I've seen a few movies lately but it is really hard to be motivated when I'm almost certain I'm only writing this to myself. Because of this, I have some quick reviews:
Toy Story 3
Animated / Comedy
Voices of Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Joan Cusack, etc
Directed by Lee Unkrich
No need to explain what this is about since unless you've been living under a rock for the last 10 years, you have probably heard of Toy Story. I definitely grew up with Toy Story, especially since my friend and I frequented Mr. Gatti's Pizza and the room we sat in played it constantly. However, I was not crazy about Toy Story 2. Luckily, the third one picked back up again. There was about a 5 minute segment in the middle where I thought it dragged, and this is the only thing preventing it from a perfect score, really. I was ultimately satisfied, though slightly depressed by the ending.
Final Score - 9.5/10
Hot Fuzz
Comedy / Action / British
Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Directed by Edgar Wright
This is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. I've seen it probably around 15 times now but it NEVER gets old. I can always find new things to appreciate about it, and showing it to someone who hasn't seen it is a real joy.
Final Score - 10/10
Voices
Independent Horror / Korean
A Bunch of Koreans
Directed by Ki-hwan Oh
Yet another of the After Dark Horrorfest films, this Korean movie was in the third run of ADHF. Honestly, I don't know what to think about it. It is extremely psychological with an interpretive ending...though come to think of it the entire movie itself is interpretive. Is it psychosis? Angel of Death? Curse? Disease? it's anyone's guess. I really need to see it again to get a more accurate score, but for now...
Semi-Final Score - 6.5/10
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
"The Ministers"
Movie Reviewed Today: The Ministers
Genre: Action / Mystery
Starring: John Leguizamo
Florencia Lozano
Harvey Keitel
Director: Frank Reyes
A New York City detective (Celeste - Florencia Lozano) searches for "the ministers," who murdered her father in front of her years ago, and who are still killing. She unwittingly becomes involved with one of the killers (Dante - John Leguizamo).
I came into this movie with low expectations. Nearly every review I saw of it made it look pretty bad, but I will watch pretty much any movie regardless of what the reviewers say. Unfortunately, I ended up having to agree with those reviews.
The acting in this movie just felt really awkward most of the time. Every time Harvey Keitel was on screen it seemed like they just shoved him in front of the camera and threw lines at him without ever letting him see a script. The one scene I'm talking about in particular is when he is crying and begging Celeste to not go...man, it was just embarrassing to watch. John Leguizamo was decent most of the time, but at other times it seemed like he was just goofing around.
The storyline was cluttered and confusing. It really felt like the movie was trying to be a mash-up of Boondock Saints, Se7en, and other crime movies that involve religion. There were too many things going on at once, and none of the elements ended up working.
The ending was HORRIBLE!! I know they were -trying- to be dramatic with it but it just came off seeming un-needed, forced, and cheap. Even if the rest of the movie was passable, the end simply destroys it.
Overall it was an -okay- movie until the ending completely demolishes it.
Final Score - 3/10
Genre: Action / Mystery
Starring: John Leguizamo
Florencia Lozano
Harvey Keitel
Director: Frank Reyes
A New York City detective (Celeste - Florencia Lozano) searches for "the ministers," who murdered her father in front of her years ago, and who are still killing. She unwittingly becomes involved with one of the killers (Dante - John Leguizamo).
I came into this movie with low expectations. Nearly every review I saw of it made it look pretty bad, but I will watch pretty much any movie regardless of what the reviewers say. Unfortunately, I ended up having to agree with those reviews.
The acting in this movie just felt really awkward most of the time. Every time Harvey Keitel was on screen it seemed like they just shoved him in front of the camera and threw lines at him without ever letting him see a script. The one scene I'm talking about in particular is when he is crying and begging Celeste to not go...man, it was just embarrassing to watch. John Leguizamo was decent most of the time, but at other times it seemed like he was just goofing around.
The storyline was cluttered and confusing. It really felt like the movie was trying to be a mash-up of Boondock Saints, Se7en, and other crime movies that involve religion. There were too many things going on at once, and none of the elements ended up working.
The ending was HORRIBLE!! I know they were -trying- to be dramatic with it but it just came off seeming un-needed, forced, and cheap. Even if the rest of the movie was passable, the end simply destroys it.
Overall it was an -okay- movie until the ending completely demolishes it.
Final Score - 3/10
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
"New Moon"
Today's Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Genre: Drama / Fantasy / Teen Angst
Starring: Kristen Stewart
Taylor Lautner
Robert Pattinson
Director: Chris Weitz
For anyone not familiar with the Twilight story, it is a pretty simple (and pretty cliched now) premise about a love affair between a vampire (Edward) and a human (Bella). In this chapter, Bella reconnects with her childhood friend (Jacob) after Edward decides he has to leave town with his family and never see Bella again. The two main conflicts of the film are 1) A love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob and 2) Dealing with Victoria, the vampire who wants Bella dead after the Cullens (Edward's family) killed her boyfriend in the previous movie.
I'll say this right away, I think the Twilight series is far overrated by its fans, but far underrated by its critics. I'll just go right into the good vs bad.
The Good:
-The setting. I REALLY love the small town in the middle of the northwest US forest setting, and I think it was a perfect place to have all this occur.
-The special effects. Sure it was pretty obvious -when- there was CG, but it was still handled pretty well and not overdone.
-The characters. I definitely have some complaints about a few of them, but most are pretty intriguing. In particular I thought Alice, Jacob, and the Valteri were far more interesting than Edward and Bella. In turn, the acting is pretty decent also. Say what you want about Kristen Stewart, but she knows how to play the mopey teen quite convincingly.
The Bad:
-The cliche. Don't you miss when vampires used to be evil? Nowadays we have Twilight, True Blood, the Vampire Diaries, The Gates, countless novels cashing in on Twilight's success...the list goes on. I really miss the days of Buffy and Angel when there were only one or two good vampires in the WORLD.
-The vampire rules. Here are the "physics" for vampires in this world:
~They are almost invincible. Sunlight and staking won't kill them. They're too damned strong!! They have to be completely obliterated to be killed...like completely dismembered or burned to a cinder. This means it would probably be impossible for a human to kill a vampire in this world because they are also super strong and SUPER fast.
~In the sunlight, they don't die. Their skin simply shimmers. You probably already knew this because it is the only thing that the Twilight critics ever complain about.
~I'm fairly certain that simply being bitten by a vampire without being killed will turn a person into one...inconvenient
~ Many vampires have extra powers. Future visions, mind-reading, and other psychic things
~There is a truce between vampires and werewolves (though they arent really werewolves, they are shifters. werewolves need a full moon to change). The wolves protect humans and cannot harm vampires unless they break the truce.
Simply put, the vampires are too overpowered.
-The ANGST!! My god, after Edward leaves Bella, she mopes in her room for like four months! She is completely prepared to throw her life away for some guy she met a few months ago. Edward is even worse. He's been around for ~119 years but he is completely prepared to die just because this girl he met recently may or may not be dead. These crazy teens and their "all or nothing" attitudes... I literally had to facepalm when Edward told Bella "you are my only reason to go on living." Sure that sounds romantic to all the clueless 13 year old girls watching, but what the hell was his reason for living four months ago?
