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Movie Reviews and Ratings

Ice Age: Continental Drift
Karen Posada
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2012/07/12 at 12:00am

Reviews

Ice Age: Continental Drift

07.12.2012 | By |

Ice Age: Continental Drift

‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’ is 94 minutes of fun for all; this might be the best out of the last two sequels. It’s hard for three main characters to entertain over so many movies, perhaps the reason why it works here is because they take a back seat at points and let the new characters tell the story. This movie combines drama with comedy very well, so that even in the most dramatic moments there’s an upside to it all. Also, the 3D works well throughout the movie, but it works best in the first part where there are a lot of objects popping out of the screen.

 

In this chapter thanks to Scat’s (Chris Wedge) endless pursuit of the acorn, he triggers a continental drift. As Manny (Ray Romano) is learning to deal with his teenage daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer), Sid (John Leguizamo) is reunited with his Granny (Wanda Sykes) and Diego (Denis Leary) ferociously helps them both. The gang all learn a lesson after they get separated from part of their pack and they face a rare group of pirates that use an iceberg as a ship. Their captain, Captain Gutt (Peter Dinklage) rules the oceans and with the help of his best crew members Shira (Jennifer Lopez) and Squint (Aziz Ansari) he will fight anyone that gets in their way.  

 

My favorite new character is Sid’s Granny, everything she does and says it’s adorably cranky and funny; she’s one of those old people that don’t hold back. Also, the tiny hyraxs (chipmunk like animals) are awesome with their ‘Braveheart’ skit. One of the most substantial new characters is Louis (Josh Gad), a molehog who is Peaches’ best friend.

 

The new group of villains is an interesting mix but Captain Gutt is the only that’s worth mentioning, his yellow teeth really shine with the 3D making him all the more disgusting and scary. One thing I could have lived without is the pirate jig they use to introduce Gutt. Manny still has a lot of screen time and is certainly the leader, but Sid and Diego really are secondary characters. There are also appearances by Nicki Minaj and Drake, which obviously were just added to the film to draw in a bigger audience.

 

What makes this movie more entertaining than the 3rd part is the fact that there are two simultaneous stories developing, the action shots of one complements the heart of the other. The introduction of new characters that lead the story gives it a more refreshing look. Of course Scrat is basically a third part of the story that always makes it all the more interesting as he’s the catalyst to everything that occurs.

 

If you are a fan of The Simpsons make sure to arrive early as there’s a short 3D film ‘The Longest Daycare’ with Maggie. This movie is better rounded than the last one of the series and there’s a lot more humor that will keep you and your children entertained. There are a few lessons the film tries to teach as an undertone, but they don’t over take the movie, this is more fun, action and laughter than anything else.

American Reunion
Jack Rico
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2012/07/10 at 12:00am

Movies

American Reunion

07.10.2012 | By |

‘American Reunion’, the new sequel from the ‘American Pie’ franchise of 1999, is a nostalgic film that fails to reach the heights of laughter as its original predecessor. The laughs are sporadic and the attachment to the characters are not the same. Both reasons are rooted in the argument that the best of this friendship tale has passed its expiration date.

The last time we saw most of the original cast assembled was in 2003 in ‘American Wedding’, perhaps the filthiest in the entire series. This time we see the characters come together, probably for the last time for a reunion at their high school graduation. The plot goes like this: Over a decade has passed and the gang return to East Great Falls, Michigan, for the weekend. They will discover how their lives have developed as they gather for their high school reunion. How has life treated Michelle, Jim, Heather, Oz, Kevin, Vicky, Finch, Stifler, and Stifler’s mom? In the summer of 1999, it was four boys on a quest to lose their virginity. Now Kara is a cute high school senior looking for the perfect guy to lose her virginity to.

The reasons to see this film are the same reasons that many went to see the last three parts, plus the straight to DVD releases – for it’s denigrating, black humor, obscenities and gratuitous nudity. These elements are still part of the essence of the film but it is marked by the maturity of the characters, that somehow or other, weakens the comedy.

However, many fans will be fixed to what the film represents on a nostalgic level – reliving their happy past, remembering the old days, together with friends and the first time they saw a comedy so daring and bold.

Vulgar material aside, the producers injected a certain levelheadedness to every character in their central theme. The lead story is that of Jim and Michelle who have a son and are having marital problems. Conceptually, this should connect with fans of the movie who are now parents, but I object to that view because the reason that we clung on to these characters was because of their irreverent youth, disrespect, and irresponsibility that their ages brought. By removing those characteristics, the whole attraction is no longer the same and the film is directed to a whole other crowd altogether.

Judging the movie objectively, its rude comedy does occasionally entertain and seeing the ‘reunion’ of the original actors, even though aged, is a welcome sight. I woudn’t pay to see the movie in theaters, but seeing it on DVD, at a cheaper price is a sensible option that will save you some bucks.

