So sorry for the delay, had technical difficulties and a lot of stuff to do. I am about to get back on track from here on out. Seeing as how I go see films that I want to see, the next reviews will be Sinister, Argo, and Seven Psychopaths.
But for now here are 2 films:
Looper
Length: 1 hr. 58 min.
Genre: Action/Suspense/Sci Fi
Cast:
Joeseph Gordon-Levitt
Bruce Willis
Emily Blunt
Paul Bano
Jeff Daniels
Grade: A
Would I buy: Yes
Review:
Looper is a film set in the future about time travel being invented. It will be illegal and only available to mobsters and those wishing to eliminate a person by sending them to the present (still in the future in our case though) to kill them and therefore they never existed. Joe (Levitt) who is a Looper, is taught to never let his target escape, even if the target is himself. This is referred to as "closing your loop". However after letting his future self go (Willis) he is then tracked by the agency in charge of the Loopers and is on a quest for time to save himself!
To say the film was well acted would be an extreme understatement. Every single character in this film did an amazing job. The make up for Levitt to look like a young Willis was spectacular, and the kid in this movie did awesome. In sci fi films there's always that one person who seems to just not have any acting abilities, but in this film all were on point.
What I truly loved about the film though, was it's ability to bring a unique idea to the table without getting too complicated. The film was easy to follow and really made you care and root for the protagonist and the way it slowly portrayed the antagonist was well done. It had great action sequences but blended in enough story telling to make it worth while, and the climax of this film was well done on all levels. I wish Hollywood would keep making films like these that bring new ideas, great performances, and great action scenes.
Go see this film before it gets removed out of theaters! You should enjoy it!
Taken 2 review
Length: 1 hr. 31 min.
Genre: Action/Suspense
Cast:
Liam Neeson
Maggie Grace
Famke Janssen
Grade:C
Would I Buy: No
Review: *Spoiler Alert
Taken 2 is about Bryan Mills (Neeson) who is now a retired CIA operative who is adjusting to his life and remaining close to his daughter (Grace) who he saved in the first film. When domestic issues drive Bryan's wife Lenore (Janssen) and her love interest to split, Bryan offers them on a 3 day get away to Instabul where he has some work to do. Little does he know that the father and family of the men whom he brutally killed in the first film look to seek revenge on him and his family for the grief they have caused!
With so much anticipation I had built up in my stomach about seeing Liam Neeson beat up and kill more people, I also had a sense of realism in expecting this movie to not please me.... and boy was I right? Before getting to specific let me start of by saying, take a gander at the length please. Ninety one minute running time...yeah I'm mad too. What's even worse to say is that for the first 30 minutes he's either flapping his chops or chained up! Then out of nowhere and few directions from pops his daughter turns into a ballsy little 18 year old with the driving skills of Earnhardt Jr. and arm of Andy Pettite! What a transformation!
Let's get specific about another issue, the part of the film that really pissed me off is when they leave his wife to die by leaving a cut on her neck, and telling the man of all men that he has 30 minutes to watch her die, and then they leave him alone?? I'm sorry sir, but if you're telling me that leaving a man who is apparently tied up with some plastic zip lines on his hands and who is known for slaughtering at least 30 people you know was a good idea, then you are an idiot. His escape took a good 4 minutes and then you wonder how this happened? I'm kind of confused. Also, the same guy who spoke all big and bad in the beginning stating he would "have his revenge", turns into the biggest coward in the end by hiding while Neeson is looking for you? Ballsy, my man, just ballsy.
Also as far as the action scenes, they were just crap. Half of the time you can't see who's hitting who! And in the end, did the grip of Neeson's hand on the guys face just kill him? He must work out.
This film was nothing more than trying to make some cash, if there is a third one I will not be seeing it. Skip this movie unless you're like me and just want to see the 2nd one. Otherwise wait for redbox. End rant.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
End of Watch Review
End of Watch
Length: 1 hr. 49 min.
Genre: Action/ Cop Drama
Cast:
Michael Pena
Jake Gyllenhaall
Anna Kendrink
Cody Horn
America Ferrera
Grade: A-
Would I Buy: No
Review:
Director David Ayer, provides us with what has become his forte, a fresh cop drama. Ayer has provided a few hits, and is most popularly known for Training Day. This film does has it's simularities to Training Day, but is also diverse in plot and directional style to not need comparison. However, both films are very solid. This film is about two officers Taylor and Zavala (Gyllenhaal and Pena) who have been having success while they are reassigned to a new section on their watch shifts. They are making a lot of good busts and really contributing to the force. However, after one particular bust an arrogant Officer Taylor persuades Officer Zavala to search more in depth into a situation that will ultimately change their lives forever.