Like I said before, the fans need to shut up and the critics need to shut up. Overall I thought New Moon, like Twilight, was not "God's gift to movie watchers," but was still a decent film that I don't regret watching.
Final score - 7/10
Genre: Drama / Fantasy / Teen Angst
Starring: Kristen Stewart
Taylor Lautner
Robert Pattinson
Director: Chris Weitz
For anyone not familiar with the Twilight story, it is a pretty simple (and pretty cliched now) premise about a love affair between a vampire (Edward) and a human (Bella). In this chapter, Bella reconnects with her childhood friend (Jacob) after Edward decides he has to leave town with his family and never see Bella again. The two main conflicts of the film are 1) A love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob and 2) Dealing with Victoria, the vampire who wants Bella dead after the Cullens (Edward's family) killed her boyfriend in the previous movie.
I'll say this right away, I think the Twilight series is far overrated by its fans, but far underrated by its critics. I'll just go right into the good vs bad.
The Good:
-The setting. I REALLY love the small town in the middle of the northwest US forest setting, and I think it was a perfect place to have all this occur.
-The special effects. Sure it was pretty obvious -when- there was CG, but it was still handled pretty well and not overdone.
-The characters. I definitely have some complaints about a few of them, but most are pretty intriguing. In particular I thought Alice, Jacob, and the Valteri were far more interesting than Edward and Bella. In turn, the acting is pretty decent also. Say what you want about Kristen Stewart, but she knows how to play the mopey teen quite convincingly.
The Bad:
-The cliche. Don't you miss when vampires used to be evil? Nowadays we have Twilight, True Blood, the Vampire Diaries, The Gates, countless novels cashing in on Twilight's success...the list goes on. I really miss the days of Buffy and Angel when there were only one or two good vampires in the WORLD.
-The vampire rules. Here are the "physics" for vampires in this world:
~They are almost invincible. Sunlight and staking won't kill them. They're too damned strong!! They have to be completely obliterated to be killed...like completely dismembered or burned to a cinder. This means it would probably be impossible for a human to kill a vampire in this world because they are also super strong and SUPER fast.
~In the sunlight, they don't die. Their skin simply shimmers. You probably already knew this because it is the only thing that the Twilight critics ever complain about.
~I'm fairly certain that simply being bitten by a vampire without being killed will turn a person into one...inconvenient
~ Many vampires have extra powers. Future visions, mind-reading, and other psychic things
~There is a truce between vampires and werewolves (though they arent really werewolves, they are shifters. werewolves need a full moon to change). The wolves protect humans and cannot harm vampires unless they break the truce.
Simply put, the vampires are too overpowered.
-The ANGST!! My god, after Edward leaves Bella, she mopes in her room for like four months! She is completely prepared to throw her life away for some guy she met a few months ago. Edward is even worse. He's been around for ~119 years but he is completely prepared to die just because this girl he met recently may or may not be dead. These crazy teens and their "all or nothing" attitudes... I literally had to facepalm when Edward told Bella "you are my only reason to go on living." Sure that sounds romantic to all the clueless 13 year old girls watching, but what the hell was his reason for living four months ago?
Like I said before, the fans need to shut up and the critics need to shut up. Overall I thought New Moon, like Twilight, was not "God's gift to movie watchers," but was still a decent film that I don't regret watching.
Final score - 7/10
Monday, June 21, 2010
"Trick 'r Treat"
Movie reviewed today: Trick 'r Treat
Genre: Horror / Independent / Compilation / Comedy?
Starring: Dylan Baker
Anna Paquin
Brian Cox
Director: Michael Dougherty
Trick 'r Treat is a horror compilation movie, similar to the style of Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt. It tells four interwoven stories all set on the same night of Halloween:
1) A murderous school principal continues a crazy tradition with his son
2) A group of kids, eager to scare an outsider with a town urban legend, get the tables turned
3) Pressured by her friends, a virgin looks for her "first," but things are not as they appear
4) A Halloween Scrooge is attacked by a vicious supernatural trick-or-treater
I bought this movie spontaneously without reading any reviews or knowing anything about it...something I almost never do. I was not disappointed.
On an initial surface-level viewing, Trick 'r Treat is a fun experience. However, where it truly shines is slightly below the surface. One of the coolest aspects of this film is all the "hidden" things to find. It isn't exactly hard to understand, but there are enough ambiguities that one can theorize about certain events. Also, on a second viewing it is very interesting to see characters you may not have noticed before be around at certain times...hence the "interwoven" adjective in the synopsis. It's hard to explain, but you get the idea.
The cast isn't exactly triple-A, but they aren't unknowns either. It was weird to see Anna Paquin again after watching two seasons of True Blood and having her not talking with a southern accent. Most of the music is original score and fits very well with the atmosphere of the film. There are a few licensed songs, but for the most part they are appropriate where they show up.
It's really hard to review this movie because I can't explain most of the things I really liked about it without massive spoilers.
A cult classic in the making, this is probably the best Halloween-based movie I have ever seen, and I will definitely be busting this out next October 31st and each one thereafter.
Final Score - 9.5/10
Genre: Horror / Independent / Compilation / Comedy?
Starring: Dylan Baker
Anna Paquin
Brian Cox
Director: Michael Dougherty
Trick 'r Treat is a horror compilation movie, similar to the style of Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt. It tells four interwoven stories all set on the same night of Halloween:
1) A murderous school principal continues a crazy tradition with his son
2) A group of kids, eager to scare an outsider with a town urban legend, get the tables turned
3) Pressured by her friends, a virgin looks for her "first," but things are not as they appear
4) A Halloween Scrooge is attacked by a vicious supernatural trick-or-treater
I bought this movie spontaneously without reading any reviews or knowing anything about it...something I almost never do. I was not disappointed.
On an initial surface-level viewing, Trick 'r Treat is a fun experience. However, where it truly shines is slightly below the surface. One of the coolest aspects of this film is all the "hidden" things to find. It isn't exactly hard to understand, but there are enough ambiguities that one can theorize about certain events. Also, on a second viewing it is very interesting to see characters you may not have noticed before be around at certain times...hence the "interwoven" adjective in the synopsis. It's hard to explain, but you get the idea.
The cast isn't exactly triple-A, but they aren't unknowns either. It was weird to see Anna Paquin again after watching two seasons of True Blood and having her not talking with a southern accent. Most of the music is original score and fits very well with the atmosphere of the film. There are a few licensed songs, but for the most part they are appropriate where they show up.
It's really hard to review this movie because I can't explain most of the things I really liked about it without massive spoilers.
A cult classic in the making, this is probably the best Halloween-based movie I have ever seen, and I will definitely be busting this out next October 31st and each one thereafter.
