Film Review: “CHAPPiE” and “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
“CHAPPiE”
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 120 minutes
Toscano’s Take:
Rating: D
In the near future, crime is patrolled by an oppressive mechanized police force. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.
OK – it must be said “CHAPPiE” offers nothing new in this genre of robots protecting humans against – well humans.
We have seen already – “I, Robot,” “Robocop,” “Bicentennial Man,” “Real Steel,” “Star Wars,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “A.I” and “Iron Giant” – there are a ton of other stories where the robots overcome their programming. But “CHAPPiE” never learns from these films. It uses many of their plot devices and yet never seems to come to a point.
Also, setting the story in Johannesburg, South Africa might have seemed like a “cool” idea to the producers, but in truth, audiences probably would care more if the city under siege was more cosmopolitan like London or New York.
In the end “CHAPPiE” is only as good as the sum of it’s parts and those parts are very scattered. It gets a D and is rated R
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Starring: Studio:
Sigourney Weaver Sony Pictures
Hugh Jackman
Dev Patel
Sharlto Copley
“CHAPPiE” is an American science fiction film directed by Neill Blomkamp. The screenplay, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, is based on Blomkamp’s 2004 short film “Tetra Vaal.” The film stars Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, and Hugh Jackman, as well as members of the South African hip-hop group Die Antwoord. The film premiered in New York City on March 4, and tells the story of Chappie, an experimental robot built and designed to learn and feel, who must fight back against forces planning to take him down.
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“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” Revie
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“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
MPAA Rating: PG
Running Time: 122 minutes
Toscano’s Take:
Rating: C
The sequel to the worldwide box office hit “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” is ultimately harmless with a feel-good flavor to it. In the film… the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has only a single remaining vacancy – posing a rooming predicament for two fresh arrivals – and Sonny, played by Dev Patel, pursues his dream of opening a second hotel.
Losing some of the magic from the first film, this sequel is almost a big screen version of the “The Love Boat,” with each story line focusing on one or two “mature” people either coming together or falling apart.
All in all the film never really has any great highs or lows… it’s just a very, very average film. It gets a C and is rated PG.
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Starring: Studio:
Judi Dench Fox Searchlight
Maggie Smith
Bill Nighy
Richard Gere
Dev Patel
“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” is a British comedy-drama film directed by John Madden and written by OI Parker. It is the sequel to the 2012 sleeper hit film “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and features an ensemble cast featuring Judi Dench,Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, Diana Hardcastle, Tamsin Greig, Tena Desae, Dev Patel,Lillete Dubey, David Strathairn and Richard Gere.
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