September 2013!!!!!!

The Month of September has two films to review. The first is "Riddick" Starring Vin Diesel, Katee Sackoff and Matt Nable.

Plot

"Left for dead on a sun-scorched planet, Riddick finds himself up against an alien race of predators. Activating an emergency beacon alerts two ships: one carrying a new breed of mercenary, the other captained by a man from Riddick's past".

My Thoughts

The first two "Riddick" films I felt were solid movies, with "Pitch  Black" being the superior between the two. I had been waiting for a new "Riddick" film for a long time and when I read of news that a new one was in production I was very happy to hear it, the more information I read about the film intrigued me more and more and my anticipation for the movie was very high. Now after seeing the film I can say that it left me with a feeling of "wanting more" it wasn't a bad film but I felt it could have been much better, for starters the cast I felt was underwhelming as a whole, I new what to expect of Vin Diesel as "Riddick" and he deliverer (except for a few partial nude scenes i felt I personally added nothing to the film). Other than him the rest of the cast just kind of "Muddled" through the film and did a slightly below passable job (I do want to say that Katee Sackhoff who played the character "Dahl" was even worse than everyone else and every time she was on the screen I could not wait for her character to stop talking so the camera could shift to someone else) I would say. Once I got past the acting Job's by the cast overall, the next part of the film that caught my attention not for a good reason was the CGI, this being a film that explores distant planets and space travel is going to relay heavily on CGI to depict its settings and the this was a huge disappointment most of the CG used in the film was very poorly done and you could really tell that it wasn't "real", I know its not actually real but CG done really well will at least look lifelike in this case it did not., the planet that was the main setting for the big panoramic shots looked awful the CGI creatures for the most part didn't look very good and overall everything in the movie that was not physically actually there looked pretty bad and that for me is a huge NO-NO especially when seeing action/Adventures films if nothing else the CG needs to be good and the fighting scenes which in this film were passable not spectacular but the choreography was pretty good. there honestly was not much about this film that I liked, as I mentioned earlier Vin Diesel was very good in this role and I compare him to Robin Downey Jr. as Tony stark or Hugh Jackman as wolverine the part was made for these actors and without them it would not be the same, The plot of the film was in theory a good idea but it just wasn't executed correctly in terms of the pacing of the film it flowed together pretty well but the lack of a good execution of the script coupled with the below par acting was to much for the film to overcome in the end. When ranking the three films I would put this film below "Pitch Black" and Above "The Chronicles Of Riddick". Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 59% saying "It may not win the franchise many new converts, but this back-to-basics outing brings Riddick fans more of the brooding sci-fi action they've come to expect." U felt that is a slightly lower score than I would have gave the film, but I do agree that if you are a fan of the series I still suggest to see the film and regardless of what I have said about this film if they go fourth with 4th installment in the series I will see it immediately.

Rating

An okay entry into the Riddick series if you are a fan of the the previous film I highly recommend it, if not and want to see a decent action film and have 2 hours to kill this could be a good option. 6.9/10!!!!!!!!!!!


The next film for the month of September is "Insidious:  Chapter 2"  Starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins.

Plot

"The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world".

Rating







The original Insidious was one of my favorite horror films in recent memory (along with Sinister, Mama, Let Me In and The Cabin in the woods. I am going to keep this review short and sweet if you have seen the first film in this series and enjoyed it and want to see how the family continues to deal  with the burden see this film.  if you are interested in seeing this film  i recommend you see the first film as the continuity is very present. This film was very good and is not quite in my honest opinion as good as the first film that is not exactly a bad thing as the first film in my opinion was a classic horror film which is hard to live up to but this film does pretty well on its own. I loved how the film expanded on the back story of the first film and really helped to connect parts of the first film that may have not made sense. I will say like in my review of the original film found here (Insidious Review) this film has a good amount of jump scares and if you prone to jumping be prepared to have a few moments where you may lose your popcorn to the floor, also  the camera work in this film was top notch and was some of the better camera work I have seen in recent memory for a horror film, I congratulate the production team. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 36% saying "Despite strong performances and a few effective scares, Insidious: Chapter 2 is decidedly short on the tension and surprises that made its predecessor so chilling.". I disagree with the score while Chapter 2 is not as good as the first ffilm I do not feel it is that far behind in terms of being a quality film. Overall as I mentioned earlier in the review if you enjoyed the first film then see this film and you will enjoy the expperience.

Rating 

Very good horror  film, I wouldn't call it a classic like the first film but this is a good continuance in the series and I look forward to chapter 3.  7.9/10!!!!!

August 2013!!!!!

The month of August  has two films to review.

