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Lawless
Karen Posada
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2012/08/28 at 12:00am

Reviews

Lawless

08.28.2012 | By |

Lawless

‘Lawless’ is a combination of western and gangster movies, which worked for me as it really captures the qualities of these two genres in an interesting mix. To be clear it is not fully either or, so don’t go expecting a shoot out in every scene, as the drama is used as a break pedal. The film is based on Matt Bondurant’s fictionalized account of his family’s history, led by the Boundurant Brothers; titled ‘The Wettest County in the World’. The Australian duo, director John Hillcoat and screenwriter Nick Cave picked up the story. They combined visceral violence with beauty, melancholy and a sort of innocence that the film portrays of Virginia during the depression and prohibition era in the 20’s and 30’s. The film has its flaws, but it’s already emanating some Oscar buzz, more than anything for the big names in it as well as its production quality.

 

The tale is narrated by Jack (Shia LaBeaouf) the youngest and most sensitive of the Bondurant brothers also composed of Howard (Jason Clarke) the oldest of the three, scarred after surviving the Great War; and Forrest (Tom Hardy) who almost died from the Spanish Flu which killed their parents and made him the strongest one; converting him into both their mother and father. The brothers run a successful business selling moonshine; but corrupt Special Deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) is about to stop Franklin County’s bootlegging days. The catch is that the brothers won’t back down or bow to anyone.

 

LaBeauof is basically the main character and I have a new found respect for him, although his behavior is more foolish than anything, he delivers a wonderful performance portraying the process of a boy growing up, who’s trying to find his place. Hardy’s performance comes from his actions more than anything, as his character is a man of few words and most of his dialogue is grunts; despite this Hardy shows his acting skills as one of the most powerful characters of the film. Pearce’s character is so easy to hate because you can clearly see Pearce’s worth as an actor in him, he’s a sneaky, slimy villain from the way he looks to the way he behaves. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some Oscar nominations from here, especially for Hardy and Pearce.

 

It was disappointing to see Gary Oldman, who portrays the character of Floyd Banner- a ruthless big city gangster that Jack idolizes, be on screen for such a short amount of time. Here he makes one of the best movie entrances I’ve experienced. I also would have liked some more character development on Maggie Beauford (Jessica Chastain) as she’s the strongest female character, which was very refreshing to see in this type of film. The legend of invincibility that the film deals with changes the tone of the movie, which although can be townsfolk tales it almost made me feel like it was uncharacteristic to the film. Also, the time scale of the film seems off at times, as it’s hard to tell how much time has passed in some scenes. Lasty, although the dialogue in the film is not very profound, it is a little hard to understand some characters in it; but I kind of expected that knowing we would be hearing southern accents.

 

My favorite things about the film: the tone and beauty of the colors and landscapes, the rawness of some of its characters that stayed true to the nature of the south such as Cricket Pate (Dane DeHaan), and the way the story has a Robin Hood feel to it where fighting against the government is the only way to support their families and communities. Movies based on real life usually contain all the elements to make it successful and in this one I think the director did a great job in staying true to the times and the story without forgetting what he wanted to illustrate. If you like to see stories that contain a little bit of history, mixed in with some classic entertaining genres, accompanied by some of the best actors of today; then you won’t be disappointed with this one.      

Premium Rush
Jack Rico
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2012/08/24 at 12:00am

Reviews

Premium Rush

08.24.2012 | By |

Premium Rush

A bicycle action film? Really? That was the same thing I said when I saw the initial trailer from “Premium Rush“. Whoever made the pitch to the studios must have some amazing verbiage skills because the film, even though it offers plenty of action, it is not persuasive enough to be credible or enthralling.

The absurd premise has New York as background, where a messenger named Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is chased throughout the city by a dirty cop (Michael Shannon) before Wilee delivers a mysterious envelope to Chinatown by 7pm.