First of all, before I begin giving my review I want to issue a warning. This IS NOT a film for young people. What I mean is don't bring your little brothers, sisters, kids, or anything of the sort to see End of Watch; it's rated R for a reason. Besides Casino and a few other films that have Robert DeNiro or Joe Pesci in them this film probably had the most f bombs and other language that I've heard in the entirety of its screen time. It's not that it really bothered me, but there were definitely times it was just unnecessary to say it that much. Also, End of Watch has very gruesome images and is definitely aimed for a mature audience with some of the situations these officers encounter, and I will leave it at that. On to my review!
The acting in this movie was superb, and it was really lifted by the amazing chemistry that Gyllenhaal and Pena had together. If I had to guess, half of their dialogue while riding in the police car was probably ad libbed, it was really something to watch the guys work together. It was honestly like they've been partners for years. The script was written perfectly to build their relationship and to show how comfortable they were with working together, not only as friends, but in life or death situations. Also, while we're talking about the script, certain parts of End of Watch were hilarious. The chemistry they had led to really funny stories that made you honestly feel like you were laughing with them, it was awesome.
The plot and objectives in this film were solid, and I was very pleased with the pacing. I felt that everything flowed right a long together, with the amount of time the film spent. The action was great to watch as well, and the climax of the film will literally leave you on the edge of your seat; it was just intense. There really wasn't much to dislike about the film, except the unreal amount of swearing.
I definitely recommend you to see this film,but like I said earlier, I am saying that to older people who are mature enough to handle what they are watching. Kids should not be anywhere in the theater! The only reason I won't buy it is, although I loved the film, it's just not something I could see me recommending to everyone when I have people over or something that while I'm just chilling that I would be dying to watch. It was a great one time view for sure.
Definitely worth the cost of admission!
Length: 1 hr. 49 min.
Genre: Action/ Cop Drama
Cast:
Michael Pena
Jake Gyllenhaall
Anna Kendrink
Cody Horn
America Ferrera
Grade: A-
Would I Buy: No
Review:
Director David Ayer, provides us with what has become his forte, a fresh cop drama. Ayer has provided a few hits, and is most popularly known for Training Day. This film does has it's simularities to Training Day, but is also diverse in plot and directional style to not need comparison. However, both films are very solid. This film is about two officers Taylor and Zavala (Gyllenhaal and Pena) who have been having success while they are reassigned to a new section on their watch shifts. They are making a lot of good busts and really contributing to the force. However, after one particular bust an arrogant Officer Taylor persuades Officer Zavala to search more in depth into a situation that will ultimately change their lives forever.
First of all, before I begin giving my review I want to issue a warning. This IS NOT a film for young people. What I mean is don't bring your little brothers, sisters, kids, or anything of the sort to see End of Watch; it's rated R for a reason. Besides Casino and a few other films that have Robert DeNiro or Joe Pesci in them this film probably had the most f bombs and other language that I've heard in the entirety of its screen time. It's not that it really bothered me, but there were definitely times it was just unnecessary to say it that much. Also, End of Watch has very gruesome images and is definitely aimed for a mature audience with some of the situations these officers encounter, and I will leave it at that. On to my review!
The acting in this movie was superb, and it was really lifted by the amazing chemistry that Gyllenhaal and Pena had together. If I had to guess, half of their dialogue while riding in the police car was probably ad libbed, it was really something to watch the guys work together. It was honestly like they've been partners for years. The script was written perfectly to build their relationship and to show how comfortable they were with working together, not only as friends, but in life or death situations. Also, while we're talking about the script, certain parts of End of Watch were hilarious. The chemistry they had led to really funny stories that made you honestly feel like you were laughing with them, it was awesome.
The plot and objectives in this film were solid, and I was very pleased with the pacing. I felt that everything flowed right a long together, with the amount of time the film spent. The action was great to watch as well, and the climax of the film will literally leave you on the edge of your seat; it was just intense. There really wasn't much to dislike about the film, except the unreal amount of swearing.