The first film is Percy Jackson:Sea Of Monsters Starring Logan Lehrman, Alex Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson.

Plot

"In order to restore their dying safe haven, the son of Poseidon and his friends embark on a quest to the Sea of Monsters to find the mythical Golden Fleece while trying to stop an ancient evil from rising".



My Thoughts

I did not have the chance to catch the first Percy Jackson film when it came out in theaters, But I did see the film on television. While I did not think the film was anything special it had a certain charm to it and if you went into seeing the film with the right expectations. For this film I went in not expecting much but something a little better than the original, I did some research on the books for what to expect in this film and if the other three books are also translated to the silver screen. This film was a huge disappointment when I left the theater I could not believe what I had just watched this film was a cliche riddled,  Bad CGI, wooden acted Jumbled mess. This was one of the first times I actually thought about asking for my money back, the film was that bad. First off there where so many cliches in the s film you could literally see the next scene coming before it happened, even worse the way the lines for this film was acted by its cast you had to wonder how long the script actually took to put together it has been over three years since the first film came out, but the scrip and story of this film made me think they wrote it up in three weeks. The film largely stayed true to it's source material which I commend as sometimes Hollywood can twist and change the scrip to better fit the movies theme. The biggest shock for me was how bad the CGI in this film was the budget for this film was $90,000,000 with a budget of that size you would think the CGI should be top notch, that was not the case with this film it more closely resembled a syfy channel film in terms of the quality of the CG. with a film, like this the minimum I expected was to at least be pretty to look at if nothing else and the film even failed to deliver in that aspect. This is one of the few times  the only quality that I liked with this film was the action scenes where filmed pretty well and flowed naturally other than that there is nothing in this film I can honestly say I enjoyed. RottenTomaotes gave this film a 35% saying "

It's pretty and packed with action; unfortunately, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is also waterlogged with characters and plots that can't help but feel derivative". I somewhat agree with there synopsis but I disagree with the pretty comment, the film to me when considering the budget could have looked much better, I could only recommended this film if you have 2 hours to kill and just want to see a movie to pass the time or if you read the book and want to compare and contrast the film with the book, otherwise I say pass.

Rating

Huge disappointment, if you don't have time to pass or are not a fan of the series pass this film 6.0/10!!!!!!!!.




The Second Film for the month of August is "Elysium" Starring Matt Damon, Alice b=Braga and Jodie Foster.

Plot

"Set in the year 2154, 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".




My Thoughts

I want to start off by saying anyone who saw "District 9" will feel the subtle similarities with this film and the aforementioned "District 9", I also want to add if you have not seen
"District 9" I highly recommend that you see it as soon as possible. It was a very good film that was one of the better films from recent memory for me. While I would not say this film was as good as "District 9" I would say this film is close and is one of the better films I have seen this year so far. The plot for this film was a interesting one for me, going into the film I felt that if the plot was executed well enough this would be a very solid film but if not done correctly could have been a disaster. When a movie has a plot/setting that deals with oppression and and other real world possible situations it needs to be done right and this film was done very well. The cast was given very good material to work with and delivered it on the screen very well and with the right amount of believability , I want to single Out Sharlito Copley (who starred in "District 9" in the main role) who played the hired gun "Kruger"  he was excellent and for me he stole the show and I really liked the way he played the role. The effects in this film were very good and where some of the best I have seen this year it did not look cheesy in the least, my one complaint would be the use of "Shaky Cam" in the film it felt kind of unneeded for me but it wasn't a huge deal, but was a minor annoyance. other than that some of the scene of the Elysium space station where "breathtaking" I applaud the special effects team for this film. The undertones in this film may seem farfetched to some are not that different than what is currently going on in the world (Overpopulation, Hoarding of Wealth, Class Divergence, World Resources Dwindling), As I mentioned earlier in the review I mentioned with films that deal with real world issues they need to be done correctly or the film can come off as "cheesy" in my opinion.. Seeing Los Angeles as a desolate wasteland then being taken to Elysium which was filed with mansions and a paradise like feel helped me understand what Exactly Matt Damon;s character was fighting for the difference between those on Earth and Elysium was so huge that you wonder how people could just act like those on eat=rth did not matter but Like the sayings goes "Out of Sight, Out Of Mind". This was overall a really good film which I encourage those who where fans of "District 9" or just want to see a solid film to go and see.Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 66% saying "After the heady sci-fi thrills of District 9, Elysium is a bit of a comedown for director Neill Blomkamp, but on its own terms, it delivers just often enough to satisfy". I agree with it not being as good as "District 9" but I feel the rating is low.

Rating

Very good film, acted well, Plot executed well/setting was good, no huge flaws. 8.2/10!!!!!!!!!