The film has some problematic tangents. The first is the concept of bicycle messengers. There are few cities that can offer such a business, such as New York, but Los Angeles nor London can. The infrastructure of their streets does not allow it. Will residents of provinces or suburbs be interested or connect with the storyline? If we who live in the Big Apple don’t care at all, I can’t see middle America doing so either.

Secondly, it seems silly to think that a film about bicycles can develop suspense, tension and excitement. If you think about it, the worst that can happen if a bike hits me at full speed is a break a bone. I’ll survive. It’s very similar to what happened to filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan in “The Happening“. Was I supposed to have nightmares about a few trees?! The gaul.

If I have to compliment something from “Rush” is the action. It is relentless. The escape sequences are very swift and can even entertain to a degree, but after the first hour it becomes monotonous because there is only so much juice one can squeeze from cycling? Director David Koepp, who is a very technical director, has yet to learn how to inject emotion into these scenes. The chase sequences are visually appealing, but they fail to make us give a hoot. You want to know what great chase scenes are? Watch “The French Connection” or even “We Own the Night“. Those two really are memorable.

In terms of performances, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, star of the film and an actor who has had an excellent streak of wonderful and memorable movies with the likes of “Inception”, “The Dark Knight Rises”, “(500) Days of Summer”, “50/50” and the future releases of “Looper” and “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg, does not connect here. It isn’t because he is a bad actor, it is that director Koepp’s script does not allow him nor the rest of the cast to showcase their skills. The star in truth is the action.

Michael Shannon, the antagonist to Gordon-Levitt, is a very peculiar actor. The man seems crazy, but you can always count on him to delivers memorable performances. Just watch his scenes in “Revolutionary Road” with Leonardo DiCaprio. The Dominican actress Dania Ramirez, who is always compared with Zoe Saldana, has plenty of screen time, but does little for one to remember her performance, then again what do you expect from a “cycling action movie”? I am sure that her persistence will lead to a role where she can shine.

In short, I give “Premium Rush” an A for effort and creativity, but perhaps Koepp was the wrong guy to direct. The film felt forced and manufactured. Does it deserve to be seen you might ask? Perhaps out of curiosity, but not for its entertainment value.

Cosmopolis
Jack Rico
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2012/08/14 at 12:00am

Reviews

Cosmopolis

08.14.2012 | By |

Cosmopolis

Cerebrally unentertaining. That is how I would describe ‘Cosmopolis’, the new cinematic effort by David Cronenberg (The Fly, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises) starring Robert Pattinson. Much of it has to do with its inexhaustible stream of abstract sequences that amount to meaningless nothings. I found the film to be always saying too much, but never saying anything at all. It is banal and sufferingly boring. Cronenberg’s attempt to capture the zeitgeist of our times was commendable on a cerebral point of view, but he could have made more of a creative push to entertain us cinematically as well. Dry abstractions are abusive and should not have a place amongst a paying crowd. Give it away for free, as altruistic charity or something, but don’t make us pay for it. Some stories are assimilated better in books than movies, ‘Cosmopolis’ is one such case.

Based on the novel by Don DeLillo, this highly bombastic story is about a 28-year old financial whiz kid and billionaire asset manager named Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson) who needs to go crosstown to get a haircut amidst the social chaos that is unfolding before his very eyes. He suffers from ennui and is looking for the meaning of his life. Having started the day with everything, believing he is the future, Packer’s perfectly ordered, doubt-free world is about to implode.

I think I’m a pretty intelligent guy and I like high concept film fare, but this movie was pontificating highfalutin trivialities. I’ve always felt that the original purpose of commercial film was to entertain. If you are a paying customer, you must be entertained. We can get into the subjectivity of how one perceives entertainment, but most directors are payed to provide audiences with swift and concise films that possess lively editing, fine acting and an engrossing story. Many of those elements don’t happen here and it leads to boredom and agitation, specially when you’re sitting down for close to two hours. Just ask the guy who was next to me who was so antsy that his restless body language made me more fidgety than what I already was.

