January
Texas Chainsaw 3D-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75TvtJIbbNY
Gangster Squad-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRVvEHk7xOs
Last Stand-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc0x-jiewTE
Mama-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Am7i7uM9r0
Hansel and Gretel:Witch Hunters-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAzqMhVHh0c
February
Bullet To The Head-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDiaXZiIJOQ
A Good Day To Die Hard-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW9uT2wQFC0
Dark Skies- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8iLp1xQtPQ
Snitch-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rieI5g9fgRc
March
Jack The Giant Slayer-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng9rjC8MOgU
G.I. Joe:Retaliation-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2YMu52MfqA
April
Evil Dead-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceBXUyuv4Q0
Oblivion-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ3Mt9yiz6k
May
Iron Man 3-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CzoSeClcw0'
Star Trek:Into Darkness-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeLp2qr2iCg
Fast And Furious Six-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J94EIgeWVI0
After Earth-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIt20emgLY
June
The Purge-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0LLaybEuzA
This Is The End-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNs0vQgCWY0
World War Z-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md6Dvxdr0AQ
July
The Conjuring-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k10ETZ41q5o
Grown-Ups 2-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_c3hW0Uyvc
Pacific Rim-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A85EtOalcsM
R.I.P.D-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X07xNrVd7DU
August
300:Rise Of An Empire-No Trailer Yet
Kick-A$$ 2-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UMbwxbgv8U
Elysium-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ-bYOyQ46Y
Percy Jackson:Sea Of Monsters-http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=102132
Mortal Instruments:City Of Bones-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc4CiTvQ-YE
You're Next-http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=102086
The World's End- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF-4c8U-mUI
September
Riddick-http://collider.com/riddick-trailer-vin-diesel/
Insidious Chapter 2-No Trailer Yet
The Tomb-No Trailer Yet
October
Sin City:A Dame To Kill For-No Trailer Yet
Escape Plan-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmt89TXjYBI
Carrie-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdoVioPv0fs
Oldboy-No Trailer Yet
November
Ender's Game-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP0cUBi4hwE
Thor:The Dark World-http://collider.com/thor-2-trailer/
The Hunger Games:Catching Fire-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyPnQw_Lqds
December
47 Ronin-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8cKdDkkIYY
Trailers ill be constantly added and updated.
Monday, December 31, 2012
2013 Watch List!!!
2012 was a great year for films but now it is time to look forward to 2013 and get a list going as to what is upcoming this year.
Anticipation Meter
*-Slight
** -Mild
***-Very
January
4th-Texas Chainsaw 3D***
"A young woman travels to Texas to collect an inheritance; little does she know that an encounter with a chainsaw-wielding killer is part of the reward".
11th-Gangster Squad**
"A chronicle of the LAPD's fight to keep East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s".
18th-The Last Stand*
"The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexperienced staff".
18th-Mama**
"Annabel and Lucas are faced with the challenge of raising his young nieces that were left alone in the forest for 5 years.... but how alone were they?."
25th-Hansel and Gretel:Witch Hunters***
"In this dark spin on the fairy tale, siblings Hansel and Gretel are a formidable team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world".
February
1st-Bullet To The Head*
"After watching their respective partners die, a cop and a hitman form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy".
14th-A Good Day To Die Hard**
"John McClane travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack, only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist, causing the father and son to team up against underworld forces".
22nd-Dark Skies*
"As the Barret family's peaceful suburban life is rocked by an escalating series of disturbing events, they come to learn that a terrifying and deadly force is after them".
22nd-Snitch**
"A father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in drug deal".
March
1st-Jack The Giant Slayer*
"A modern day fairy tale in which the long-standing peace between men and giants is threatened, as a young farmer leads an expedition into the giants' kingdom in hopes of rescuing a kidnapped princess".
29th-G.I. Joe:Retaliation**
"The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence".
April
5th-Evil Dead***
"Mia, a young woman struggling with sobriety, heads to a remote cabin with her brother and a group of friends, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads to danger and horror".
19th-Oblivion**
"One of the few remaining drone repairmen assigned to Earth, its surface devastated after decades of war with the alien Scavs.".
May
3rd-Iron Man 3***
"Tony Stark uses his ingenuity to fight those who destroyed his private world and soon goes up against his most powerful enemy yet: the Mandarin".
31st-After Earth*
"After a crash landing, a father and son explore a planet that was evacuated by humans 1,000 years earlier".
June
7thThe Purge**
"Given the country's overcrowded prisons, the U.S. government begins to allow 12-hour periods of time in which all illegal activity is legal. During one of these free-for-all's, a family must protect themselves from a home invasion".
12th-This Is The End***
"While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse".
21st-World War Z***
"A U.N. employee is racing against time and fate, as he travels the world trying to stop the outbreak of a deadly Zombie pandemic".
July
12th-Pacific Rim***
"When an alien attack threatens the Earth's existence, giant robots piloted by humans are deployed to fight off the menace".
19th-The Conjuring**
"Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives".
August
7th-Percy Jackson:Sea Of Monsters**
"In order to restore their dying safe haven, the son of Poseidon and his friends head into the Sea of Monsters to find the mythical Golden Fleece".
9th-Elysium**
"Set in the year 2159, where the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth, a man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds"
September
6th-Riddick**
"Left for dead on a sun-scorched planet, Riddick finds himself up against a alien race of predators. Activating an emergency beacon alerts two ships: one carrying a new breed of mercenary, and the other captained by a man from Riddick's past".
13th-Insidious Chapter 2***
"A continuation of the 2010 horror hit about the fate of the Lambert family and their haunted house".
November
8th-Thor:The Dark World***
"Thor battles an ancient race of Dark Elves led by the vengeful Malekith
who threatens to plunge the universe back into darkness after the events
of The Avengers".