I definitely recommend you to see this film,but like I said earlier, I am saying that to older people who are mature enough to handle what they are watching. Kids should not be anywhere in the theater! The only reason I won't buy it is, although I loved the film, it's just not something I could see me recommending to everyone when I have people over or something that while I'm just chilling that I would be dying to watch. It was a great one time view for sure.
Definitely worth the cost of admission!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Lawless review
Lawless
Length: 1 hr. 55 min.
Genre: Drama/Action
Cast:
Tom Hardy
Shia LaBeouf
Guy Pearce
Gary Oldman
Jason Clarke
Jessica Chastain
Grade: B+
Would I Buy: Yes
Review:
Lawless is the true story of the three Bondurant brothers(LaBeouf, Hardy, Clarke) spat in the face of the Prohibition by bootlegging alcohol into their small Virginian town. However with crime wave on high, what starts out as bootlegging takes a violent turn whenever a crooked and demented detective from New York (Pearce) comes in to stop the illegal action the Bondurant brothers are apart of with impure and violent motives of his own.
Right off the bat what you will see in this film is that Tom Hardy, is indeed, a B.A. which I think we already knew am I right? Not only is he a powerhouse physically, but the man can also act, and act well which is the strength of this film. Maybe not HIS acting in general because honestly, he is a man a few words in this film, however the true hats off performances in my opinion go to LaBeouf and Pearce. They nailed their characters to a T. Although I hated their characters actions in the film, the acting was simply put, phenomenal. This film succesfully makes you root for the Bondurant brothers although you know the whole time what they are doing is highly illegal. It paints the picture to show that, but their motives are shown to not be all that bad, just trying to make some cash. From the second that Pearce shows up on screen, you immediately hate his character, and in the climax of this film he just delivers.
This film is gritty ladies and gentleman, let there be no mistake about that! It is very violent, bloody, and everything I like in a movie so I had no problem with that at all. However in the midst of all this blood that is shown it really did have some good humor. Now one gripe I can see of people saying about this film is at times, it could be "boring". But this film isn't supposed to be a shoot em up piece, it is telling a TRUE story. Keep an open mind about that while you are watching it, and you will really enjoy it.
My only gripe about Lawless was the pacing of it. I felt that a few scenes in it were kind of unneccesary to the overall story, and I felt like it went up and down too much. I enjoy slow moments to build up to big ones later, but the pacing was just off...I think you'll be able to see what I'm saying whenever you watch it.
Overall I thought it was really a great film and I will definitely buy it. It's a beautifully shot film as well! Go see it!
Length: 1 hr. 55 min.
Genre: Drama/Action
Cast:
Tom Hardy
Shia LaBeouf
Guy Pearce
Gary Oldman
Jason Clarke
Jessica Chastain
Grade: B+
Would I Buy: Yes
Review:
Lawless is the true story of the three Bondurant brothers(LaBeouf, Hardy, Clarke) spat in the face of the Prohibition by bootlegging alcohol into their small Virginian town. However with crime wave on high, what starts out as bootlegging takes a violent turn whenever a crooked and demented detective from New York (Pearce) comes in to stop the illegal action the Bondurant brothers are apart of with impure and violent motives of his own.
Right off the bat what you will see in this film is that Tom Hardy, is indeed, a B.A. which I think we already knew am I right? Not only is he a powerhouse physically, but the man can also act, and act well which is the strength of this film. Maybe not HIS acting in general because honestly, he is a man a few words in this film, however the true hats off performances in my opinion go to LaBeouf and Pearce. They nailed their characters to a T. Although I hated their characters actions in the film, the acting was simply put, phenomenal. This film succesfully makes you root for the Bondurant brothers although you know the whole time what they are doing is highly illegal. It paints the picture to show that, but their motives are shown to not be all that bad, just trying to make some cash. From the second that Pearce shows up on screen, you immediately hate his character, and in the climax of this film he just delivers.
This film is gritty ladies and gentleman, let there be no mistake about that! It is very violent, bloody, and everything I like in a movie so I had no problem with that at all. However in the midst of all this blood that is shown it really did have some good humor. Now one gripe I can see of people saying about this film is at times, it could be "boring". But this film isn't supposed to be a shoot em up piece, it is telling a TRUE story. Keep an open mind about that while you are watching it, and you will really enjoy it.
My only gripe about Lawless was the pacing of it. I felt that a few scenes in it were kind of unneccesary to the overall story, and I felt like it went up and down too much. I enjoy slow moments to build up to big ones later, but the pacing was just off...I think you'll be able to see what I'm saying whenever you watch it.