Cronenberg isn’t the only director who tends to create slow paced, dialogue intense films. Just take a look at the worst offender in Jim Jarmusch’s ‘The Limits of Control’ or a close second in Sofia Coppola’s ‘Somewhere’. These are some examples of stoic torture. It’s the type of projects that seem aimless and provokes an internal feeling to just piercingly screech amongst the eternal and endless silence in the theater.

One can read the aforementioned argument and debate me that movies like this aren’t for everybody, but then why make them if only a fraction of people are going to enjoy it? How can one honestly invest for a modicum as opposed to the whole? Not good business and I believe that the box office will reflect that.

A good example of conveying existential and metaphysical topics while infusing humor and human elements that we can all identify with is Richard Linklater’s ‘Waking Life,’ one of my favorite films of all time. It’s about a man who shuffles through a lucid dream meeting various people and discussing the meanings and purposes of the universe. I can tell you it is better than ‘Cosmopolis’. Another piece of film that tackles the narrative of the human existence with diverting situational pep is ‘Biutiful’ by Alejandro González Iñárritu. You know you’re about to get clubbed with a philosophical message, but at least you’ll feel winded by the end from the journey you took.

On a bright note, Robert Pattinson continues his growth as an actor. ‘Water for Elephants’ set him apart from the teenage ‘Twilight’ series and gave him shadows of credibility. This movie keeps reinforcing the objective, albeit as another brooding character. If you look at almost all his movies, he plays Mr. Brood. It’s as if his range doesn’t allow for a different emotional state. But within that broodiness, he can be seen expanding his skill. Let’s wait for a body of work where he does a comedy (although many would categorize the Twilight Saga as comedy) or an adventure film so we can judge him appropriately.

If you’re a young Pattinson fan looking for a romantic drama where Pattinson swoons you over, boy are you in for a surprise. This is a young girl’s living nightmare as you’ll be offered enough apathetic dialogue to snore you into puberty.

ParaNorman
Karen Posada
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2012/08/13 at 12:00am

Reviews

ParaNorman

08.13.2012 | By |

ParaNorman

Laika studio’s ‘ParaNorman’ is a quirky stop-motion animated family film that like ‘Coraline’ from the same studio is a beautifully shot movie surrounded by the subject of death and zombies. The movie ‘s greatest assets are its clarity, color and real look to it, especially in 3D; this is stop-motion at its best. What the movie lacked most was comedy, it does have some but it needed a bigger dose of it seeing how much it talks about death, bullying and being an outcast; a family film with these dominant subjects needs much more comedic release. The storyline gets too convoluted and dark to the point where it can get almost boring, especially for little kids but an older audience can definitely appreciate it more.

 

Norman Babcock (Kodi-Smit-McPhee) is a misunderstood 11 year-old that has the ability to communicate with the dead; this makes him an outcast in school as well as in his own home. Neil (Tucker Albrizzi) a chubby kid who knows all-too-well the feeling of being bullied and different, follows Norman around and looks up to him. His estranged uncle Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman) informs Norman about a curse Blithe Hallow, his town, is under and he’s the only one that can stop it. Without planning it Norman ends up with a group of “ghost busters” his friend Neil, his sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick), Neil’s brother Mitch (Casey Affleck) and the school’s bully Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).    

 

Details are the key to this movie, which are carried out masterfully and the cartoonish way in which some of the characters were crafted add a playful angle to it. Norman is a strong character and the fact that it’s a real kid voicing him, makes him the more convincing and real. Neil is a great sidekick and is the one that gives us the most comedic moments, which could have been exploited even more. The movie has a moment where it almost becomes like an episode out of ‘Scooby Doo’, where the kids are escaping zombies in their van, giving the movie familiar elements to the grown ups watching it and introducing a new generation to them. The message the film has against bullying is powerful, it also teaches children to believe in themselves and their capabilities giving the story depth.

