Showing posts with label Action flick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Action flick. Show all posts
Priest 3D
I don't quite understand the concept behind the movie. The movie is based on a series of graphic novels, but I'm not sure where the hell those crazy Koreans came up with this mismatched mash-up of genres. Is it a western? Is it Science-Fiction? Is it Horror?
It's actually all of those plus post-apocalyptic adventure. The addition of warrior priests weirds the thing up to completion. Throughout the entire movie I kept thinking to myself, "... what...?"
Paul Bettany is actually kind of a good actor, so I'm thinking it's time he fired his agent. Whoever green lit this shit storm should also be let go. Please don't waste your money on this garbage!
Fast Five
This series continues to surprise me. I wasn't a huge fan of the original and actually ended up liking the first sequel a little more than it's predecessor (even though I was certain I couldn't possibly like a movie called 2 Fast 2 Furious). I'm pretty sure we can all agree that, while not completely unwatchable, the third in the franchise, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, was kind of a joke. With the original team in place, the fourth installment was fairly successful and possibly better than the first two, and now, Fast Five is definitely the best of the bunch.
Keep in mind that when I endorse some of these movies, it's based entirely on fun factor. There's really no substance to these movies at all. There's rarely ever any doubt that it's going to work out for the main characters in the end, so it's really all just adrenaline pumping action that makes Fast Five the first official popcorn movie of the year.
If you can suspend disbelief and get past the blatant disregard of physics, you'll have a blast watching Fast Five... and probably the next in the series as well. Yes, there will be another movie.
Limitless
When I saw the trailer for Limitless, I thought it looked good, but I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did.
Limitless is one of those stories that plays on your desire. I consider myself to be fairly to very smart. The concept of a drug that would help you to exceed the limits of human intelligence is intriguing to say the least.
Would you take it? I still don't think I would, even though I'd probably consider it long and hard. With the exception trying marijuana twice (the second time only to confirm that it would have little to no effect on me since I felt nothing the first time), I've only ever taken over-the-counter or prescription drugs that were prescribed to me. That doesn't mean that I can't imagine how awesome it would be to have endless knowledge and be able figure anything out. Then again I've seen this movie, so the downside has been made abundantly clear.
Limitless is fun, exciting, energetic, and surprising and you should definitely check it out.
Battle: Los Angeles
Battle: LA is a pretty straight forward action flick. It's Saving Private Ryan with aliens. Gritty and realistic, the director succeeds in his attempt to merge the modern style shaky cam war footage like in The Hurt Locker with the special effects of an alien invasion.
The acting is not exactly top notch, but it's sort of covered up by the gunfire and explosions. There's really no story to speak of and I would have liked one, but I still didn't hate it.
Battle: LA definitely won't be anywheres near my top 20 at the end of this year, but it's still a fun ride.
Unknown
The premise of this movie is way too weak to have made a whole movie about it... plus it sort of comes out of nowhere.
To be honest, I don't even remember what the actual plot of the movie is. Not because I saw Unknown last month and it's been so long that I forgot it... I forgot it immediately after the credits began to roll. It has something to do with the use of corn as a fuel source or something... a cheap method of taking advantage of eco-friendly moviegoers. Even the main plot of the film is over shadowed by the whole amnesia/conspiracy aspect of the film which has nothing to do with the "real" main storyline.
The fact that Liam Neeson develops amnesia isn't the driving force behind the action in the movie, nor does it expose any truths that we wouldn't have found out otherwise. He simply develops a conscience as a result of relearning about his past. I always end up comparing the big reveal in a movie to the big reveal in Scream. You could easily guess who the killer in the original Scream movie was if the writer and director hadn't done a brilliant job steering you away from the truth without ever lying to you. The story behind what's happening in Unknown is so convoluted that there is no way anyone could ever have guessed it... which kind of takes all of the fun out of watching it. It's not a good twist if there weren't hidden clues throughout the movie that you missed.
I thought this was going to be Neeson's follow up to his winning formula from Taken. It's not even close to the quality of that movie. Let this movie remain... Unknown.
I am Number Four
I Am Number Four isn't great, but it is entertaining enough to recommend.
The whole time I was watching it I kept getting a very "Smallville" vibe from the whole thing. I was not at all shocked to find out at the end of he movie that it was produced by the Smallville team. While I recognize that there are very few original stories left in the world, I can't even give the writers of I Am Number Four credit for trying since most of the plot points seem to be ripped straight out of the world of Superman.
The acting was fine, the writing was fine... I Am Number Four was fine. The special effects were really good... actually, don't bother with this. Wait to see if the sequel gets good reviews. If it does, rent I Am Number Four and then go see the sequel. If the sequel sucks there really no reason to invest any time into this one.