December
25th-47 Ronin**
"An 18th century set story centered on a band of samurai who set out to avenge the death of their master".
Worst Of The Year (2012)
Every year there are great films, but also terrible films and the year 2012 is not any different, as with my movie of the year post i will list all film that got a 7.0 or below.
John Carter
Wrath Of The Titans
Lockout
Dark Shadows
Battleship
Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter
Total Recall
Resident Evil:Retribution
House At The End Of The Street
Silent Hill:Revelation
ratings of the films
John Carter-7.0
Wrath Of The Titans-6.9
Lockout-6.2
Dark Shadows-6.4
Battleship-5.5
Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter-6.5
Total Recall-7.0
Resident Evil:Retribution-6.9
House At The End Of The Street-5.0
Silent Hill:Revelation-6.7
All of these films where pretty bad in my opinion and I would suggest to skip them all but one of these was the worst of the worst and that was...........
This film was horrible, and I actually thought it was funny reading reviews for this film and people were trying to shield Jennifer Lawrence from this film saying the script was just plain bad, that maybe partly true but her acting did not make this film any better (I am not a fan of her her performance in Hunger games was nothing special in my opinion it was pretty average). this was the worst film of the year which if you would have asked me after watching battleship I would have said that was easily the worst of the year but this film was actually worse.
John Carter
Wrath Of The Titans
Lockout
Dark Shadows
Battleship
Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter
Total Recall
Resident Evil:Retribution
House At The End Of The Street
Silent Hill:Revelation
ratings of the films
John Carter-7.0
Wrath Of The Titans-6.9
Lockout-6.2
Dark Shadows-6.4
Battleship-5.5
Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter-6.5
Total Recall-7.0
Resident Evil:Retribution-6.9
House At The End Of The Street-5.0
Silent Hill:Revelation-6.7
All of these films where pretty bad in my opinion and I would suggest to skip them all but one of these was the worst of the worst and that was...........
This film was horrible, and I actually thought it was funny reading reviews for this film and people were trying to shield Jennifer Lawrence from this film saying the script was just plain bad, that maybe partly true but her acting did not make this film any better (I am not a fan of her her performance in Hunger games was nothing special in my opinion it was pretty average). this was the worst film of the year which if you would have asked me after watching battleship I would have said that was easily the worst of the year but this film was actually worse.
Movie Of The Year (2012)
2012 in my opinion has been a good year for films and as we ring in the new year and a whole slate of new films to view, I like to list my top 5 films of the year and pick one that I felt rose above the rest. first I will list every film that i gave at least a rating 8.0.
The Grey
Safe House
The Cabin in the woods
The Avengers
Men In Black 3
Prometheus
The Expendables 2
Dredd 3D
Looper
Sinister
Now I will list the original rating I gave the film and if necessary I will list the adjusted rating for the film if I feel it should be rated higher or lower than my original rating.
Original Rating
The Grey-8.4
Safe House-8.1
The Cabin In The Woods-8.6
The Avengers-8.5
Men In Black 3-8.5
Prometheus-8.6
The Expendables 2-8.2
Dredd 3D-8.3
Looper-8.9
Sinister-8.0
Adjusted Rating
The Grey-8.5
Safe House-8.2
The Cabin in the woods-same rating
The Avengers-8.3
Men In Black 3-7.8
Prometheus-8.6
The Expendables 2-8.1
Dredd 3D-Same Rating
Looper-8.7
Sinister-8.3
Now i will narrow this list to five films.
Final Five
The Cabin In The Woods
Looper
Prometheus
The Grey
Tie- Sinister/Dredd 3D
Here are my pics for movie of the year, I mentioned that this was supposed to be five films, but I have six listed here i could not decide between Dredd 3D and Sinister.
Now it is time to pick my favorite film of the year 2012 between these six Nominees
AND THE WINNER IS !!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was my highest rated film even after my adjusted ratings and honestly i could almost find nothing wrong with the film, if you did not see this film make surer you do great film the best of the year of the very good films I saw this year.
The Grey
Safe House
The Cabin in the woods
The Avengers
Men In Black 3
Prometheus
The Expendables 2
Dredd 3D
Looper
Sinister
Now I will list the original rating I gave the film and if necessary I will list the adjusted rating for the film if I feel it should be rated higher or lower than my original rating.
Original Rating
The Grey-8.4
Safe House-8.1
The Cabin In The Woods-8.6
The Avengers-8.5
Men In Black 3-8.5
Prometheus-8.6
The Expendables 2-8.2
Dredd 3D-8.3
Looper-8.9
Sinister-8.0
Adjusted Rating
The Grey-8.5
Safe House-8.2
The Cabin in the woods-same rating
The Avengers-8.3
Men In Black 3-7.8
Prometheus-8.6
The Expendables 2-8.1
Dredd 3D-Same Rating
Looper-8.7
Sinister-8.3
Now i will narrow this list to five films.
Final Five
The Cabin In The Woods
Looper
Prometheus
The Grey
Tie- Sinister/Dredd 3D
Here are my pics for movie of the year, I mentioned that this was supposed to be five films, but I have six listed here i could not decide between Dredd 3D and Sinister.
Now it is time to pick my favorite film of the year 2012 between these six Nominees
AND THE WINNER IS !!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was my highest rated film even after my adjusted ratings and honestly i could almost find nothing wrong with the film, if you did not see this film make surer you do great film the best of the year of the very good films I saw this year.
Friday, November 30, 2012
November 2012!!!!