Final Score - 9.5/10
Sunday, June 20, 2010
"The Abandoned"
Movie: The Abandoned
Genre: Independent Horror / Psychological
Starring: Anastasia Hille
Karel Roden
Director: Nacho Cerda (sweet name, I know)
One of the original "After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For," (ADHF) and the only one to get a nationwide release in theaters, The Abandoned tells the story of an American movie producer (Marie) who receives word that she has inherited a house and land in the back woods of Russia. She sets off to examine the property, which she has no interest in keeping, apparently just out of curiosity. There she meets a man claiming to be her fraternal twin brother (Nicolai), but the house appears to have its own plans for both of them. Their birthday nearing, they prepare to face their dark past.
This was my second time seeing this movie, and for some reason the first time I saw it I got the complete wrong idea about what happened at the end. It is way more psychological than your run-of-the-mill haunted house movie. There are only 2 or 3 "phantoms" in the movie that don't show up very often, so most of the "scares" are through the suspense of not knowing when the next horrible thing is going to happen.
I really love the setting of this film. The dark woods, withered house, and misty lake all contribute to the chilling atmosphere...you couldn't really ask for a better set for a movie such as this.
There aren't that many special effects, but for the most part they are above average. The makeup on the crazy ghost zombie things is very convincing.
The acting is quite good for an independent film full of unknowns. There are really only two full characters in the movie, all others besides Marie and Nicolai can easily be considered extras (except maybe the main villain ghost thing, which gets a few minutes of screen time). I'm not exactly sure how good of an actor Karel Roden (Nicolai) is because of his Russian accent, but he appears to be acceptable.
The storyline was not my favorite, but when everything came together it ended up being a solid independent horror flick, definitely one of the better ADHF films.
Final Score - 8/10
P.S.
I do realize that my average movie score is far above the 5 that it "technically" should be at if I was a far reviewer. This is for two reasons:
1) I tend to enjoy most movies: even if they are widely regarded as "bad," I can still find something to like in all of them
2) Since I started this blog, I haven't seen any horrible ones.
I was considering seeing Jonah Hex over the weekend, but the reviews scared me away. I have a feeling they saved me from wasting money at 80 minutes.
Genre: Independent Horror / Psychological
Starring: Anastasia Hille
Karel Roden
Director: Nacho Cerda (sweet name, I know)
One of the original "After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For," (ADHF) and the only one to get a nationwide release in theaters, The Abandoned tells the story of an American movie producer (Marie) who receives word that she has inherited a house and land in the back woods of Russia. She sets off to examine the property, which she has no interest in keeping, apparently just out of curiosity. There she meets a man claiming to be her fraternal twin brother (Nicolai), but the house appears to have its own plans for both of them. Their birthday nearing, they prepare to face their dark past.
This was my second time seeing this movie, and for some reason the first time I saw it I got the complete wrong idea about what happened at the end. It is way more psychological than your run-of-the-mill haunted house movie. There are only 2 or 3 "phantoms" in the movie that don't show up very often, so most of the "scares" are through the suspense of not knowing when the next horrible thing is going to happen.
I really love the setting of this film. The dark woods, withered house, and misty lake all contribute to the chilling atmosphere...you couldn't really ask for a better set for a movie such as this.
There aren't that many special effects, but for the most part they are above average. The makeup on the crazy ghost zombie things is very convincing.
The acting is quite good for an independent film full of unknowns. There are really only two full characters in the movie, all others besides Marie and Nicolai can easily be considered extras (except maybe the main villain ghost thing, which gets a few minutes of screen time). I'm not exactly sure how good of an actor Karel Roden (Nicolai) is because of his Russian accent, but he appears to be acceptable.
The storyline was not my favorite, but when everything came together it ended up being a solid independent horror flick, definitely one of the better ADHF films.
Final Score - 8/10
P.S.
I do realize that my average movie score is far above the 5 that it "technically" should be at if I was a far reviewer. This is for two reasons:
1) I tend to enjoy most movies: even if they are widely regarded as "bad," I can still find something to like in all of them
2) Since I started this blog, I haven't seen any horrible ones.
I was considering seeing Jonah Hex over the weekend, but the reviews scared me away. I have a feeling they saved me from wasting money at 80 minutes.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Hiatus
JUST in case there is anyone reading this, I thought I'd let you know that I haven't posted anything in the last few days because of a combination of business and laziness.
Viewed movies include The Abandoned, Trick 'R Treat, and Twilight: New Moon. They'll be reviewed either tomorrow or the next day
Viewed movies include The Abandoned, Trick 'R Treat, and Twilight: New Moon. They'll be reviewed either tomorrow or the next day
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
"Dead Snow"
Movie Watched Today: Dead Snow
Genre: Independent Horror / Comedy?
Starring: A bunch of Norwegians
Director: Tommy Wirkola
A group of medical students head to a cabin in the middle of some snowy mountains for a drunken sex-filled holiday from school. Little did they know, the mountain range was where a Nazi company escaped to and vanished at the end of WWII. Now they will face....Nazi Zombies!!!
*Disclaimer: The movie is in Norwegian with English Subtitles. I don't know if they dubbed it or not, but I don't really care. I like dubbed anime, but I HATE dubbed live-action.*
The premise of the movie actually makes it sound quite comedic. I mean, how serious can Nazi Zombies be? Even people on the imdb forums claim this is on-par with Shaun of the Dead in terms of Zombie Comedy. However, I definitely did not see it that way. Other than a few choice fight scenes, the movie had a quite serious tone.
The story is slightly above-average for a zombie movie. At it's heart, it is a "watch these kids get terrorized by the undead" movie, but there are a few nice bits that set it apart. The back story of why the zombies are there is way more in-depth than the normal "here are zombeeees, they wanna eat you!!!" cliche. In other words, it isn't a cliched zombie movie...I feel like I'm being redundant now.
The zombies themselves are not as dumb as normal ones, but not too bright either. They can run and use weapons such as knives and clubs, but that's about as far as their intelligence goes. Their makeup is really good, and they didn't just smear some blood over a normal guy: they actually gave them all rotting parts and so forth.
The special effects are quite good. I'm not sure if they used any CG gore or not, because it all looked pretty "real" (as real as movie gore can look). There are some really sick scenes also, so hopefully hardcore film violence doesn't gross you out. The director must have some intestines fetish or something because everyone and their mom gets their guts ripped out in some odd way. There are disembowelings, decapitations, stabbings, eye-gougings, shootings, etc. It really is a horror-violence hat trick.
I'm horrible at judging acting by people speaking a foreign language, but I was pretty convinced of the cast's ability. There was some English spoken, usually by the nerdy fat movie buff in the movie (who had a really good Scwarzenegger impression, by the way) but other than that it was pure Norwegian, which sounded quite cool
I definitely enjoyed Dead Snow, but then again I'm a sucker for zombie movies, and independent horror in general.
If you like zombie movies, you will love this. Subtract 2 or 3 from the score if you don't.
Final Score - 8.5/10
Genre: Independent Horror / Comedy?
