Movie Reviews and Ratings

2012/04/03 at 12:00am

War Horse

04.3.2012 | By Karen Posada |

Bring your tissues to this film! I’m speaking to the animal lovers in particular. This is such a beautiful story about perseverance, love, understanding and adventure. Steven Spielberg has managed once more to make a family film that will capture many. It is so difficult to make a living, breathing animal be the main character of a major motion picture, but it was pulled off majestically.

We are taken on a journey placed during WWI in England mainly but also France. A young boy, Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) has the great challenge of raising a young horse that he names Joey. The two build an unbreakable bond thanks to the obstacles they go through such as plowing a hopeless piece of land. Since Albert’s family is poor they end up giving up the horse when the war hits their small village, Albert swears to Joey that they will meet again. Rose (Emily Watson), Albert’s mom tries to help her son be strong and understand his father’s (Peter Mullan) decision. In his journey through war Joey gets various soldier owners both English and German, who instantly realize this horse is like no other. One of them, Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) swears to Albert he will return his horse after the war and cares for Joey like Albert would. We follow our main character, Joey, through an unbelievable story during the WWI, which was the last war where horses were used.

The horses used to play the character of Joey are gorgeous beasts that fulfilled Spielberg’s task of having an animal as a main character and will make the public to want to go out and immediately get a horse after the movie. This is Irvine’s first movie on the big screen and he plays his character very humbly with an easy to like attitude, which many pet owners can identify with. War is the backdrop of the story and I really enjoyed the way it was perceived; most movies depict war as something so strategic; here we see how much the element of surprise has to do with it and how little the soldiers involved in it know about it, how clueless they are because of their youth and their fear and all they do is follow orders. One of the most beautiful scenes of the movie is played out in no-man’s-land, where Toby Kebbell’s character is united with the so-called enemy thanks to this amazing horse; this scene alone makes the whole film worth it.

Most of the shots in this film are beautiful, not only because of the countryside shots but even the ones in the war are so well done that they easily captivate the public. Even when corniness seems to overwhelm the screen one is easily distracted by the sunset and the imagery. The film was adapted from a book and there’s also a play in Broadway on it, all the actors recommended the full experience in our interviews and none seemed to have felt overshadowed by the outstanding performance of the horses as it should be since they each contributed to what makes this movie as a whole what it is: a great family film. This movie will make you tear up but it will also make you smile and leave you with a content feeling, it’s no surprise its release date is Christmas day.

By Karen Posada

2012/04/02 at 12:00am

Movies

‘The Hunger Games’ Keeps Being #1

04.2.2012 | By Karen Posada |

‘The Hunger Games’ continues to hold on to the number one spot in the box office, it seems like it will be very hard for someone to take its’ place. This was one of the most anticipated movies of the year and it begins the month of April holding on to its’ place with $61.1 million dollars.

A sequel follows it, ‘Wrath of the Titans’ which has received compliments because it is better than its’ predecessor. This movie of action and mythology took second place with $34.2 million dollars.

The children’s movie ‘Mirror, Mirror’ starring Julia Roberts shyly took third place with $19 million dollars. It could be because according to critics this new version doesn’t enhance the story of Snow White.

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:

1. The Hunger Games – $61.1 mil

2. Wrath of the Titans – $34.2 mil

3. Mirror, Mirror – $19 mil

4. 21 Jump Street – $15 mil

5. Dr. Seuss’ ‘The Lorax’ – $8 mil

6. John Carter – $2 mil

7. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – $1.3 mil

8. Act of Valor – $1 mil

9. A Thousand Words – $0.915 thousand

10. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – $0.825 thousand

Radio Reviews: Bully, Wrath of the Titans, Mirror Mirror

By Jack Rico

2012/03/30 at 12:00am

Movies

Radio Reviews: Bully, Wrath of the Titans, Mirror Mirror

03.30.2012 | By Jack Rico |

This week from Miami, on the Enrique Santos Morning Show, Jack Rico reviews the new movie Wrath of the Titans 3D, also the unrated documentary Bully and the reboot of the Snow White story – Mirror Mirror.

