Movie Reviews and Ratings

Chris Hemsworth is ‘Thor’

2011/05/06 at 12:00am

Thor (Movie Review)

05.6.2011 | By Jack Rico |

‘Thor,’ the first Marvel superhero film of the year, debuts this weekend to high expectations from cinephiles to film executives. This film adaptation is faithful to the mythology of the comic book hero, has a well blend of humor and drama, is visually stunning, but stumbles through the end, and although it recovers, it does not manage to have a place in the pantheon of superhero classics such as â€˜Superman IIâ€™ and â€˜The Dark Knight.â€™ However, the film, mostly, is great popcorn fun and is worth spending the money to see, especially in IMAX 3D. Read More

By Jack Rico

2011/05/03 at 12:00am

Movies

The Dilemma

05.3.2011 | By Jack Rico |

For those moviegoers expecting to see the same olâ€™ Vince Vaughn rambling nonsense for kicks and giggles, youâ€™re in for a surprise that might make you rethink paying to see one of his films again. â€˜The Dilemmaâ€™ is a comedic drama that has more drama than one would like from their Vaughn films. There are some hard laughs, but very quickly youâ€™ll experience that this isnâ€™t what you paid for.

The movie centers on a commitment-phobic guy (Vince Vaughn) who struggles with two dilemmas: whether to pop the question to his long time girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly) and whether or not to tell his best friend (Kevin James) that his wife (Winona Ryder) is having an affair.

â€˜The Dilemmaâ€™ seems to be an experimental project for Vince â€˜The Ramblerâ€™ Vaughn. Here he revisits his old dramatic chops, and even though he doesnâ€™t shame himself, itâ€™s clear that he cannot excel within the frames of the genre. Interestingly enough, Vaughn has worked in various dramatic films before (Psycho, A Cool Dry Place, Return to Paradise, South of Heaven, West of Hell), but never with real success. The harsh mashup of comedy and drama here never really finds a harmonious balance and instead seems abrasive and distracting at times. The Coen Brothers are masters at merging both categories masterfully (Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona), but director Ron Howard (Apollo 13 The Da Vinci Code), a virtuoso in his own right, seems astray at best. When you look at his body of work and you look at this movie, it is as if they are two completely different directors. The Howard touch is nowhere to be seen.

Screenwriter Allan Loeb (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) concocted a script with some hilarity, uncomfortable drama and much unwelcomed filler. The stuffing throughout the second act was blatant and just intolerable. There was no need to over-flesh the obvious theme of the film.

The cast had some highlights and some low lights, one of the lows being Channing Tatum. The up and comer, who plays the lover to Ryder, had no business working in a comedy, even if it was one with dramatic tones. Each scene where he had to sound funny or look funny was amateurish. A definite miscast. Vaughn, James and Ryder were very good when they dealt with their independent scenes. In Vaughnâ€™s case, the toast scene monologue was a classic. His rambling, though old and unoriginal, had a nasty and hostile bite to it this time around. That was fun to watch.Â Â

Comedic dramas are populating theaters more than ever and we as audiences are going to have to get used to our comedians wanting to expand their range to include drama (remember Ben Stiller doing the awful â€˜Greenbergâ€™ or Adam Sandler doing Funny People). Therefore we have to choose wisely and The Dilemma is definitely not a wise selection.

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By Jack Rico

2011/05/03 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

From Prada to Nada

05.3.2011 | By Jack Rico |

‘From Prada to Nada’ marks a special occasion in film history since its release signals the coming of a new type of cinema into the Hollywood landscape – Hispanic American films for the US Hispanic. Pantelion, a new movie studio joint venture between Lionsgate and Mexico’s powerful Group Televisa, is the first major Latino Hollywood studio to enter into the foray of the $9 billion dollar box office US film industry. It’s purpose is to create culturally relevant Hispanic motion pictures, in English and Spanish, that include top-rated Latino actors, directors and writers. But it seems that this mission statement was only half met on their first cinematic effort.

‘From Prada to Nada’ is a modern twist on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. It’s a riches to rags story of two spoiled sisters: Nora (Camilla Belle), a law student, and Mary (Alexa Vega), an undergrad party girl, living with their father in a luxurious mansion in Beverly Hills. Mary has become so “90210” she refuses to admit she is of Mexican descent. When dad suddenly passes away, their posh lives are turned upside down. They discover they have been left penniless and are forced to move into their estranged aunt Aurelia’s (Adriana Barraza) modest but lively home in the Latino-centric Boyle Heights neighborhood of East LA. They are terrified to leave their world of privilege, and terrified of their new thug neighbor with a heart of gold played by Wilmer Valderrama; neither Nora nor Mary speak Spanish or have ever had to take on actual responsibility. The girls gradually adapt to their new environment; their BMW and Prius are traded for the public bus and a used car. As they embrace the culture that for so long they refused to accept, they both discover the true meaning of their Mexican heritage and romance along the way.