Starring: A bunch of Norwegians
Director: Tommy Wirkola
A group of medical students head to a cabin in the middle of some snowy mountains for a drunken sex-filled holiday from school. Little did they know, the mountain range was where a Nazi company escaped to and vanished at the end of WWII. Now they will face....Nazi Zombies!!!
*Disclaimer: The movie is in Norwegian with English Subtitles. I don't know if they dubbed it or not, but I don't really care. I like dubbed anime, but I HATE dubbed live-action.*
The premise of the movie actually makes it sound quite comedic. I mean, how serious can Nazi Zombies be? Even people on the imdb forums claim this is on-par with Shaun of the Dead in terms of Zombie Comedy. However, I definitely did not see it that way. Other than a few choice fight scenes, the movie had a quite serious tone.
The story is slightly above-average for a zombie movie. At it's heart, it is a "watch these kids get terrorized by the undead" movie, but there are a few nice bits that set it apart. The back story of why the zombies are there is way more in-depth than the normal "here are zombeeees, they wanna eat you!!!" cliche. In other words, it isn't a cliched zombie movie...I feel like I'm being redundant now.
The zombies themselves are not as dumb as normal ones, but not too bright either. They can run and use weapons such as knives and clubs, but that's about as far as their intelligence goes. Their makeup is really good, and they didn't just smear some blood over a normal guy: they actually gave them all rotting parts and so forth.
The special effects are quite good. I'm not sure if they used any CG gore or not, because it all looked pretty "real" (as real as movie gore can look). There are some really sick scenes also, so hopefully hardcore film violence doesn't gross you out. The director must have some intestines fetish or something because everyone and their mom gets their guts ripped out in some odd way. There are disembowelings, decapitations, stabbings, eye-gougings, shootings, etc. It really is a horror-violence hat trick.
I'm horrible at judging acting by people speaking a foreign language, but I was pretty convinced of the cast's ability. There was some English spoken, usually by the nerdy fat movie buff in the movie (who had a really good Scwarzenegger impression, by the way) but other than that it was pure Norwegian, which sounded quite cool
I definitely enjoyed Dead Snow, but then again I'm a sucker for zombie movies, and independent horror in general.
If you like zombie movies, you will love this. Subtract 2 or 3 from the score if you don't.
Final Score - 8.5/10
Monday, June 14, 2010
"Battlestar Galactica: The Plan"
Movie Watched Today: Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
Genre: Sci-Fi / Based on TV series
Starring: The BSG cast, with a few exceptions
Director: Edward James Olmos
The synopsis given by "official" sources says that this movie reveals the Cylons' Plans from before the attack on the colonies up through the end of Season 2.
This review will be extremely short, as talking about much of it at all would be spoiling both the movie and the series.
The movie basically follows 'Number 1,' both the one on Caprica and the one in the fleet, and how they change throughout the course of the series. Unfortunately, it only covers up through season 2, so this so called "Plan" was boiled down to simply kill all humans. Nothing the audience of BSG didn't already know, right? The movie was okay, but it ended up feeling like a long string of deleted scenes from the series. If you have seen the whole series, then it is a must-see, even if there is nothing new.
Unfortunately I cannot give this a rating. Taken as a standalone movie, it is easily a 1/10. However, there is NO WAY someone who has not seen the entire series of BSG should even consider watching this.
It doesn't introduce anything new really, but it is a decent addition/companion to the series that all hardcore fans need to see.
Genre: Sci-Fi / Based on TV series
Starring: The BSG cast, with a few exceptions
Director: Edward James Olmos
The synopsis given by "official" sources says that this movie reveals the Cylons' Plans from before the attack on the colonies up through the end of Season 2.
This review will be extremely short, as talking about much of it at all would be spoiling both the movie and the series.
The movie basically follows 'Number 1,' both the one on Caprica and the one in the fleet, and how they change throughout the course of the series. Unfortunately, it only covers up through season 2, so this so called "Plan" was boiled down to simply kill all humans. Nothing the audience of BSG didn't already know, right? The movie was okay, but it ended up feeling like a long string of deleted scenes from the series. If you have seen the whole series, then it is a must-see, even if there is nothing new.
Unfortunately I cannot give this a rating. Taken as a standalone movie, it is easily a 1/10. However, there is NO WAY someone who has not seen the entire series of BSG should even consider watching this.
It doesn't introduce anything new really, but it is a decent addition/companion to the series that all hardcore fans need to see.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
"The A-Team"
Movie Watched Today: The A-Team
Genre: Action Comedy
Starring: Liam Neeson
Bradley Cooper
Jessica Biel
Quinton Jackson
Sharlto Copley (guy from District 9)
Director: Joe Carnahan
The A-Team consists of Hannibal (The leader), B.A. (The brawn), Face (the charismatic guy), and Murdock (the crazy pilot). I've never seen the series, but I believe this movie is set just after the show ends. After a successful mission, the A-Team is betrayed and framed. They are sentenced to 10 years in separate maximum security prisons. 6 months later, they systematically escape and go on another mission to clear their names.
To begin, I must define a concept that only one person reading this blog will understand. I did not invent this term, but I use it anyway. "CakeCakeCake" - it is the phenomena, usually applied to video games, of something creating a huge initial hubbub that gets amazing reviews across the board, but then several weeks or months later people realize that it wasn't -that- great.
The acting was all great, and I definitely don't have any gripes about that. All members of the A-team fit in nicely together. Liam Neeson was amazing as Hannibal, the militaristic ace-leader. Bradley Cooper again played the funny-man and was pretty entertaining without being overly annoying. I don't believe I ever saw Quinton Jackson in a movie before, but he makes a worthy successor to Mr. T. I really wanted to hear him saying that he pitied the fool who ___________ but no luck. Finally, Sharlto Copley, formerly the main character of District 9, shows that he wasn't just a one-hit wonder in his previous film. As Murdock, the INSANE pilot, he brings a good amount of comic relief to the movie in a different form than Face does.
Likewise the action was on-par with a high-budget summer blockbuster. Great explosions abounded, as well as several intense fight scenes.
One of the things I didn't like about this movie was the villains, honestly. There is a difference between making evil characters that the audience loves to hate and making villains be ruthlessly and relentlessly annoying. The baddies of this movie tend towards the latter.
I explained the concept of CakeCakeCake because that is what this movie did to me a little. Initially and up through the end I thought it was awesome. It was filled with exactly what it advertises: tons of explosions, shootouts, and missions. I easily would have given it a 9/10 if I was writing this from my movie theater seat. However, when I got out of the theater and began to think about it a little, I realized that it was a popcorn movie through-and-through. It is GREAT fun at the time, but in the end it is easily forgettable.
While the movie did CakeCakeCake me, it was still a fun and entertaining ride. If you are going to see a movie at the theater soon, I'd give it a hearty recommendation.