You can hear our film review segment in Miami on the ‘Enrique Santos Morning Show’ every Friday at 7:25 AM and 9:25 AM by Univision Radio ‘MIX98.3FM’ in Miami or the global network by visiting: http://www.enriquesantos.com/

Pictures of Gael García Bernal in ‘A Little Bit of Heaven’

By Jack Rico

2012/03/29 at 12:00am

Movies

Pictures of Gael García Bernal in ‘A Little Bit of Heaven’

03.29.2012 | By Jack Rico |

Pictures of Gael GarcÃa Bernal in â€˜A Little Bit of Heavenâ€™

The new film from Mexican actor Gael García Bernal, ‘A Little Bit of Heaven’, is just weeks away from premiering in the United States and four new pictures of Bernal, in the film, have been released online.

This time, Bernal plays doctor Julian Goldstein, who tries to cure a woman (Hudson) suffering from cancer, but then becomes her love interest.

In the pictures we can see Bernal’s character dancing, lunching and chatting with Hudson. The actor from ‘Amores Perros’, usually doesn’t do romance films, besides ‘Letters to Juliet’ but he seems comfortable in this role in which he’s not asked to be a Mexican but an Anglo-Saxon.

The plot of the movie mainly focuses on Marley Corbett (Kate Hudson) a beautiful and fun young woman that is scared to open up to true love. Despite of the fact that she uses her sense of humor to avoid her romances to becomes serious, a visit to her doctor (Bernal) sends both to an adventure of mutual discovery, which allows personal and intimate revelations to occur which neither one of them thought possible.

The director from ‘A Little Bit of Heaven’ is Nicole Kassell (The Woodsman) and stars Kate Hudson, the famous daughter of legendary actress Goldie Hawn. The film will debut on May 4^th along with ‘The Avengers’ in the United States.

k k

By Jack Rico

2012/03/29 at 12:00am

Reviews

Mirror, Mirror

03.29.2012 | By Jack Rico |

If you are curious to know what is one of the worst films of 2012, no need to look further than ‘Mirror, Mirror’ from director Tarsem Singh, the same man who directed the visually stunning ‘The Fall’ and ‘Immortals 3D,’ and whom some consider to be an artist. So then how did this debacle occur? The studio, Relativity Media, decided to go for an infantile version of the Snow White story targeted at 2 year olds, so it seems, thus creating a silly, soporific and unmemorable piece of cinema for anyone else to enjoy.

In celebration of the 200 years of the birth of the Brothers Grimm story ‘Snow White’ in 1812, ‘Mirror, Mirror’ has the objective of offering a fresh and supposedly funny retelling of the Snow White legend. After a beloved King (Sean Bean) vanishes, his ruthless wife (Julia Roberts) seizes control of the kingdom and keeps her beautiful 18-year-old stepdaughter, Snow White (Lily Collins), hidden away in the palace. But when the princess attracts the attention of a charming and wealthy visiting prince (Armie Hammer), the jealous Queen banishes the girl to a nearby forest. Taken in by a band of rebellious but kindhearted dwarfs, Snow White blossoms into a brave young woman determined to save her country from the Queen. With the support of her new friends, she roars into action to reclaim her birthright and win back her Prince in this magical adventure comedy that will capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences the world over.

Julia Roberts is the only saving grace of this mishandled foul up. She is unequivocally charismatic, and for the first time, can rile up the disdain from the bottom of my bottoms. Lily Collins, our princess Snow White, is beautiful and innocent. Regrettably, this is Robert’s movie, removing any chance of her to shine or to see if she could feature any thespian ability.

Armie Hammer hasn’t acted much in Hollywood, but he already reached a nadir that can only be cleansed with a cask of Sailor Jerry’s rum. All you need to see to agree is the ‘puppy love’ scene. Nuff’ said. There goes a promising career. Nathan Lane, a Broadway veteran is a living, breathing cartoon. His casting choice behooves the film perfectly. The dwarves, and they are too many to mention, are not fuzzy nor enchanting. They provide most of the comic relief and fail miserably at it.

The screenplay by Melissa Wallack and Jason Keller is vacuous and uninspired, a true shame to such a classic and indelible story. There really is nothing engaging here worth the time for teenagers or even parents besides spending the money as a replacement for a babysitter. If it is family entertainment you’re looking for ‘Dolphin Tale‘ or the new ‘Winnie the Pooh‘ are excellent choices on DVD. But if you are still relishing a modern take on Snow White, I’d wait until June 1st and savor ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’, an action adventure, state of the art visual phenomenon.