July 2013!!!!!!!

The Month of July brings with it four films to review the first being "Pacific Rim" Starring Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi.

 

  Plot

"As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse".

My Thoughts

This was one of my most anticipated films for the year, first off I am a huge fan of Guillermo Del Toro films and I have always wanted to see giant robots facing off against monsters on an epic scale and this is what the doctor ordered. Sadly the film didn't play out on the screen the way, I thought it would play out at all. I will say the CGI and the fighting scenes where top notch and some of the best I have ever seen (Only Avatar I would rate above it). First off the acting (besides Idris Elba and Ron Pearlman who where the only standout),  I especially want to single Charlie Hunnam his role as the main character of this film was way below par, he walked around with what i felt was a smug factor and to me it rubbed me the wrong way his portray of his character ruined the film for me.  out was below par to say the least all of the actors in this film gave forgettable performances. The pacing of the film was decent. I felt it flowed well and the movie while over two hours long did not feel as long which is indicative of good pacing and setting for the film. Now on to my biggest problem with the film which really killed my score which was the predictability of this film anyone who sees this film will be bale to find all of the cliches in this film and it makes the film not entertaining and was not enjoyable  to watch as you know what is going to happen and when it happens it is just, there was not one shock for me in this film and the ending was utterly predictable and not surprising it sets up a potential sequel which is fine but I wish some of the scenes where done in a different way. Rotten Tomatoes   gave this film 72% saying "It may sport more style than substance, but Pacific Rim is a solid modern creature feature bolstered by fantastical imagery and an irresistible sense of fun". I agree with what they said and the score is not far off from what I feel the movie felt like. Overall this film had huge expectations from me and failed to reach them, the planned sequel I hope will do something different and from what Mr. Del Toro has said it may be completely different which is something I would look forward to.

Rating

I liked the idea of the film, Disappointing in the end on the execution front  7.2/10!!!!!!!!!!




The Second and final movie for the month of July is "The Conjuring" Starring Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga and Lili Taylor.

 

 

Plot

"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".


My Thoughts 

I must admit this film only crossed my radar only recently (before two months ago had no inclination to see this film), I am very happy that I decided to see this film. It was one of the best films I have seen this year and easily joins "Insidious", "Sinister" and "Mama" as one of the best horror films I have seen in recent memory. I want to start out by saying this film was expertly executed, I am not one who is fearful or jumps when watching a horror film (and that remained the case in this film) but I did not ice a decent amount of jolts from the row behind me and the row in back of me, which is a sing that there are some scars in this film. The acting in this film was very good for the genre of film from the children to the parents of the haunted family to the paranormal investigators played expertly by Patrick Wilson and Lili Taylor this was a solid acting job by the entire cast overall. There was no huge amount of CG in this film which I always welcome, the less use of Cg to me the better it displays that the director still wants to have some sense of "purity" in the film. I could go on and on about how well this film was done but I will leave it with this if you are a fan of horror movies and actually want tot see one that was executed well by the directed and acted out well by the cast this is the film for you to see. Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 85% saying "Extremely well-crafted and gleefully creepy, The Conjuring ratchets up the dread with a series of smartly delivered, terribly effective old-school scares", I agree this film it did a very well job at what it tried to accomplish, this was a very good movie that I almost completely missed out on.

Rating

One of the best of the year I have seen so far, you will not be disappointed 8.5/10!!!!!

Mid Point Nominees 2013!!!!!

It is now the midway point of the year and for the first time I will have my midway point Nominees where i have a few categories and will give my top 5 pics for each category (no winners or losers just nominees)

Worst Film

Texas Chainsaw 3D

Jack The Giant Slayer

 Iron Man 3

After Earth

Oblivion

Best Films 



Mama

Snitch

Evil Dead

This Is The End

World War Z

Best Performance (Male)

Sylvester Stallone (Bullet To The Head)

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Snitch)

Lou Taylor Pucci (Evil Dead)

Brad Pitt (World War Z)

James Franco, Danny Mcbride, Craig Robisnon, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogen  (This Is The End)

Best Performance (Female)

Jessica Chastain (Mama)

Jane Levy (Evil Dead)

Lena Headey (The Purge)

Keri Russell (Dark Skies)

Daniella Kertesz (World War Z)

Worst Performance (Male)

Ryan Gosling (Gangster Squad)

Bruce Willis (A Good Day To Die Hard)

Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe:Retaliation)
 

Will Smith, Jaden Smith (After Earth)

Nicholas Hoult (Jack The Giant Slayer)

Worst Performance (Female)

Gemma Arterton (Hansel & Gretel:Witch Hunters)

 


Alex Daddario (Texas Chainsaw 3D)

Eleanor Tomlinson (Jack The Giant Slayer)

Adrienne Palicki (G.I. Joe:Retaliation)

Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man 3)

That is all for now, lets see what the rest of the year has to offer and see if anything changes.

