Movie Reviews

2010/12/07 at 12:00am

Shrek Forever After

12.7.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Rating: 4.0

Rated: PG for mild action, some rude humor and brief language.
Release Date: 2010-05-21
Starring: Josh Klausner, Darren Lemke
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Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.shrekforeverafter.com/

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The fourth and final installment of the Shrek series titled ‘Shrek Forever After,’ is in my opinion, one of the funniest movies of the year and draws a tie with How To Train Your Dragon as the best family film of 2010. This Shrek movie felt more real and less fictionalized due to the family arc. There was a human connection I had with this one that for some reason or other I couldn’t find in its predecessors.

This time around Shrek, voice by Mike Myers, has to face his toughest challenge – that of being a father and a husband. Surprisingly, our green giant is not used to being the head of a household and longs for the days when he can once again become a fearsome monster. But when an evil dwarf magician makes his dream come true, our hero does everything he can to return to the times when he had the unconditional love of his family and friends.

The original voice cast of the film return, but the talk now is that Antonio Banderas will spin-off his own movie Puss in Boots. This had to happen. The lovable cat is the best of all the characters and its too bad we had to wait this long to know he’s going solo.

Shrek Forever After is the best of the series. The film is excellent; it combines a clever comedy with drama, action and poignant moments. The three-dimensional images appear so real that you forget it’s a fictional world. Adults are probably going to enjoy this more than the kids. Thank you Shrek for the memories.

By Jack Rico

2010/11/30 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

11.30.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Rating: 3.5

Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some sensuality.
Release Date: 2010-06-30
Starring: Melissa Rosenberg
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Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.eclipsethemovie.com/

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â€˜The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,â€™ directed by David Slade (30 Days of Nights), is the best film of the series and it is indisputably the most entertaining of the three movies. It has depth, a gripping and sexual tension to it, a surfeit of action, visually appealing special effects and entertaining drama. â€˜Twilightersâ€™ are going to love this second sequel and newcomers will be hooked on the tension filled decision Bellaâ€™s love life has to make.

The first sequel left us on a cliffhanger with Jacob telling Edward to watch out, heâ€™s coming after Bella. Eclipse continues the churning novela with Bella (Kristin Stewart) once again finding herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard), a malicious vampire who is out for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward (Robert Pattinson) and her friendship with Jacob (Taylor Lautner) — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampires and werewolves. Whatâ€™s it going to be Bella – Edward or Jacob? Thatâ€™s been the question pop culture media has been toying with for a year now.

The filmâ€™s predecessor, New Moon, was a test of endurance in tediousness. My criticism of the aforementioned was that it lacked entertainment value. If it only had an ounce of divertissement. Subsequently, Eclipse repaired the damage done and threw me a biscuit in the process. The improvements are rooted in the insertion of several battle sequences, which provided a much-needed injection of energy to the saga, accompanied by quality-eye-candy computer generated effects. Add to that a much more interesting plot and of course, the main event, the confrontation between the films two male leads. The acting is modest, and letâ€™s be honest, it is not exemplary. It does though behoove the genre and the style of the film.

Amazingly enough, Eclipse possesses two Oscar nominated actresses in its cast: Anna Kendrick (Jessica Stanley) and Catalina Sandino Moreno. Kendrick, coming off her â€˜Up in the Airâ€™ nomination, seemed to be fulfilling contractual obligations or spoofing herself in the pic. Moreno on her part, the Colombian Oscar nominated actress for Maria Full of Grace, made a pleasant and surprising cameo. Her appearance, along with Christian Serratos (who plays Angela Weber), represented Hispanics in the film. Some of Catalinaâ€™s dialogue was in Spanish, which I must confess was a bit off brand, but welcome nevertheless. She whispered the word â€œchuparâ€ in a Colombian accent and I automatically thought it was strange, yet cool to listen to within one of the most successful franchises in modern cinema. Regrettably, she went uncredited as Summit Entertainment decided not to include her in their 113 page long production notes, a document usually reserved for press to ascertain microscopic details on cast members, set designs, etc. The reasons for her exclusion in the notes is baffling since she could have served as a great Latino marketing angle for their promotional strategies. Iâ€™m glad a site like ShowBizCafe.com exists to give Ms. Moreno and Latino actors their props.

â€˜The Twilight Saga: Eclipseâ€™ is a step in the right direction and it exemplifies what the film adaptations should have been like from the beginning. The intense, heavy teen romance is still there but layered with a much more entertaining ambiance of thrills and chills to it. I saw the film in standard 2D and was pleased with it. The IMAX version must be even better. Iâ€™m just glad it is not in 3D because with all sincerity, it does not need it. The fans of the books will be fanatical with it, newcomers will be entertained and drag-ons will at least be gratified with the notion that they saw the best of the series.Â I hope the fourth chapter Breaking Dawn, which will be split into two parts next year, is just as good as this one.