Red Lights
Karen Posada
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By

2012/07/10 at 12:00am

Reviews

Red Lights

07.10.2012 | By |

Red Lights

‘Red Lights’ is an interesting psychological thriller up to a certain point; because it begins to get so complicated it is easy to loose interest. The subject is far-fetched, although it gives us both aspects of the matter one begins to win over the other without much explanation as to why. We can appreciate the fact that obviously director Rodrigo Cortés explored the angles of the subject of paranormal things and science, but it falls short at the end and leaves us with a sour taste.

 

In this film two physicists, doctor Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and her apprentice Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) investigate in a scientific way what others believe to be paranormal phenomena. By doing this they’ve brought to light all the ghost hunters, mind readers and others, showing their dishonesty. But when the psychic Simon Silver (Robert De Niro) returns after 30 years of retirement, even Matheson who isn’t afraid of anyone tells Buckley that Silver is dangerous and isn’t worth investigating. Buckley obsessively wants to investigate Silver without caring about the warnings; with Sally’s (Elizabeth Olsen) help they risk everything to find out what Silver is hiding.  

 

Cortés told us in our interview that he wanted to explore how the human mind works, that we believe what we want to believe and this changes the perception of many things. The game of uncertainty between the audience and the characters in the screen as to what is really happening works and is what keeps the mystery of the film alive; since science and the paranormal face off to show us the reality of each character. It’s interesting to see how the scientist work, as well as how the tricksters work and how the believers reacts. This is the base and heart of the film.

 

Despite this the subject begins to be too complicated and certain things start to happen without any explanation. It’s had to believe in a movie that makes vague questions without exploring them more and that at the same time shows random scenes without any explanation. The movie doesn’t have a lot of action, except for one of the most violent scenes I’ve seen in a while, which makes it boring at times. But, the most disappointing thing of all is that in the culminating point although it gives us a revelation is isn’t satisfying. Obviously one theory wins over the other but we are not told why.

 

Without a doubt the three main actors: Weaver, Murphy and De Niro give us first class performances; specially Weaver, they take their characters to the point where the script allows them to. Olsen is left so much in the dark that she’s basically inexistent until she is needed. Cortés’ talent is easily seen, but perhaps if he let loose he would be able to give us a more complete movie.

 

According to Cortés he decided to make this film in English because he believes there’s a bigger paranormal market in the United States, I disagree since if it would have been in Spanish it would surely have a bigger audience in Latin America. The people that tend to believe in the paranormal or are curious about it can give this thriller a chance since it combines the old art of psychics with the modern world of science; everyone else stay away. I warn those that decide to watch it to keep their expectations low.      

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ takes over the box office
Karen Posada
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By

2012/07/09 at 12:00am

Movies

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ takes over the box office

07.9.2012 | By |

'The Amazing Spider-Man' takes over the box office

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ premiered on July 3rd and swept the box office collecting $65 million dollars at number one, with a grand total of $140 million dollars until now. Sony Pictures is ready to work on part two of the trilogy seeing its success.

The comedy that was number one last week ‘Ted’ dropped to the second spot with $32 million dollars. Seth MacFarlane’s film held on strong despite of the superhero premiere.

Pixar’s ‘Brave’ continues at number three with $32.6 million dollars, it seems like the redheaded heroine has captured the public’s attention. The entire top ten this week is an interesting mix of family and rated R films. 

 

 

 

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office:

1. The Amazing Spider-Man – $65 mil

2. Ted – $32.6 mil

3. Brave – $20.2 mil

4. Savages – $16.2 mil

5. Magic Mike – $15.6 mil

6. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection – $10.2 mil

7. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted – $7.7 mil

8. Katy Perry: Part of Me – $7.1 mil

9. Moonrise Kingdom -$4.6 mil

10. To Rome with Love -$3.5 mil

Radio Reviews: Spider-Man 3D, Savages, Katy Perry 3D
Jack Rico
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2012/07/07 at 12:00am

Movies

Radio Reviews: Spider-Man 3D, Savages, Katy Perry 3D

07.7.2012 | By |

Radio Reviews: Spider-Man 3D, Savages, Katy Perry 3D

This week from Miami, on the Enrique Santos Morning Radio Show, Jack Rico reviews the new film releases: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, SAVAGES, KATY PERRY 3D

You can hear our movie 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/

Savages
Karen Posada
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By

2012/07/06 at 12:00am

Reviews

Savages

07.6.2012 | By |

Savages

‘Savages’ has so much star potential and a solid story that it could easily have been one of the best movies of the summer; unfortunately it fails to reach its full potential as it gets lost in all the twists and it doesn’t take itself seriously. Controversial film director Oliver Stone uses a not so original setting in the world of drug dealing and turns it into an almost dark comical action thriller, where cold-blooded dealers are gossiping coworkers that easily fool one another. I’ve said this before and I will say it again, a movie that has so many characters and that tries to fulfill too many genres most likely will fall short to what it tries to accomplish.