June 2013!!!!!!

The Month of June brings with it 3 films to view the first being "The Purge" Starring Ethan Hawke, Lena Headly and Max Burkholder.

Plot

"A family is held hostage for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all crime is legalized:.

My Thoughts

i first want to say that when I first saw the trailer for this film and read up on the plot for this film, I was hooked the idea for this film was something I had never seen done on film and I eagerly anticipated this film.  Now that I have seen this idea executed on film I was left disappointed, the film wasn't horrible but it left a lot to be desired especially with the script. The acting in this film was for the most part unbelievable and poorly executed  (except for Ethan Hawke and in some scenes Lena Heady), the actors who played the children where horrible for the most part and honestly served no real purpose to the film (and whoever wrote the lines for the son should be fired, all they did was make him extremely annoying). The whole premise of this film had so much potential in my opinion, if you think about it how would the real world be if for one day a year for 12 hours you could do anything you wanted and not have to face any repercussions (I know most people would say they wouldn't do anything different but I think its always how you act in the moment, it is easy to say you would never commit a crime in fear of going to jail, but what if you wouldn't go to jail) the while idea was fresh and I really liked the idea, It played out how i thought the filmmakers would have it play out on the screen, and I was horribly off what I envisioned was nowhere near what I saw on the big screen. There where not many bright spots in this film for me the huge bright spot was the main villains who who up to the doorstep of the family's house looking for their "target" the actors did a really good job making them seemed like affluent, educated people who for the night had decided to let loose and "let it go" so to speak, they all did a masterful job in their portrayals. their is a scene at the end of the film that involves the neighbors, I don't want to give anything away but this was a clever twist that is mildly given away earlier in the film if you catch the hint you may not be surprised by this scene at the end, I thought this was a good scene and added a nice twist to the film.Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 41% saying "Half social allegory, half home-invasion thriller, The Purge attempts to use thriller formula to make an intelligent point -- but ultimately only ends up sinking in numbing violence and tired clichés.". I agree overall I really wanted to like this film I loved the idea of it but it was poorly done, for the most part terribly acted an overall fell flat.

Rating

Very interesting Premise, Disappointing execution 6.9/10!!!!!!


The Second film for the month of June is "This Is The End" Starring James Franco, Seth Rogen and Craig T Robinson.

Plot

"While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse".

My Thoughts

I am going to keep this very short and to the point if you like comedies see this film it was really funny and enjoyable great performances by all of the cast. Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 85% saying "Energetic, self-deprecating performances and enough guffaw-inducing humor make up for the flaws in This Is the End loosely written script"I agree completely great film for a comedy.

Rating

If you are a fan of comedies and/or any of the actors in the main cast you will like this film 8.0/10!!!!!.


The third and final movie for the month of June is "World War Z" Starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos and Daniella Kertesz.

 

Plot

"United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself:.

My Thoughts

When I first read about the plot on this film I was on the fence, from what I could gather from reading on it the film did not sound that interesting. That all changed once I saw the trailer, it provided me the final push I needed to show me that this was a film that I needed to see. I am a huge fan of Zombie films and try to see as many as I can and this was a i interesting take on the genre. I have to say I have not seen many of brad pitts's films but in this film he did a very good job as the father who was suddenly thrust into a role that he thought he left behind in order to save the world from this plague. The pacing of this film was very good for a horror/suspense film I commend the director for that. Other than Brad Pitt the actor who stood out to me was Daniella Kertesz who played the role of Segan a member of the Israeli army who joined pitts character in his quest, I do not know anything of her other work But I look forward to seeing things from her in the future, the rest of the cast did a good job in their roles and there was no one performance I would criticize as bad. The cg in this film was very subtle which I really liked you only really noticed its use fr some of the Zombies and only when  a mass amount of them where on screen at one time. This was a really solid film I had no huge complaints other than the fact that I felt Brad Pitt's family served of no real use other than to give his character the audiences sympathy, I honestly felt the film would not have been much different if they would have just had Brad Pitt not have had a family and had him just continue his job and continue his quest, but I am just nitpicking it s not a major problem at all. Rotten Tomatoes Gave the film a 67% saying "'s uneven -- and fans of the book may be annoyed by how thoroughly it diverges from the source material -- but World War Z still brings smart, fast-moving thrills and a solid performance from Brad Pitt to the zombie genre". I agree somewhat but I felt a 67% was to low the film was better than that and I agree Brad Pitt's performance was solid he did a good job as I mentioend before the film was all around solid.