 

I don’t understand the reason why directors like Chris Butler, Henry Selick and Tim Burton like making family films about zombies, vampires and death; these are bizarre subjects to present children with. Although this one paints a pretty picture with Norman’s grandma (Elaine Stritch), it becomes too sinister and dark when we encounter the witch behind the town’s curse, Aggie (Jodelle Ferland). The film tries to come back to an uplifting note after the second part, teaching that vengeance is not the way to go. The problem is that it goes to such a dark place that it’s hard to forget where it took you, something that comedy could have helped and this might scare younger children.

 

The action scenes in the movie are fun and look very real; this can be credited to the animators as well as the camera work. I recommend this film for older kids, perhaps 8 or 10 and up, as the main plot of the movie can easily give nightmares and scare little ones. I appreciate the attention to detail and craftsmanship of this film, as these are the main things that will keep you watching. I wish the storyline were a little more lighthearted so that it could be more entertaining and not as serious. However, this quirky, funky, spooky film is unique in its own way and teaches some valuable lessons about understanding others and believing in yourself, qualities that make it worth watching.

Total Recall
Karen Posada
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By

2012/08/03 at 12:00am

Reviews

Total Recall

08.3.2012 | By |

Total Recall

The remake of the 1990 film ‘Total Recall’ is not such a fun summer film, although it does have amazing special effects and action scenes, the dialogue and some of the twists ruin what could have been quite an interesting film. Granted no one is going to watch this movie for the dialogue but it uses guns, technology and fighting sequences to cover what it lacks to be a more entertaining, which it could have easily achieved given the storyline but clearly the new scriptwriter should have worked harder. The original movie was a smashing success, hence the reason why a remake was done; those that loved the original may not be happy with some the changes but will surely enjoy the CGI it uses. Will this one be as successful as the original? I highly doubt it, especially seeing that the main star Colin Farrell is not one to lead a blockbuster film, but that’s beside the point.

 

In the future most of the earth is inhabitable except for what is known as the United Federation of Britain where it seems that most of the rich people live and jobs are available and the Colony, where most of the poor people live. Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) is a factory worker who travels daily from The Colony to the UFB, despite of having a caring wife; Lori (Kate Beckinsale), his monotonous life makes him unhappy. When he hears about a lounge called “Rekall” a place where he can escape his frustration by implanting memories of a life he wishes he led, he decides to give it a try. Unfortunately, his escape becomes a nightmare when his fantasy of being a spy seems to become a reality and the police persecute him.

 

There are a lot of intriguing conversations in the film about what reality is and how illusions work, but it is just inserted in between dialogues that have no depth which is unfortunate as this could have taken the film to a higher level. There’s also a similarity to the world we live in as there’s talks of revolution, oppression, wanting more, terrorism and a government that seems unstoppable; again all interesting but just thrown about and not exploited to its maximum.

 

The technology and special effects are amazing, that can’t be denied; from flying cars, a roller coaster like metro called “The Fall”, high-tech cellphones, to a city built in layers and robot like police officers. The movie has a ‘Matrix’ like feel to it theory wise as well as the look of it in some scenes, which is a bit unsettling but understanding knowing its origins and its more modern audience. While it stays true to the original it certainly isn’t an exact copy of it, except for some of the twists and main plot.   

 

It has a slow beginning and there are pauses in between scenes that seem to be too long without reason and scenes that ridicule the film such as a shoot out brought on by “jelousy” and others where the girls seem to be asked to pucker their lips and flip their hair at the camera. Many of the moments of suspense are laughable and pass quickly.

 

Although Farrell carries himself well, specially in the action scenes and in no way tries to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original; his alter ego is a much more interesting character than the one he plays throughout the movie and he’s easily maneuvered in a way that makes him seem almost like a secondary character. Beckinsale sure kicks butt and she plays her die-hard role perfectly, the only thing that takes away from her performance is the one-liners she delivers. Jessica Biel plays Melina, although her name isn’t mentioned; she’s another one that is perfect for action films but there’s not much we are told about her character so it is a bit tough for the audience to connect with her. Finally, Bryan Cranston as an evil politician would have been perfect except for the script he was handed, Cranston seems to play the same character in most of the latest movies he’s in which doesn’t show the true acting skills he possess.

