Movie Reviews and Ratings

First Trailer for ’42’ with Harrison Ford

2012/09/25 at 12:00am

First Trailer for ’42’ with Harrison Ford

09.25.2012 | By Karen Posada |

‘42‘ by Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures tells the story of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, which will open nationwide on April 12, 2013.

Director Brian Helgeland recounts the powerful story about the first baseball player who broke the Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he signed to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The film stars Academy Award nominee Harrison Ford as the Dodger’s revolutionary general manager Branch Rickey, the MLB executive who dared to sign Jackie Robinson played by Chadwick Boseman. This is the tale of how the heroic African American joined the minors thanks to the guidance of Rickey and went on to be the first colored player in the big leagues.

By Karen Posada

2012/09/25 at 12:00am

Movies

The Avengers

09.25.2012 | By Karen Posada |

‘The Avengers’ hasn’t even opened in theaters in the United States and it has already made about $260 million worldwide which covers its cost, which was $220 million, this alone describes the craze and buzz this movie has created. It’s hard to deny even not being a part of phenomenon, that this is a great action packed movie. We all like: Superheroes, special effects, alien attack, fights, space ships, saving the world, comedy. The special effects are fantastic, from Iron Man’s suit to The Hulk and the evil aliens. There are many weak points in the storyline, but if you’ve been wanting to go watch this movie more than anything is because of the action it has, I doubt many people want to watch it for its dialogue or depth. One thing this superhero movie does best is shine a light on all the beloved characters, although some or a bit more important than others it is all about team work.

In this comic book brought to life the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. calls in the superheroes after an energy source of unknown potency, tesseract, opens a portal through outer space and the Norse god Loki (Tom Hiddleston) crosses over and steals it, hypnotizing some of the scientist that had been working with the energy source, Clint Barton or Hawkeye (Jeremy Reener) and Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård). At this point Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has no choice but to go against the government’s wishes and reactivate the Avengers Initiative. So, while the superheroes are gathered we get to see a bit of what each one of them has been up to, with a little background explanation on who each one of them is. We first see Russian spy Natasha Romanoff better known as Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), she is sent to India to get Bruce Banner aka The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) because he might be the only one that can track the tessarct. Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) goes to collect the multimillionaire scientist Tony Stark or Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans) is asked to join since the energy source was found in the ocean after his freak accident that made him a superhero. Finally the demigod Thor (Chris Hemsworth) crashes the scene as he’s trying to get his brother Loki to change his mind and leave planet earth alone. All these different personalities, which the government views as freaks, must come together to save the world before alien forces take over the planet.

The movie is 143 minutes long and at times it does start dragging, when the superheroes can’t get along because of their egos, but fortunately the culminating action scenes saves anything that was wrong with the film. Personality wise Iron Man is the most likeable character, because of his calm, funny, and sarcastic views on life and the other characters. It is always awesome seeing a girl kick ass and Johansson does a great job keeping up with these superheroes when she’s basically the only human. There’s an unnecessary and uncharacteristic point where she’s portrayed as being weak, but minutes later she’s ready to kill huge robot like monster aliens. For some reason Captain America becomes the leader, perhaps because of his military background and although many seem to dislike his goodie two shoes personality, however, he’s able to carry out an organized team effort. Thor is just the odd extraterrestrial being, that knows this evil forces good enough and cares for planet earth to be able to give the superheroes and advantage. There’s no denying though that The Hulk is probably everyone’s favorite superhero, it could be because he’s not a thinker but a doer and although he’s hard to control somehow the beast realizes what his place is and when to SMASH.

There’s a fierce competition of popularity between Iron Man and The Hulk, they both steal the show and are even more superheroey than most when the situation calls for it. I have to admit that at times there is too much going on at once and some characters seem to be forgotten, while others are sitting around or being chased unnecessarily, but it all comes together so masterfully, ironically enough when disaster breaks out. The 3D effects are not glorious, so save your pennies and watch it on the regular screen; also, make sure to sit around after the movie is over as there are two extra scenes at the end. The Avengers is an unstoppable force that will continue to succeed, there being talks of another Hulk, Iron Man and Avengers 2 movies.