My Rating

Solid Film anyone who likes Zombie films and wants to see one done on a big budget scale with solid acting should see this 8.5/10!!!!!!

May 2013

The month of may brings with it two films to review the first being the blockbuster and highly anticipated Iron Man 3 starring Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle.

Plot

"When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution".

My Thoughts

I want to start by saying that I was a fan of the first two Iron man films, and also that Robert Downey Jr. is tony stark, I do not think or want tot fathom someone else playing his role. I do not think anyone else could play the role after the masterful way he has played the billionaire hero these last few films. Having said that I was highly anticipating this film and had really high hopes for this film, after seeing the film I wished I had lowered my expectations going in this film got it wrong in so many places I cannot believe this film was released in its present state. First off the script was horrible the way this film was written it had Downey Jr. trying way to hard to get cheap laughs which I did not find funny in the least (except for one part during the big fight scene at the end when he called his armor to himself),  the dialogue overall was bland and the one liners even for a marvel superhero flick where to cheesy for my liking. The trailer would have you believe that the Mandarin (played well by Ben Kingsley initially) was the main villain and prior to seeing this film I did some research on the mandarain just to have an idea of what to expect going in, Boy was I surprised by the horrible,inaccurate handling of his character, I do not want not give much away but the way his character was done once i saw it happening on the screen I decided then and there this film was a "disaster" and it could not be saved and I was right. after the atrocity that was the mandarin, I honestly did not care for the film anymore and was just watching this slop to see how it played out, the ending heaped on the this garbage pile of a film I wont spoil it in the least but I will say Tony Stark does not finish him  off, I also did not like how they handled Don Cheadle's character, I felt he should have had more time especially with Downey Jr, the few scenes they had where one of the few bright spots in the film,. The action in this film was underwhelming most of the film Downey Jr is not even in his armor which for me didn't work well wit the pacing of the film he should have used his suit more and when he was in his suit he was very vulnerable in my opinion,m he didn't look as powerful as he had in previous films which I am putting down to the horrible script written for this film. The special effects for this film where good but with a film of this budget caliber that is expected and this is the one department it didn't disappoint. the only other bright spot was Downey Jr,even with the bad script I felt he did his best to deliver all of those cliched and cheesy lines to the best of his abilities. Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 78% saying "With the help of its charismatic lead, some impressive action sequences, and even a few surprises, Iron Man 3 is a witty, entertaining adventure and a strong addition to the Marvel canon". I agree with the charismatic lead, everything else i disagree with wholeheartedly. this was a huge disappointment, the biggest of the early movie season for me so far by a wide margin,

Rating

Huge letdown 6.1/10!!!!!!!!!!!


The second and last film for the month of May is "After Earth"  Starring Will Smith, Jaden Smith and Zoe Kravitz.

Plot

"A crash landing leaves Kitai Raige and his father Cypher stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after events forced humanity's escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help".

My Thoughts

I have to start by saying this, I never though I would say I have seen a terrible Will Smith film, but after watching this wreck that has all changed . This film was an utter disappointment and I honestly have to say I should have seen it coming  especially knowing Jaden smith was going to star in this film. I do not want to say that the only reason Jaden Smith will get work is because of the influence his father has in the movie industry but that is looking more and more like the reason he gets any roles at all. I honestly do not even want to comment on this film the plot was unrealistic the acting was terrible especially by Jaden Smith, it seemed to me Will Smith tried to add some emotion to his role and unlike his Son delivered a decent performance nothing great but much better than his Son, he utterly ruined the film for me with his acting, I also want to add that M.Night Shaymalan after the disaster that was "The Last Airbender" was a surprising choice in my opinion for another big budget film and his streak of bad films continues with this film, if will smith hhad a hand in who was director I have to say he made a bad choice on this one terrible plot,setting,pace and overall just bad. Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 12% saying "fter Earth is dull, ploddingly paced exercise in sentimental sci-fi -- and the latest setback for director M. Night Shyamalan's once-promising career". I agree on all counts this film was so far the worsst I havre seen of the year and would not reccomoned it eve nto waste an hour and a half of your time.

Rating

Horrible film, Jaden Smith has shown me nothing in all the films I have seen Will smith tried but this film was just overall bad 6.0/10!!!!!!

April 2013!!!!!

The Month of April brings with it two films to review the first being "Evil Dead" Starring Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez and Lou Taylor Pucci.

 

Plot

"Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods. The evil presence possesses them until only one is left to fight for survival"."