 

This movie didn’t take advantage of what it had: the potential of a good interesting solid storyline based on the original, stunning special effects, engaging action scenes and actors that could have done much more with their roles. You can appreciate the special effects this film shows from the comfort of your home, without missing out on much. But, If you want to see a movie that has a spy who doesn’t know his identity, I say wait one more week for ‘The Bourne Legacy’ which although it probably won’t deliver the special effects this one does it sure will give a more solid storyline that doesn’t get lost in weak dialogue and corny one-liners.         

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Karen Posada
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By

2012/08/02 at 12:00am

Reviews

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

08.2.2012 | By |

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days’ is not very different from the last two films of the series; it is simply yet another chapter full of mishaps and quirky moments. One thing that is nice about these films for pre-adolescent kids is being able to follow the same set of characters throughout different stages of their lives. These are the kind of movies you can let your kids watch from home, as going to the theater might bore adults with the story, since there is not much intellect that drives it.

 

This movie combines two books from the wimpy kid series The Last Straw and Dog Days; here Greg (Zachary Gordon) is ready for summer but not being the outdoorsy type he plans on spending it playing videogames with the curtains drawn. His plans change as his dad Frank (Steve Zahn) tries to get him to enjoy the summer by playing sports and joining a camp. Thanks to his friend Rowley (Robert Capron) he’s able to escape from his dad by joining him in a country club, where he bumps into his crush Holly (Peyton List) and his summer plans quickly begin to change.

 

The thing I disliked most about the film is how much Greg prefers videogames to being outdoors, and while this is an attitude most kids unfortunately undertake nowadays, it almost seems like the movie is promoting it. I don’t have much of a problem with Greg’s dependency but more so with his actions, and although this might be realistic I think it might teach bad habits. The simple plot will easily bore adults; it is mainly aimed at its younger audience who will probably enjoy it from either following the books or the movie series.   

 

One important thing it teaches is how much interaction and bonding between the parents and children are needed no matter how it’s done, since it helps to create a more understanding relationship. Another important thing is how it shows that even when things don’t go as expected the world isn’t over and there’s always a way to see things positively and to have fun.

 

I think director David Bowers has made it so that anyone can easily watch the film whether or not you’ve followed the books or movies, as you can easily get the characters and the familiarity that surrounds the film. These movies can easily work as a TV series and hence the reason why I think it best to watch it from home, since it doesn’t offer anything out of the ordinary to force you to spend the extra money at the movie theater.

Ruby Sparks
Jack Rico
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By

2012/07/29 at 12:00am

Reviews

Ruby Sparks

07.29.2012 | By |

Ruby Sparks

One of the best movies you will see this year is called Ruby Sparks. It is in my top 10 films of 2012 so far, but the Academy might debate me on that. This is an engrossing romantic dramedy, full of originality, humor, metaphysical layers and packed with an emotional punch-to-the-gut at times. The performances are wonderful, the script is ingenious – reminiscent of Woody Allen – and even though it might drag a bit in the middle, it’s hard not to acknowledge that this movie is a refreshing take on a love story.

Calvin (Paul Dano) is a young novelist who achieved phenomenal success early in his career but is now struggling with his writing – as well as his romantic life. Finally, he makes a breakthrough and creates a character named Ruby who inspires him. When Calvin finds Ruby (Zoe Kazan), in the flesh, sitting on his couch about a week later, he is completely flabbergasted that his words have turned into a living, breathing person.

