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Dec 22, 2014
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies8
Dec 22, 2014
Here we are. The end of the Hobbit trilogy, including the entire Middle-Earth saga. Sure, there's probably going to be a reboot or something like that in the future for this franchise, but I doubt it will reach the same highs that Peter Jackson's movies have reached. The Hobbit movies of course don't have the same legendary reputation of the Lord of the Rings films, but they've been a fun ride. Does The Battle of the Five Armies go out with a bang? YES. You have to expect this movie is going to have A LOT of action from the title, and it indeed does. These five armies are all battling each other out for the treasure in the Lonely Mountain. It feels very much like The Return of the King with the legendary battle sequences here, and Peter Jackson once again proves that he is so, so good at directing action. Yes, CG (or CGI) is used here more than any other Middle-Earth film, but for the most part, I appreciated it. Needless to say, I had a blast with the action here and the set pieces. Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage were great and had very good character moments and chemistry. I do wish Ian McKellen had more to do here, though (not a flaw). Legolas has always been one of my favorite characters (if not my one favorite) in the Middle-Earth saga and he's just as awesome here. However, the drama here falls flat at times. Plus, some of the characters' deaths don't have as much punch as they should. I saw it in IMAX, and the movie is one of the greatest IMAX experiences of the year, if not the best. I highly, HIGHLY recommend seeing this movie in that format. The Hobbit The Battle of Five Armies is a fitting end to the Hobbit trilogy and Middle-Earth movies as a whole. Now, as a special feature, I will rank all the Middle-Earth films based on my own opinion. #6 Desolation of Smaug (this movie is around a 6 or 7 for me), #5 An Unexpected Journey (8), #4 The Battle of the Five Armies (8), #3 The Fellowship of the Ring (9), #2 The Return of the King (9.4), #1 The Two Towers (9.7) . It is worth mentioning that I'm kinda on the fence about what to rate THIS movie, but for now, it'll be an 8, but it may be changed to a 7. This movie is the best of the Hobbit trilogy.
Nov 29, 2014
Dumb and Dumber To7
Nov 29, 2014
What's the #1 thing I want out of comedies? Answer: to make me laugh my ass off! Dumb and Dumber To accomplishes this with ease, just like the first one. Am I saying the movie is as good the first one? No, but is it as enjoyable? Very close. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprise their iconic roles that everyone loved them for, and I swear, their acting and chemistry here is like they made the movie a day after the first one. I can't imagine the duo being any different. It's so great to see Carrey return to the roles he's always been good at. Needless to say, these two kill it together. Of course, this is a DD movie, so the humour will be pretty dumb. I, myself, like this humour very much at times, which means I just adored the humour. Some parts even had me in stitches, and just like the pissing in a beer bottle and "we called it a **** scene from the first one, there's some huge laughs here that I will remember for months. The humour doesn't always hit as hard as it should, but all the other big laughs mostly made up for that. If you love the first DD, you will enjoy this one. If you weren't really a big fan of it, you're not gonna enjoy this one. To be honest, the only hugely positive things I found out of this movie were the duo of Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey and the humour/laughs. But isn't that all you ever want out of Dumb and Dumber films? In my mind, YES.
Nov 7, 2014
Nightcrawler8
Nov 7, 2014
I am one who adore movies that leave me walking out the theatre and still thinking about the movie; movies I like to call thought-provoking. Nightcrawler is one of those films, but it also entertains greatly with its fantastic performances, outlook on modern media, and a great tone. Elephant in the room time: Jake Gyllenhaal. I've heard buzz lately about Jake's recent outstanding performances. He has surely stepped up his game, and Nightcrawler delivers with another superior performance from him. Here, he plays a sociopath hell-bent on getting all that he wants in his job. He really gives off a creepy, disturbing, and unsettling tone playing this character. I more than look forward to his future movies. Rene Russo is nearly as good as Gyllenhaal. There's an actor here I don't think I've seen before: Riz Ahmed. While he does have some glimpses of very good acting, I think there was lost potential with his role, meaning he could've been better or even easily replaced. I see potential with him, though, I'll give him that. Even though Michael Hyatt's role and appearances were brief, she was incredibly good. The main plot here is that Jake's character works in the LA freelance crime journalism territory. He goes up to crime scenes, films it, and sells the footage to news channel broadcasts. With this, Nightcrawler delves into dark, mature territory at times, which I welcomed. How far Jake's character will go just might astound you. The movie also has it's fair share of jaw-dropping moments. The movie mixes thriller, suspense, and drama to great results. The flaws here aren't too big, but noticeable. The movie sometimes objectifies logic and equals to annoying measures. I also was unsatisfied with the ending and the scene before that final scene. The pacing problems were so, so slight, but it is worth mentioning that the first half's pacing will differ from parts of the second half's, which irritated me at only a few points. Nightcrawler is a great movie, even a bit above great. It just misses my 9 out of 10, SO CLOSE. It may not be in my Top 10 movies of the year, but it will be one I will surely remember.