My Thoughts

A lot of people that where avid film fans in the 80's will know that this film is a remake/re-boot of the classic "Evil Dead" series, I never saw any of the films from the 80's and I do intend to watch them someday but that has nothing to do with this review. This film takes the same premise of the first film basically with friends meeting up at a cabin and strange events begin to occur once a book is found and passages from it are read out loud. The setting for this film was perfect the area around the cabin really lent to he atmosphere really well and helped draw the viewer in. The actors in the film are basically unknowns to most of the general audience, Which I felt was a good decision as a big name in a film like this would to me ruin it. The acting in the film was of good quality for a film of this nature no one actor did a bad job or stood out for a bad performance, I will say Lou Taylor Pucci gets a special mention in this film for me he played the character Eric who unknowingly caused all of the craziness that happens in this film, nonetheless his character for me the overall best character in terms of the writing and the way Lou Taylor pucci played him really made him stand out. When reading up on this film I was pleasantly surprised to see that the director decided to go the no CGI route, in today's times it is so much easier to just use CGI especially in a horror movie and I was happy to see that Mr.Alvarez decided against that completely and I felt it added a certain realness to the film that many horror films now a days are missing. If you area fan of gore and a lot of blood this is the movie for you this movie piles on the blood with more blood and I loved it it is very graphic and does not try to hold anything back it defiantly felt like a 1980's horror movie which was the golden generation for horror films, I was really happy to see a film like this being done so often you see a trailer for a horror movie and then after the trailer ends you see PG-13 and you know it is going to be watered down which is unfortunate but it is all about making money and more people will a chance to see a film if it is rated PG-13 and not R, Overall this was a very good horror film filmed when plenty of gore and "jump" moments if you are the type who is prone to that. There was not much I did not like about this film a few minor points about the film that I did not like, first the ending for me was not very good in the way it was executed,I wont say anything but I just did not like the ending, leading into my second gripe about the film had to do with the ending when a certain entity is awakened, all I will say the proper steps where not all fulfilled for this to happen which are mentioned in the film.My last minor gripe has to do with the beginning of the film the whole set off point of the film, the reason for them being in the cabin and the way they handled the situation once bad things began to happen for me was a tad unrealistic some may disagree with me but I didn't really believe the whole "kick" the drugs bit at the beginning especially the response they gave once outlandish things began to happen again i am really nitpicking none of these are major reasons they are all very minor.Rotten Tomatoes gave the film 63% saying "It may lack the absurd humor that underlined the original, but the new-look Evil Dead compensates with brutal terror, gory scares, and gleefully bloody violence", I have not seen the originals to comment on the comedic part of the new film contrast to the old films (the only chuckles in the film for me where given by the character Eric). the bloody,gore and all that I agree with wholeheartedly, this was a very good horror film that I highly recommend.

Rating

If you are a fan of Gore, Blood and "Jump" scares this is the film for you. 7.9/10!!!!!!!


The second and last film for the month of  April is "Oblivion" Starring Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman and Olga Kurylenko.

 Plot

"A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself".

My Thoughts

I will be the first to say that I am not a bug Tom Cruise Fan, none of his films (with exception of "War Of The Worlds" ) I would say i enjoyed, this film kind of crept up on me , I had no intention of seeing the film until i saw the trailer and decided then and there I would go see this film. I think I should have stuck to my guns and decided against seeing this film, the trailer pulled a fast one on me, this film was not very good in any way shape or form, I don't really have anything to say about this film other than the execution and the acting was not good at all and the ending for me just ruined any chance of this film being any good at all. the one plus i WILL say is the CG was top notch but it is a Tom Cruise film so the budget will be a high one.Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 56% saying "Visually striking but thinly scripted, Oblivion benefits greatly from its strong production values and an excellent performance from Tom Cruise". I agree with everything they say except the score from me would be lower, there is nothing I liked about this film and i felt like i got sucked into "oblivion" by the time it was over.

Rating

Nothing to see here pass 6.7/10!!!!!!!

March 2013!!!!!!!

The Month of March brings with it two films to see, the first being Jack The Giant Slayer" starring Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson and Ewan Mcgreagor.

Plot

"The ancient war between humans and a race of giants is reignited when Jack, a young farmhand fighting for a kingdom and the love of a princess, opens a gateway between the two worlds".