Overall I thought it was really a great film and I will definitely buy it. It's a beautifully shot film as well! Go see it!
Monday, August 20, 2012
The Expendables 2
The Expendables 2
Length: 1 hr. 42 min.
Genre: Action
Cast:
Sylvestor Stallone
Jason Statham
Dolph Lundgreen
Terry Crews
Randy Couture
Jean Claude Van-Damme
Arnold Schwarzenneger
Jet Li
And yes for 5 minutes Chuck Norris
Grade: B-
Would I Buy: No
Review:
So its pretty easy to say that the first Expendables was a HUGE letdown, to me at least. I mean what was set up perfectly to be a guys guy film had a horrible plot and even let down in action. Now what I can say here is that there is at least an improvement in both areas of that on the second installment.
The Expendable's 2 is about the same group of guys from the first with the absence of Jet Li after the first scene which really pissed me off, going to accomplish a simple task set up by Mr. Church (Willis). All the group had to do was make a simple run to an abandoned plane carrying a case that contained detailed information on where explosives are mined deep underground. The purpose of the mission was that the information was to be kept out of the wrong hands and was to be brought home safely. However after another group of men led by Jean Villian (Van Damme) kill one of the expendables men and take the case from them, the group of mercenaries have a person vendetta again Villian and all of his men who committed this horrible murder against one of theirs and stop Villian and his group before havoc wreaks!
Like I said in the intro, this film offered much improvements in the areas of action and plot. While the plot still is something that a 6th grader could have came up with, it is undeniably better than the first one's, and it allows a wider range of possible plot points. Also, by saying that the action is improved, this does not mean that the first one lacked any AT ALL, what I'm simply saying is that in this film there is less down time in between the heavy artillery shells and knife throws. The length of the film is used to lead into the next scene of action, and I must say the final act of this movie was a nice touch.
My biggest gripe about this movie is to be expected whenever Sly and Arnie boy are in a movie together and that is the script. I just feel like most of the characters in this movie force their lines instead of them feeling natural. Sly and Arnie are both known for their horrible one liners and in this film they are abundant. Even Statham has one or two! Since when does he sound like a choch? "I now pronounce you man and knife"? Wow. There was a few moments in the film where they threw obvious throwbacks on each others movies which I didn't find funny at all. The only time I laughed in this film (besides from how sick some of the action was) was a scene involving Chuck Norris and that's all I will say. Overall I would say go see it, but only for the action which is expected. I would give the first one a grade of a C and this one a B- so there is improvement!
Length: 1 hr. 42 min.
Genre: Action
Cast:
Sylvestor Stallone
Jason Statham
Dolph Lundgreen
Terry Crews
Randy Couture
Jean Claude Van-Damme
Arnold Schwarzenneger
Jet Li
And yes for 5 minutes Chuck Norris
Grade: B-
Would I Buy: No
Review:
So its pretty easy to say that the first Expendables was a HUGE letdown, to me at least. I mean what was set up perfectly to be a guys guy film had a horrible plot and even let down in action. Now what I can say here is that there is at least an improvement in both areas of that on the second installment.
The Expendable's 2 is about the same group of guys from the first with the absence of Jet Li after the first scene which really pissed me off, going to accomplish a simple task set up by Mr. Church (Willis). All the group had to do was make a simple run to an abandoned plane carrying a case that contained detailed information on where explosives are mined deep underground. The purpose of the mission was that the information was to be kept out of the wrong hands and was to be brought home safely. However after another group of men led by Jean Villian (Van Damme) kill one of the expendables men and take the case from them, the group of mercenaries have a person vendetta again Villian and all of his men who committed this horrible murder against one of theirs and stop Villian and his group before havoc wreaks!
Like I said in the intro, this film offered much improvements in the areas of action and plot. While the plot still is something that a 6th grader could have came up with, it is undeniably better than the first one's, and it allows a wider range of possible plot points. Also, by saying that the action is improved, this does not mean that the first one lacked any AT ALL, what I'm simply saying is that in this film there is less down time in between the heavy artillery shells and knife throws. The length of the film is used to lead into the next scene of action, and I must say the final act of this movie was a nice touch.