The Green Hornet
Once again we have a director making a movie he shouldn't be making with an actor that shouldn't be in the movie. Michel Gondry directed one of my favorite movies of all time, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a beautiful, mind bending science fiction love story with an Oscar nominated performance by Kate Winslet and an Oscar snubbed performance by Jim Carrey. He's had some fun in the past, helming Dave Chapelle's Block Party and episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live and HBO's Flight of the Conchords, but he's known primarily for his quirky sensibilities, taking on projects like The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind, and Eternal Sunshine; all lower budget dramedies. To see him take a step back and jump behind the wheel of this schlock is almost heartbreaking. It raises so many questions, namely, why he would give up on his art. The answer is obviously, money, and that's really, really sad.
The Green Hornet stars Seth Rogen which is also pretty bizarre. Whoever thought casting Rogen as an action hero (bumbling though he may be) was an acceptable alternative to just about anything else, should be shot.
The movie is choppy and all over the place. The movie opens wit a scene in the past in which Rogen's character (as a child) is being berated by his father... only so that Rogen could tell the story later. He could have just told the story; we didn't need to see it first. Later after his father's funeral, he apparently fires his entire household staff, an emotional scene during which we see the character's vulnerability, resentment and mourning... but they didn't show it. They told us it happened by having Rogen ask the only maid left where the staff is. The literally left every ounce of humanity on the cutting room floor, I assume because the cast couldn't act it.
The Green Hornet is solely a money machine and you are supposed to be the cogs. Don't be a cog.
Tron: Legacy 3D
... I wanted so bad for this movie to exceed my dismally low expectations and sadly, it was only able to meet them.
Aside from the special effects, Tron: Legacy has very little to offer other that a cool score written by Daft Punk. The performances are either over-epically serious or sickeningly cutesy-cute. Why Disney would put this tent-pole holiday release into the hands of a first time director is mind-blowing, but I'm really not 100% sure that it would have been all that much better in the hands of a seasoned director, anyway.
I think the biggest disappointment is probably special effects related. While the movie was stunning to look at, there was never any huge special effects climax or overly impressive stunt to "wow" the audience beyond the pretty standard effects that fill the movie. The visual effects are just a stagnant aspect of the movie that you'll take for granted by the 30 minute mark.
The story was both overly complicated and irritatingly unoriginal and while the effects were enough to keep me engaged for the length of the movie, I wouldn't necessarily recommend that anyone spend money to see Tron: Legacy unless you are only looking for eye-candy and your standards for what qualifies as eye-candy is on the low side.
The Tourist
Really? A Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture... what a joke. There is nothing "best" about The Tourist. The only explanation for the nomination is that the movie was just released so it was fresh in the mind's of the Hollywood Foreign Press nominating committee.
That being said, I didn't absolutely HATE The Tourist. There was just nothing there to really like. The story was silly and we just arrived in the middle of it. There was so much going on before the cameras started rolling that they could have made a better movie just from what was left out. There was very little chemistry between Jolie and Depp, however, there was a very strange dynamic between Jolie and Paul Bettany; certainly there was a history (seemingly romantic, based on the tension) between the two of them that the writers failed to explore.
The action wasn't all that intense and the jokes weren't all that funny. I wouldn't even know what genre to classify The Tourist as. While I don't feel like I wasted 2 hours, if I had paid for a ticket, I would have been pissed.
Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex was released in theatres on June 18th and on Blu-ray and DVD on October 12th.
I had absolutely no interest in seeing Jonah Hex from the second the first trailer hit the screen. I had a hard time watching it and actually had to take a break somewhere in the middle of the less than 90 minute run time, just because I was bored.
If you don't like a genre, it's still possible for you to like the movie because of powerful performances or an interesting, original story. There's very little a movie can to get you interested in the story if you're just not interested. The story in Jonah Hex is... well, virtually non-existent. Since the characters were ALL mean-spirited and ugly and I hate westerns, it was impossible to care about anything that was going on.
Don't bother with this one. Jonah Hex will just make you angry.
The Warrior's Way
I have no idea what that was. It was like a western, kung fu stage play. All of the sets looked like they were backdrops and cardboard cutouts... as did the actors. I mean they must have just told the actors to be as stereotypically westerny/kung fuey as possible...
... and it wasn't so much western as it was a circus movie... there were carnies everywhere and all so that they could put a sniper in the half-built ferris wheel. THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF THE MOVIE WAS BASED AROUND A SINGLE SET PIECE.
Absolute garbage. The movie was greenlit so that the studio would have something to release on the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
... it's really not fun... at all. The fact of the matter is, those of you who have stuck with the series through the first 6 movies are going to see the last two. There's no reason to think that you wouldn't. Those of you who haven't, should absolutely not see this one. You must see them all for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 to make any kind of sense at all.