The only film on tap for the month of November is "Red Dawn" Starring Josh Peck, Chris Hemsworth and Isabel Lucas
Plot
I am sure there are plenty of people who will see this film that did not see the original film, and I have to say to those people do yourself a favor and see the original before seeing this film. The reason I say this is before I talk about the reboot film I want to say that the original was 10 times that the reboot was, the acting the setting the story was all better in the 1984 original film, and I hope anyone that is seeing the reboot I urge them to watch that film first.now onto this film the cast is basically all unknowns (at the time when this film was made in 2009 Chris Hemsworth was an unknown Same for Josh Hutcherson (peeta from hunger games)). The performances where terrible in my opinion all around there was not one good performance that stood out to me, except for the fact that they ware all equally underwhelming, especially Josh Peck his performance was one of the worst performances I have ever seen. The story/setting is similar to the 1984 film int hat a town in America (Spokane, Washington instead calumet,Colorado) is invaded by a nation (N.Korea instead of Russia updated for the times). And it is up to a few kids to band together and protect their home from these outsiders. From here on in the movies just gets worse and worse and honestly I feel there is not much really to add from here on in. One point that many people may not agree with me about that for me really hurt the film even more, in the group of kids there where about 6 minorities and at the end of the film all of them where dead and to me that was Hollywood following the old stereotype some of them for the dumbest reasons ever which I really did not like, some may not make a big deal of this but for me having all of the minority characters die just rubbed me the wrong way. another part of this film that I did not like was that they made Toni and Erica not sisters which I thought was a dumb change.Rotten Tomatoes had this to say "The rebooted Red Dawn lacks the original's topicality, but at least pays tribute in delivering the same short shrift to character development and general logic." I agree with everything this was a terrible movie and I do not want to further elaborate anymore.
Rating
this was a terrible film and they should have left it back in 1984 5.5/10!!!! do not see this film.
Plot
"A group of teenagers look to save their town from an invasion of North Korean soldiers".
My Thoughts
I am sure there are plenty of people who will see this film that did not see the original film, and I have to say to those people do yourself a favor and see the original before seeing this film. The reason I say this is before I talk about the reboot film I want to say that the original was 10 times that the reboot was, the acting the setting the story was all better in the 1984 original film, and I hope anyone that is seeing the reboot I urge them to watch that film first.now onto this film the cast is basically all unknowns (at the time when this film was made in 2009 Chris Hemsworth was an unknown Same for Josh Hutcherson (peeta from hunger games)). The performances where terrible in my opinion all around there was not one good performance that stood out to me, except for the fact that they ware all equally underwhelming, especially Josh Peck his performance was one of the worst performances I have ever seen. The story/setting is similar to the 1984 film int hat a town in America (Spokane, Washington instead calumet,Colorado) is invaded by a nation (N.Korea instead of Russia updated for the times). And it is up to a few kids to band together and protect their home from these outsiders. From here on in the movies just gets worse and worse and honestly I feel there is not much really to add from here on in. One point that many people may not agree with me about that for me really hurt the film even more, in the group of kids there where about 6 minorities and at the end of the film all of them where dead and to me that was Hollywood following the old stereotype some of them for the dumbest reasons ever which I really did not like, some may not make a big deal of this but for me having all of the minority characters die just rubbed me the wrong way. another part of this film that I did not like was that they made Toni and Erica not sisters which I thought was a dumb change.Rotten Tomatoes had this to say "The rebooted Red Dawn lacks the original's topicality, but at least pays tribute in delivering the same short shrift to character development and general logic." I agree with everything this was a terrible movie and I do not want to further elaborate anymore.
Rating
this was a terrible film and they should have left it back in 1984 5.5/10!!!! do not see this film.
Friday, October 19, 2012
October 2012!!!!
The Month of October brings with it 3 films the first being "Taken 2" Starring Liam Neesen, Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace the film opened on the 5th.
Plot
"In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter".
My Thoughts
Unlike many I wasn't a huge fan of the original "Taken" while I didn't think it was a bad film I didn't think it was a great film either like many felt it was. Liam Neesen is a fine actor and I am a fan of a lot of his films (most recently this year in "The Grey"). The first "Taken" was original in the way that it was presented and the premise behind it, with Neesen being great in his role of a father who would do anything to get his daughter back. In this film unfortunately the same plot exists only this time it is the gang of the people he killed coming to take Liam Neesen's character and his immediate family for what he did, this plot for me already had my expectations for the film lowered as it would be nothing new, and that is not entirely the films fault it is a sequel and not a squeal that had a distinctly different title than the first film that would have indicated that it was drastically different. Acting wise there is nothing groundbreaking here Neesen does a good job in his character who is largely the same as the first film and I had no complaints as I knew what to expect from him, the characters played by Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen where expended much more in this film in an attempt to help strengthen a connection with the characters and make you feel more for them, I did not feel more for them at all in this film, in fact I actually cared about them less in this film than in the original maybe this had to do with in the original they seemed more fragile. And in this film they seemed more tough which for me meant they could take care of themselves just a little bit more, in particular Grace's character maybe it is due to her limited acting ability (I have seen her in a few films and have never been impressed with her) she made me dislike her character the more and more screen time she had (especially in the long chase scene, it got really annoying). The other characters outside of the main cast did a commendable job and did what was required of the not play their roles and I have nothing left to add there in terms of the cast. The camera work for me stood out for its shakiness it got hard to focus on what was happening at certain points due to the camera shaking so much, I am sure the director did this to add an element of to the film but for me it took away from the film if anything. there was no huge use if at all of special effects and I felt that was a good choice as it gave the film a "real" feeling to it . this shocked me after I thought about the film after seeing it but there was not much that I liked about the film it was essentially taken with just more of the same villains just going after him and not just his daughter this time.Rotten Tomatoes had this to say "Taken 2 is largely bereft of the kinetic thrills -- and surprises -- that made the original a hit". I agree this is basically taken but not as good and for me the first one wasn't great.