 

Best friends Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and Ben (Aaron Johnson) lead a successful marijuana producing business in California, they each bring something different to the table, which is what makes their partnership unbreakable. They also have a love triangle with their girlfriend O (Blake Lively) who keeps them balanced and creates this unusual family they all need. Their picture perfect life gets disrupted when the powerful and violent Mexican Baja Cartel wants part of their business’ action. The Cartel’s fierce leader Elena (Salma Hayek) runs her operations from her living room, commanding her right hand Lado (Benicio Del Toro) and her lawyer Alex (Demián Bichir). Not sure what to do, Chon and Ben consult a dirty DEA agent, Dennis (John Travolta) who’s helped them run their business without getting caught. A savage war breaks out when both teams try to outsmart one another.

 

Del Toro is just the perfect person to play a bad guy and the audience easily begins to hate him by his actions and behavior. Although Bichir’s part is miniscule, it’s very important and he plays it well despite of the film almost mocking his character, he’s still able to come out unharmed. The problem with Hayek wasn’t her performance, as it was great to see her play such a strong, powerful character; the problem was the script as it decides to show her as someone gullible and that’s hard to believe having seen what kind of person she is.

 

Kitsch has had a tough year with ‘John Carter’ and ‘Battleship’, he has a lot of talent and it shows here but at times the script does fail him, but he’s able to overcome it. Johnson gives the film a good balance, as he’s one of the few pacifistic characters and it is quite refreshing. Lively is the weakest link here, as she’s doesn’t have a lot of say and gets used over and over again. Although the narration by Lively helps the film, as she’s able to give background information, at the end the narration starts treating the audience like idiots and it takes away from the film.

 

Stone made some great casting choices as he combined veteran stars such as Travolta, perhaps Stone’s political angle in the film, with the three main young actors, which quickly have come to be known in Hollywood. Stone shows his capability as a filmmaker mixing in shots of black and white as well as beautiful sceneries and bloody scenes.

 

The film is based on Don Winslow’s novel and this might be the reason why it becomes over dramatic, ironic and comical at times; those were the biggest flaws of the film. The actors gave it their all despite of the script failing them at times. Unfortunately when it begins to have funny scenes and ridicule the characters who have earned the audience’s respect it undoes what it’s done. The film tries to overcompensate with violence but it doesn’t succeed. I expected so much more from this movie but it drowned in a pool of mediocrity as much as it struggled to keep afloat. 

The Amazing Spider-Man
Jack Rico
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By

2012/07/06 at 12:00am

Reviews

The Amazing Spider-Man

07.6.2012 | By |

The Amazing Spider-Man

Here we go again! “The Amazing Spider-Man” is back on the big screen and it’s now in 3D with a new cast and a new storyline… sort of. This movie is a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise which is part prequel, part remake. It is a modest effort on the part of Columbia Pictures, but let’s be honest, the original Spidey with Tobey Maguire needn’t be touched or polished. It is one of the best superhero films ever made. Nevertheless, there are distinct nuances that director Marc Webb brings to the table such as: a more detailed origin story, a darker Peter Parker, a high school teenage vibe and a 3D that feels more 2D than anything I’ve seen all year. When you mix all pros and cons together, the result is an average movie experience that leaves you wanting excellence, not mediocrity.

In this remake, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today.  Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets.  As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), his father’s former partner.  As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” is not terrible, it is rather an average superhero movie, a factory made film, so to speak. It is nothing special worthy of praise. It does have moments of high entertainment value, specially the battle with The Lizard in 3D, that the masses will like, but the rest is so familiar that true superhero moviegoers will ultimately become very weary of it very quickly.

Perhaps one might like this darker version, but it is difficult for anyone to convince me that this is better then “The Dark Knight” or “The Avengers.” Among the defects of this movie though, is the lack of chemistry between the protagonists, and perhaps most obvious, the script. It suffers from serious gaps of continuity that don’t allow the first hour to smoothly connect to the second or third act. The special effects do distract from these shortcomings, but let’s be more honest, why re-tell a story that we saw only ten years ago? Could it be that Sony thinks we suffer from amnesia? It’s a frustrating exercise in redundancy and commercialism.

It doesn’t help that the script by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves contains absurd leaps of uniformity. The best example of this is unacceptable fallacy is when Parker spends the first half our of the film looking for the blond thug who killed his Uncle Ben, and without a clear and obvious resolution, the story abruptly jumps to Peter’s romance with Gwen Stacy and forgets the search for the crook. Helmer Marc Webb somehow ignored this crucial element that really wasted a better movie.