Final Score - 7.5/10
Genre: Action Comedy
Starring: Liam Neeson
Bradley Cooper
Jessica Biel
Quinton Jackson
Sharlto Copley (guy from District 9)
Director: Joe Carnahan
The A-Team consists of Hannibal (The leader), B.A. (The brawn), Face (the charismatic guy), and Murdock (the crazy pilot). I've never seen the series, but I believe this movie is set just after the show ends. After a successful mission, the A-Team is betrayed and framed. They are sentenced to 10 years in separate maximum security prisons. 6 months later, they systematically escape and go on another mission to clear their names.
To begin, I must define a concept that only one person reading this blog will understand. I did not invent this term, but I use it anyway. "CakeCakeCake" - it is the phenomena, usually applied to video games, of something creating a huge initial hubbub that gets amazing reviews across the board, but then several weeks or months later people realize that it wasn't -that- great.
The acting was all great, and I definitely don't have any gripes about that. All members of the A-team fit in nicely together. Liam Neeson was amazing as Hannibal, the militaristic ace-leader. Bradley Cooper again played the funny-man and was pretty entertaining without being overly annoying. I don't believe I ever saw Quinton Jackson in a movie before, but he makes a worthy successor to Mr. T. I really wanted to hear him saying that he pitied the fool who ___________ but no luck. Finally, Sharlto Copley, formerly the main character of District 9, shows that he wasn't just a one-hit wonder in his previous film. As Murdock, the INSANE pilot, he brings a good amount of comic relief to the movie in a different form than Face does.
Likewise the action was on-par with a high-budget summer blockbuster. Great explosions abounded, as well as several intense fight scenes.
One of the things I didn't like about this movie was the villains, honestly. There is a difference between making evil characters that the audience loves to hate and making villains be ruthlessly and relentlessly annoying. The baddies of this movie tend towards the latter.
I explained the concept of CakeCakeCake because that is what this movie did to me a little. Initially and up through the end I thought it was awesome. It was filled with exactly what it advertises: tons of explosions, shootouts, and missions. I easily would have given it a 9/10 if I was writing this from my movie theater seat. However, when I got out of the theater and began to think about it a little, I realized that it was a popcorn movie through-and-through. It is GREAT fun at the time, but in the end it is easily forgettable.
While the movie did CakeCakeCake me, it was still a fun and entertaining ride. If you are going to see a movie at the theater soon, I'd give it a hearty recommendation.
Final Score - 7.5/10
"Push"
Normally I review a movie the day I see it. However, I watched this quite late last night so I didn't really have time to come write it before sleepiness took hold, hence the delay. So...
Movie Watched Yesterday: Push
Genre: Action / Sci-fi (a little)
Starring: Chris Evans
Dakota Fanning
Camilla Belle
Director: Paul McGuigan
Set in present day Hong Kong, the world in this movie is filled with people who have powers. For simplicity's sake, they are given cute little nicknames according to what their power is. Movers can move objects with their minds, Watchers can see the future (which is constantly changing), Pushers can put thoughts in people's heads and make them do things, Shifters can make anything look like something else for a short time, Sniffers can smell objects and know everyone who has touched them & where they are, Bleeders can kill things and break TONS of glass by screaming, etc. The movie follows a mover (Nick-Chris Evans), a watcher (Cassy-Dakota Fanning) who he is supposed to help, and a pusher (Kira-Camilla Belle) who is on the run from "Division," the evil corporation who wants to control all people with powers. Kira, the former lover of Nick, is the first to ever survive an injection by a drug which is said to boost the powers of "special" people, hence she is of great interest to Division and is sought by them.
The first time I saw this movie, I really liked it. That's why it is a little odd that I definitely did not like it as much the second time around. The following are mostly gripes, but I guess I'll find a few good things to say about it.
The Good: At it's core, this is an action movie, and when there actually is action it is handled quite well. There are TONS of chases (actually it almost feels like the entire movie is one big chase scene), explosions, shooting, and some good special effects.
The Bad:
-The acting. I've seen these actors in other movies, and I KNOW they can all act, so I really don't know why it came off as so bad...it could be the writing. Every conversation that Kira was in felt VERY awkward, almost like she didn't even get to see the script until 5 minutes before shooting. Cassy was alright with conversations but came off as extremely robotic sounding when explaining certain things. Her tone was almost screaming "listen up, audience. I am an explainor, watch me explain." Nick was quite un-serious the entire time even when facing certain death, but that's kind of Chris Evans's acting style anyway.
-The plot. They did not investigate the powers enough. Even though there is this colorful Hong Kong world they are in with these crazy powers all over the place, the movie ends up being a simple "smash-and-grab / run away from the evil corporation" flick. It really could have been soooooooo much more.
-The pacing. When there isn't action going on, the movie definitely drags. They should have made the in-between-action scenes more interesting (AKA more character development)
-The ending. Sure, the big bad guy dies, but there is ZERO closure with any of the main characters. None whatsoever. Their plan pretty much succeeded, but what now? It's almost as if they wanted to make more but ran out of money (*cough*Babylon AD*cough*)
Would I watch it again? Yeah, eventually. I wouldn't recommend spending money to see it though.
Final Score - 4/10
Movie Watched Yesterday: Push
Genre: Action / Sci-fi (a little)
Starring: Chris Evans
Dakota Fanning
Camilla Belle
Director: Paul McGuigan
Set in present day Hong Kong, the world in this movie is filled with people who have powers. For simplicity's sake, they are given cute little nicknames according to what their power is. Movers can move objects with their minds, Watchers can see the future (which is constantly changing), Pushers can put thoughts in people's heads and make them do things, Shifters can make anything look like something else for a short time, Sniffers can smell objects and know everyone who has touched them & where they are, Bleeders can kill things and break TONS of glass by screaming, etc. The movie follows a mover (Nick-Chris Evans), a watcher (Cassy-Dakota Fanning) who he is supposed to help, and a pusher (Kira-Camilla Belle) who is on the run from "Division," the evil corporation who wants to control all people with powers. Kira, the former lover of Nick, is the first to ever survive an injection by a drug which is said to boost the powers of "special" people, hence she is of great interest to Division and is sought by them.
The first time I saw this movie, I really liked it. That's why it is a little odd that I definitely did not like it as much the second time around. The following are mostly gripes, but I guess I'll find a few good things to say about it.
The Good: At it's core, this is an action movie, and when there actually is action it is handled quite well. There are TONS of chases (actually it almost feels like the entire movie is one big chase scene), explosions, shooting, and some good special effects.
The Bad:
-The acting. I've seen these actors in other movies, and I KNOW they can all act, so I really don't know why it came off as so bad...it could be the writing. Every conversation that Kira was in felt VERY awkward, almost like she didn't even get to see the script until 5 minutes before shooting. Cassy was alright with conversations but came off as extremely robotic sounding when explaining certain things. Her tone was almost screaming "listen up, audience. I am an explainor, watch me explain." Nick was quite un-serious the entire time even when facing certain death, but that's kind of Chris Evans's acting style anyway.
-The plot. They did not investigate the powers enough. Even though there is this colorful Hong Kong world they are in with these crazy powers all over the place, the movie ends up being a simple "smash-and-grab / run away from the evil corporation" flick. It really could have been soooooooo much more.