First official image of Hugh Jackman as "Wolverine"!

By Jack Rico

2012/09/24 at 12:00am

Movies

First official image of Hugh Jackman as "Wolverine"!

09.24.2012 | By Jack Rico |

Fox has released the first official image of Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine, the official sequel of the famous spin-character from the X-Men film series.

This sequel will focus on the relationship between Wolverine and Mariko, the daughter of a Japanese organized crime boss. The film, which also will include Will Yun Lee, Khodchenkova, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hal Yamanouchi, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima and Brian Tee, will be released in theaters in Summer 2013.

James Mangold will be directing and the whole film will have an Asian feel, perhaps like the martial arts movie – “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.

Check out the pic below and let us know if this sequel is one you’re excited for in 2013…

Michael Peña, ‘End of Watch’; tie at box office

By Karen Posada

2012/09/24 at 12:00am

Movies

Michael Peña, ‘End of Watch’; tie at box office

09.24.2012 | By Karen Posada |

There was a tie at the box office this weekend which has now been cleared as ‘End Of Watch’ the movie starting Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, officially earned $13.2 million dollars. Although the movie is limited by its Rated R rating, the cop film has received great reviews and surely word of mouth helped it.

‘Trouble With the Curve’ the baseball drama has been bumped up to second place with a total of 12.9 million dollars. It’s an interesting dilemma whether Clint Eastwood’s charade at the Republican convention drew crowds in or away.

‘House at the End of the Street’ which stars Jennifer Lawrence, ended up at number three with $12.8 million dollars. The film definitely got a lot of attention because of Lawrence, unfortunately it was below everyone’s expectations and it didn’t satisfy the public.

The Top 10 in the Box Office are:

1. End of Watch – $13.2 mil

2. Trouble With the Curve – $12.9 mil

3. House at the End of the Street – $12.8 mil

4. Finding Nemo 3D – $9.4 mil

5. Resident Evil: Retribution – $6.7 mil

6. Dredd – $6.3 mil

7. The Master – $5 mil

8. The Possession – $2.6 mil

9. Lawless – $2.3 mil

10. ParaNorman – $2.2 mil

Peliculeando: Dredd 3D, End of Watch, House

By Jack Rico

2012/09/21 at 12:00am

Movies

Peliculeando: Dredd 3D, End of Watch, House

09.21.2012 | By Jack Rico |

Este viernes en Peliculeando por X96.3FM, Univision Radio, Luis Jimenez habla con Jack Rico sobre sus críticas de Dredd 3D, End of Watch, y la cinta de terror House at the End of the Street. ¿Cual recomiendo que vea? Escuche ahora mismo!

Además, hablamos de la película de terror The Cabin in the Woods, en blu-ray.

Este segmento en español es el único en los Estados Unidos que se dedica a hablar de críticas de cine. Peliculeando será transmitido cada viernes a las 9:50AM dando las críticas y recomendaciones y más recientes estrenos cinematográficos EN ESPAÑOL! Ustedes pueden escuchar nuestro segmento de cine a través de ‘The Luis Jimenez Show’ cada viernes a las 9:50AM por Univision Radio ‘X96.3FM’ en Nueva York o por la red mundial visitando la página: http://luisjimenezradio.com ‘The Luis Jimenez Radio Show’ on ‘X96.3FM’ en New York, FM 97.7 Fort Myers, 98.5/101.1/100.3 FM, 890AM Boston, 1400AM Lawrence / Lowell Haz cliq al vídeo para escuchar el más reciente segmento radial.

