Mini Movie Reviews 2 - The Reviewening

[Avian]

The only thing good about that movie was the concept. The execution was horrible.

[blackcherry]

It really shows how far cg has come in a few short years when Robert rodregez can do most of sin city on his laptop and Iron Sky can be done by indie film makers. Sky Captains cg was terrible (though oddly the close up shots looked great). The stylistic art direction means its got away with it bit more mind.

[The Highlander]

Well, I saw several movies this weekend.

Brave

I honestly don't see why the critics are panning it. It's a good, enjoyable flick. Even more refreshingly, the trailers don't give away the central premise of the movie! Wow.

I've seen soem critics claim that all the male characters act like idiots. I think I disagree with this. Fergus, the King; does nto act like an idiot. His actiosn are anything but idiotic. Sure, he's not a great public speaker, which makes him look dumb; but his actions show him to be a brave, loyal, and admirable guy. Plus, he has a deft touch connecting with his daughter, that her mother lacks. Finally, his attempts to help the Queen work through their daughter's issues seems relatively progressive for the time. Even if it is played for laughs.

Like I said. I don't know why it is getting panned by critics. It is just as good as Finding Nemo or Monsters Inc.

Go See it

Glad to hear you liked Brave, I’m certainly going to go and see it (annoyingly it’s not out in Scotland until August, ). One quick question, how does Scotland come across in the film? Is all haggis, kilts and bagpipes or is it a ‘realistic’ portrayal?

[x-esiv-4c]

Haggis, kilts and bagpipes.

I saw Brave and was quite disappointed. I felt that story-writers totally missed the mark on this one. The Movie-Short "La Luna" before Brave was far more engaging and well thought out.

If anything Brave just reinforced the negative Scottish stereotypes (Ugly, easily amused and borderline funtionally retarded).

[Easy E]

Yeah. It played on the Scottish stereotypes pretty heavily.

I don't think they missed their mark. I just don't think you were the target demo; which is something white males 16-35 are going to have to start getting use to.

They wanted an exciting story for young girls that reflected things they cared about, but still had a wide enough draw. I think they straddled the line pretty well. I think people are trying to compare this to masterpieces like The Incredibles and Wall-E. It is a strong movie on its own merits, but is not the top tier of Pixar stuff. However, second tier Pixar is still as good as top tier Dreamworks.

La Luna Was very nice and full of magical whimsy. A nice, endearing effort.


Ultimate Avengers 2
What a wasted effort. The animation shading wasn't as bad as the first on. However, the story was simply.... blah.

This one ties in the Black Panther. However, he comes across terribly. I like the Black Panher from his own animated movie and the Avenger's TV show. Here, he is just part of the furntiure.

Crap, crap, crap.

Destroy it

Saving Silverman
An adolescent comedy with Jason Biggs, Steve Zahn, Jack Black, and Amanda Peet. This movie hates its protagonists, and is therefore unfunny. Also, Amanda Peet keeps beign put in really bizarre outfits to highlight her cleavage. Normally, I am not opposed to such msyogny, but here it just looked wrong.

The only "funny" bit is Steve Zahn wrestling with a fake raccoon that you saw coming a mile away. Even though I have seen this bit a million times, it still makes me laugh. Something about a guy overacting will wrestling with an obviously stuffed fake animal amuses me to no end. I kept hoping the racoon would randomly appear and start attacking him through out the rest of the movie.

Pass

[The Highlander]

Haggis, kilts and bagpipes.

I saw Brave and was quite disappointed. I felt that story-writers totally missed the mark on this one. The Movie-Short "La Luna" before Brave was far more engaging and well thought out.

If anything Brave just reinforced the negative Scottish stereotypes (Ugly, easily amused and borderline funtionally retarded).

That's a shame, though I suppose at least Brave it's pretending to be realistic so it's not as bad as Braveheart.

[Easy E]

Blitz
Jason Statham is a loose cannon that doesn't play by the rules in the Southeast London police force. There is a cop-killer on the loose, and only Jason Statham and his partner can stop him! Okay, the movie isn;t as bad as I just made it sound, but it does follow the basic "Dirty Harry" storyline.