My Thoughts

I will start by saying I had really high hopes for this film the moment i laid eyes o n the trailer, I knew this was a film that I was going to see......Boy was i wrong this film from the start had no passion or excitement to it at all, the plot was boring, the script was bland the acting was rigid and the execution was flat out done wrong in all facets. The premise of this film had so much potential a violent take on the classic story of the most people have hears, what really let me down with this film was the lack of action between the humans and the giants in the fighting sense, even though I am sure anyone reading this or whoever saw the film would guess that the giants would crush the humans in a fight, the fact they they never properly battled ruined it for me, the whole film was building up to the moment when the two faction came face to face and when the moment had a chance to happen...nothing happened huge letdown, it basically built up for about 25 minutes and the nothing (biggest disappointment for me since the kraken scene in clash of the titans). that was a disappointing ending to a film that was riddled with disappointments one after another, the acting was second rate especially by the leads (except for Ewan McGregor who i also must give props for the hair was excellent) other than him who  in all honesty is the best actor of the cast, everyone else did what a bunch of no name younger actors thrust into a big budget role would do. this was so far the worst acting job I have seen this year collectively between a cast. The CG was top notch but so much was used that I could not help but become numb to it and soon got tired of it especially with scenes that heavily involved the giants, I will say the giants where rendered well and I like the moments where you got to see some of the huge differences between the races, which I did enjoy. The running time for the film was a good and it did not feel to long or to short but just right considering how the film played out. Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 52% saying "It's enthusiastically acted and reasonably fun, but Jack the Giant Slayer is also overwhelmed by digital effects and a bland, impersonal story". I somewhat agree with this except the score I felt this was to high, I agree with story being bland it really was, and I am hugely disappointed a film that could;d have been so good ended up being a huge letdown.

Rating

Huge Letdown not much to like here 6.5/10!!!!!!!.


The second and last movie for the month of March is G.I. Joe:Retaliation Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Channing Tatum and  Bruce Willis.

Plot

"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".

My Thoughts

Anyone who saw the first G.I. Joe will tell you that the three biggest problems with that film where (Channing Tatum,Channing Tatum and Channing Ttatum) without giving to much away I can safely day that will not be a problem for anyone who sees this film, I will say though that I was disappointed but not surprised that Rachel Nichols (Scarlett) and Marlon Wayans (RipCord) were both not in this film and felt there presence for at least me would have made the film a better one. The cast that is in the film does a good job (other than Adrienne Palicki who played Lady Jaye) I saw her in another film late last year "Red Dawn" and she was terrible in that film and was terrible in this film as well her acting added nothing to the film and I honestly felt after reviewing her scenes she was nothing more than Eye Candy and I felt the film might have actually been better had she not been a main character I felt the same way about the character who played flint both were unimpressive. The rock did a solid job in his role as the character Roadblock and I had no complaints. This film was better than the original but that is not exactly saying much, in this case it is saying enough only if you understand what to expect from this film and that is its mindless fun filled with action. I took this approach when seeing this film but I still felt somewhat let down even with my lowered expectations. The film still felt like it was not done quite right (all the scenes with the RZA being useless in effect and acted badly in my opinion) snake eyes was underused and when he was used I felt could have been used more effectively in this film, I also did not like the way Storm Shadow and his back story where done in this film, the special effects in this film where pretty good which is expected with a bug budget film nowadays..Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 29% saying "Though arguably superior to its predecessor, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is overwhelmed by its nonstop action and too nonsensical and vapid to leave a lasting impression". I tend to agree this film was better but in the end that was not saying much and I felt letdown in the end which for me was ultimately disappointing.

Rating

Better than the original but in the end that is not saying much, not a horrible film but nothing special either. 7.1/10!!!!!!!!!

February 2013!!!!!

Thwe month of February brings with it 4 films the first being "Bullet To The Head" starring Sylvester Stallone, Sunk Kang and Jason Mamoa.

Plot

"After watching their respective partners die, a New Orleans hit man and a Washington D.C. detective form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy".

My Thoughts

This is a Stallone flick, so there is no need fore m to go very in depth in this review at all, if you like action movies with passable to decent acting, cliche situations and puns, and filled with explosions and gun fighting look no further. Stallone showed me in this pic he can still get it done at his advanced age. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 49% saying "Bullet to the Head's unapologetically trashy thrills evoke memories of its star and director's proud cinematic pasts -- but sadly, those memories are just about all it has to offer". I agree somewhat it does take you back to some of Stallone's glory years with the way the film is executed and for me there is nothing wrong with that, this is an action movie in the purest sense of the word, if you know that going in you will not be disappointing, I wasn't.

Rating

 if you go in knowing what to expect you will be pleased with this film 7.7/10!!!!!.


The next movie for the month o f February is "A good day to die hard" Starring Brice Willis , Jai Courtney and Sebastian Koch.

Plot

"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".