For whomever has watched Woody Allen’s Annie Hall and the Marshall McLuhan scene, along with Marc Webb‘s (500) Days of Summer or Marc Foster‘s Stranger Than Fiction, you can appreciate Ruby Sparks vivid and colorful imagination. Zoe Kazan (It’s Complicated, Meek’s Cutoff), the screenwriter and lead actress in this movie has made a writer’s film and the deep and connected relationship that an author has with his character. With influences of the Pygmalion Greek myth and magical realism, Kazan uses it to prove a point, express an idea and convey a message. This is also a style perfected by Colombian Nobel prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez in his many works. Spark’s essence is based on this literary and cinematic aesthetic style that engages the interest and provokes a desire to see more of it. We, unfortunately, aren’t exposed to much from our American writers but Webb and now Kazan seem to be indulging us with it in the last few years. 

Paul Dano, a mostly indie actor, has impressed me with two particular films as of late: Being Flynn, and the subject at hand, Ruby Sparks. In both, Dano taps into a gritty, real man’s persona as if he was one – not an actor – but an everyday man plucked from the streets of New York to play a part. He’s pretty authentic, depressing, fragile and vulnerable mostly, but authentic. Here he drowns in anguish as Calvin Weir-Fields, an author so fixated on the complexities in life, that he develops writer’s block. He nails the plight of someone consternated by too many questions and thoughts. Then, we see his delight of being in love to only see the gloom of loss. He pulled it off and it was a pleasure to see. 

Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of Elia Kazan, one of the most influential directors in Broadway and film, wrote the script which she stars in with her real life boyfriend – Paul Dano. Surprise! The chemistry between both are evident (it’s not always true of couples on screen), but it’s her narrative that shines. Kazan and Dano had met while doing a play together and previously acted together in Kelly Reichardt’s western Meek’s Cutoff. Recognizing their real life chemistry as a vital resource, directors Dayton & Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) tapped into Dano and Kazan’s romance to present real emotion and it worked. On the acting side, Kazan is the  heart  of  the movie. She’s free spirited, sexy, brave and imperfect – all from a fictional person come to life.

Antonio Banderas plays a small role as Mort, Dano’s mother’s boyfriend. He’s a man who embodies  this  kind of overt sexuality and free form, anti-establishment playfulness. He’s effusive and loving, but it is what  makes Calvin, who is wound pretty tight, resist him. It is the first time Banderas works with dual directors, but it didn’t seem like he had any problems with it.

The pacing of the movie begins with an upbeat tempo, but 45 minutes or so into it, it begins to drag a bit, hanging on to emotional intricacies that can fatigue the mind. It picks up again to the eventual and heartbreaking denouement.

Overall, Ruby Sparks is for moviegoers who enjoy high concept indie stories, romantic films and Woody Allenism’s. Durign or after the movie, you’ll be asking yourself whether Ruby Sparks was for real or not. That just adds to the charm of this small gem of a film.

The Watch
Jack Rico
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2012/07/29 at 12:00am

Reviews

The Watch

07.29.2012 | By |

The Watch

Los mejores momentos de la comedia de ciencia ficción, The Watch, se encuentra en los avances. El resto del filme es un refrito de varias películas como Men In Black, que conduce solo al aburrimiento. Cuando una película une a Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill uno espera carcajadas a la libra, pero ellos son víctimas de un guión flojo y sin inspiración por parte de Seth Rogen y compañía. Nuestros protagonistas no tienen que comprobarse ya que su trayectoria de grandes logros hablan por si mismos (excepto por Richard Ayoade). Por lo que vi, se nota que los actores querían hacer más, pero no hay donde ir con esta ordinaria trama.

La premisa se desarrolla en un barrio en el que se crea una patrulla de vigilancia tras aparecer asesinado uno de sus habitantes. Al final, sus integrantes terminarán descubriendo una trama alienígena para destruir el mundo.