Rating
Worse than the first film which for me wasn't the great film most people think it was 7.0/10!!!! nothing special here but worth seeing if you have free time available.
The Second movie for the month of October is "Sinister" Starring Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance and James Ransone.
Plot
"Found footage helps a true-crime author realize how and why a family was murdered in his new home, though his discoveries put his entire family in the path of a supernatural entity".
My Thoughts
This film was not originally on my watch list to start the year. after doing some research on this film and finally getting the chance to check out the trailer a few weeks ago, the film intrigued me enough to add to my watch list and see how the film was. I first want to start out with the opening shot of the film I do not want to give anything away but it set the tone of the film right from the start and I felt it was one of the best opening scenes I have seen in a film this year, It was very unexpected and for a film of this nature it was done beautifully. Next I want to go onto the cast which was brilliant in this film for the most part, I have not seen many Ethan Hawke films but the roles that I had seen him in he did a commendable job in them and I would say he is a decent actor, in this film he had his best role in my opinion (other than in training day) He played the role of a writer whose 15 minutes of fame had long since passed and was looking for his next big hit and was willing to do anything to get the inspiration he felt was needed to help him do so., the actors who played his two children did really good jobs in their roles especially the actress who played his daughter, the actress who played the wife of the family was the one dark spot in terms of the cast, she was never very convincing and the British accent didn't help much either, other than her performance great casting in this film. The setting/tone and apace of this film was excellent this is not your classic slasher horror film I would say it is more suspense film that throws in the occasional "jump" scare to keep the audience on its toes and this was the best film to mix the two I have seen since "Insidious" fro m2011 which was another highly rated suspense/horror film for me, The most pleasing aspect for me that this film did was the "home movies" footage that Ethan Hawke's character found in the new home they movies to and he used as the basis for his new book it was something I personally had not seen done in a film before and it really added to the story as a whole. Another aspect of this film that I really liked was the use of the "Demon" whose name was behguul, I liked the fact that in the film you are never really given a chance to fully see his character which I felt was a great idea as it helped lend to his mysteriousness. There was not much I could honestly say I disliked about this film it was very good and I highly recommend for viewers who where fans of insidious or are fans of a good suspense/horror film which this was Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 60% saying " ts plot hinges on typically implausible horror-movie behavior and recycles countless genre cliches, but Sinister delivers a surprising number of fresh, diabolical twists" I disagree with this rating for the genre this film sits in it was very good.
My Thoughts
Very good film, I am very happy that I did not pass this up 8.0/10!!!!!
The last film for the month of October is Silent Hill: Revelation 3D starring Adelaide Clemens, Kit Harington and Sean Bean the film opend on the 26th.
Plot
"When her father disappears, Heather Mason is drawn into a strange and terrifying alternate reality that holds answers to the horrific nightmares that have plagued her since childhood".
My Thoughts
Unlike many I have talked to, I enjoyed the first Silent Hill film. I thought it was done well the acting was solid the atmosphere felt really close to the film, the CG was good for the time (2006) and it felt true to the games in that sense, The ending for me really hurt my overall view of that film but nonetheless it was a solid entry into the Silent hill movie franchise. Just going over the original silent hill has made m realize that it has been 6 years since that film came out and to me that is a shame that it has taken so long, often the problem with waiting that long to film a sequel is that usually the actors who could potentially return for the following films may no longer be available or want to work on the follow up film, In this case that was not the problem for the cast, the director was changed unfortunately as I like his direction in the first film and for me when making a franchise of films I prefer if the director stays the same as it helps for the films to have the same continuity (see the transition from X2 to X3). Onto this film, which basically takes place from what I am judging takes place 6 years after the vents of the original we still have Sean Bean playing the father from the first film and we have Alessa obviously grown up and played by another actress (which by looking up the actress who played her in the first film they could have still used her). The premise of this film is that Alessa and her father move from state to state town to town avoiding presence in her dreams calling that seems to draw Alessa (who in the state they are occupying now has changed her name to heather) to a place called silent hill. you know where this goes from here she eventually ends up in silent hill and that is basically where the movie picks up, the only problem I had with this story was the lead up to that point it felt drawn out and unneeded but I guess if they didn't take this route the film would literally be 15-20 minutes long and not a feature film length. The acting was sub par for some reason they chose a cast comprised of mostly Australian/British actors which I do not understand (I guess because they are unknowns and potentially are cheaper to pay) even if that is the case I, there are many moments where you can hear the accents come through and that took away from the overall acting experience for me, Carrie-Ann Moss surprisingly was in this film but she didn't make an impression on me during her screen time (Could be the script could be she saw the job as a paycheck who knows). the CG was of good quality nothing spectacular but it was not horrible either. I do want to mention n that the 3D when used was very good and I have no complaints there. As I mentioned earlier in the review, I Like to see continuity when it comes to the cast and the director of sequels films and this film was a testament to why I prefer that method. there are a lot of moments in the film where randomly the film cuts to a monster then cuts back for no apparent reason. In the first film the director used a much more subtle route rather than just throwing a monster n your face, I much preferred the method in the first film. Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 7% saying "Featuring weak characters, an incomprehensible plot, and a decided shortage of scares, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D is a mediocre effort even by the standards of video game adaptations". I agree with them this was not a very good film, I want to add that in my opinion if the same director and the same cast was kept that this film would have been much better and this is a type of film that further cements why I prefer continuity with sequels and 3rd or 4th films in a franchise (One last note the main character Rose from the first film does have a minor role in this film which was disappointing, I really liked her role in the first film and wish she had been given more screen time).