My Thoughts

My action movies reviews are always short and this one will be no different. If you didn't notice the biggest actions stars of the 80's and 90's (Willis, Stallone and Schwarzenegger) all have released films this year if I had to rate the three films it would go 1.The last Stand 2.Bullet to the head and 3. A good day to die hard, while all three are solid action films for me "A good day to die hard" felt the least fresh (which is understandable considering the film is part of the die hard series) and while that may be true, Watching this film I did not feel that much interest or depth with the film, Bruce Willis said some of the most ill timed lines I have heard recently in a film and the story line with his some added nothing to the film it felt just like a die hard film and his some felt more like another partner than his child. throw in the run of the mill European who hates Americans and you know what top expect here. Rotten Tomatoes  gave this film a 16% saying "A Good Day to Die Hard is the weakest entry in a storied franchise, and not even Bruce Willis' smirking demeanor can enliven a cliched, uninspired script". I agree on all fronts this was a very bland and dry film that lost my interest very quick. if you are a fan of Bruce Willis or die hard films its worth checking out just to see but if you are expecting a great action film I would say pass.

Rating

Bland,Dry and uninspiring if you are a fan of Bruce Willis or the Die hard franchise see but if not pass. 6.7/10!!!!!!!.




The third film for the month of February is "Snitch" Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Barry Pepper and Susan Sarandon.

Plot

"A father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in drug deal".

My Thoughts

Let me start by saying I am a huge fan of the "The Rock" when it comes to wrestling and in my opinion he is the best professional wrestler of all time, His acting career while looked over by most I like most of the choices he has made so far (other than those Disney films such as tooth fairy) but his actions films I am a fan of. Most people would say the rock does not have the acting ability to do a anything other than action films, and for that very reason I am happy snitch was made. The plot for this film is basically what the trailers depicts, the rocks son is caught with drugs and the only way for him to decrease his sentence is to rat out some of his friends, which he is unwilling to do. with his son facing up to 10 years in prison the rock takes matters into his own hands. The acting is this film was very good and surprised me I did not expect this level of acing from the entire cast everyone did a very good job in their roles and I could not complain about any roles they where all very convincing, especially the rock he showed a range I am sure most people would not have expected form him.the pacing of the film went very will with the script and it flowed smoothly and honestly I could spot no major plot holes or anything of that nature this film was put together very. Overall this was a very well done film with solid acting a good script and great acting from the entire cast especially the rock I was very happy to see him do a film like this, not an action movie where he just walks around and beats everyone up, but a film where he shows some range and shows that he can play a character who can be vulnerable , I also liked the message this film portrayed even in an unrealistic way to the lengths a parent can go to to save a child. Rotten Tomatoes  gave this film a 53% saying "
though it features one of Dwayne Johnson's more thoughtful performances, the presentation of Snitch's underlying message is muddled by lackluster storytelling and some tonal inconsistencies". I disagree I thought this was a very good film.

Rating

Very good film, with good performances by the cast as a whole worth seeing 8.1/10!!!!!!!


The last film for the month of  February is "Dark Skies" Starring Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton and Dakota Goyo.

Plot

"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".

My Thoughts

This film didn't catch my intention till son before it was released, I saw the trailer one day during and decided to add it to my watch list for the year. This film is one of those films that make you asks "are we really alone in the universe" this film takes its own twist by having an average American family being the focus and how they would deal with the situation. Keri Russel is an actress who I have heard of a lot but have not seen her in any feature films, I will say she did a commendable job of playing a mother who is thrusts int this world where she and her family are in danger and will stop at nothing to protect them from being threatened. Josh Hamilton played the father and he is an actor who I had never seen in anything before and for this role he did a pretty good job as the father who has to project stability for his family but is also struggling with trying to find a job and provide for his family, the rest of the cast did a good job the actors who played the children of the parents did a good job for what they where asked to do and I had no complaints. The settign and pace of this film was really good and it had the feel of a psychological thriller which I assumed is what they went for. films rarely make me jump but I can see some people being surprised by some of the scenes in this film and it will also help to keep the viewer interested with the jump scares.One part of this film that I did not like was the horrible CG that was used to depict the visitors ,  after seeing this film i looked up the budget which was only 3.5million and I understood that with a budget that low there is only so much they can do, but still if they cant make the CG life like then I would have used actors in costumes but that is my opinion, other than that the film was pretty solid and I had no other major complaints not a great film but solid.Rotten Tomatoes gave this film a 30% but have no comments on the rating, I feel that rating is way to low considerign what the film was and the budget, this was a solid film and if your interested in seeing how a family deals with being thrust into a intergalatic wencounter I woudl reccomend this film.

Rating

Solid film, nothing spectacular but passable 7.4/10!!!!!!