By Jack Rico

2012/09/21 at 12:00am

Reviews

Dredd 3D

09.21.2012 | By Jack Rico |

Con muchas de nuestras mentes aun manchadas con el fracaso desastroso de “Judge Dredd” del director Danny Cannon y protagonizado por Sylvester Stallone en 1995, Hollywood ha decidido hacer una nueva versión del film como si el original nunca hubiese existido. El resultado es “Dredd”, un éxtasis sensorial que deleitará a cualquier fanático de los cómics y del genero de la acción. El 3D es de lo mejor que va del año al igual que su banda sonora y sonido técnico.

A pesar de obvias similitudes con la película Indonesia “The Raid: Redemption”, “Dredd” es mucho más cercano al cómic de los 1970’s que la cinta original de 1995, por eso no se califica como un “remake” por si.

En esta ocasión, el juez Dredd es interpretado por Karl Urban, y toma lugar en un futuro cercano donde existe un Norteamérica páramo asolado por la radiación con una única y gran megalópolis que se extiende a lo largo de su costa este: Mega City 1. Esta inmensa y violenta urbe cuenta con una población de más de 400 millones de personas, cada uno de los cuales es un infractor en potencia. Los únicos que intentan imponer el orden entre semejante caos urbano son los jueces, a la vez agentes de la ley, jueces, jurados y verdugos. Y la perfecta personificación de estos jueces es Dredd (Karl Urban), una leyenda viva de justicia blindada dedicado por entero a hacer cumplir la ley. En una misión aparentemente rutinaria junto a Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thrilby), una juez novata dotada de grandes habilidades psíquicas, se disponen a investigar de homicidio en un peligroso mega-rascacielos de la ciudad, un suburbio vertical de 200 pisos de altura controlado por el clan de la despiadada Ma-Ma (Lena Headley). Pero al intentar arrestar a uno de los principales secuaces de Ma-Ma, ella decide cerrar a cal y canto todo el edificio y ordena a su clan que dé caza a los jueces. Atrapados en una brutal e implacable lucha por la supervivencia, Dredd y Cassandra se verán obligados a impartir una justicia extrema con violencia y sangre al final de su travesía.

Lo que distingue a “Dredd” de muchas de las películas de acción que uno ve es la acción incesante que ofrece el film. Esto se logra porque el director Pete Travis recorta el desarrollo de los personajes y los reduce a sujetos unidimensionales. Esto permite en que el filme solo gire alrededor de la acción y no la historias de los protagonistas. Travis entiende que este tipo de cine es diseñado para entregarle al espectador una gran dosis de escapismo y nada más. Él lo logra exitosamente.

La calidad de las actuaciones aquí se deben de ignorar. Lo único que uno le pide a los protagonistas es que no traten de convertirse en Al Pacino o Tom Hanks en estos papeles. La meta aquí es que ellos nos hagan creer que son estos personajes de los cómics y que nos ayuden a adentrarnos más al universo de Mega City One. Al igual que en los cómics, Dredd aquí nunca se quita la máscara. Además, habla en un gruñido gutural que suena muy parecido al Batman de Christian Bale. Dredd es implacable, no muestra ninguna emoción y, aunque él parezca un asesino en traje de policía, el posee una conciencia admirable.

“Dredd” posee, en mi opinión, el mejor 3D del año. Fue filmado en 3D con espectaculares efectos especiales cargados de escenas en cámara lenta que poco a poco se está usando a pleno por muchos directores. El sonido también es fantástico y asombrosamente es parte protagónico de la película, no solo un acompañante. Yo predigo que la cinta será nominada a varios premios Oscar en las categorías técnicas y visuales.

Si hay una decepción en “Dredd”, es el villano, en este caso, la villana. ‘Ma-Ma’, como se le llama al personaje que interpreta la actriz Lena Headey, no es temible o merecedora de ser una magno contrincante a Dredd. Incluso, la confrontación final es casi irrelevante. De todos modos, es refrescante ver una mujer en estos papeles ya que se le agrega un elemento de impredecibilidad que se genera a la experiencia del público.