Oct 26, 2014
The Wolf of Wall Street10
Oct 26, 2014
The Wolf of Wall Street is the story of a truly infamous man, Jordan Belfort, who had a stock market company that broke all the rules and then some. As a film, this movie does the same thing. It is shockingly outrageous as it follows his story of corruption, greed, sex, drugs, and other terrible things. The amazing thing is that this movie does all this in all the right ways to make a movie that will blow you away and leave you thinking about it after the credits. I cannot talk about anything else without mentioning Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as the main character. He is absolutely phenomenal, and this film just adds to all the other career-defining performances he has done. He perfectly captures what this man in real life was. Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, and Rob Reiner also do amazing performances. All the others did fine jobs, but some characters were underdeveloped. Seeing this man's journey felt extremely powerful over this 3 hour long film, but it moves at such a quick rate that it comes out as even more entertaining. With that quick pace, though, it adds minor plot holes to the film, but there nearly non-noticeable. The drama is amazingly done, along with the sharp-as-blades writing. Yes, this film is very, very brash and/or repulsive, but it makes sense with the story for it to just show how corrupt Belfort's and the people he worked with lives were. The film also sprinkles in a little bit of humour, but I wish it were a larger portion of the movie. The Wolf of Wall Street will go down as one of Martin Scorcese's best films, along with one of DiCaprio's best performances ever. The minor flaws are so overshadowed by the rest of the amazements. It is, without a doubt, one of the best films of the past decade.
Oct 25, 2014
John Wick8
Oct 25, 2014
"Don't set him off." After you see John Wick, you'll be saying to yourself, "Yeah, NO ****!" to this movie's tagline. Why? The short answer is this: Keanu Reeves, and the movie as a whole, kick some serious ass in this exciting, visceral, entertaining revenge flick. I feel I need to talk about this portion of the movie first; the elephant in the room: the way the action is shot and framed is graceful in the best violent way possible. The action moves along at a quick pace, which compliments it even more, and mixes in just the right amount of bloody brutality. Plus, for Keanu Reeves to be doing it, it's even MORE FUN to watch. But he doesn't just shoot his way through just to get his paycheck. He is great as John Wick, and his very best parts here are when he gives speeches about what drove him to do all this. In terms of plot, there isn't exactly a big amount of imagination, but other good elements make up for that. The main plot is this: John Wick's wife dies and for him to keep living his life with someone, his wife's dying gift to him is a cute lil' pup. However, Russian criminals come and kill his dog, then steal his Mustang. And that is a helluva misstep made by the Russians. John Wick then goes on for revenge. See? Not a whole lotta imagination or complexity, but what made up for it is the world-building that the film does. John Wick is a character that can definitely be expanded on and probably will. The "Continental" in the film is a criminal's hotel where they do their work and enjoyment. This can and probably will be expanded on, too. Let's talk about characters. The main villain here is Viggo Tarasov played by Michael Nyqvist, and I thought he played his role just as good as Keanu Reeves. I personally like villains that are likeable just as much as ones that aren't at all, and his character melds that together seemingly perfectly. Willam Dafoe and Adrianne Palicki were pretty good. All the others were just good. John Wick is a damn good example of why I love action movies, and is a fun-and-good-ass time.
Sep 1, 2014
The Simpsons Movie9
Sep 1, 2014
I'm telling you, I can't stop watching this awesome "EVERY SIMPSONS EVER" marathon! I wasn't even particularly a fan of the show until the marathon. I vowed myself not to miss this movie, and I'm so glad I didn't. Sure, you can say this is just a 90 minute episode made to make money, and it is. WHO CARES?! This movie is hilarious from start to finish. It is, without a doubt, one of the funniest films I have ever seen. All The Simpsons humour you love is here, and it pays tributes to the first 10 seasons more than The Simpsons episodes you've been seeing lately. Since the span of the movie is 90 minutes, pretty much every single character has lines. The storyline here is nothing noteworthy, but it didn't matter to me. One very small flaw is that within the first act very similiar jokes are used. I've said it once and I'll say it again: The Simpsons Movie is hilarious from start to finish.