My biggest gripe about this movie is to be expected whenever Sly and Arnie boy are in a movie together and that is the script. I just feel like most of the characters in this movie force their lines instead of them feeling natural. Sly and Arnie are both known for their horrible one liners and in this film they are abundant. Even Statham has one or two! Since when does he sound like a choch? "I now pronounce you man and knife"? Wow. There was a few moments in the film where they threw obvious throwbacks on each others movies which I didn't find funny at all. The only time I laughed in this film (besides from how sick some of the action was) was a scene involving Chuck Norris and that's all I will say. Overall I would say go see it, but only for the action which is expected. I would give the first one a grade of a C and this one a B- so there is improvement!
Friday, August 17, 2012
The Dark Knight Rises movie review
The Dark Knight Rises- 2012
Length: 2 hr. 44 min.
Genre: Action/Superhero/Drama
Cast: I
Christian Bale
Tom Hardy
Joeseph Gordon-Levitt
Anne Hathaway
Michael Cain
Marion Cotillard
Morgan Freeman
Gary Oldman
Grade: B+
Would I buy: Yes
*This review will be lengthy
Review:
First of all, before I go any further I would like to apologize for the wait and how long it has taken this one to come out. I saw this film on the first week it was out, but certain events have delayed me being able to write down how I felt about it, but here it is!
The Dark Knight Rises takes place 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight, which as we all know was the fall of Harvey Dent, or two-face. Gotham is still recovering from what happened during that time and as we also all know the Dark Knight went into hiding after taking the fall for the fall of Harvey Dent which covered a truth Detective Gordon knew of. Now a new villain, Bane, arrives into Gotham to bring chaos to it and fulfill the destiny of Rhas-Al-Ghoul, the leader of the Dark Shadows that Bruce Wayne used to be apart of. A deeper plan unfolds in the process, and the fall of Bruce Wayne and Wayne enterprises ensues and with the presence of this huge physical specimen, the Dark Knight must rise once again to stop destruction from happening to a city he loves.
Positives:
As shown above this review will probably be my longest yet, because I've had a lot of time to think about how I felt and this is what I've come up with. Let's start off with the acting. The acting in this film on all accounts was superb. Tom Hardy, played a menacing Bane, and truly frightened you due to his plan and his size. A lot of people are comparing the Joker and Bane and saying that the Joker was the better villain, but the whole problem with that is they are two COMPLETELY different villains with two COMPLETELY different styles. The Joker was a verbal threat with a plan correct? He wasn't physically a challenge to Batman, but his intentions and precise plans were. He had to talk, he had to be crazy, to show just how much he meant what he was going to do. His whole purpose was to make Batman break his one rule, and kill someone, be an executioner. Bane did not have to talk to make his presence felt. Look at the man, would you want to fight someone like that? His plan actually worked! For half of the film plus some, he won! He caused complete destruction to Gotham city and completely changed it forever. He was not meant to go crazy, he knew exactly what he had to do, and he did it. That simple. Anne Hathaway did a great job as Selina Kyle, and she really made her presence felt when she walked on the screen. She had a great mix of emotion, and really made you question exactly who she was going to be next.
Another positive was that I felt the plot was very well thought out, and was completely unpredictable. I really didn't see what happened in the end coming until like three minutes before it happened, and then I got curious. However, I thought the way they tied everything in was amazing, and it really kept you compelled to keep watching.
Negatives:
Although I really enjoyed the film I felt that it was heavily flawed, and when a four year wait occurs I expect there to be less of them...call me stuck up, I just don't care at this point. One of the main things I did not like about the film was that the title is The Dark Knight RISES, and we see him rise for like 20 minutes in a 2 hour and 44 minute film. You mean to tell me, that in that amount of time you only felt that it was necessary to show Batman in action RISING three times?! Seriously, I think you saw him in his batsuit three times. I understand you wanted to have plenty of story, but why not break it off into two different parts if you felt that it would be that much of a problem? Cause in the long run I'll take Batman and Bane fights over watching a jury system tell people to walk ice for 15 minutes. C'mon man!
Also the scene's where Bruce Wayne decides to make the climb and falls unsuccessfully twice was crap to me to be honest. According to the doctor in the prison, people have DIED from that fall that he made twice...let me reiterate that they DIED. However, Bruce Wayne makes a 100 foot drop twice with a rope wrapped around his stomach and spine and comes out okay. I'm sorry sir, if you did survive that you are not paralyzed from the waist down. No more walking for you.