Interestingly enough, Jason Statham's own brutal and uncompromising police tactics are at the heart of the cop killers motives, so in a sense; the brutal police methods of our hero only lead to more death and destruction. In effect, his methods are counter-productive to his purpose as a police officer.

However, the movie doesn't really want to discuss that. Instead, it simply wants to vindicate Jason Statham's character and actually make it look like such tactics will ultimately lead to success. They set-up his partner as a compromised cop trying to do things the right way, but it in the end; he compromises himself. He follows the methods of Jason SDtatham's that started the whole mess to begin with? WTF?

The movie has a very confused relationship with Police. It makes them look tarnished and broken, while a petty hood character ends up doing something heroic. The subtext of the film is all over the place, and it can't decide what exactly it is trying to say. Their are clear themes and important questions, but it has nothing to add to the obvious questions it raises. A bit frustrating in that sense.

On the plus side, Jason is fun to watch being a total *********. The guy is smolderign aggression. In addition, there is a chase scene with some awesome music to go with it.

Pass

[Easy E]

Season of the Witch

Wow, that was terrible. I almost fell asleep.

1. The plot makes no logical sense
2. The Crusading parts are laughable
3. The powers of the witch are ill-defined and only serve to fit the script
4. Nicolas Cage just phones it in, not even entertainingly bad.
5. This one is by-the-numbers which is what makes it so boring.

Destroy It- In my eyes, there is only one cardinal sin of moviemaking. Your movie CAN NOT be BORING!

[ColShaw]

Ironclad (2011)

Holy crap was this movie grim and violent.

(Very) loosely based on the true story of the siege of Rochester Castle in 1215 during the First Barons' War, but drawing at least as much inspiration from Seven Samurai. James Purefoy plays a Knight Templar who tries to hold a castle with seven (of course) knights, a few women, and some (disposable) men-at-arms against King John's army.

It's long, violent, has a very grey color palette, and surprised me by being more enjoyable than I thought it'd be. The acting was okay (Paul Giamatti is obviously having fun playing a sadistic villain, much as he did in Shoot 'Em Up, and Brian Cox is chewing large chunks of ham as the rebellious Baron), the pacing was so-so, the fight sequences decently good but a little heavy on the shaky-cam.

Overall verdict? Worth a Rent if you like period movies with lots of violence. I actually lost count of how many limbs get lopped off this movie.

[sigur]

Season of the Witch

Wow, that was terrible. I almost fell asleep.

1. The plot makes no logical sense
2. The Crusading parts are laughable
3. The powers of the witch are ill-defined and only serve to fit the script
4. Nicolas Cage just phones it in, not even entertainingly bad.
5. This one is by-the-numbers which is what makes it so boring.

Destroy It- In my eyes, there is only one cardinal sin of moviemaking. Your movie CAN NOT be BORING!

I kind of enjoyed it. Sure it was boring, long (despite being short), silly and whatnot but it's a cheap-ish fantasy film and for that it is rather enjoyable. Not good but enjoyable. I think that Ron Pearlman is much more fun than Nicholas Cage in this one though even though I'm not that great a fan of his. It's one of these films that make me think "this isn't a good film but it would make a great D&D adventure".

They made some basic mistakes with the film I'm afraid. First off (apart from the completely messed up geography ), they show within the first minutes that the witches actually are demonic witches which takes a lot from the atmosphere of the whole film. That was probably my main gripe. That and the scene on the bridge seemed to last forever.


It's way too late so just a few quick ones:

Up in the Air (2009) - George Clooney travels across the US specifically to take the job of firing people from their jobs off the hands of companies. He basically spends all his life on airports and somehow lives in this in-between world of security checks, between timezones and with no human contact that would last longer than four hours. I liked it a lot up until the last third.

..in which the whole thing becomes this wish-y wash-y "seen it a thousand times" kind of development of Clooney's character

Still: Watch It. Very good and interesting scenario, very charismatic and competent actors. I like Anna Kendrick now.