Aug 30, 2014
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles1
Aug 30, 2014
Wow. I think I made the worst possible choice of what movie I wanted to see this weekend. I never watch movies 2 times, but I think I would have been extremely better off seeing Guardians of the Galaxy again than watching this monstrosity. I kid you not, this is the worst movie I have seen all year. Yes, worse than Transformers 4. Anyway, let me tell you why it is so godawful. The storyline here is something you've seen over and over again in TMNT lore. Splinter raises the 4 turtles, they rise up to be true ninjas and then they fight against Shredder and the Foot Clan. Yes, it's produced by Michael Bay. Thankfully, though, the plot doesn't become jumbled, but so much of the movie felt like Michael Bay was the director entirely. Stupid writing, plot points, acting, and so much more plague the film. Megan Fox plays April O'Neil, and while she's not terrible, she's not very good, either. Will Arnett's character is annoying, and William Fichtner brings nothing to the table. Shredder is supposed to be a true menace with dark tales to be told, but that's not here. The action sequences here aren't that great. While I did adore the snowy mountain action sequence, the other action scenes (the 4 turtles pretty much just beating the **** out of the Foot Clan) weren't as exciting as they should've been. Michaelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, and Leonardo aren't at their best here, but they are all slightly serviceable. What I really found dull in them is that none of them were very likable to me, and these turtles should be that in every way. I will be honest with you here: the only good thing in this movie to me was the 10-15 minute snowy mountain action sequence. Besides that, this movie is well deserving of being my least favorite of the year so far.
Aug 26, 2014
The Giver6
Aug 26, 2014
Whether or not your a person that always says, "the book was better", book to movie adaptations will just keep coming and coming, and most of them will probably not be truly amazing. I found The Giver to be better than the average book to movie adaptation, if not a little familiar. However, this film has some special things going for it that I just don't see very often in movies these days. While I won't spoil it here, the story of this film cleverly utilizes a black and white design on the screen (does not go on the whole film, though). What could have been highly annoying and ugly actually turned out to be very unique and refreshing. The characters in this movie are pretty darn good. Your 2 main stars here are Brenton Thwaites and Jeff Bridges. They are both awesome. Plus, Meryl Streep knocks it out of the park. Odeya Rush was suprisingly very good. Everybody else was basic. The story here is definitely nothing groundbreaking, but it still offers enjoyment. Jonas is chosen to be the one who works with the Giver, and the Giver goes on to share memories of the past world that is now behind them. Watching Jonas' journey as a character finding out all of the beautiful stuff the past world had was thoroughly entertaining. This movie also has some really great lessons behind it that left me still sitting in my seat for a few minutes after the movie was over. However, a lot of the stuff in this movie can just be average, such as the writing. Plus, I felt the story could've used a tad bit more energy in some parts. I didn't walk out the theatre amazed, but I really did appreciate the lessons behind it and Jeff Bridges, Brenton Thwaites, Odeya Rush, and Meryl Streep.
Aug 10, 2014
Guardians of the Galaxy9
Aug 10, 2014
Not many people are familiar with the Guardians of the Galaxy, so a lot of people thought Marvel was taking a very big risk making a movie for these characters. The trailers looked great in every way, yet people were still skeptical. I'm here to confirm it people, along with many others-Guardians of the Galaxy is the movie you wanted, and delivers so much more. Peter Quill, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, and Drax come on screen to deliver possibly the funnest time you will have at the theatre this year. Funny, heartwarming, clever, and action packed can all be words to describe this awesome movie. So since the movie is named after this group of characters, let's talk about these characters. Chris Pratt plays the leader, Star Lord, and I've never seen him better. He was just the perfect choice for this role. While Pratt is amazing, there's one character that truly steals the show: Rocket. How did you not expect this raccoon that spits out hilarious lines with big guns to be the star of the show? Bradley Cooper's voice for him was also amazing. Then there's Gamora. Zoe Saldana is known for being a great sci-fi movie actress, and she's well known for her very, very, very good performances in Avatar and the new Star Trek flicks. She's just as good here, and even though there's not a lot of it, her chemistry with Pratt is great. There's not much to say about Groot since he only says "I am Groot" for the movie, but I loved his abilities and watching him in action. One of the less noteworthy ones is Drax. Marvel made a bit of a mistake here by hiring a former wrestler. While Drax does have very good lines and funny sarcasm, the guy that plays him is not a great actor. The main villain, Ronan, wasn't very good, either. Overall, he was serviceable, but I just felt he was generic. His main motivations come from his generic story about how his father was killed and now he wants revenge. However, seeing the 5 guardians come together and interact on screen was a constant delight. The story isn't overly complex starting out, and it doesn't get to that later on, either. 85% of the time I was fine with that, though. Almost 100% of the time this movie is simply hilarious. I can't tell you how many times I was laughing out loud hysterically. This movie also has an awesome soundtrack. Me being a 70's and 80's rock lover, I loved every track. The movie also has great action sequences. The most memorable parts are all-out dogfights, but the guardians can also kick ass gloriously without aircraft. Great visuals compliment the action, too, but at small times it looked like live-action. Despite flaws with Ronan and Drax, a very slight amount of complexity, and not-always-perfect visuals, Guardians of the Galaxy is a complete blast. Marvel took a risk with this flick-but what's the pay off here? You should know after all the stuff I've said so far: BIG TIME!