En fin, “Dredd 3D” es discutiblemente la mejor película de pura acción del año junto a la película Indonesia “The Raid: Redemption” que quizás sea mejor. No incluyo necesariamente a “Los Vengadores” o “The Dark Knight Rises” en esta conversación porque las susodichas poseen elementos de acción, pero cinematográficamente hablando, son más filmes de ciencia ficción que acción. Los largometrajes clásicos de “Die Hard” o “Lethal Weapon” son más comparables y mejores representaciones del genero de la acción. “Dredd” es la mejor inversión que usted puede hacer con su dinero este fin de semana. No se decepcionará.

By Karen Posada

2012/09/20 at 12:00am

Reviews

Trouble with the Curve

09.20.2012 | By Karen Posada |

‘Trouble with the Curve’, Robert Lorenz directorial debut film is an entertaining drama that’s better enjoyed at home. The film offers a middle ground for baseball fans as well as those that don’t care for the sport, which I was very happy about. The biggest quality of the film is that although it is surrounded by baseball, it manages to be a story that’s beyond the sport; it’s about human connections and change with some obvious outcomes. There’s nothing extraordinary about the film, but it’s worth a watch to contemplate our own relationships and lives.

Gus (Clint Eastwood) is a baseball scout that has been in the business long enough that even with his fading eyesight, he’s still able to spot talent. Throughout his whole life he’s pushed his only daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams) away; despite that she still decides to join him in a scouting trip, when she finds out about his health condition and how this could affect his career. One of the few things that help them survive this trip is Johnny (Justin Timberlake) an ex-baseball player who Gus had scouted and is there as friendly competition as a scouter himself; his interest in Mickey spark discoveries about Gus and Mickey’s past and present that will change their relationship completely.

The best acting comes from Adams, as she’s able to hold herself up on the screen against a legend like Eastwood and she even steals the spotlight away from him in some scenes. She also gives her character depth and is the glue to the story as she provides and reveals different aspects of her story without overwhelming the audience. I believe there’s a lot of Eastwood himself in the character he plays, a cranky old man who makes us laugh with his tantrums and ways of saying the truth, yet he does show some of the acting he’s known for in two major scenes where he easily put a knot in my throat.

Timberlake just provides us with a lighter aspect the story needs to not get too dramatic, as he reliefs some of the tension between the father and daughter. Phillip (Matthew Lillard) is the bad guy of the movie, as he portrays the new blood coming into the scouting world where computers do most of the scouting; it was interesting to see Lillard in this kind of role, although he has already shown some versatility in his role in ‘The Descendants’.

Making any sort of transition or change is tough and this film portrays that well, it takes us on a journey where we see how theses characters respond to what life sends their way, but most importantly it shows us that they won’t go down without a fight. Lorenz chose a very safe film as his debut, since this isn’t neither here nor there; but, I think the story can resonate with different members of the audience. It’s not life changing but it might make you ponder and evaluate some of the priorities in your life.

By Karen Posada

2012/09/17 at 12:00am

Movies

Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures

09.17.2012 | By Karen Posada |

â€˜Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventuresâ€™ on Blu-ray is the ultimate collectorâ€™s item. For the first time ever all four movies are together in one pack and whatâ€™s even better theyâ€™ve been digitally re-mastered in high definition. It features a two-part documentary called â€˜On Set with Raiders of the Lost Arkâ€™, also rarely seen on set footage and interviews with director Steven Spielberg, Executive producer George Lucas and Harrison Ford. For anybody whoâ€™s and Indiana Jones fan this is a must have.

This is a great way to spend a Sunday with the family, as it will take a whole day to watch: â€˜Raiders of the Lost Arkâ€™, â€˜Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doomâ€™, â€˜Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade‘ and â€˜Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullâ€™ along with a 5th disc which contains about 7 hours of new material and archival content. The original negative was scanned at 4K and then examined frame-by-frame so that any damage could be repaired as well as the sound, as Ben Burtt explained to us he used his archived material from 1981 for the improvements. With carful restoration and the correction of small technical flaws this is all of Indiana Jones adventures to the maximum.