-The pacing. When there isn't action going on, the movie definitely drags. They should have made the in-between-action scenes more interesting (AKA more character development)
-The ending. Sure, the big bad guy dies, but there is ZERO closure with any of the main characters. None whatsoever. Their plan pretty much succeeded, but what now? It's almost as if they wanted to make more but ran out of money (*cough*Babylon AD*cough*)
Would I watch it again? Yeah, eventually. I wouldn't recommend spending money to see it though.
Final Score - 4/10
Thursday, June 10, 2010
"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
Movie Watched Today: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Genre: Animation/Comedy
Starring Voices of: George Clooney
Meryl Streep
Jason Schwartzman
Bill Murray
Michael Gambon
Director: Wes Anderson
A fox, formerly a bird thief, tries to keep living a straight life. He has a family, a job with the newspaper, and a fancy new house in a strong tree. Unfortunately his tree overlooks the farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean (one short, one fat, one mean), three of the meanest farmers in the world. Along with his Badger friend, Mr. Fox plans one last big heist: stealing from all three men. Unfortunately, they don't just roll over and take it, and Mr. Fox is soon in quite a predicament.
This movie is animated....kind of. It is done in a similar stop-motion style such as that of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," only much creepier. Honestly if I saw this movie as a kid, it probably would have given me nightmares - not because the movie is scary, but the animation itself is quite terrifying, in my humble opinion.
For those of you who know me, you are aware that I am not a big fan of what I call "artsy films," and Wes Anderson is a major creator of these. Such movies as Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and The Darjeeling Limited are all critically acclaimed films that I really didn't care for...maybe it's just me. SOME parts of Mr. Fox are quite reminiscent of these previously listed movies, but somehow it is not as annoying.
I had low expectations after the first few minutes. Even when the movie was over I really didn't know what to think about it. However, after letting it marinade in my brain for a few hours, I reached the conclusion that the movie was pretty good.
The Good: George Clooney definitely made Mr. Fox a more intriguing character than he would have been had anyone else done the voice over. I also thought Franklin Bean was an entertaining (and quite vicious) villain. Too bad Boggis and Bunce weren't as interesting. Also Willem Dafoe was awesome as The Rat.
Two great scenes that stand out to me are when Mr. Fox is making the final plan and calling everyone by their latin names, and the part at the end with the wolf (Canis Lupus!), though don't ask me why.
I loved that the movie had extremely dirty language but still got a PG rating---the solution: replace every place where a swear word was used with the word "curse." GENIUS! Someone can just say "What the curse are you talking about?" Adults can fill in the blank and kids don't know what he meant. Very original.
For a technical compliment, the music and scenery were also quite good.
The Bad: Most characters that are not Mr. Fox are not very interesting. The movie is not lying about being about Mr. Fox Was it just me or did his wife only have about 4 lines in the entire movie, all of which were extremely dry and monotoned? Mr. Fox's son was also terribly annoying as the angsty teen fox. Also like I said before, the animation is horrifying.
Overall Fantastic Mr. Fox was *just* shy of being fantastic, but I'd definitely give it a recommendation, especially if you like Wes Anderson. I would probably watch it again, but not until after the nightmares stop.
Final Score - 7.5/10
Genre: Animation/Comedy
Starring Voices of: George Clooney
Meryl Streep
Jason Schwartzman
Bill Murray
Michael Gambon
Director: Wes Anderson
A fox, formerly a bird thief, tries to keep living a straight life. He has a family, a job with the newspaper, and a fancy new house in a strong tree. Unfortunately his tree overlooks the farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean (one short, one fat, one mean), three of the meanest farmers in the world. Along with his Badger friend, Mr. Fox plans one last big heist: stealing from all three men. Unfortunately, they don't just roll over and take it, and Mr. Fox is soon in quite a predicament.
This movie is animated....kind of. It is done in a similar stop-motion style such as that of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," only much creepier. Honestly if I saw this movie as a kid, it probably would have given me nightmares - not because the movie is scary, but the animation itself is quite terrifying, in my humble opinion.
For those of you who know me, you are aware that I am not a big fan of what I call "artsy films," and Wes Anderson is a major creator of these. Such movies as Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and The Darjeeling Limited are all critically acclaimed films that I really didn't care for...maybe it's just me. SOME parts of Mr. Fox are quite reminiscent of these previously listed movies, but somehow it is not as annoying.
I had low expectations after the first few minutes. Even when the movie was over I really didn't know what to think about it. However, after letting it marinade in my brain for a few hours, I reached the conclusion that the movie was pretty good.
The Good: George Clooney definitely made Mr. Fox a more intriguing character than he would have been had anyone else done the voice over. I also thought Franklin Bean was an entertaining (and quite vicious) villain. Too bad Boggis and Bunce weren't as interesting. Also Willem Dafoe was awesome as The Rat.
Two great scenes that stand out to me are when Mr. Fox is making the final plan and calling everyone by their latin names, and the part at the end with the wolf (Canis Lupus!), though don't ask me why.
I loved that the movie had extremely dirty language but still got a PG rating---the solution: replace every place where a swear word was used with the word "curse." GENIUS! Someone can just say "What the curse are you talking about?" Adults can fill in the blank and kids don't know what he meant. Very original.
For a technical compliment, the music and scenery were also quite good.
The Bad: Most characters that are not Mr. Fox are not very interesting. The movie is not lying about being about Mr. Fox Was it just me or did his wife only have about 4 lines in the entire movie, all of which were extremely dry and monotoned? Mr. Fox's son was also terribly annoying as the angsty teen fox. Also like I said before, the animation is horrifying.
Overall Fantastic Mr. Fox was *just* shy of being fantastic, but I'd definitely give it a recommendation, especially if you like Wes Anderson. I would probably watch it again, but not until after the nightmares stop.
Final Score - 7.5/10
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
"Dark Ride"
Movie watched today: Dark Ride
Genre: Independent Horror / Camp
Starring: Jamie Lynn-Sigler
That fat kid from The Sandlot
A bunch of unknowns
Director: Craig Singer
At an amusement park, two twin girls enter the "Dark Ride," one of those amusement park houses of horror where you go along a track and stuff pops out at you, and are killed by a madman. 15 years later, he escapes from an insane asylum and heads back to his killing grounds just as a group of college kids are about to illegally spend the night in the Dark Ride. Pretty typical "psycho kills stupid teens" premise.
For those of you who have never heard of it, this movie is out of the original "After Dark Horrorfest - 8 Films to Die For" set. They usually get slammed by critics, but I tend to enjoy them, both the campy ones and the serious ones. This one tends to land on the campy side, IMO.
Overall it was pretty enjoyable. Any real gripes I could come up with would just be nit-picking. Even though most of the cast is made up of unknowns (except the girl from The Sopranos and the guy from The Sandlot) but for the most part they all did an acceptable job. If you like slasher films, you will probably like it. The premise is cliche, but there were some decent twists that I didn't really see coming.