Jul 16, 2014
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes10
Jul 16, 2014
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a pleasant surprise and hinted at a new era for the Planet of the Apes franchise. The sequel to that movie is here, and has it improved on its predecessor? Dawn of the Planet of the Apes does improve on its predecessor, but also packs in so much more that it makes me more than excited for sequels to this franchise. Let's start talking about the story. The main plot here is that most of mankind has been wiped out by the brutal Simian flu. However, there is still a large group of survivors in San Francisco, and they need fuel and power. A very small group of survivors start heading to the dam, but they come across the apes. The story gets so much deeper, and also offers many plot twists that were constantly amazing. The human characters here truly aren't the real shining stars, but they still offer things to the table. I cared about the main family and the other characters. The main character, which is also the father of the main family (Jason Clarke), was very, very good, and I loved seeing him interacting and talking with Caesar and his fellow apes. Speaking of Caesar and the apes, Andy Serkis here might just have performed the best motion capture performance ever as Caesar. One of the other main apes, Koba, is a true menace, but he never came off as generic. There's also a good amount of depth to him, too. Gary Oldman is basically known as the one who keeps control over the people. He doesn't like the apes at all, but he never came off like a cruel jerk, even though there wasn't an insane amount of depth to him. With the characters and story, Dawn offers so much emotional depth that is extremely smart and gripping. Have I forgot to talk about the CGI? It is simply outstanding. The apes look real. I know real is used a lot when talking about CGI, but I couldn't believe how amazed I was by how detailed the apes were. The action here becomes intense and amazing. I don't know about you, but I'd choose seeing apes riding horseback with dual-wield LMGs jumping over fire over anything this summer. While I won't spoil it here, the ending here is powerful. There was just one slight problem with it. It is that I thought the actual war between the apes and humans was left annoyingly hanging. Then again, it sets up for a sequel, and that's something I want more than anything in movies right now: a sequel to this phenomenal movie. Not only will Dawn of the Planet of the Apes be one of my favorite summer movies this year, it will be in my Top 5 out of 2014 for sure.
Jul 11, 2014
Transformers: Age Of Extinction2
Jul 11, 2014
Transformers: Age of Extinction is Michael Bay's 4th movie in the series, and at first glance it seems like this sequel is a departure from the previous 3 movies in the franchise. Brand new actors, Transformers, stories, and so on are all packed in here. Does it sound like this movie will be a change to the series, and maybe even for the better? The true answer is this: TF4 is the same movie as the previous ones, and that's not good. Michael Bay tried to make us care about the characters in this movie, especially the main family that includes Mark Wahlberg as the one and only father, Nicola Peltz as his daughter, and Jack Reynor as the daughter's boyfriend. At first, I started giving a slight amount of care towards them. However, as the movie progressed, the dialogue with them just became completely stupid, and I didn't care about them in the end. Speaking of dialogue, it is awful. Michael Bay still puts his terrible humor and one-liners in there. In terms of story, it becomes so similar to the past films, which also means it becomes jumbled and clunky. In my eyes, most people come to see the Transformers movies to see non-stop action and explosions and amazing visual effects. I will admit that the visual effects set a new bar for the franchise. The action at its core, though? It's exactly what you would expect out of a Michael Bay film. The first few scenes of the action entertained me. Then, it just went on and on and on, and it got so tiring. As a very young child, I loved dinosaurs. TF4 has something awesome: DINOBOTS. Yeah, no. They are only in there for a few action scenes, and they brought nothing new to the table. Great. The only thing good in this movie, as I said before, were the special and visual effects. However, even that should be expected out of this franchise and this day and age. Everything else wasn't good at all, and I walked out knowing that every other movie that would come out of this franchise here on out would be the same.