Rating
Not very good, only major highlight was 3D usage (which was not used all the time but when it was was used properly). Bad choice for cast picking so many Australian and British actors, if you have time to kill or are a huge fan Silent Hill I would say see it once, if not pass it 6.7/10!!!!(Side note there are scenes during the credits and after the credits).
Plot
"In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter".
My Thoughts
Unlike many I wasn't a huge fan of the original "Taken" while I didn't think it was a bad film I didn't think it was a great film either like many felt it was. Liam Neesen is a fine actor and I am a fan of a lot of his films (most recently this year in "The Grey"). The first "Taken" was original in the way that it was presented and the premise behind it, with Neesen being great in his role of a father who would do anything to get his daughter back. In this film unfortunately the same plot exists only this time it is the gang of the people he killed coming to take Liam Neesen's character and his immediate family for what he did, this plot for me already had my expectations for the film lowered as it would be nothing new, and that is not entirely the films fault it is a sequel and not a squeal that had a distinctly different title than the first film that would have indicated that it was drastically different. Acting wise there is nothing groundbreaking here Neesen does a good job in his character who is largely the same as the first film and I had no complaints as I knew what to expect from him, the characters played by Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen where expended much more in this film in an attempt to help strengthen a connection with the characters and make you feel more for them, I did not feel more for them at all in this film, in fact I actually cared about them less in this film than in the original maybe this had to do with in the original they seemed more fragile. And in this film they seemed more tough which for me meant they could take care of themselves just a little bit more, in particular Grace's character maybe it is due to her limited acting ability (I have seen her in a few films and have never been impressed with her) she made me dislike her character the more and more screen time she had (especially in the long chase scene, it got really annoying). The other characters outside of the main cast did a commendable job and did what was required of the not play their roles and I have nothing left to add there in terms of the cast. The camera work for me stood out for its shakiness it got hard to focus on what was happening at certain points due to the camera shaking so much, I am sure the director did this to add an element of to the film but for me it took away from the film if anything. there was no huge use if at all of special effects and I felt that was a good choice as it gave the film a "real" feeling to it . this shocked me after I thought about the film after seeing it but there was not much that I liked about the film it was essentially taken with just more of the same villains just going after him and not just his daughter this time.Rotten Tomatoes had this to say "Taken 2 is largely bereft of the kinetic thrills -- and surprises -- that made the original a hit". I agree this is basically taken but not as good and for me the first one wasn't great.
Rating
Worse than the first film which for me wasn't the great film most people think it was 7.0/10!!!! nothing special here but worth seeing if you have free time available.
The Second movie for the month of October is "Sinister" Starring Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance and James Ransone.
Plot
"Found footage helps a true-crime author realize how and why a family was murdered in his new home, though his discoveries put his entire family in the path of a supernatural entity".
My Thoughts
This film was not originally on my watch list to start the year. after doing some research on this film and finally getting the chance to check out the trailer a few weeks ago, the film intrigued me enough to add to my watch list and see how the film was. I first want to start out with the opening shot of the film I do not want to give anything away but it set the tone of the film right from the start and I felt it was one of the best opening scenes I have seen in a film this year, It was very unexpected and for a film of this nature it was done beautifully. Next I want to go onto the cast which was brilliant in this film for the most part, I have not seen many Ethan Hawke films but the roles that I had seen him in he did a commendable job in them and I would say he is a decent actor, in this film he had his best role in my opinion (other than in training day) He played the role of a writer whose 15 minutes of fame had long since passed and was looking for his next big hit and was willing to do anything to get the inspiration he felt was needed to help him do so., the actors who played his two children did really good jobs in their roles especially the actress who played his daughter, the actress who played the wife of the family was the one dark spot in terms of the cast, she was never very convincing and the British accent didn't help much either, other than her performance great casting in this film. The setting/tone and apace of this film was excellent this is not your classic slasher horror film I would say it is more suspense film that throws in the occasional "jump" scare to keep the audience on its toes and this was the best film to mix the two I have seen since "Insidious" fro m2011 which was another highly rated suspense/horror film for me, The most pleasing aspect for me that this film did was the "home movies" footage that Ethan Hawke's character found in the new home they movies to and he used as the basis for his new book it was something I personally had not seen done in a film before and it really added to the story as a whole. Another aspect of this film that I really liked was the use of the "Demon" whose name was behguul, I liked the fact that in the film you are never really given a chance to fully see his character which I felt was a great idea as it helped lend to his mysteriousness. There was not much I could honestly say I disliked about this film it was very good and I highly recommend for viewers who where fans of insidious or are fans of a good suspense/horror film which this was Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 60% saying " ts plot hinges on typically implausible horror-movie behavior and recycles countless genre cliches, but Sinister delivers a surprising number of fresh, diabolical twists" I disagree with this rating for the genre this film sits in it was very good.
My Thoughts
Very good film, I am very happy that I did not pass this up 8.0/10!!!!!
The last film for the month of October is Silent Hill: Revelation 3D starring Adelaide Clemens, Kit Harington and Sean Bean the film opend on the 26th.
Plot
"When her father disappears, Heather Mason is drawn into a strange and terrifying alternate reality that holds answers to the horrific nightmares that have plagued her since childhood".