Now that we've got the obvious disclaimer out of the way I'll tell you my biggest complaint. A lot of people walk out of Harry Potter movies feeling... betrayed... because they left out so much of the book... usually the insignificant parts that made the books so charming... but insignificant parts none the less. I never had that problem. I always knew they would leave that stuff out and with good reason... they weren't at all relevant to the plot. My issues were always with the acting and directing (after the first two, it was only the acting). I feel like the acting has FINALLY fallen into place. Even Radcliffe, who was always the weakest link in the cast has grown into his role and has learned to portray emotion. Unfortunately, with the splitting of the final book into two movies, it seems everyone else in the world has finally gotten their wish. They have found a way to include almost every detail from the 800 page book... make a 5 and half hour movie. I on the other hand was kinda bored. They included almost every detail and it was BORING. To be fair, this is the one book that I remembered practically none of at the time that I went to see the movie, so it's possible that they did actually leave a lot out that I just don't recall. There was also a lot of staring. Characters just staring at each other. They could have probably cut out 15-20 minutes if the writer didn't rely so heavily on facial expressions that the cast clearly weren't talented enough to pull off and just used his words.
My other issue, which was actually a bigger issue than what I've already complained about, is the lack of fun. There is absolutely no humor in the movie at all. This is a dark, scary, depressing movie.
Otherwise, I'd have to say that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is the best in the series with regards to filmmaking. Maybe since the director wasn't confined inside the damp walls of Hogwarts castle, he was able to do more with the actors, I don't know what it is but it was well made considering what he had to work with.
As I said, you'll see it or you won't... so go see it... or don't. Whatever.
Unstoppable
I was pleasantly surprised by Unstoppable. The movie is short, which is good. The very opening scene sets the plot in motion... pun intended... and it rolls along for 98 minutes without ever letting up.
The movie stays pretty intense considering the fact that anyone going to see it knows there's no way either of the two lead characters are REALLY in any danger of getting killed.
Unstoppable is pure popcorn fun. It's easily forgettable, but definitely worth the trip.
Red
Red has a fun concept, a great cast, and the film was pretty well executed, but it just misses the mark and I think the entire reason is: story.
There's too much and too interesting of a backstory for these characters for this to have been the first film in the franchise. I felt left out and not in a good way. The characters had a strong, exciting history together that we learn about as the movie progresses, but it's not a mystery to anyone except the audience. There's never any big revelation... it just is... it's discussed amongst the characters as if we'd known about it all along. Which is weird.
I had a hard time getting invested in the plot, but it's always fun to see people doing unexpected things. Young children cursing or carrying on a mature conversation is always cute, and Hellen Mirren killing government agents with a machine gun is just adorable.
I'd wait for rental; but if you have nothing else to do, go check out Red.
Resident Evil: Afterlife
I fell asleep...
.. which is an amazing feat considering the fact that Resident Evil: Afterlife is one of the loudest most obnoxious movies I've ever gone to. It's just awful. As if it weren't bad enough, they torture the audience with slow motion; essentially doubling the actual length of the movie. Total crap.
Machete
... which kinda sucks because I was looking forward to this one.
Machete misses the mark because, unlike in Piranha, it actually starts to take itself too seriously as the movie progresses. The first 15 minutes of the movie were hysterrically funny and a great homage to '70s B-movies. With immigration being such a hot topic, the writers couldn't resist trying to send a message. What that message is?... I really don't know... and thats where the movie takes a turn for the worse.
I fell asleep after the main character slices open a man's abdomen and, holding on to the end of the guy's intestines, jumps through a (closed) window and swings in through the (closed) window for the floor below. Other than the opening sequence, there were little winks throughout, but in the end, Machete just wasn't able to hold my attention.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
I really liked Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The plot is simple (but at least there is one), the humor is smart and goofy at the same time, and the performances are irrelevant.
Let's just get it out in the open so that it never has to be mentioned again... Michael Cera will never play a different character. Doesn't that feel good? Now, no one will ever have to be upset or surprised that he keeps playing the same character in every movie. I know it may seem hypocritical since I often complain about the likes of Nicholas Cage, Ben Stiller and Jack Black who also have made a career of playing the same role in whatever situations the new film they're in calls for. I guess what it ultimately boils down to is, "Do you like the character?" When it comes to Michael Cera, the answer for me is, "Yes... for now."
The movie as a whole, however, is just frenetic fun. It's visually exciting, aurally engrossing and intellectually numbing. It's tailor-made for people suffering from attention deficit disorder in that there are no (or very few) scene transitions. A characters will be in one scene talking with one person and once the point of the conversations is made clear to the viewer, the background behind the character will change mid-sentence and the same character will be in an entirely different location talking to different characters who have no idea what he's talking about.
While it may sound overwhelming, it's not and if you want to submerse yourself in crazy for a couple of hours I strongly recommend Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)