Jun 26, 2014
Captain Phillips9
Jun 26, 2014
Well then, this is another movie I was late with, similar to 12 Years a Slave. I rated 12 Years a Slave a 10 out of 10, and I was more than happy that I finally got to see that masterpiece. Was my opinion with Captain Phillips (CP) the same? No, but it was close. CP is based on a true story in which a cargo ship is captured by 4 pirates. These pirates aren't charming or likable ones like in Pirates of the Caribbean. This whole story happened about 5 years ago, too. These pirates are insanely cruel and they are also wonderfully acted by these brand new actors. Speaking of acting, everyone does an amazing job, and so does Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips himself. The movie is intense and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. If you think that the scene when the pirates board the ship is intense, you're in for a ride later on. Telling you that my favorite scene came from only a few sentences of dialogue should let you know that the writing and actual dialogue is beyond great, and it is. However, there are some scenes that if taken out, there would be no difference. Overall, it is beautifully shot. I say "overall" because later on when the setting's time changes to night the lighting just doesn't satisfy. Other movies can be wonderfully shot at night, but CP just didn't do this. CP is like a truly masterful painting. However, in that painting, it's like the artist accidentally just some spots of differently colored paint on it, yet everything else was perfect. That's how I found CP to be in my opinion.
Jun 25, 2014
World War Z9
Jun 25, 2014
When you read this complete review, you'll be very surprised that I still gave World War Z (WWZ) this rating. That's because WWZ has one very big problem, which I will talk about. It's amazing though, that outside of that one problem, everything in WWZ is good enough for it to get a 9 out of 10. WWZ is very different from other zombie flicks. It's not filled with gore, and it's not like The Walking Dead where they try to survive in a post-apocalypse world. It basically is, well, a world war with zombies. In terms of acting, WWZ's only shining star is Brad Pitt. Everybody else is basic. WWZ mixes up genres, too. It is a thriller, horror, and action movie. However, if you are a true die hard horror fan, you might be disappointed (wasn't a problem for me). WWZ's action is hard to describe. It is definitely intense and has good fear building, but it's not the kind of violence you'd expect. I loved the zombie action, but it's not exactly what Transformers fans would want. That's okay. It's beautifully shot, too. Some of the best parts come from when thousands to millions of zombies are piling up on each other to wreck havoc. I loved every single part of WWZ **** STORY AND ENDING. It starts off fairly good. As it progresses though, it just becomes so jumbled and convoluted. The plot can get dumb at times, too. It was a big problem as it went on. The conclusion leaves so much to be desired and it's one of those types that just screams "SEQUEL!". I hate those kind of endings. Besides the story and ending, WWZ is constantly entertaining.
Jun 22, 2014
3 Days to Kill6
Jun 22, 2014
I was pleasantly surprised with this flick. I expected complete awfulness, but what I got was satisfying enough for me to give 3 Days to Kill this score. It's extremely far from perfect, but it has elements I loved that I will talk about in the review. When you first see this movie at the RedBox (which is where I got it), you probably will think it's an action movie. That would be wrong. While it does have scenes of action, at the core of the movie, it is a drama that deals with family, getting the job done, and other subjects like that. I'm glad that it was a drama because the action didn't impress me much except for the first scene. The character development in the drama is extremely good, and while the acting isn't extraordinary, I really liked Ethan's (Kevin Costner) daughter as an actress. You will care about the characters, too. There are mainly 2 plot points in the film, one for the action, and one for the drama. The action one has to do with him pretty much just trying to kill or torture these men he has to hunt down. It was generic. The drama one was refreshing for this genre, though. It has to do with him becoming a dad again and regaining the love from his daughter. Everything in this film is nothing groundbreaking or extremely ambitious. For what it was though, I really enjoyed it, and the drama in it is worth a watch indeed.
