Oh man was I excited to see this. After seeing that hilariously bad movie by Mark Wahlberg, I was interested to see how this would tie in with that story, or the original. And I'm gonna say, I wasn't disappointed.
Synopsis: You follow the story of an ape named Caesar who has inherited human level intelligence from his genetically modified mother. Will Rodman (James Franco) is a scientist who harbored the ape, as a result of his own medicine testing. The ape is imprisoned as the result of a court order ( He was defending Will Rodman's father). From then on you begin to see how the ape plans to escape, and what he wants to do with his freedom.
Review: I mainly came to see this movie to see if James Franco could rescue this dying series after Mark Wahlberg stabbed it in the back. I was not disappointed. He really made the audience sympathize with him. But, the person I was most impressed with was the director, Rupert Wyatt. This was only his second film he directed, and the first major Hollywood picture. As I watched the movie, I realized that although the apes were portrayed as evil in the previous movies, Mr. Wyatt provides a fresh insight to the series, and the audience begins to question who they should really root for. I was most surprised by how well he ended the film, with just enough vagueness to make the viewer think. It was a great film, well worth seeing. 22/25
Friday, August 5, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Hangover Part 2/ Hangover 1 again
Well everyone loved the first Hangover, including myself. So when news of a second arrived, everyone was excited. Was it worth the wait?
Oh, and there may be spoilers. If you're worried about that, just read the short version.
Synopsis: 2 years after their escapades in Vegas, the gang is traveling to Thailand to celebrate the marriage of Stu (Ed Helms) and his fiancee Lauren (Jamie Chung). After a night out on the beach, the group wakes up in a trashy house in Bangkok, missing one of the gang (Not Doug). As the movie progresses you follow them in their adventures to recover the missing member, stumbling through events like an international criminal, misadventures with a prostitute, and a drug dealing monkey.
Review: Well the first Hangover was a great movie, but this was a result of no one expecting it to be. Now imagine the Hangover one, copy it, then paste it in Bangkok. It's the same movie! The format was a carbon copy of the original. Same intro of phone call, same antics with a small mammal, same jokes. Allen, who stole the show in the first movie, was over used in the second. The director, Todd Phillips, recognized the popularity of Zach Galifianakis, and pushed him on to the audience with vigor. Where in the first he was innocent and hilarious, his stupidity approached levels of frustrating ignorance that drove the viewer to anger. This movie was also considerably more explicit with not only it's language, but it's highly unappreciated nudity. IT just seems like Hangover Part 2 was a cash in on the name, but without the actual hilarity or surprise. 15/25
Short Version: Doesn't hold a light to the first, even though it's a carbon copy.
Well that was my opinion of that trainwreck, and I would actually tell people not to see this movie.
Here's the trailer:
Oh, and there may be spoilers. If you're worried about that, just read the short version.
Synopsis: 2 years after their escapades in Vegas, the gang is traveling to Thailand to celebrate the marriage of Stu (Ed Helms) and his fiancee Lauren (Jamie Chung). After a night out on the beach, the group wakes up in a trashy house in Bangkok, missing one of the gang (Not Doug). As the movie progresses you follow them in their adventures to recover the missing member, stumbling through events like an international criminal, misadventures with a prostitute, and a drug dealing monkey.
Review: Well the first Hangover was a great movie, but this was a result of no one expecting it to be. Now imagine the Hangover one, copy it, then paste it in Bangkok. It's the same movie! The format was a carbon copy of the original. Same intro of phone call, same antics with a small mammal, same jokes. Allen, who stole the show in the first movie, was over used in the second. The director, Todd Phillips, recognized the popularity of Zach Galifianakis, and pushed him on to the audience with vigor. Where in the first he was innocent and hilarious, his stupidity approached levels of frustrating ignorance that drove the viewer to anger. This movie was also considerably more explicit with not only it's language, but it's highly unappreciated nudity. IT just seems like Hangover Part 2 was a cash in on the name, but without the actual hilarity or surprise. 15/25
Short Version: Doesn't hold a light to the first, even though it's a carbon copy.
Well that was my opinion of that trainwreck, and I would actually tell people not to see this movie.
Here's the trailer:
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Battle Los Angeles
Finally! A movie worth seeing in the year 2011, and it's been quite the wait.
Synopsis: You follow the story of aging Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz who wishes to leave the marines after an incident involving a poor decision in Afghanistan, killing his troops. Just days before his retirement, an unexpected alien attack rains down upon the entire earth. Under the command of a fresh-out-of-college lieutenant, he and his platoon must go to an over run police station and rescue civilians before time runs out and the city is flattened.
Review: Well I came in to this movie with high hopes, and i walked out kind of disappointed. The director; Johnathan Liebesman, seemed unsure of what movie to emulate in his own. There were obvious cues from Blackhawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, and even District 9. The camera angles were obviously meant to feel like a documentary, but they were poorly done. This often created bizarre shots that were blocked and terrible. Not that it matters, because no one gave a crap about these one dimensional characters. I can't count the number of monologues with cliche music playing in the background with a single hand. The characters had no development, and the entire cast was extremely cookie cutter. All this being said, the action was superb. I was constantly enthralled in the extensive fight scenes that ensued. The aliens were interesting enough but very little information was given about them, and all scenes with them were shaky and blurred. Overall, the movie proved to be entertaining enough, but with no depth, and a shaky plot, just check your brain at the door. 19/25
Synopsis: You follow the story of aging Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz who wishes to leave the marines after an incident involving a poor decision in Afghanistan, killing his troops. Just days before his retirement, an unexpected alien attack rains down upon the entire earth. Under the command of a fresh-out-of-college lieutenant, he and his platoon must go to an over run police station and rescue civilians before time runs out and the city is flattened.