El gran problema con esta cinta son los chistes y su desordenada confabulación. El director Akiva Schaffer no es un maestro del arte de reír y fracasa penosamente aquí. En lugar de entregarnos una película fresca al estilo “Ghostbusters”, experimentamos una historia sin rumbo, alejandose de la historia principal en momentos, por ejemplo, cuando los muchachos repentinamente se encuentran en una orgía y otro sobre Stiller incapaz de preñar a su mujer. ¿Que tiene que ver esto con alienígenas? Sólo Hill y sus improvisaciones le traen un poco de vida a este problema cómico.

“The Watch”, igual que otro film de Stiller, “The Heartbreak Kid”, contiene momentos latinos. En esta ocasión un guardia de seguridad (Joe Nuñez) de la tienda de Stiller acabó de recibir sus papeles de ciudadanía, pero lo que no se espera es que sea devorado y destrozado por un extraterrestre. Luego de la muerte del hombre, Stiller se le ve deprimido escuchando a una canción mexicana en su carro a solas. Muy gracioso. Pero hay que notar que Stiller ve al cultura latina como graciosa y siempre merecedor de chistes, estereotipos. ¿No hay algo errado con eso?

No todo es terrible, pero los momentos jocosos son tan ocasionales que ¿en verdad vale pagar dinero para ver un producto así? Claro que no, especialmente cuando uno aun puede ver en cartelera y bluray las dos mejores comedias del año – “Ted” y “21 Jump Street” respectivamente. Mejor vean esos, y no se deje engañar por el trailer de ésta que debería de ser esperada en DVD.

Step Up Revolution
Karen Posada
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By

2012/07/25 at 12:00am

Reviews

Step Up Revolution

07.25.2012 | By |

Step Up Revolution

If you’ve seen any of the movies from the ‘Step Up’ series then you know exactly what to expect from ‘Step Up Revolution’. The only thing this movie offers is entertainment in the form of dance; don’t except any deep dialogue, gripping twists, or great acting. I saw the 3D format of the film and besides some splashing water, sparks and people popping out of the screening here and there there’s no reason to invest in it. This movie follows the exact same footsteps as its predecessors, so if you are up for watching some amazing dance moves and nothing more, then you can enjoy this movie for what it is.

 

Emily (Kathryn McCormick) wants to join a dance academy and become a professional dancer. She happens to meet Sean (Ryan Guzman) who works as a waiter in a luxurious Miami hotel and spends his free-time pulling flash mobs with his underground dance crew called “the mob”. Dance is their connection and when Emily’s father, Mr. Anderson (Peter Gallagher) business mogul, wants to destroy The Mob’s historic neighborhood to build a luxury complex; they realize they must turn their performance art into protest art.

 

The movie of course tries to use its overly predictable dramatic moments as much as possible, especially when it comes to the love story. The biggest twist in the film has no real effect as it is known all along. Although this film has a Latin mix to it there’s only one salsa sequence, which was disappointing, this is certainly something it could have exploited more. The worst part about the storyline is the mixed message it sends at the end, where “revolution” is merely a word that can be wiped off easily.

 

Guzman who has a Mexican background, is a heartthrob and may be even better looking than Channing Tatum; he certainly has jaw-dropping moves and the other star McCormick of course doesn’t stay behind; their dancing is the highlight as their acting leaves a lot to be desired. There are at least four flash mobs and one out does the other every time, with out a doubt the dancers here are phenomenal. The final one is of course the ultimate flash mob; the combination of sound and the images of the various sets of dancers are exhilarating.

 

I can’t deny that I enjoyed every dance sequence this movie offered, but the overly formulaic storyline that traces back all the way to the very first chapter of the franchise makes it nothing more than a dance film. I don’t suggest you go spend your movie at the theater; this might be a fun thing to watch from home but simply for its entertaining dances.  

The Dark Knight Rises
Karen Posada
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2012/07/18 at 12:00am

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The Dark Knight Rises

07.18.2012 | By |

The Dark Knight Rises

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is by far the best action movie of summer 2012, while it does have some flows they are easily overseen. For those of you that have been waiting for the final chapter of the trilogy I suggest you do it right and watch it in IMAX, because it truly takes the film to an unbelievable level. Director Christopher Nolan really completed the task of the Batman trilogy on a high note, this was such a delicate project that could have easily gone wrong, but now that it is complete we can be happy to say that Nolan didn’t harm it but enhanced it. The beauty of the trilogy is that they complement each other, as some offer better things than others so there’s not really a point in comparing them; but I can say this one offers the most action out of the three.  