Jun 22, 2014
Project X5
Jun 22, 2014
By the way, I'd like to give this movie a 6. However, Metacritic defines that score in movies as positive. I wanted to keep my opinion as mixed, so it had to be a 5. It's annoying. Let's get to the review, though. I honestly don't even know what to call Project X (PX). Is it a movie? A hidden message? An encourager? Regardless of what is defined as, it's not a very good movie. I went in my recordings to watch it expecting a comedy. While the film starts off like that, it's takes a different, disappointing turn later on, but we'll talk about that later. PX is actually a fairly good comedy starting off, even though the plot and dialogue were simple. The characters in this movie are mediocre, though. You most likely won't care about them. Then again, PX doesn't really try to be a real movie. It's not deep, and there's no way in hell it's getting any type of awards. It's just made for you to have fun. Judging it as a movie though, it's slightly good at best, and pitiful at worst. I went in expecting a real movie, too, which I probably shouldn't have done. Like I said, as a movie, it starts off fairly funny. Then it gets to the party. I can see it being entertaining with some of my friends over, but by myself, it got boring as it went on. Sure, you have some good laughs during the party, but all I was really seeing was just a bunch of old teens dancing, drinking, fighting, and all the other stuff you'd expect out of a party like this. I did like the third act when destruction hits and the whole neighborhood and party gets totally f*cked up. If you're going in PX expecting a stupid, fun flick, you're most likely going to be entertained. However, I regret the decision expecting I was gonna get an actual movie because the results weren't what I wanted.
Jun 16, 2014
The Fast and the Furious3
Jun 16, 2014
Sweet Jesus. I found Fast 5 and the sixth one to be entertaining, but the one that started it all? Awful. I watched this movie at my friend's house over Robocop. Man, I wish we changed our minds. The only thing this movie relies on is sexy women and cars to entertain. The acting is lackluster, and the action scenes and races are unacceptably boring. The plot isn't good enough to be a positive, either. Yes, the entire movie was made 13 years ago. However, that isn't a saving grace for me not to call this movie awful. It is. The only reason I wrote this is to say how bad it was.
Jun 6, 2014
Edge of Tomorrow7
Jun 6, 2014
Edge of Tomorrow was originally not too big on my summer movie radar as much as films like Godzilla or Guardians of the Galaxy. However, after seeing some pretty cool trailers lately I decided this movie was worth a watch indeed. Plus, Tom Cruise still holds himself as masterful to this day. There's no denying that EoT is a fun watch, yet that doesn't keep the movie from having noticeable flaws. The premise is simple overall. Aliens have landed on Earth and begin to attack. Tom Cruise's place in this is that he is just someone who thinks of great weaponry for soldiers and plans attacks. He is not a soldier and he does not fight, and he especially notes this with a meeting with the general that basically tells him he must fight this one battle (not a spoiler). The way he dies in this battle makes him live the same day over and over every time he dies, hence the motto "Live. Die. Repeat". Some parts of the plot are extremely interesting, and some are dull. I liked how the romance between Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise was very light. Speaking of them, they both play their roles greatly, and like I said, Tom Cruise is excellent. The other characters aren't nearly as good, but are still OK. The action in this flick moves fast, and I loved it. Those mech suits specifically made for humans to fit into perfectly are sick. Plus, I loved the design of the aliens in the movie named Mimics, even though they looked a little like some types of Transformers. I found the writing in the movie to be clever, spicing it up with a bit of humor here and there. The locations where they filmed were also perfect for the movie. Let's move on to the evil little bugs in nearly every movie known as the flaws. There are big plot holes in this movie. There are times when Tom Cruise knows everything that is going to happen since he's lived this part before. I would have liked to see those scenes the first time through. And like I said, the other characters and some parts of the plot are uneven compared to the other great stuff. Side note: I saw this is in 3D because of my schedule, and I was surprised by how good it was. It is not mandatory by any means, but if you like 3D, I highly recommend it with this flick. My opinions with EoT were mixed, but I walked out thinking it was fun and good. A 7 out of 10, and that is good on my scale.
May 29, 2014
Godzilla9
May 29, 2014
Seeing all the awesome trailers for the new Godzilla reboot made it my most anticipated movie of the summer. Bryan Cranston? Check. A Godzilla that ACTUALLY looks original? Check. Other monsters besides Godzilla? Check. I could go on and on about all the stuff you see in the trailers, but I have a review to make and a statement to say. My statement? Godzilla (GZ) is, without a doubt, a spectacular film overall, and one of the most special films to come to this genre in years. GZ is ambitious, creative, destructive, and AWESOME. What's special about GZ compared to other action and GZ films is that it mixes so much into it. GZ actually has a fair amount of human drama. With this, GZ makes you care about the characters and you might actually hope to God that they don't die when destruction hits. Before the big guy is revealed, the movie makes you feel fear. Gareth Edwards proves he is brilliant because he knows audiences will want to see the big guy pretty soon once they get in there. To keep audiences satisfied, he puts another monster in there brilliantly before the big guy comes. How was the acting? Extremely good. Aaron Taylor-Johnson should really be in other action movies after this. Bryan Cranston? You know what you're getting with that amazing actor. The others are almost as good. However, when Aaron Taylor-Johnson travels across the country with the army, I really felt that if he had another great character with him his journey would have fared better. But how is the action? It is extremely destructive. It has a much larger scale with the giant monsters, which you might dislike. Me? I loved every second of it, but I did feel that in the third and most violent act, the destruction could have used a little bit of more variety. Plus, it did get frustrating from time to time when they cut off the action and go back to the drama. Like I said, I loved the human drama. It just got a little tedious there. Despite these small flaws, GZ is phenomenal. This might actually be the first movie I have reviewed and recommend to everyone. And I do. Since the users can't use a 100 scale for scoring, I gotta give it a 10.