I also felt that it just took too much time to get where it wanted to be. I honestly got tired of watching him in the prison, I mean I understand the point of it, but again, break it off into two films then! I'm watching destruction occur and Bruce Wayne doing pushups and situps for like 15 minutes; it just didn't flow well at all.
I thought the film was very good, don't get me wrong, however I felt that it could have been way more epic. If you're about to wrap up the one of the greatest trilogies of our time, I want to be wowed when I leave. This film did not have that affect on me, no matter how much I wanted to. I just couldn't buy into all of the hype. It had it's good, it had it's bad, but overall I thought it was a good watch. I'll buy it to own the trilogy! Go see it if you haven't!
Length: 2 hr. 44 min.
Genre: Action/Superhero/Drama
Cast: I
Christian Bale
Tom Hardy
Joeseph Gordon-Levitt
Anne Hathaway
Michael Cain
Marion Cotillard
Morgan Freeman
Gary Oldman
Grade: B+
Would I buy: Yes
*This review will be lengthy
Review:
First of all, before I go any further I would like to apologize for the wait and how long it has taken this one to come out. I saw this film on the first week it was out, but certain events have delayed me being able to write down how I felt about it, but here it is!
The Dark Knight Rises takes place 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight, which as we all know was the fall of Harvey Dent, or two-face. Gotham is still recovering from what happened during that time and as we also all know the Dark Knight went into hiding after taking the fall for the fall of Harvey Dent which covered a truth Detective Gordon knew of. Now a new villain, Bane, arrives into Gotham to bring chaos to it and fulfill the destiny of Rhas-Al-Ghoul, the leader of the Dark Shadows that Bruce Wayne used to be apart of. A deeper plan unfolds in the process, and the fall of Bruce Wayne and Wayne enterprises ensues and with the presence of this huge physical specimen, the Dark Knight must rise once again to stop destruction from happening to a city he loves.
Positives:
As shown above this review will probably be my longest yet, because I've had a lot of time to think about how I felt and this is what I've come up with. Let's start off with the acting. The acting in this film on all accounts was superb. Tom Hardy, played a menacing Bane, and truly frightened you due to his plan and his size. A lot of people are comparing the Joker and Bane and saying that the Joker was the better villain, but the whole problem with that is they are two COMPLETELY different villains with two COMPLETELY different styles. The Joker was a verbal threat with a plan correct? He wasn't physically a challenge to Batman, but his intentions and precise plans were. He had to talk, he had to be crazy, to show just how much he meant what he was going to do. His whole purpose was to make Batman break his one rule, and kill someone, be an executioner. Bane did not have to talk to make his presence felt. Look at the man, would you want to fight someone like that? His plan actually worked! For half of the film plus some, he won! He caused complete destruction to Gotham city and completely changed it forever. He was not meant to go crazy, he knew exactly what he had to do, and he did it. That simple. Anne Hathaway did a great job as Selina Kyle, and she really made her presence felt when she walked on the screen. She had a great mix of emotion, and really made you question exactly who she was going to be next.
Another positive was that I felt the plot was very well thought out, and was completely unpredictable. I really didn't see what happened in the end coming until like three minutes before it happened, and then I got curious. However, I thought the way they tied everything in was amazing, and it really kept you compelled to keep watching.
Negatives:
Although I really enjoyed the film I felt that it was heavily flawed, and when a four year wait occurs I expect there to be less of them...call me stuck up, I just don't care at this point. One of the main things I did not like about the film was that the title is The Dark Knight RISES, and we see him rise for like 20 minutes in a 2 hour and 44 minute film. You mean to tell me, that in that amount of time you only felt that it was necessary to show Batman in action RISING three times?! Seriously, I think you saw him in his batsuit three times. I understand you wanted to have plenty of story, but why not break it off into two different parts if you felt that it would be that much of a problem? Cause in the long run I'll take Batman and Bane fights over watching a jury system tell people to walk ice for 15 minutes. C'mon man!
Also the scene's where Bruce Wayne decides to make the climb and falls unsuccessfully twice was crap to me to be honest. According to the doctor in the prison, people have DIED from that fall that he made twice...let me reiterate that they DIED. However, Bruce Wayne makes a 100 foot drop twice with a rope wrapped around his stomach and spine and comes out okay. I'm sorry sir, if you did survive that you are not paralyzed from the waist down. No more walking for you.