Though it might not seem it at a glance, ‘Prada’ is carrying around a tremendous amount of responsibility and pressure to deliver a good film. Why? In part because historically, US Latino films have underwhelmed, disappointed and failed to meet the expectations of a hungry Hispanic moviegoing demographic, along with its press compeers. It seems that almost all Latino oriented films made never improve, better or advance the current state of Latino cinema in this country. Therefore, Hollywood producers take less risks in investing in movies that adhere to the culture, unless its obscenely stereotypical like Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

Hispanic American movies made in the United States live in a type of limbo where it’s not gritty, political, or intriguing enough to attract critical attention, as its South American counterparts do, nor do their production values rival its Hollywood peers.

Even though it’s not as embarrassing as the disgraceful ‘Chasing Papi’, it doesn’t deliver anything that can make you feel proud of the future of Latinos in Hollywood. I must confess that Alexa Vega is very good and better than a lot of actresses out there, period. She’s charming and pretty and delivers. Unfortunately she can’t carry this film all on her own.

‘From Prada to Nada’ is a DVD movie that should’ve gone directly to DVD and not via a theatrical release. You can see what I’m talking about at a Netflix near you.

By Mack Chico

2011/05/02 at 12:00am

Movies

¡’Fast Five’ is #1 in the box office!

05.2.2011 | By Mack Chico |

The action film ‘Fast Five‘ sped to the top of the box office this weekend, grossing $83.6 million in North America and raising movie studios’ hopes for a profitable summer after a lackluster spring.

The Fast and Furious saga just beat its own record in the United States. ‘Fast Five’ takes no less than $83.6 billion in its U.S. debut in theaters. The biggest success so far this year for any production in its first week.

“Fast Five“ also set a record as the best debut ever for a month in April, surpassing its predecessor “Fast and Furious 4“, which debuted with $71 million at the box office two years ago.

In second place is the second highest grossing film of 2011 “Rio“ with $39.2 million. “Rio“ slipped to No. 2 this weekend, with $14.4 million.

In third place was the comedy “Tyler Perry‘s Madea‘s Big Happy Family“, with $10.1 million.

Here are the 10 highest grossing films of this past weekend.

1. “Fast Five“, 83.6 million.

2. “Rio“, 14.4 million.

3. “Tyler Perry‘s Madea‘s Big Happy Family“, 10.1 million.

4. “Water for Elephants“, 9.1 million.

5. “Prom“, 5 million.

6. “Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil“, 4.1 million.

7. “Soul Surfer, “ 3.3 million.

8. “Insidious“, 2.7 million.

9. “Hop“, 2.6 million.

10. “Source Code“, 2.5 million.

By Mack Chico

2011/04/26 at 12:00am

Movies

Fernanda Romero sentenced to jail

04.26.2011 | By Mack Chico |

Mexican-born actress, Fernanda Romero, who had small scenes in “Drag Me To Hell” and “The Eye,” and who will next be seen in Mun2’s new ‘Fast Five’ television Spanglish show ‘RPM Miami,’ is accused of entering a sham marriage to remain in the United States. On Monday (April 25), U.S. District Judge Manuel Real ordered both Romero and American musician Kent Ross to spend 30 days behind bars. She and her husband will serve the sentence on weekends.

In January, the Drag Me To Hell star pleaded guilty to making a false statement to authorities investigating her fraudulent marriage.

Federal prosecutors presented evidence that the couple didn’t live together as they stated on immigration forms, and essentially lived separate lives.

Romero, is best known in Mexico for a soap opera called “Eternamente Tuya.”

By Jack Rico

2011/04/22 at 12:00am

Reviews

Water for Elephants

04.22.2011 | By Jack Rico |

‘Water for Elephants’ is one of the most beautiful films you’ll see this year. With the help of one of the greatest Mexican cinematographers in Rodrigo Prieto, director Francis Lawrence who helmed ‘I Am Legend’ and ‘Constantine,’ gives us a visually beautiful, colorful picture full of vibrancy and panache with love at its core. This is the theme that traverses the story at every level. You see it subtly, passionately, and in complex ways. A mixed bag of everything. Unfortunately, you need real chemistry to pull this off, not a modicum. ‘Water for Elephants’ has its great moments but it also possesses some mediocre mush that weighs it down. It is ultimately a fine film, but because it could’ve been perfect, it is measured at a different scale. The criticisms here are not of the negative kind, but would like them to be viewed as constructive, a ‘what could have been better’ analysis of the events.

The film, in essence, is the circus story version of 1997’s Titanic. It follows almost the same exact plot structure: old man narrates his story of a tragic event in the form of flashbacks when he was young, his romance with a woman that was out of his reach, and the memory of the tragedy that our narrator has never been able to forget. Robert Pattinson is Leonardo DiCaprio and Reese Witherspoon is Kate Winslet’s character, with a circus ambience. This structure is very successful, but I have already seen it and have seen it done better. I don’t think it’s nonsensical to say that many who watch the movie will feel like they’ve seen it before. It’ll be an involuntary and subconscious reaction, but one that will affect the viewer’s judgement of it.