May 24, 2014
X-Men: Days of Future Past9
May 24, 2014
Marvel, man. They have been on a roll! They are pumping out movies nonstop, and in return, money is raining on their heads. Heck, they're now the highest grossing movie franchise EVER now! However, all this doesn't mean that they rush their movies, nor do they act like they just want money for their movies. They put such care and attention into their films for all their devoted fans. Guess what? X-Men Days of Future Past is just like the other Marvel films in terms of quality, if not better! At the core of every Marvel movie, their true genre is action. One-on-one fight scenes with hero and villain, countless numbers of structures falling down, explosions (not to a Michael Bay degree though), it's awesome action. So of course, DoFP has amazing action with all the X-Men. I loved seeing their mutant powers come to life and then watching in awe as they kicked ass. Speaking of the characters and their powers, all of them are truly brought to life. While the acting is nothing revolutionary, everybody still does a fine job. I especially liked Michael Fassbender's performance as Magneto. He really acts like a menace sometimes (which he will do more than often in the movie), and there's not a better pick for a character that's supposed to be cruel than him. The title of the movie gives you some hints about the storyline, right? Well, what happens is that the world is getting eaten up by the Sentinels, and they are still trying to kill every mutant they can find. The X-Men soon figure out someone must go into the past with Kitty's powers to change what happened. I will not lie, you will have to pay attention most of the time. It wasn't a problem for me, though. While it's not the most original Marvel storyline you've ever heard, it's still interesting enough to keep you entertained. In terms of flaws, I really couldn't detect any. Does that mean it's a 10 out of 10 masterpiece (12 Years a Slave is considered that score imo)? No. Yet still, DoFP is still gonna be one of best Marvel movies you've seen. All these positives really add up into being a great time at the movies. It's worth it. GO SEE IT!
May 19, 2014
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues8
May 19, 2014
While I still can't believe I never saw it, Anchorman 1 was a comedy legend for this generation and is a fine example of how amazingly hilarious Will Ferrell is. So of course we have a sequel. Man, you can show me this movie 3 times and for the third time, I would still laugh! I haven't watched many comedies recently, but this one makes me want to watch more of them. Anchorman 2 is a great and hilarious follow-up to the first film, yet still has problems that will irritate you. How's Will Ferrell in this flick? Just as awesome as you thought he would be. If you got another actor for this part, he wouldn't be so funny in these scenes. Ferrell brings a certain spice to these scenes that make them even more funny. The other characters? Yeah...about that later. How crude is the humor? It does have its fair share of crudeness, but I still laughed in so many scenes and it isn't too offensive. You may not expect this in movies like this, but Anchorman 2 has a great soundtrack. The songs are classic and so enjoyable to hear. The actual plot of the film isn't mediocre either. No, it's nothing groundbreaking, but it's better than USUAL for a comedy. Let's look at the flaws now. Remember my comment about the other characters? They don't bring enough to the table as much as Ferrell does. I didn't feel like their lines were as funny, nor did I care about them. Also, in the third act of the movie, the movie starts to slow down. It barely has any funny jokes in that final third, so thank God the first two thirds are amazing. Flaws aside, Anchorman 2 is laugh out loud funny. I will remember these hilarious jokes for a long time.