In short, Singh’s ‘Mirror, Mirror’ is an attempt to do a live action film with an animation sensibility, one that highlights inimical traits such as exaggerated gestures, embarrassing dialogue and a stilted romance that never convinces. Next!

By Karen Posada

2012/03/29 at 12:00am

Reviews

Wrath of the Titans

03.29.2012 | By Karen Posada |

There’s very few times when a sequel is better than the original, but this is true for ‘Wrath of the Titans’. This probably has to do with the fact that it has a new director, Jonathan Liebesman, as well as different screenwriters, Dan Mazeau and David Johnson. Obviously, this helped it tremendously as the original ‘Clash of the Titans’ had a flat storyline and other various problems that made it very hard to like. This sequel has a storyline that is more captivating and nutritious, it also has some mighty shots of various horrifying monsters that made the action all the more interesting. The screening I went to was 3D, which didn’t really enhance the movie as the 3D work was not good and this could be because of the fact that it was converted into a 3D film, it wasn’t shot as one.

This second film picks up with Perseus (Sam Worthington) a decade after his last adventure, although he’s a demigod he’s decided to live life as a fisherman and as the single father of Helius (John Bell). His calm life begins to change when his father, Zeus (Liam Neeson) comes to ask him for help, the gods have weakened since people have lost faith and they are losing control of their prisoners in the underworld: Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and the titans. Perseus refuses but is forced to come into action when the unstoppable wrath begins. He recruits the help of Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike) and Agenor (Toby Kebbell). Together they go on a journey in which if they don’t succeed the world will cease to exist along with them and their gods.

We get a couple of new characters in the story; one of the most exciting ones is Zeus’ godly son Ares (Edgar Ramírez). This Venezuelan born actor plays the god of war just how mythology and his title describe it. It is great to see a Hispanic playing a big role in a blockbuster film like this one. Another note worthy fact is that a big portion of the film was shot in the Canary Island of Tenerife, one more reason to like the film. The main actor, Worthington for the most part does well with action films and so this role fits him. I would also say this sequel fits Neeson better, as I thought it was embarrassing that he was involved in the previous film.

One thing I enjoyed about this film more were the monsters, they were so much more real and detailed. The diversity of them also really added to the story, along with the fact that in this film we have more than one fighter getting rid of them. Like mentioned before, the 3D might have been an element that took away from the film. Also, there are certain parts of the story that are supposed to be complicated but somehow end up having an easy solution, which I’m not sure was fitting. The film also should have worked a little more in relationships, as most characters seemed to lack emotion in certain places that merited it.

This film is just fun to watch because you are taken on a mythological journey, where you are surrounded by gods, monsters and powerful humans (both men and women) who together make for a fascinating story. Although this film is much better than its’ predecessor, is not to say it is the best action film of 2012 but nonetheless it is entertaining and will take you on a wild adventure for a short 99 minutes.

By Karen Posada

2012/03/29 at 12:00am

Reviews

Intruders

03.29.2012 | By Karen Posada |

‘Intruders’ categorizes itself as a horror film, but I would say it’s more like a psychological thriller; because it has very few scares in it. The film develops in a mysterious way and creates a lot of suspense, which works well. The problem is that when it unwinds although it explains the plot, we are still confused instead of being scared to death. What I like most about this movie is that it’s bilingual; it is half in English and half in Spanish. It has two stories that develop simultaneously which help the public to get sucked in. But, unfortunately it doesn’t reach the goal that it sets to achieve.

The plot of the film focuses on two children, Juan (Izán Corchero) who lives in Madrid, and Mia (Ella Purnell) who lives in London. Both are haunted by a nightmare of a man “hollow face”, who visits them at night coming out of their closets. Mia’s dad, John (Clive Owen) desperately tries to help his daughter, after he himself sees this man who he thought was in his daughter’s imagination. The story is not as simple as it seems and the more it develops the more mysteries it reveals.