Whatever Works (2009) - Woody Allen film starring Larry David as a misanthropic former university professor. He meets a down-on-her-luck country girl who came to New York to "make it big" and, like with everybody else, he teaches her his view on things. Not only the setup is very reminiscent of Mighty Aphrodite but David's character is a bit different to Allens in the older film. I liked it fine but Mighty Aphrodite was a tad better as far as I remember. David is really good of course and so are all the other actors in it but it almost feels like someone else trying to make a Woody Allen film. [on a side note, I recently watched that other Woody Allen film starring him and Jason Biggs. That one was better.]. I'm not saying that the film is bad or not funny, not at all, Watch It by all means because it's a good, enjoyable film. It's just maybe a smigeon too "enjoyable" for my liking.


Be Kind, Rewind (2008) - This is one weird film. I might even have already written about it in here but I don't think I have. Anyhow, it's Mos Def working at a video store that has only VHS tapes. Store owner Danny Glover leaves town and Mos Def is trusted with running the store. Through some weird occurances, him and his friend Jack Black (who plays a homeless, insane guy but it's all in good fun because it's Jack Black) are forced to re-shoot classic films on less than a shoestring budget.

I did laugh out out a few times during that film because there are a lot of very funny things and almost all of them are about how they're filming these movies. It's a loveletter to filmmaking, to creativity and pragmatism. It's very much an "Indie" film and I think that the story is the thing you mostly notice this on. This film takes place in a completely different world and at a completely undefined time. It's a comicbook world almost and it could take place between 1989 and now. It's a bit like Jack Black's performances altogether really. It's highly energetic, out of this world, very funny, has a lot of heart but it's not especially strong at conveying anything meaningful. That's alright and the film actually tries with its kind of democratization of film, an anti-studios vibe and so on but in the end it's a very silly and pretty funny comedy. I love cheap movies, I love MST3k (of course. Who doesn't? It's the best thing that ever graced any tv screen.) and therefore I have a thing for this really cheap way of (affectionately) remaking these classic films with NO budget at all and on very limited time. Watch It if you feel the same. Not a great film, not a film that makes much sense, not a film that furthers anything or anyone but it's pretty funny.


Burn after Reading (2008) - Finally saw this one. I can't really tell you what it's about but I can tell you that it is really, really good. Clooney is good (as always), Malkovich is just mean, Frances McDormand is AWESOME (she's quickly becoming a real favorite of mine. Recently watched the "Man who wasn't there" again which might be my favorite film of the Cohens at the moment), Brad Pitt is very much fun and so on. Just a brilliant ensemble. That and the fact that it's a Cohen brothers film should get the message across already: Watch it!


Friday (1995) - Starring Ice Cube, Chris Rock, Thomas Lister Junior and a bunch of other people. It's a comedy, unsurprisingly. Somewhat of a slacker comedy, all taking place within the course of one day (and a bit), introducing all kinds of weird and colourful characters and situations as Ice Cube and his best friend Smokey are sitting in front of the house, staring at the street. It's kind of infantile, coarse, lazy, (painfully) unfunny at times but I like it a lot. Remember when a few weeks ago I reviewed Soul Plane and HATED it? Friday isn't unlike it but I really like it. Ice Cube makes for a charismatic and sympathetic lead and I think that this is what makes the film. And I was surprised how little Chris Rock annoyed me (and at this point he was probably at his second Chris Rock-est after Rush Hour lateron in which he's really unbearable). I would say Watch It but if you asked me "why?" I wouldn't really know an answer. It's not mean-spirited. Maybe it's that.


Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) - This is a must-see for everybody with a pulse. Great comedy, ever-anachronistic and therefore timeless story, important quotes.