My Thoughts
Unlike many I have talked to, I enjoyed the first Silent Hill film. I thought it was done well the acting was solid the atmosphere felt really close to the film, the CG was good for the time (2006) and it felt true to the games in that sense, The ending for me really hurt my overall view of that film but nonetheless it was a solid entry into the Silent hill movie franchise. Just going over the original silent hill has made m realize that it has been 6 years since that film came out and to me that is a shame that it has taken so long, often the problem with waiting that long to film a sequel is that usually the actors who could potentially return for the following films may no longer be available or want to work on the follow up film, In this case that was not the problem for the cast, the director was changed unfortunately as I like his direction in the first film and for me when making a franchise of films I prefer if the director stays the same as it helps for the films to have the same continuity (see the transition from X2 to X3). Onto this film, which basically takes place from what I am judging takes place 6 years after the vents of the original we still have Sean Bean playing the father from the first film and we have Alessa obviously grown up and played by another actress (which by looking up the actress who played her in the first film they could have still used her). The premise of this film is that Alessa and her father move from state to state town to town avoiding presence in her dreams calling that seems to draw Alessa (who in the state they are occupying now has changed her name to heather) to a place called silent hill. you know where this goes from here she eventually ends up in silent hill and that is basically where the movie picks up, the only problem I had with this story was the lead up to that point it felt drawn out and unneeded but I guess if they didn't take this route the film would literally be 15-20 minutes long and not a feature film length. The acting was sub par for some reason they chose a cast comprised of mostly Australian/British actors which I do not understand (I guess because they are unknowns and potentially are cheaper to pay) even if that is the case I, there are many moments where you can hear the accents come through and that took away from the overall acting experience for me, Carrie-Ann Moss surprisingly was in this film but she didn't make an impression on me during her screen time (Could be the script could be she saw the job as a paycheck who knows). the CG was of good quality nothing spectacular but it was not horrible either. I do want to mention n that the 3D when used was very good and I have no complaints there. As I mentioned earlier in the review, I Like to see continuity when it comes to the cast and the director of sequels films and this film was a testament to why I prefer that method. there are a lot of moments in the film where randomly the film cuts to a monster then cuts back for no apparent reason. In the first film the director used a much more subtle route rather than just throwing a monster n your face, I much preferred the method in the first film. Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 7% saying "Featuring weak characters, an incomprehensible plot, and a decided shortage of scares, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D is a mediocre effort even by the standards of video game adaptations". I agree with them this was not a very good film, I want to add that in my opinion if the same director and the same cast was kept that this film would have been much better and this is a type of film that further cements why I prefer continuity with sequels and 3rd or 4th films in a franchise (One last note the main character Rose from the first film does have a minor role in this film which was disappointing, I really liked her role in the first film and wish she had been given more screen time).
Rating
Not very good, only major highlight was 3D usage (which was not used all the time but when it was was used properly). Bad choice for cast picking so many Australian and British actors, if you have time to kill or are a huge fan Silent Hill I would say see it once, if not pass it 6.7/10!!!!(Side note there are scenes during the credits and after the credits).
Thursday, September 20, 2012
September 2012!!!!
September brings with it four films to view the first being Resident Evil:Retribution Starring Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez and Sienna Guillory, The film opened on the 14th.
Plot
Plot
"In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO".
My Thoughts
I am sure most people who are interested in seeing this film saw the original Judge Dredd from 1995 starring Sylvester Stallone, I may be in the minority on this, but I actually thought that this film was decent and worth watching, I had no idea about the comics or anything of that nature when I saw the film, which may have been a blessing as it seems most people who saw the comics and knew of the source material vehemently disagreed with what was going on in that film. The previous film has no bearing for my review of this film as this is mroe of a reimaginaing than a sequel of its 1995 counterpart, I will keep this review short and sweet, this film was very good, it has all the makings of what you want in a action film. Urban awesome as dredd, the rest of the cast do great jobs in their roles,. The 3D was very well used and was some of the best I have seen RottenTomatoes gave the film a 77% saying "Fueled by bombastic violence and impressive special effects, rooted in self-satire and deadpan humor, Dredd 3D is a rare example of a remake that actually work"., this is one of the few times I disagree with rotten tomateos as I would have gone higher.
Rating
If you lie action films combined with good 3D see this, was actually one of the best films I have seen this year 8.3/10!!!!
The third Movie for the month of September is "House At The End Of The Street" Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue and Max Theriot, The Film opened on the 21st.
Plot
"A mother and daughter move to a new town and find themselves living next door to a house where a young girl murdered her parents. When the daughter befriends the surviving son, she learns the story is far from over".
My Thoughts
It is not often that I say a movie is bad and people should ksip it completley, but in this case that holds true.I do not have a lot to say about this film other than the story is not very original, the acting I will say is passable but not enough to carry this film (I know a lot of people say Jennifer Lawrence is a great actress, but I am not one of them) Rotten Tomatoes had this to say about the film "Poorly conceived, clumsily executed, and almost completely bereft of scares, House at the End of the Street strands its talented star in a film as bland as its title". I agree the film was bad in basically all facets, and I will nto spend anymore time talking about it.
Rating
Pass this film unless you literally have nothing else to do for 140 minutes 5.0/10!!!!
The 4th and final movie for the month of Speedometer is "Looper" Starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon.Levitt and Emily Blunt.
Plot
"In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits. Someone like Joe, who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by transporting back Joe's future self."