I also felt that it just took too much time to get where it wanted to be. I honestly got tired of watching him in the prison, I mean I understand the point of it, but again, break it off into two films then! I'm watching destruction occur and Bruce Wayne doing pushups and situps for like 15 minutes; it just didn't flow well at all.
I thought the film was very good, don't get me wrong, however I felt that it could have been way more epic. If you're about to wrap up the one of the greatest trilogies of our time, I want to be wowed when I leave. This film did not have that affect on me, no matter how much I wanted to. I just couldn't buy into all of the hype. It had it's good, it had it's bad, but overall I thought it was a good watch. I'll buy it to own the trilogy! Go see it if you haven't!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Savages movie review
Savages-2012
Length: 2 hr. 9 min.
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Cast:
Blake Lively
Benicio Del Toro
Taylor Kitsch
Aaron Johnson
Salma Hayek
John Travolta
Emile Hirche
Grade: A-
Would I buy: Yes
Review:
Savages is about two guys Ben and John (Johnson and Kitsch) who live in Laguna Beach with their shared girlfriend O (Lively) where they are known internationally for growing the best cannabis in the world. Everything appears as though they are on top of the world until some mexican cartel partners want to combine with Ben and John's business and receive a percentage of the profits earned, while learning how to grow what Ben and John are so well known for. After "non personally" denying the offer made by the cartel and getting caught in a web of lies the Cartel led by a mean Elena (Hayek) takes O as a hostage until Ben and John are willing to comply. Ben and John will stop at nothing to get their girlfriend back, which leads to a story of violence, deceit, and ultimately betrayal.
After being a fan of many of Oliver Stone's film and watching what he has put out lately, I was ready to see him get back to what he does best, violence. In this film that is exactly what he came to do. The acting in this film was phenomenal on almost all accounts; the only performance I was on the fence with was Taylor Kitsch who plays John, an ex military officer. I understand that his purpose was to be try and unemotional but there were times were I thought he could have done so much more, it wasn't bad, just not great. The standout performance in this movie to me was Benicio Del Toro; this man can act! He really stole the scene in every one he was in, and played a very menacing character. John Travolta also did great as the DEA kind of playing for both sides. Every character in this movie was forced to have many different dimensions due to the situation at hand which was always a pleasure to watch. Everyone had a clear objective and to me, they completed what they set out to do.
The plot to me was actually very interesting and I thought that the cinematography was a nice touch as well. The action scenes were done very well and it definitely pulled you in whenever stuff started hitting the fan. The story compelled you to root for the two main guys on their pursuit to O because the antagonists were just too cruel not to hate. Every scene made you raise more questions about what was going on while the script made it easy to follow for the most part. The scene that really stuck out to me was the scene between Del Toro and Travolta, I don't know why I just felt that it really pulled me in to open up to who's who.
As far as the ending it is something that you have definitely seen before but I thought it was done well. It is a kind of cheap way to do it, but at the same time you will probably like it, if you liked the characters in the movie that is. Overall I thought the movie was great, I will definitely buy it, this is a movie I recommend to everyone over the age of like 17.
Length: 2 hr. 9 min.
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Cast:
Blake Lively
Benicio Del Toro
Taylor Kitsch
Aaron Johnson
Salma Hayek
John Travolta
Emile Hirche
Grade: A-
Would I buy: Yes
Review:
Savages is about two guys Ben and John (Johnson and Kitsch) who live in Laguna Beach with their shared girlfriend O (Lively) where they are known internationally for growing the best cannabis in the world. Everything appears as though they are on top of the world until some mexican cartel partners want to combine with Ben and John's business and receive a percentage of the profits earned, while learning how to grow what Ben and John are so well known for. After "non personally" denying the offer made by the cartel and getting caught in a web of lies the Cartel led by a mean Elena (Hayek) takes O as a hostage until Ben and John are willing to comply. Ben and John will stop at nothing to get their girlfriend back, which leads to a story of violence, deceit, and ultimately betrayal.
After being a fan of many of Oliver Stone's film and watching what he has put out lately, I was ready to see him get back to what he does best, violence. In this film that is exactly what he came to do. The acting in this film was phenomenal on almost all accounts; the only performance I was on the fence with was Taylor Kitsch who plays John, an ex military officer. I understand that his purpose was to be try and unemotional but there were times were I thought he could have done so much more, it wasn't bad, just not great. The standout performance in this movie to me was Benicio Del Toro; this man can act! He really stole the scene in every one he was in, and played a very menacing character. John Travolta also did great as the DEA kind of playing for both sides. Every character in this movie was forced to have many different dimensions due to the situation at hand which was always a pleasure to watch. Everyone had a clear objective and to me, they completed what they set out to do.