Best Worst Move (2009) - Yes, it's that documentary about Troll2 and yes, I have just watched it now because the thing is really hard to get around here. The guy who played Joshua, the kid from Troll2, decided to make a documentary about the cult phenomenon that the film has become and tries to find and reunite the principal cast of the film after over 20 years. George Hardy, the guy who played the Dad in Troll 2 and dentist in real life, becomes his compagnon in this endeavor and really steals the show with his enthusiasm, his cheerfulness and his spirit. Seriously, George Hardy must be one of the nicest, happiest men alive. It's amazing. They manage to track down most of the cast members and interview them, try to get them to perform at fan conventions and screenings of Troll2 and replay scenes. Some of the reactions and life stories are really fun, some are sad, some are inspiring and some of them are just eyebrow-risingly weird. This goes double for Claudo Fragasso's (the italian director who hardly spoke any English at the time of making the film which made communication with the all-american cast a tad hard) view of the film which he sees as a legitimate piece of art only dragged down by incompetent actors who just wouldn't get it. If you enjoy bad horror films or simply low-budget films you should watch this. Just make sure you watched Troll2 before that but you have to watch that one anyway. Of course it's not the worst film ever made. I haven't seen all that many films and from the top of my head could probably name 10 that are worse than Troll2 (probably even five three that are worse than Manos) but it's a cult phenomenon.

[Easy E]

Dang Sigur, when you decide to watch some movies you don't mess around!

The Avengers

I went into this movie with pretty high expectations. Movies don't normally live up to teh expectations you put on them. I have never read a comic book in my life, but am familar with the characters through general nerd culture, their previous movies, and watching a lot of cartoons. This movie was really, really, really good.

There was only one thing I would do differently....

When the enemy command ship is destroyed, the alien warriors all die. Why? That makes no sense.

Since we all ready established that the aliens were vulnerable to regular human weapons, there should have just been a few scenes where the National Guad, Police, and heroes clean up the remnants, as without their commanders the alien troopers would be confused and unorganized.

I hate the "control ship" idea with a passion because it makes NO sense and is just really piss poor tactical planning.

Must See!

[BigbyWolf]

Super 8- Nicely acted (Elle Fanning, who despite appearances, is Dakota's younger sister, stands out amongst the young actors in particular), and the actor who plays the deputy sherrif is not used very much, but seems suitably brooding given his circumstances. The effects are good (not spectacular, but then it's not really that kind of film), and the monster is nicely hidden for most of the film. I'd say WATCH IT. I'm probably going to buy it at some point, as I'll be watching it again.

[Avian]

That was funny, because all the American reviews I read were like "Ah, nostalgia!", while all the Norwegian reviews were like "Bah, seen it all before!".


'Be Kind, Rewind' would have been better if someone had made sure Mos Def was awake during filming and Jack Black was locked in his trailer.

[BigbyWolf]

Cinema would have been better if someone had made sure Jack Black was locked in his trailer.

Fixed.

[plasticfrog]

PROJECT X (2012)

Synopsis: 3 high school losers with dreams of rock-star social credibility organize the party of their lives which predictably spirals completely out of control. This is the video recording for the birthday boy (it's his party after all).

Assessment: Cliched to the max! The smart alec friend, the quiet dorky guy who secretly has it in him. The girl next door family friend who is actually super hot. The unobtainable sex object chick. What makes it different? The odd melding of 'reality tv' style filming by cam-corder. This makes it a bit more endearing- and contrasts nicely with the 'stills' montages of simply crazy partying that are thrown in at regular intervals to break up the scenes.

Yes, it was cliched. Yes, it was a mix of 'The Hangover' style ridiculous- OMFG- situations and say, American Pie or 'The Party'. Yes, I could see everything unravelling the way it was meant to. But also, Yes, I did enjoy it as a bit of mindless laughs.

Verdict: Rent it. With your mates.

[blackcherry]

'Be Kind, Rewind' would have been better if someone had made sure Mos Def was awake during filming and Jack Black was locked in his trailer.

I think Jack Black can be a capable actor if he has someone who is willing to tell him what to do and not let him get his own way. I liked the film. It had heart, even if it didn't really do anything with its premise.

[sigur]

I think that Jack Black has so much talent for entertainment and pure inspiration that his body can't contain it and that it has to break out all the time. I abolsutely agree about Be Kind Rewind - lots of heart, not much of a mind though. I liked the little Sigourney Weaver part in it as well.

[Avian]

I forget - what was her part again?

[Count Zero]

wasn't she the lawyer acting on behalf of the movie firms.

[sigur]

Exactly. She's basically the lawyer of all hollywood studios. She plays it nicely though - real sympathetic and without any spite at all on the outside, just very slick, "correct" and all that.