Final Score - 6/10
Genre: Independent Horror / Camp
Starring: Jamie Lynn-Sigler
That fat kid from The Sandlot
A bunch of unknowns
Director: Craig Singer
At an amusement park, two twin girls enter the "Dark Ride," one of those amusement park houses of horror where you go along a track and stuff pops out at you, and are killed by a madman. 15 years later, he escapes from an insane asylum and heads back to his killing grounds just as a group of college kids are about to illegally spend the night in the Dark Ride. Pretty typical "psycho kills stupid teens" premise.
For those of you who have never heard of it, this movie is out of the original "After Dark Horrorfest - 8 Films to Die For" set. They usually get slammed by critics, but I tend to enjoy them, both the campy ones and the serious ones. This one tends to land on the campy side, IMO.
Overall it was pretty enjoyable. Any real gripes I could come up with would just be nit-picking. Even though most of the cast is made up of unknowns (except the girl from The Sopranos and the guy from The Sandlot) but for the most part they all did an acceptable job. If you like slasher films, you will probably like it. The premise is cliche, but there were some decent twists that I didn't really see coming.
Final Score - 6/10
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
"Die Hard 2: Die Harder"
Movie Watched Today: Die Hard 2: Die Harder
Genre: Action
Starring: Bruce Willis
William Sadler
Director: Renny Harlin
Bruce Willis does it again...he manages to be in the middle of a gigantic terrorist plot at a very inopportune moment. Instead of a 40-story building, however, this time they seize control of an airport during a busy travel night while there is a huge storm brewing. They threaten to crash all of the planes unless their demands are met.
If you've seen the first Die Hard, there is no need to summarize any further. Action ensues and John McClaine inevitably thwarts the bad guys, and that is NOT a spoiler (don't even act like it is...).
I will admit right now that I SUCK at reviewing action movies. I have a definite pass/fail grading system with them, and I find it very hard to compare them to other movies. I'll just say that "Die Hard 2" gets a passing rating. It's even hard to say whether it is better or worse than the first film of the franchise.
I thought Hans Gruber was a more interesting villain then Colonel Stuart, but thats about where the comparison ends. If you like action movies, you will love this. If you liked "Die Hard," you will love this. If you do not like action movies or "Die Hard," chances are very good that you will not like this.
That is all.
Genre: Action
Starring: Bruce Willis
William Sadler
Director: Renny Harlin
Bruce Willis does it again...he manages to be in the middle of a gigantic terrorist plot at a very inopportune moment. Instead of a 40-story building, however, this time they seize control of an airport during a busy travel night while there is a huge storm brewing. They threaten to crash all of the planes unless their demands are met.
If you've seen the first Die Hard, there is no need to summarize any further. Action ensues and John McClaine inevitably thwarts the bad guys, and that is NOT a spoiler (don't even act like it is...).
I will admit right now that I SUCK at reviewing action movies. I have a definite pass/fail grading system with them, and I find it very hard to compare them to other movies. I'll just say that "Die Hard 2" gets a passing rating. It's even hard to say whether it is better or worse than the first film of the franchise.
I thought Hans Gruber was a more interesting villain then Colonel Stuart, but thats about where the comparison ends. If you like action movies, you will love this. If you liked "Die Hard," you will love this. If you do not like action movies or "Die Hard," chances are very good that you will not like this.
That is all.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"
Today's Movie: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal
Gemma Arterton
Ben Kingsley
Alfred Molina
Director: Mike Newell
If you haven't played the video game series that this is based on, it's okay because they are only very loosely related. Here's what you need to know: "Desten" was an orphan, now he's a prince with two brothers, a kingly father, and a 'loyal' uncle. There's a dagger that allows the user to turn back time. Battles, betrayal, chases, and much adventuring ensues.
First off I'll say this: judging this only as a movie based off a video game it gets 10/10 right off the bat. For a game-based-movie, it is easily one of the best, but honestly it doesn't take much to be better than some of the other trash that Hollywood gives us. Anyway, on to the good and the bad.
The Good: while not really AAA actors, I quite liked the cast. Jake does a pretty good job as the prince, Ben makes a decent villain, Alfred makes an amusing (and only slightly annoying) comic relief character, and the lovely Gemma is a love interest that is actually quite essential to the story (unlike the usual LINTS - Love Interest Non-Essential To Story).
The movie is also great taken as a pure adventure movie---I haven't really seen a good one of those in a loooong time.
There is a great amount of good action as well---large-scale battles, small-scale fights, riots, acrobatics, etc. A good throwback to the games.
The Bad: There are quite a few plot holes. How did they get those costumes? How did they plan that so quickly? Where did those weapons come from? Why are they all speaking English?Most of them are pretty forgivable however.
I'm also still not quite sure what I think about the ending. I usually hate the style of ending they used (cant spoil it though) but they handled it pretty effectively
Overall I was quite pleasantly surprised. I almost facepalmed when I first saw the trailer, but it pretty much broke my expectations. I give it a good recommendation if you're looking for a fun movie that isn't too serious.
Final Score - 8/10
Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal
Gemma Arterton
Ben Kingsley
Alfred Molina
Director: Mike Newell
If you haven't played the video game series that this is based on, it's okay because they are only very loosely related. Here's what you need to know: "Desten" was an orphan, now he's a prince with two brothers, a kingly father, and a 'loyal' uncle. There's a dagger that allows the user to turn back time. Battles, betrayal, chases, and much adventuring ensues.
First off I'll say this: judging this only as a movie based off a video game it gets 10/10 right off the bat. For a game-based-movie, it is easily one of the best, but honestly it doesn't take much to be better than some of the other trash that Hollywood gives us. Anyway, on to the good and the bad.
The Good: while not really AAA actors, I quite liked the cast. Jake does a pretty good job as the prince, Ben makes a decent villain, Alfred makes an amusing (and only slightly annoying) comic relief character, and the lovely Gemma is a love interest that is actually quite essential to the story (unlike the usual LINTS - Love Interest Non-Essential To Story).
The movie is also great taken as a pure adventure movie---I haven't really seen a good one of those in a loooong time.
There is a great amount of good action as well---large-scale battles, small-scale fights, riots, acrobatics, etc. A good throwback to the games.
The Bad: There are quite a few plot holes. How did they get those costumes? How did they plan that so quickly? Where did those weapons come from? Why are they all speaking English?Most of them are pretty forgivable however.
I'm also still not quite sure what I think about the ending. I usually hate the style of ending they used (cant spoil it though) but they handled it pretty effectively
Overall I was quite pleasantly surprised. I almost facepalmed when I first saw the trailer, but it pretty much broke my expectations. I give it a good recommendation if you're looking for a fun movie that isn't too serious.
Final Score - 8/10
Saturday, June 5, 2010
"Adventureland"
Today's (other) Movie: Adventureland
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg
Kristen Stewart
Director: Greg Mottola
To put it simply, the movie is about a guy working at an amusement park to make money for grad school. He meets a girl there, and much drama ensues.