In the acting department, the selection of Andrew Garfield was an upgrade to Tobey Maguire. Garfield’s work on “The Social Network” was superb and was better than anything Maguire’s been in. Emma Stone, whose caustic sardonic roles we’ve seen “Easy A” and “Crazy Stupid, Love”, is by far the overt improvement to the languid-like, Kirsten Dunst. Meanwhile, Rhys Ifans, who plays The Lizard, is for me one of the best actors in Hollywood. His ability to physically change from character to character (a derelict in Notting Hill to royalty in Anonymous) is “amazing”. Here he provides a respectable archenemy to Spider-Man.

To be fair to the movie, the action, direction, special effects is not the main culprit for this average film. It crumbles because of the screenplay. If only Christopher Nolan was in charge of the script.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” was filmed in 3D and converted to 3D, however, more than half of the film is presented in what looks like 2-D. The only time you really feel its in 3D is when it gets to the action sequences, the other bits are pure fraud.

Overall, this “reboot” is the biggest cinematic redundancy of the 21st century. It fails to improve upon the myth of one of the most charming and popular superheroes of the Marvel universe. Instead of giving us something new and innovative with the arachnid  character, perhaps Peter Parker as an Afro-Latino photographer like in the comics, or re-concocting a different story altogether, we got a superfluity, one which will hit a nice revenue line for many studio heads at Columbia.

Okay, okay. But Jack, I”m very curious to see it. Is it at least watchable, because I really like these type of movies. Yes, it’s watchable, because after the drags of boredom there are ‘peaks’ of  diversion. But if you frown a few times it’s not my fault.

Don’t forget the hidden scene after the credits that hints at what looks to be the next villain or not. You be the judge.

‘Ted’ is #1 at the box office!
Karen Posada
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By

2012/07/02 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Ted’ is #1 at the box office!

07.2.2012 | By |

'Ted' is #1 at the box office!

‘Family Guy’s producer Seth MacFarlane took over the box office with his comedy ‘Ted’ with $54.1 million dollars. The story of the not so adorable teddy bear and his owner Mark Wahlberg, certainly is worth a peek as many would agree. This is the third best debut for an R-rated comedy, ever!

Channing Tatum’s ‘Magic Mike’ premiered at number two with $39.2 million dollars; this R-rated dramedy sure dragged plenty of ladies to the theaters this weekend. The film takes viewers into the world of male stripping, which is not as glittery as one might expect.

Surprisingly, ‘Brave’ dropped two spots to number three with $34 million dollars. Apparently the adults decided to leave the kids at home this weekend and give themselves a treat with the top two R-rated films of the box office.

 

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:

1.Ted – $54.1 mil

2. Magic Mike – $39.2 mil

3. Brave – $34 mil

4. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection -$26.3 mil

5. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted -$11.8 mil

6. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – $6 mil

7. Prometheus – $4.9 mil

8. Moonrise Kingdom – $4.9 mil

9. Snow White and the Huntsman – $4.4 mil

10. People Like Us $4.3 mil

First trailer of Demián Bichir’s ‘The Runway’
Karen Posada
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By

2012/06/30 at 12:00am

Movies

First trailer of Demián Bichir’s ‘The Runway’

06.30.2012 | By |

First trailer of Demián Bichir's 'The Runway'

Oscar-nominee Demián Bichir’s film ‘The Runway’ directed by Ian Power and produced by Macdara Kelleher and Brendan McDonald will be available nationwide beginning on July 18, 2012 and in select theaters July 20th. It also starts Kerry Condon, James Cosmo, Donncha Crowley, Jaime Kierans, John Carpenter, and Bruno Bichir (Demián’s brother).

In this comedy kind of based on a true story, Ernesto (Demián Bichir) is a Colombian pilot that crashed in a small Irish village. Since he doesn’t speak English, it is thanks to Paco (Jaime Kierans) a 9 year old who speaks Spanish and becomes his translator that he gets help. Paco rewrites Ernesto’s life story motivating the village to help him. Unfortunately for the pair when a detective claims to know one of Ernesto’s secrets, the town’s people being to doubt who they can trust. 

The 93-minute film which already premiered in Mexico last year, shows the story about a boy needing a father, a man wanting a family and a town willing to go the extra mile to help someone in need.

Check out the trailer:

Radio Reviews: Ted, Magic Mike
Jack Rico
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By

2012/06/29 at 12:00am

Movies

Radio Reviews: Ted, Magic Mike

06.29.2012 | By |

Radio Reviews: Ted, Magic Mike

This week from Miami, on the Enrique Santos Morning Radio Show, Jack Rico reviews the new film releases: the rated R comedy TED starring Mark Wahlberg, and MAGIC MIKE, the stripper movie for the ladies.

You can hear our movie 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/

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