Based on the book by Sara Gruen, ‘Water for Elephants’ swirls around the life of a veterinary student from the wrong side of the tracks, Jacob (Robert Pattinson), who meets and falls in love with Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), a star performer in a circus of a bygone era. They discover beauty amidst the world of the Big Top, and come together through their compassion for an elephant named Rosie. Both are faced with the challenge of her charismatic and dangerous husband August (Christopher Waltz), who seeks to keep his matrimony and the circus alive no matter the consequences.

Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson’s individual work here is the best I’ve seen him do. He’s photogenic, charming and definitely has the magic to attract a vast contingency of female cinephiles with that ‘aww shucks’ demeanor. Witherspoon is Witherspoon, nothing more, and Waltz channeled Col. Hans Landa. Very good, but again I’ve seen him perform this character better in Inglorious Basterds. I tip my hat and salute the performance of Hal Holbrook as the elderly Jacob. You almost choked up in most of the scenes he was in, especially at the end. There’s something to say about watching an elderly person be so fragile and vulnerable in a close up. It’s powerful stuff.

Pacing and dialogue play a big part in the reasons this film made one or more yawn a few times. The pace is at times uneven because the dialogue withers a bit in the middle and it felt slow and wearisome. It then picks back up only to wane again. It did this a few times until it moved consistently enough to engross you once and for all through the end. Lawrence should’ve cut some scenes and push the movie forward even if it risked cutting out his favorite scenes with Pattinson. During the fist hour I must’ve looked at my watch once or twice and a guy in the back let out a loud yawn. Is it entertaining? No, not in the Fast Five type of way, but it’s not supposed to. It is supposed to titillate my senses and crescendo into a rousing symphony of engagement for me. It never reached those heights, but it also didn’t ruin my experience. This is a delightful movie, not a preeminent one.

Exclusive: First pics of Shalim and Trejo in ‘Bad Ass’

By Jack Rico

2011/04/19 at 12:00am

Movies

Exclusive: First pics of Shalim and Trejo in ‘Bad Ass’

04.19.2011 | By Jack Rico |

Shalim Ortiz, known from his work in the critically acclaimed Dominican film Yuniol, and the NBC series Heroes, doesn’t know it, “but he just f@cked with the wrong Mexican” – Danny ‘Machete‘ Trejo. What we mean is that Ortiz is teaming up with Trejo, Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Cronos, Sons of Anarchy) and Charles Dutton (Alien, Gothika) in a movie called ‘Bad Ass‘, which has still to have an official release date, but is rumored to be aiming for a Toronto Film Festival premiere, September 8-18th.

The plot for the film has Trejo playing Frank Vega, a Vietnam veteran and senior citizen, who becomes a YouTube sensation and local hero when he takes on political corruption and a vicious street gang in an effort to solve and avenge his best friend’s murder.

Shalim plays the 17 and 25 year old versions of Danny Trejo’s character, Vega, in the film. He’s a high school football star who leaves his girlfriend Lindsay behind to enlist in the army and serve in Vietnam. He proves to be a skilled, brave and dedicated soldier, earning a Purple Heart and suffering a severe leg injury. Upon returning home, Frank discovers that Lindsay has moved on and his job prospects are bleak.

Ortiz just wrapped up the production a few days ago in Oklahoma and is on a work frenzy as he has 7 films in the can and 6 in development, including the highly anticipated ‘Gardel‘ about the Argentinian raised tango icon, Carlos Gardel, who died tragically in a plane crash in 1935. He’ll play Pizarro, and most likely, will speak with an Argentinian accent. Let’ see how he pulls it off. The movie is set for release sometime in 2013.

Below are the first exclusive movie stills from Bad Ass.

The film is directed by Craig Moss (The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It), and produced by Ash Shah, Ben Feingold and Jim Busfield.

By Jack Rico

2011/04/19 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

Gulliver’s Travels

04.19.2011 | By Jack Rico |

Cotillard and Gordon-Levitt cast in “The Dark Knight Rises”

By Jack Rico

2011/04/19 at 12:00am

Movies

Cotillard and Gordon-Levitt cast in “The Dark Knight Rises”

04.19.2011 | By Jack Rico |

Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Oscar^® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have joined the cast of “The Dark Knight Rises,” the epic conclusion to the Dark Knight legend.

“When you collaborate with people as talented as Marion and Joe, it comes as no surprise that you would want to repeat the experience. I immediately thought of them for the roles of Miranda and Blake, and I am looking forward to working with both of them again.”

Cotillard will appear as Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father’s philanthropic endeavors for Gotham.

Gordon-Levitt will play John Blake, a Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon.

The film reunites the actors with Christopher Nolan, who recently directed them in the award-winning blockbuster “Inception.”

The director stated, “When you collaborate with people as talented as Marion and Joe, it comes as no surprise that you would want to repeat the experience. I immediately thought of them for the roles of Miranda and Blake, and I am looking forward to working with both of them again.”

Heading the cast of “The Dark Knight Rises,” Christian Bale stars as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The main cast also includes Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle and Tom Hardy as Bane.

Nolan will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Christopher Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is slated for release on July 20, 2012. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.