Review: Well I came in to this movie with high hopes, and i walked out kind of disappointed. The director; Johnathan Liebesman, seemed unsure of what movie to emulate in his own. There were obvious cues from Blackhawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, and even District 9. The camera angles were obviously meant to feel like a documentary, but they were poorly done. This often created bizarre shots that were blocked and terrible. Not that it matters, because no one gave a crap about these one dimensional characters. I can't count the number of monologues with cliche music playing in the background with a single hand. The characters had no development, and the entire cast was extremely cookie cutter. All this being said, the action was superb. I was constantly enthralled in the extensive fight scenes that ensued. The aliens were interesting enough but very little information was given about them, and all scenes with them were shaky and blurred. Overall, the movie proved to be entertaining enough, but with no depth, and a shaky plot, just check your brain at the door. 19/25
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Green Hornet
Managed to catch this super-hyped movie saturday night. Here's the review.
Synopsis: The son of media giant Tom Wilkinson grows up under the reign of an uncaring and hateful father. 28 years in to his life, he's grown in to a childish slacker, who has done little other than party. His father dies from an allergic reaction to a bee sting and this leave Britt Reid in charge of the new corporation. After waking up to unusually bad coffee, he meets Kato, a street-raised hyper-intelligent martial arts master who works magic with cars. After a night of drunken debauchery, the two bond and become friends. Out of hate for Tom Wilkinson, and an accidental crime-fighting, the two formulate a plot to pose as criminals so that they can further destroy the crime in the city. What starts out as an innocent, drunken plan, turns in to a full-scale war with a city known crime boss, Benjamin Chudnofsky. The more havoc the two reek, the closer they get to a much larger conspiracy.
Review: Well I must warn you, if you walk in to this movie expecting it to be as great as the classic Green Hornet, you will be extremely disappointed. But this is not, necessarily a bad movie. This movie did not try to copy the original, and it shows. As one would expect from a Seth Rogen comedy, there is a significant amount of low-brow humor and slapstick. The plot was nothing to write home about, but the comedic performances by Seth Rogen and Christoph Waltz performed admirably. There was also a forgettable Cameron Diaz role, and Jay Chou had little to say throughout the movie. In fact, Seth Rogen's constant belittling and using of Jay Chou often led the audience to feel sorry for Chou, and come to resent Seth Rogen's character. With Britt Reid being the main character, this created a confusing dynamic that detached viewers from the film, emotionally. Now while the comedy was decent, the action scenes were superb. They were fantastically entertaining, with just enough tongue-in-cheek action for you to enjoy yourself. Overall, the movie suffered from Michael Gondry's poor direction and lackluster plot, but managed to salvage itself with amusing dialogue and exciting action scenes. Due to the complete lack of movies in January, this movie is a great breath of fresh air. Although, do NOT see it in 3-D. While I normally say this, I've read reviews that said about 20 minutes of the movie were actually 3-D. So don't waste your money.
Here's the Trailer
Synopsis: The son of media giant Tom Wilkinson grows up under the reign of an uncaring and hateful father. 28 years in to his life, he's grown in to a childish slacker, who has done little other than party. His father dies from an allergic reaction to a bee sting and this leave Britt Reid in charge of the new corporation. After waking up to unusually bad coffee, he meets Kato, a street-raised hyper-intelligent martial arts master who works magic with cars. After a night of drunken debauchery, the two bond and become friends. Out of hate for Tom Wilkinson, and an accidental crime-fighting, the two formulate a plot to pose as criminals so that they can further destroy the crime in the city. What starts out as an innocent, drunken plan, turns in to a full-scale war with a city known crime boss, Benjamin Chudnofsky. The more havoc the two reek, the closer they get to a much larger conspiracy.
Review: Well I must warn you, if you walk in to this movie expecting it to be as great as the classic Green Hornet, you will be extremely disappointed. But this is not, necessarily a bad movie. This movie did not try to copy the original, and it shows. As one would expect from a Seth Rogen comedy, there is a significant amount of low-brow humor and slapstick. The plot was nothing to write home about, but the comedic performances by Seth Rogen and Christoph Waltz performed admirably. There was also a forgettable Cameron Diaz role, and Jay Chou had little to say throughout the movie. In fact, Seth Rogen's constant belittling and using of Jay Chou often led the audience to feel sorry for Chou, and come to resent Seth Rogen's character. With Britt Reid being the main character, this created a confusing dynamic that detached viewers from the film, emotionally. Now while the comedy was decent, the action scenes were superb. They were fantastically entertaining, with just enough tongue-in-cheek action for you to enjoy yourself. Overall, the movie suffered from Michael Gondry's poor direction and lackluster plot, but managed to salvage itself with amusing dialogue and exciting action scenes. Due to the complete lack of movies in January, this movie is a great breath of fresh air. Although, do NOT see it in 3-D. While I normally say this, I've read reviews that said about 20 minutes of the movie were actually 3-D. So don't waste your money.
Here's the Trailer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)