When director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo told me in our interview, that he wanted to make a global film, with characters that faced their fears, I immediately understood what he meant because that is something that he clearly accomplished. I have to give him credit for developing the same story in two different countries, with two diverse languages and cultures because he did this in a fluid and organized manner. To me it was a little strange to see Owen playing this kind of semi-vulnerable character, although without a doubt his best characters are always mysterious like this one. One thing we have to mention is the fact that having a big time Hollywood actor in a movie directed by a Spaniard in a bilingual film as the main actor is wonderful, this continues to show the importance and influence Hispanics have at a global level.

The twists in the film are interesting; the psychological part works because it takes the story to a level further than a kid’s story, the same goes for the background of the story. The problem is the connection between these; although it was well formulated they don’t give the necessary explanation or satisfaction.

Very few images in the film are scary, I can think of only two that are creepy, besides that the mystery in the story is what takes it forward more so than the scary scenes. I think Fresnadillo had a good idea and story, but he missed a connection, or explanation or something along those lines for the story and the public to have closure, because they are going to go home scratching their heads considering the contradictions it has. There’s no doubt that this film has good elements to become a good thriller, but it doesn’t have enough fuel to complete the cycle that would make it successful.

‘The Avengers’: 6 new behind-the-scenes pictures

By Jack Rico

2012/03/28 at 12:00am

Movies

‘The Avengers’: 6 new behind-the-scenes pictures

03.28.2012 | By Jack Rico |

After the colossal failure of ‘John Carter,’ Disney is still pushing its upcoming film, ‘The Avengers’. This time, they have released six new images with some superhero action, but highlighting the work of director Joss Whedon.

The pictures describe the boss in action while talking with Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor). We also see him using the shield of Captain America, and other photos taken from his point of view as Iron Man getting ready for a scene, and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) shooting a villain in the air inside a studio.

Whedon will also most likely show up at the ‘The Avengers’ closing night premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this year on April 28. The film will have its world premiere on April 11 in Los Angeles.

‘The Avengers‘ brings together some of the greatest heroes the world has to face a threat that could end life on earth as we know it. The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Clark Gregg, Tom Hiddleston, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders.

The film opens on May 4.

DVD Radio: Extremely Loud, Chipmunks, Dangerous

By Jack Rico

2012/03/27 at 12:00am

Movies

DVD Radio: Extremely Loud, Chipmunks, Dangerous

03.27.2012 | By Jack Rico |

This week from Miami, on the Enrique Santos Morning Show, Jack Rico reviews the new DVD/Bluray releases: the drama EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE, the cerebral indie A DANGEROUS METHOD, and the family film ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED.

You can hear our DVD review segment in Miami on the ‘Enrique Santos Morning Show‘ every Tuesday at 7:25 AM and 9:25 AM by Univision Radio ‘MIX98.3FM’ in Miami or the global network by visiting: http: / / www.enriquesantos.com/

‘The Hunger Games’ breaks records with $155M!

By Karen Posada

2012/03/26 at 12:00am

Movies

‘The Hunger Games’ breaks records with $155M!

03.26.2012 | By Karen Posada |

‘The Hunger Games’ is the third movie in history to make so much money in its debut, after ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2’ and ‘The Dark Night. Also it is the first non-sequel in history to collect such a huge amount, at the same time is the movie that has earned the most for Lionsgate studio, with the outstanding sum of $155 million dollars. There is a number of infinite reasons for its success, the fact that it’s based on a successful trilogy by Suzanne Collins or the controversial theme of its story or that the advertising campaign gave its all world-wide. Whatever it is, the formula they used worked.

The comedy ’21 Jump Street’ which was number one last week follows it, adding $21.3 million dollars to their profits. It was very hard for this comedy, which many critics say it’s the best one of the year so far, to fight against the enormous debut of the one that took first place.

‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ fell to third place, although it has done very well this month after its’ premiere. The $13.1 million dollars from this weekend add up to the $177 million dollars total it has earned, almost the amount that the number one this week achieved in only its’ premiere.

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:

1. The Hunger Games – $155 mil

2. 21 Jump Street – $21.3 mil

3. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax – $13.1 mil

4. John Carter – $5 mil

5. Act of Valor – $2.1 mil

6. Project X – $1.9 mil

7. A Thousand Words – $1.9 mil

8. October Baby – $1.7 mil

9. Safe House – $1.4 mil

10. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – $1.4 mil