 

The story picks up eight years after the Dark Knight (Christian Bale) damaged his reputation in order to give the city of Gotham a more appropriate hero in his opinion. Bruce Wayne is urged to come out of retirement when Selina Kyle aka Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), a young police officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and entrepreneur Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) show up at his doorstep. The final push come when him and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) quickly realize that they merely put a lid on crime when Bane (Tom Hardy) the ultimate villain arrives to Gotham with catastrophic plans.     

 

Villain wise there’s no comparison to the Joker (Heath Ledger), he was such a well-rounded and unforgettable character that is hard for any of the new villains to match up to him. Nonetheless, Bane is a different type of character because what he may lack in wit he makes up for in strength, and his plans in large scale are what makes him the ultimate villain when at times even Batman doesn’t seem like a fair adversary. Hardy certainly became the monster behind the mask with his brute strength and cold heart, something he gave us a glimpse of in one of the best movies of 2011 ‘Warrior’. Hathaway is one of the best actresses in Hollywood because of her versatility and she proves that once more as Catwoman, she obviously dazzles in the cat suit but also gives depth to a character that we are not told much about, I won’t give much away about her performance except that she steals every scene she’s in, even some of the ones where Batman is present.

 

The best thing about ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ are all the surprises it delivers, it is so engaging that once it’s over you won’t feel like you spent almost 3 hours of your day in a dark movie theater. With all its up an downs it is a bit draining but quite fulfilling. Some scenes are painful to watch but the ones where there’s redemption and action truly make up for it. There are also some emotional moments that give the film a more rounded feeling. The new ride “The Bat” is quite awesome to see in action, as well as “the Batpod” showing off a couple of new tricks. The nicest thing about this film is that although Batman is the main character, and Bale was born to play the role as he shows endlessly time and time again it is not all about him. Some of the new characters such as Blake easily get our attention and that surely was done on purpose. Gordon-Levitt was the perfect choice for the role as he’s shown aptitude for these types of films like he did in ‘Inception’.

 

Although Bane is an excellent bad guy especially because of his look he is very hard to understand when he speaks, his speech is supposed to be sophisticated and intelligent and there were various angry comments about it when the prologue was shown last year; they went back to the studio to change it and it makes a huge difference but at times it’s still he’s hard to understand in a theater surround sound and all. Some scenes might disappointing the comic book fans, but honestly some of the changes help make the movie uplifting, relevant and even humorous. This is not a PG-13 type of movie like ‘The Avengers’ in every sense is more dark and needs every moment of comedic release it can get; this is definitely for a more adult audience. By Now Nolan has created his own world of Batman that can stand on its own, but here the complicated parts of the story come from the interaction between some of the new characters and the old ones as some seem forced, also some parts of Bain’s sinister plan get too convoluted. Finally, reality is forgotten at times which can be annoying but this is a movie after all.

 

Batman’s greatest appeal is that he’s a superhero without superpowers and that’s exactly what makes this last chapter the more appealing, because everyone that comes in to complement the story such as Catwoman, Bain and Blake are humans with different gadgets and abilities that cater to the audience. Nolan is a cinematic genius and he proves it once more by giving the viewers chills in some of the scenes, you get so invested in the story that there’s a connection with what happens in it; also because of the familiar landmarks shown that makes it the more real, although it takes away the whole “Gotham” myth which may bother some. To me this last part of the trilogy fulfilled all my expectations and the fact that a movie can keep you entertained for so long says a lot. Get ready to enjoy the most anticipated movie of the summer and the last chapter of a trilogy that many will cherish and already do.           

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