My Thoughts
When I first read about this film, last year when compiling my list for 2012, it immediately caught my attention just with the premise of the film, and adding Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis as the two main characters of this film where really good choices in my opinion. Let me start by saying this film does excellently and I have to congratulate the director for a fantastic Job with everything done with this film, I had high expectations for this film and I can say that this film surpassed my expectations in almost every way, the setting of the film works great with what the film is trying to get across, there is not much CG in this film but what is used is done perfectly and blends in with the film without making it look cheesy, the pacing of the film works together also some of the images in this film stick with you just for the power that the images conveys to the viewer that is something that not many movies for me have done especially in recent times. the acting n this film was top notch in my opinion Levitt and Willis are superb in playing the same role albeit at different ages they work well together, this was one of the few films that Brice Willis actually impressed me with his acting chops, I also want to add that Jeff Daniels was great in this film playing the bad guy of sorts I haven't seen him in a film in a while and it was good to see him in something of this caliber. Emily Blunt was the one odd pick for me with the cast, her acting was fine but I felt that they could have chose an American actress and a more attractive one at that, this is just my opinion and she fit in fine in the film but if I had to make a change to the main cast it would have been her. I do want to point of that the child who played the very important role of :Cid" did a phenomenal job and not only with his acting but with the emotion that he made with his facial expressions this was one of the more impressive performances I have seen by a child in a long time and I will have an eye on this kid down the road to see where his career goes from here. As of right now I would have to say this was one of the best films I have seen this year without a doubt it was superbly done and my only concern is that a lot of people will pass over this gem of a film and if they do, All I will say is that they are missing out on a great film and of of the years best. Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 93% saying "As thought-provoking as it is thrilling, Looper delivers an uncommonly smart, bravely original blend of futuristic sci-fi and good old-fashioned action". I agree thsi was a great film.
Rating
8.9/10 Great film one of the best of the year!!!!.
"Alice fights alongside a resistance movement in the continuing battle against the Umbrella Corporation and the undead".
My Thoughts
I want to start by saying that I am a big fan of the resident evil Films (I never really got into the games) and I was highly anticipating this film when I heard about it going into production. A lot of people I talk to are not huge fan of the films whether it be they prefer the storylines of the games or the fact that the main character in the film series Alice is not an actual character in any of the games and is only in the films. I honestly do not look at it in either of those aspects I take the films for what they are, and enjoy them for that aspect. The last film in the series "Afterlife" for me was not very good and left me underwhelmed for the most part, once I started reading into the background for this film and I heard about the big news that they where bringing back some major character from past films in the series (Michelle Rodriguez and Sienna Guillory) my min was made up from that moment. Anyone that has seen any of the films in this series will know what to expect, cheesy acting skills, lots and lots of action, great CGI, and over the top zombie killing monster madness. In this aspect "Retribution" does a great job it follows the vein of its predecessors and does a great job at entertaining the viewer. Michelle Rodriguez's "Rain" character was my favorite in this first film and I have waited and waited for her return which was finally granted 10 years after the first film (I want to point out that this film series has been going on for 10 years which was boggling to me, I never thought about that until the day I saw the film) But I want to say that I was disappointed in the way that her character's (I will not say much more about that) where portrayed I would have much preferred if they brought her back in her old role an the Solider with the tough as steel mantra and had her fight at Alice's side, sadly this was not the case, I can hope for a return in the inevitable sixth installment that this will come to fruition.The CGI which is like I mentioned earlier usually top notch fell flat to me, I saw the film in 3D ( I would not recommend to see it in 3D) and the CGI looked "cheap" this film had a pretty sizable budget and to me this was a huge disappointment that took away from some of the more important scenes in the film as a whole. the acting like I mentioned earlier in these films are not known to up to scratch and this film was no different, I do not see these films for their acting, I will say for this film the acting was passable if this where not a "Resident Evil" film I would be much more critical. There is really no need to go into the story it is the same as the previous four films, basically Alice continues her quest to fight back against the evil Umbrella Corporation that is all I feel that is needed to know to understand what is going on in the film. there was a lot about this film that I did not like to start off the length I felt was not long enough, the way this film was billed in the trailer and the information that I was reading I was expecting an Epic resident Evil movie and to me it fell flat especially in the length department the film ran about 98 minutes which to me it should have been closer to 120 minutes, I felt it would have a gave a better chance to flesh out certain aspects of the film I felt where rushed (which was a lot). Also certain characters death( I wont mention who) felt unseeded and forced, A character I really like died in the film for no apparent reason and it did not sit well wit me, others who see this film may not care but I did not like it one bit nor understand the need for it. I could mention more but I feel I would be bashing a film on aspects of the film I knew where going to be shaky going into viewing it. RottenTomatoes gave this film a 29% saying "Another predictable entry in the Resident Evil franchise that seems to get more cynical and lazy with each film.".
Rating
Was what I expected for the most part, there where some parts that I really did not like that really stuck with me from this film 6.9/10!!!!
The second Movie for the month of September is "Dredd:3D" starring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headley, the film opened on the 21st.
