy, Adepero Oduye, J.D. Evermore, Alfre Woodard, Garret Dillahunt, Rob Steinberg, Taran Killam

Gravity

Director: Alfonso Cuaron

Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

Inside Llewyn Davis

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen

Stars: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Ethan Phillips, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Adam Driver, Robin Bartlett, Max Casella, Stark Sands, F. Murray Abraham, Garrett Hedlund, Alex Karpovsky

Blue Jasmine

Director: Woody Allen

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Sally Hawkins, Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavale, Peter Sarsgaard, Louis C.K., Michael Stuhlbarg, Alden Ehrenreich, Max Casella, Tammy Blanchard, Annie McNamara

Special highlights also go to the following films: Guillermo Del Toro's inventive and visually stunning "Pacific Rim", Wong Kar Wai's "The Grandmaster", James Ponsoldt's "The Spectacular Now", Shane Black's surprisingly solid "Iron Man 3" and Sarah Polley's "Stories we Tell".