It all beings with â€˜Raiders of the Lost Arkâ€™, which was completely restored and played in select IMAX movie theaters, the sound and images of the re-mastered film, are phenomenal. Watching this in the movie theaters was fantastic, but to be able to sit at home and watch all four films in Blu-ray in high definition is a real treat. Itâ€™s kind of surreal to watch something that was made in the 80â€™s and for it to look and sound like it was done in the year 2012 as the colors are vibrant and never dull and the whip cracks and shots are louder than ever.

Itâ€™s a nice way to re-live all the adventures as if it were the first time, being re-introduced to the characters, environments and surrounding stories once more while appreciating each magnificent treasure one after the next. To see Karen Allen and Sean Connery once more in their glory was very entertaining and it goes without mentioning that seeing Harrison Ford in his role of a lifetime with this high definition and sound not only made me swoon, but made me respect him even more as an actor. For everyone whoâ€™s waited to have these classic films together, it has all been worth it.

The storybook style of the pack contains:

Disc 1â€”Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 2.0 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The disc includes the following:
– Teaser Trailer (HD)
– Theatrical Trailer (HD)
– Re-Issue Trailer (HD)

Disc 2â€”Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 2.0 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The disc includes the following:
– Teaser Trailer (HD)
– Theatrical Trailer (HD)

Disc 3â€”Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 2.0 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The disc includes the following:
– Teaser Trailer (HD)
– Theatrical Trailer (HD)

Disc 4â€”Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The disc includes the following:

– Theatrical Trailer #2 (HD)
– Theatrical Trailer #3 (HD)
– Theatrical Trailer #4 (HD)

Disc 5 – Bonus Features
Bonus features are presented in standard and high definition (as indicated below) in English with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

NEW â€“ On Set with Raiders of the Lost Ark
– From Jungle to Desert
– From Adventure to Legend

Making the Films
– The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981 documentary previously unavailable on DVD)
– The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark
– The Making of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
– The Making of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
– The Making of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (HD)

Behind the Scenes
– The Stunts of Indiana Jones
– The Sound of Indiana Jones
– The Music of Indiana Jones
– The Light and Magic of Indiana Jones
– Raiders: The Melting Face!
– Indiana Jones and the Creepy Crawlies (with optional pop-ups)
– Travel with Indiana Jones: Locations (with optional pop-ups)
– Indyâ€™s Women: The American Film Institute Tribute
– Indyâ€™s Friends and Enemies
– Iconic Props (Crystal Skull) (HD)
– The Effects of Indy (Crystal Skull) (HD)
– Adventures in Post Production (Crystal Skull) (HD)

‘Resident Evil: Retribution’ opens at #1

By Karen Posada

2012/09/17 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Resident Evil: Retribution’ opens at #1

09.17.2012 | By Karen Posada |

‘Resident Evil: Retribution’ topped the box office with $21.1 million dollars. The fifth chapter of the horror/sci-fi action franchise by Paul W. S. Anderson did well this past weekend, but it didn’t do better than its predecessors. Mila Jovovich continues to carry the film which is expected to make up for numbers overseas.

The re-release of the beloved family film ‘Finding Nemo 3D’ earned $17.5 million dollars. Although it made below what it was expected compared to other Disney re-releases, it still is bound to satisfy the studio which will re-realease ‘Monters, Inc. 3D’ next.

The horror film ‘The Possession’ which held the number one spot for two weeks fell to third place with $5.8 million dollars. Giving way to the fall movies while still holding on in the top 10.

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:

1. Resident Evil: Retribution – $21.1 mil

2. Finding Nemo 3D – $17.5 mil

3. The Possession – $5.8 mil

4. Lawless – $4.2 mil

5. ParaNorman – $3 mil

6. The Expendables 2 – $3 mil

7. The Words – $2.9 mil

8. The Bourne Legacy – $2.9 mil

9. The Odd Life of Timothy Green – $2.5 mil

10. The Campaign – $2.4 mil