May 5, 2014
12 Years a Slave10
May 5, 2014
Ok, so I was a little late to the party with this film, eh? Well, better late than never, right? Correct, and I'm so glad I finally got to see this phenomenal movie. This movie touched me so differently than other movies have this year. I'm not even a big fan of movies about history, so this movie is for everyone if you appreciate things like this. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, in this film does an amazing, flawless performance. They perform each scene wonderfully and the writing/script compliments it all. The whole story is truly sad and touching. A free man gets kidnapped and is sold into the cruel subject of slavery. No movie has portrayed this time period in America as accurately and greatly as this. You know how some lame movies about slavery never really show how brutal the caucasians were to the blacks? This movie has brutal scenes that are NOT easy to watch. I'm not gonna lie. The first master Solomon is sold to is actually not a huge psychopath jerk that you'd think these kind of men would be. Man, the second one though? A HUGE maniacal jerk. Michael Fassbender really shows the audience how cruel this character was. Also, one of my other favorite, best characters is Lupita. Every single character, like I said, is perfect and they're equal in terms of quality. Where it was filmed is also a great setting. I'm telling you though, 12 Years a Slave is a movie that is so sympathetic that it really will touch you and break your heart at times. The ending is something that might even make you shed a tear for this amazing man. I did. Don't you already get the gist that this movie is amazing in every aspect? You should, and if you haven't seen this film yet, I highly advise with all my mind. Like I said, it isn't an easy watch. However, that doesn't mean it isn't WORTH watching, and it is in every, single way.
Apr 29, 2014
Australia7
Apr 29, 2014
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Mar 31, 2014
Noah9
Mar 31, 2014
Before we start, let's make a note about the controversies surrounding the movie. So many people got sensitive because it wasn't their "exact interpretation" of the story. Settle down. Be thankful that someone in HOLLYWOOD actually made a movie about this biblical tale. Now, time to review. Darren Aronosky (hope I spelled that right) is at it again with one of the most destructive and action-packed tales from the Bible. Who better to do it? Noah is a home run in terms of movie making and sits along with Requiem of a Dream and Black Swan in a stalemate. Everybody in the movie does a fantastic job and all feel equal in terms of skill and screen time. While it doesn't have as much action as you'd expect, the drama is still amazing and even sad at times. Speaking of action, what you do get is phenomenal. Giant rock men fighting against regular men with armor and spears, destructive water effects, and my jaw was open so many times during the action. But sadly, I felt there wasn't enough. I'd never want it to be a Michael Bay kind of movie, but if I got 15-30 minutes more of action, I'd be very satisfied. Another flaw I noticed was that it can be a little hard to follow at times. A few times I thought to myself "**** me think this over...". While the story can be harsh at times, I appreciated these parts and they make the movie feel like something different. There's so much more to say, but you should already get the gist that you should see this movie. It's worth every penny.
Mar 23, 2014
Need For Speed7
Mar 23, 2014
Come on, you guys. You were a little too harsh on this one. In no way is it a revolutionary start for awesome video game movies or Aaron Paul acting in theatre, but its still exactly what you want out of action movies. Great violence (God, that sounded cruel), little bit of humor, good acting, and fast cars. Now that sounds like some fun to me, and of course it's in this movie. The biggest problem is that it's just nothing new and has many cliches. Let's talk about the biggest attraction first: Aaron Paul. He's just as good as he should be, and his love interest is tied up with him. Supporting cast? Nothing more than good. Is it too similiar to Fast and Furious? Some elements are taken straight out of it, but it still feels like Need for Speed very much. The action here is what you'd expect. Cars get damaged and or blown up, but it's introduced amazingly, both looks and awesomeness. The cliche? One of the biggest themes is "oh I need to get payback on this guy for killing my friend let's go". Hate it? So do I. Yet, I still enjoyed this flick and walked out thinking it was good.
Mar 23, 2014
Divergent5
Mar 23, 2014
Before starting, let's just say first that I DID read the book, so this review will be from that perspective. Overall, I was disappointed with Divergent. It kinda betrays what the book was. Dialogue is different, scenes are changed and or cut out, and it just doesn't feel as special as it should be. Theo James and Shailene Woodley were very, very good in terms of acting, and just a great pick, too. Miles Teller is almost as good. The other characters? Meh. Just your typical teens. The action held up, but was nothing extraordinary. Remember how I said dialogue was different? Well, yep, the script is just plain boring. In terms of the scenes, some of the great ones are cut out. Come on Hollywood, know what scenes to cut out when your making a movie based on a book. Yes, the book is LOONG, so they had to make some sacrifices. One of my favorite parts of the book is how much you see Tris change. Here, it is slightly noticeable, but not to the book's degree. I'm about to talk about the ending, so watch out for spoilers. IT PISSED ME OFF. IT'S BARELY ANYTHING LIKE THE BOOK'S, AND IT MIGHT EVEN BETRAY THE NEXT MOVIE. Overall, Divergent feels like a mixed bag. You have your good parts, and complete opposites. Its not as bad as the terrible Twilight junk, but still not worthy enough to stand up with the best. (hint, hint HUNGER GAMES!)