The plot to me was actually very interesting and I thought that the cinematography was a nice touch as well. The action scenes were done very well and it definitely pulled you in whenever stuff started hitting the fan. The story compelled you to root for the two main guys on their pursuit to O because the antagonists were just too cruel not to hate. Every scene made you raise more questions about what was going on while the script made it easy to follow for the most part. The scene that really stuck out to me was the scene between Del Toro and Travolta, I don't know why I just felt that it really pulled me in to open up to who's who.
As far as the ending it is something that you have definitely seen before but I thought it was done well. It is a kind of cheap way to do it, but at the same time you will probably like it, if you liked the characters in the movie that is. Overall I thought the movie was great, I will definitely buy it, this is a movie I recommend to everyone over the age of like 17.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Ted movie review
Ted-2012
Length: 1 hr. 46 min.
Genre: Comedy
Cast:
Mark Wahlberg
Mila Kunis
Seth MacFarlane
Giovanni Ribisi
Joel McHale
Grade: B
Would I Buy: No
Review:
First time big screen director Seth Macfarlane (famous for his work on Family Guy) is also the voice of Ted, a teddy bear wished to life to befriend a young boy who has no friends. The only problem about this friendship is that it transcends all the way into the adult like of John Bennett (Wahlberg) and the long term relationship he has with his girlfriend Lori Collins (Kunis). John Bennett has to decide whether he's willing to grow up into the man Lori wants him to be, or continue the fun although immature and childish friendship he has with his teddy bear, Ted.
This film really surprised me in both negative and positive ways. The positives about this film were that it had a very interesting premise, I mean what isn't funny about a teddy bear cussing and saying all of the things he says? There were so many times that the things that came out his mouth were just so outrageous and crude that it was just too funny not to laugh at. However, there were also some themes that the film relied to heavily on. I won't do any spoilers but there is one theme (which causes the main dilemma in the film) that I felt they just talked about and played on too much. Also, the film just had a side plot that could have been hilarious but it was just weird. Basically what I'm saying is, the film was just very inconsistent. You had two jokes really hit hard, and then the next two just weren't very effective.
I thought the performances were as good as they could have been, but it the script didn't really call for anything above and beyond. The movie had some great points and then it had mediocre points as well, and it relied on some of the same jokes many times. I thought it was pretty funny and definitely worth the cost of admission but I wouldn't buy it because if you watch Family Guy, or have seen the Hangover (as far as the crudity and language) then it's nothing too special as far as jokes are concerned.
Length: 1 hr. 46 min.
Genre: Comedy
Cast:
Mark Wahlberg
Mila Kunis
Seth MacFarlane
Giovanni Ribisi
Joel McHale
Grade: B
Would I Buy: No
Review:
First time big screen director Seth Macfarlane (famous for his work on Family Guy) is also the voice of Ted, a teddy bear wished to life to befriend a young boy who has no friends. The only problem about this friendship is that it transcends all the way into the adult like of John Bennett (Wahlberg) and the long term relationship he has with his girlfriend Lori Collins (Kunis). John Bennett has to decide whether he's willing to grow up into the man Lori wants him to be, or continue the fun although immature and childish friendship he has with his teddy bear, Ted.
This film really surprised me in both negative and positive ways. The positives about this film were that it had a very interesting premise, I mean what isn't funny about a teddy bear cussing and saying all of the things he says? There were so many times that the things that came out his mouth were just so outrageous and crude that it was just too funny not to laugh at. However, there were also some themes that the film relied to heavily on. I won't do any spoilers but there is one theme (which causes the main dilemma in the film) that I felt they just talked about and played on too much. Also, the film just had a side plot that could have been hilarious but it was just weird. Basically what I'm saying is, the film was just very inconsistent. You had two jokes really hit hard, and then the next two just weren't very effective.
I thought the performances were as good as they could have been, but it the script didn't really call for anything above and beyond. The movie had some great points and then it had mediocre points as well, and it relied on some of the same jokes many times. I thought it was pretty funny and definitely worth the cost of admission but I wouldn't buy it because if you watch Family Guy, or have seen the Hangover (as far as the crudity and language) then it's nothing too special as far as jokes are concerned.
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