My Thoughts
I want to start by saying that I am a big fan of the resident evil Films (I never really got into the games) and I was highly anticipating this film when I heard about it going into production. A lot of people I talk to are not huge fan of the films whether it be they prefer the storylines of the games or the fact that the main character in the film series Alice is not an actual character in any of the games and is only in the films. I honestly do not look at it in either of those aspects I take the films for what they are, and enjoy them for that aspect. The last film in the series "Afterlife" for me was not very good and left me underwhelmed for the most part, once I started reading into the background for this film and I heard about the big news that they where bringing back some major character from past films in the series (Michelle Rodriguez and Sienna Guillory) my min was made up from that moment. Anyone that has seen any of the films in this series will know what to expect, cheesy acting skills, lots and lots of action, great CGI, and over the top zombie killing monster madness. In this aspect "Retribution" does a great job it follows the vein of its predecessors and does a great job at entertaining the viewer. Michelle Rodriguez's "Rain" character was my favorite in this first film and I have waited and waited for her return which was finally granted 10 years after the first film (I want to point out that this film series has been going on for 10 years which was boggling to me, I never thought about that until the day I saw the film) But I want to say that I was disappointed in the way that her character's (I will not say much more about that) where portrayed I would have much preferred if they brought her back in her old role an the Solider with the tough as steel mantra and had her fight at Alice's side, sadly this was not the case, I can hope for a return in the inevitable sixth installment that this will come to fruition.The CGI which is like I mentioned earlier usually top notch fell flat to me, I saw the film in 3D ( I would not recommend to see it in 3D) and the CGI looked "cheap" this film had a pretty sizable budget and to me this was a huge disappointment that took away from some of the more important scenes in the film as a whole. the acting like I mentioned earlier in these films are not known to up to scratch and this film was no different, I do not see these films for their acting, I will say for this film the acting was passable if this where not a "Resident Evil" film I would be much more critical. There is really no need to go into the story it is the same as the previous four films, basically Alice continues her quest to fight back against the evil Umbrella Corporation that is all I feel that is needed to know to understand what is going on in the film. there was a lot about this film that I did not like to start off the length I felt was not long enough, the way this film was billed in the trailer and the information that I was reading I was expecting an Epic resident Evil movie and to me it fell flat especially in the length department the film ran about 98 minutes which to me it should have been closer to 120 minutes, I felt it would have a gave a better chance to flesh out certain aspects of the film I felt where rushed (which was a lot). Also certain characters death( I wont mention who) felt unseeded and forced, A character I really like died in the film for no apparent reason and it did not sit well wit me, others who see this film may not care but I did not like it one bit nor understand the need for it. I could mention more but I feel I would be bashing a film on aspects of the film I knew where going to be shaky going into viewing it. RottenTomatoes gave this film a 29% saying "Another predictable entry in the Resident Evil franchise that seems to get more cynical and lazy with each film.".
Rating
Was what I expected for the most part, there where some parts that I really did not like that really stuck with me from this film 6.9/10!!!!
The second Movie for the month of September is "Dredd:3D" starring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headley, the film opened on the 21st.
Plot
"In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO".
My Thoughts
I am sure most people who are interested in seeing this film saw the original Judge Dredd from 1995 starring Sylvester Stallone, I may be in the minority on this, but I actually thought that this film was decent and worth watching, I had no idea about the comics or anything of that nature when I saw the film, which may have been a blessing as it seems most people who saw the comics and knew of the source material vehemently disagreed with what was going on in that film. The previous film has no bearing for my review of this film as this is mroe of a reimaginaing than a sequel of its 1995 counterpart, I will keep this review short and sweet, this film was very good, it has all the makings of what you want in a action film. Urban awesome as dredd, the rest of the cast do great jobs in their roles,. The 3D was very well used and was some of the best I have seen RottenTomatoes gave the film a 77% saying "Fueled by bombastic violence and impressive special effects, rooted in self-satire and deadpan humor, Dredd 3D is a rare example of a remake that actually work"., this is one of the few times I disagree with rotten tomateos as I would have gone higher.
Rating
If you lie action films combined with good 3D see this, was actually one of the best films I have seen this year 8.3/10!!!!
The third Movie for the month of September is "House At The End Of The Street" Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue and Max Theriot, The Film opened on the 21st.
"A mother and daughter move to a new town and find themselves living next door to a house where a young girl murdered her parents. When the daughter befriends the surviving son, she learns the story is far from over".
My Thoughts
It is not often that I say a movie is bad and people should ksip it completley, but in this case that holds true.I do not have a lot to say about this film other than the story is not very original, the acting I will say is passable but not enough to carry this film (I know a lot of people say Jennifer Lawrence is a great actress, but I am not one of them) Rotten Tomatoes had this to say about the film "Poorly conceived, clumsily executed, and almost completely bereft of scares, House at the End of the Street strands its talented star in a film as bland as its title". I agree the film was bad in basically all facets, and I will nto spend anymore time talking about it.
Rating
Pass this film unless you literally have nothing else to do for 140 minutes 5.0/10!!!!
The 4th and final movie for the month of Speedometer is "Looper" Starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon.Levitt and Emily Blunt.
Plot
"In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits. Someone like Joe, who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by transporting back Joe's future self."
My Thoughts
When I first read about this film, last year when compiling my list for 2012, it immediately caught my attention just with the premise of the film, and adding Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis as the two main characters of this film where really good choices in my opinion. Let me start by saying this film does excellently and I have to congratulate the director for a fantastic Job with everything done with this film, I had high expectations for this film and I can say that this film surpassed my expectations in almost every way, the setting of the film works great with what the film is trying to get across, there is not much CG in this film but what is used is done perfectly and blends in with the film without making it look cheesy, the pacing of the film works together also some of the images in this film stick with you just for the power that the images conveys to the viewer that is something that not many movies for me have done especially in recent times. the acting n this film was top notch in my opinion Levitt and Willis are superb in playing the same role albeit at different ages they work well together, this was one of the few films that Brice Willis actually impressed me with his acting chops, I also want to add that Jeff Daniels was great in this film playing the bad guy of sorts I haven't seen him in a film in a while and it was good to see him in something of this caliber. Emily Blunt was the one odd pick for me with the cast, her acting was fine but I felt that they could have chose an American actress and a more attractive one at that, this is just my opinion and she fit in fine in the film but if I had to make a change to the main cast it would have been her. I do want to point of that the child who played the very important role of :Cid" did a phenomenal job and not only with his acting but with the emotion that he made with his facial expressions this was one of the more impressive performances I have seen by a child in a long time and I will have an eye on this kid down the road to see where his career goes from here. As of right now I would have to say this was one of the best films I have seen this year without a doubt it was superbly done and my only concern is that a lot of people will pass over this gem of a film and if they do, All I will say is that they are missing out on a great film and of of the years best. Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 93% saying "As thought-provoking as it is thrilling, Looper delivers an uncommonly smart, bravely original blend of futuristic sci-fi and good old-fashioned action". I agree thsi was a great film.
Rating
8.9/10 Great film one of the best of the year!!!!.
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