The two leads are both awesome. I've only seen Jesse Eisenberg in Zombieland before this (his two characters have very similar personalities) but he did pretty good in both. I also have an extreme soft spot for Kristen Stewart (since LONG before Twilight came out, mind you) so the movie gets some auto points for that.
The plot, while not bad, is pretty cliched. Boy meets girl. Boy thinks he loves girl but there is a lot of drama and obstacles between them. Social fallout occurs. Many people get hurt and boy & girl get separated. They eventually reconcile. I called it almost the instant the movie started.
It has a pretty sweet soundtrack, but since the movie brags about it on the cover (which is pretty rare) I would expect it to be.
Overall "Adventureland" is alright, but it's nothing special. Again, the plot is pretty cliched, and for a 'comedy' it isn't very funny.
Final Score - 6.5/10
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg
Kristen Stewart
Director: Greg Mottola
To put it simply, the movie is about a guy working at an amusement park to make money for grad school. He meets a girl there, and much drama ensues.
The two leads are both awesome. I've only seen Jesse Eisenberg in Zombieland before this (his two characters have very similar personalities) but he did pretty good in both. I also have an extreme soft spot for Kristen Stewart (since LONG before Twilight came out, mind you) so the movie gets some auto points for that.
The plot, while not bad, is pretty cliched. Boy meets girl. Boy thinks he loves girl but there is a lot of drama and obstacles between them. Social fallout occurs. Many people get hurt and boy & girl get separated. They eventually reconcile. I called it almost the instant the movie started.
It has a pretty sweet soundtrack, but since the movie brags about it on the cover (which is pretty rare) I would expect it to be.
Overall "Adventureland" is alright, but it's nothing special. Again, the plot is pretty cliched, and for a 'comedy' it isn't very funny.
Final Score - 6.5/10
"Let the Right One In"
To start off, I'll explain the scoring system...It will be on a 10-point scale, 0 being horrendous and 10 being astronomically awesome. Pretty self-explanatory, eh? At the beginning I'll list the genre, who is in it, who directed it, and a short summary (of which will usually be VERY short to avoid spoilers of any kind).
Today's Review: Let the Right One In
Genre: Horror/Drama
Starring: Kare Hedebrant
Lina Leandersson
Director: Tomas Alfredson
I'd make a wager that 99% of you (considering the off-chance that there are 100 people reading this, 99 of you) would not have heard about this movie. That would probably be because 1) it was never released in theaters here and 2) it is from Sweden. Fear not, however! It is being remade over here in the good old USA, so expect it to be a big letdown to all of its current fans soon.
It is basically a vampire movie which is hailed as one of the "best" ever. I respectfully disagree, but I'll get to that later. It is about a young boy who is constantly being harassed in school. A mysterious girl, and someone who appears to be her father, move in to the apartment next to his, murders start to happen all over, etc. The girl is a vampire, of this there is never any doubt in the viewer's mind.
So what did I think of it? First of all, let me get this off my chest: I HATED the main character. Not just because he was a wuss that let the other kids walk all over him either. Something about his face...that super white skin, platinum hair, and the REDDEST natural lips I have ever seen. Every time he was on-screen I wanted to join the bullies who were punching him!!
Next, I know there is supposed to be something "beautiful" about the romance that develops between the two leads, but really it was terribly uncomfortable to watch two twelve year olds be all romantic with each other.
Maybe I'm missing something here, because critics and viewers alike couldn't stop praising this movie, but I didn't think it was anything special. More heart than "Underworld," more action and maturity than "Twilight," but it didn't really meet in the good middle for me. Would I watch it again? Sure, but I can't guarantee my opinion would change
Final Score: 6/10
Today's Review: Let the Right One In
Genre: Horror/Drama
Starring: Kare Hedebrant
Lina Leandersson
Director: Tomas Alfredson
I'd make a wager that 99% of you (considering the off-chance that there are 100 people reading this, 99 of you) would not have heard about this movie. That would probably be because 1) it was never released in theaters here and 2) it is from Sweden. Fear not, however! It is being remade over here in the good old USA, so expect it to be a big letdown to all of its current fans soon.
It is basically a vampire movie which is hailed as one of the "best" ever. I respectfully disagree, but I'll get to that later. It is about a young boy who is constantly being harassed in school. A mysterious girl, and someone who appears to be her father, move in to the apartment next to his, murders start to happen all over, etc. The girl is a vampire, of this there is never any doubt in the viewer's mind.
So what did I think of it? First of all, let me get this off my chest: I HATED the main character. Not just because he was a wuss that let the other kids walk all over him either. Something about his face...that super white skin, platinum hair, and the REDDEST natural lips I have ever seen. Every time he was on-screen I wanted to join the bullies who were punching him!!
Next, I know there is supposed to be something "beautiful" about the romance that develops between the two leads, but really it was terribly uncomfortable to watch two twelve year olds be all romantic with each other.
Maybe I'm missing something here, because critics and viewers alike couldn't stop praising this movie, but I didn't think it was anything special. More heart than "Underworld," more action and maturity than "Twilight," but it didn't really meet in the good middle for me. Would I watch it again? Sure, but I can't guarantee my opinion would change
Final Score: 6/10
Intro
Since I have no camera, I guess I'll be doing this instead of making videos for Youtube. Not that anyone reads anymore, right? This will basically be my realm of reviewing: a place where I will review anything I feel like...but most likely it will consist of reviews of movies, video games, and maybe some TV shows (~90% will be movies though). Depending on how lazy I am at the time, the reviews will range between a sentence or two and the length of a master's thesis. Realistically though, the lengths will be somewhere in the middle.
Every time I see a new movie, I run over to Facebook to make a 1-sentence review of it on Flixter, so I figure this will let me go more in-depth on what I thought of it. I certainly will try to write out a new review every time I see a new movie, so my frequency of new postings will range anywhere from multiple times in one day to one in a week.
I will NEVER have movie spoilers, so don't worry.
By the way, I don't discriminate on movie genres...you will see reviews of ALL kinds of movies ranging from horror exploitation films to Saturday night chick flicks...but don't expect me to look at them from the same angle :D
I also take requests, so if there is a movie anyone wants me to review, feel free to ask.
Well, so far it does feel like I am typing to a brick wall, but at least this gives me something to do for the time being. If anyone is reading this, thanks in advance!!
Every time I see a new movie, I run over to Facebook to make a 1-sentence review of it on Flixter, so I figure this will let me go more in-depth on what I thought of it. I certainly will try to write out a new review every time I see a new movie, so my frequency of new postings will range anywhere from multiple times in one day to one in a week.
I will NEVER have movie spoilers, so don't worry.
By the way, I don't discriminate on movie genres...you will see reviews of ALL kinds of movies ranging from horror exploitation films to Saturday night chick flicks...but don't expect me to look at them from the same angle :D
I also take requests, so if there is a movie anyone wants me to review, feel free to ask.
Well, so far it does feel like I am typing to a brick wall, but at least this gives me something to do for the time being. If anyone is reading this, thanks in advance!!
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