By Jack Rico

2010/11/30 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

Vampires Suck

11.30.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Rating: 1.0

Rated: PG-13 for crude sexual content, comic violence, language and teen partying.
Release Date: 2010-08-18
Starring: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer
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Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.vampiressuckmovie.com/

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â€˜Vampires Suckâ€™ directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer plain olâ€™ sucks. Now donâ€™t get me wrong, I like spoof movies, but ones that are full of hilarity such as The Naked Gun, Hot Shots and the Scary Movie series to name a few. The level of creativity to get this film off the ground is elementary, nothing seems to be out of the box thinking and 10 year old girls must have been consulted.

The premise, as you can tell by the trailers and posters, is a spoof on the Twilight films where teenager Becca (Jenn Proske) finds herself torn between two boys, a vampire (Matt Lanter) and a wolf (Chris Riggi). As she and her friends wrestle with a number of different dramas, everything comes to a head at their prom.

â€˜Horror-bleâ€™ and painful comes to mind when I think of having watched this, though I must admit that actress Jenn Proske mimics Kristen Stewartâ€™s delivery and speech patterns to a tee. Not much else can be praised from this film as a chuckle might as well be interpreted as a â€˜pity chuckleâ€™ for the sake of all the honest hard working technicians that put the production together.

Iâ€™m not going to get into revealing scenes of what I think is awful and boorish, but for the sake of your pocket and mental sanity, stay away from this film full of dreadful, inept jokes, paltry pop culture references and awful dialogue. â€˜Vampire Sucksâ€™ is on my top 10 lists of one of the worst movies of the year.

By Jack Rico

2010/11/27 at 12:00am

Reviews

Burlesque

11.27.2010 | By Jack Rico |

I know itâ€™s going to be hard to for many critics who panned â€˜Burlesqueâ€™ to understand, but the film is a guilty pleasure that will be embraced mostly by women, the gay and Latino communities. I say the Latino community as well because they are the most avid and indulgent consumers of telenovelas – the preeminent guilty pleasure in the US, in my book. Theyâ€™re so bad, yet so good. As many know, most bad films possess characteristics that make them dementedly pleasurable – this movie provides us with a plethora. If I can highlight one component that kills this movie over and over again is the tired and shameful setups that lead to repeated and unrelenting risible clichÃ©s. To be frank, the barrage is interminable, but it manages to be sporadically entertaining, somehow.

Christina Aguilera plays Ali, a small-town girl with a big voice and big dreams. Like countless girls before her, (Ruby Keeler’s Peggy Sawyer from â€œ42nd Streetâ€ and Judy Garland’s Esther Blodgett from â€œA Star Is Bornâ€) she leaves behind whatever she has and heads for uncertain future in the entertainment capital, Los Angeles. After stumbling upon The Burlesque Lounge, a majestic but ailing theater that is home to an inspired musical revue, Ali lands a job as a cocktail waitress from Tess (Cher), the clubâ€™s proprietor and headliner. Burlesqueâ€™s outrageous costumes and bold choreography enrapture the young ingenue, who vows to perform there one day. Soon enough, Ali builds a friendship with a featured dancer (Julianne Hough), finds an enemy in a troubled, jealous performer (Kristen Bell), and garners the affection of Jack (Cam Gigandet), a bartender and fellow musician.Â With the help of a sharp-witted stage manager (Stanley Tucci) and gender-bending host (Alan Cumming), Ali makes her way from the bar to the stage. Her spectacular voice restores The Burlesque Lounge to its former glory, though not before a charismatic entrepreneur (Eric Dane) arrives with an enticing proposal.

Cinematically, Burlesque is a mess, whether that is intentional or not is a future conversation. The acting was subpar to abysmal, the dialogue was criminal and the script was 75% old, stale tricks that have been worn out for decades. Even so, the camp charm manages to lure you in even through the dreadful moments of banality. I am sure director Steve Antin set out to do an entertaining and dignified project without the perversely sophisticated appeal… or did he? Only time will tell.

There will be a tendency to compare this film with Cabaret, Chicago and most recently Nine. Doing so would be unfair. Those movies had at the helm Bob Fosse and Rob Marshall, two stylistic and visual geniuses known for cinematic works of art. Antin looks like he was shooting a music video. It would have been interesting to see what heights the film could have achieved if it fell into more capable hands. Nevertheless, there’s some enjoyment to be had from the musical numbers, which are picturesque and staged with presence. Aguilera did a pretty good job for her first time out, Iâ€™ve seen worse (Paris Hilton). I never thought of Cher as a great singer, but her longevity as a performer lays that opinion to rest. Her credibility as an Oscar winner permits her to have a bad film here and there, but we all assumed this was a comeback film of sorts.

Burlesque will win many Razzie nominations, but as bad as it is, history will tell how bad made cult status.

By Mack Chico

2010/11/23 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

The Expendables

11.23.2010 | By Mack Chico |

Rating: 2.5

Rated: R for strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language.
Release Date: 2010-08-13
Starring: Dave Callaham, Sylvester Stallone
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://expendablesthemovie.com/

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‘The Expendables‘, the latest film by Sylvester Stallone, is a no holds barred movie full of man sweat, rampaging bullets, vomiticious wounds, 80â€™s tattoos and biceps … What more can you ask of from a film with a cast like this? Well, honestly, you could ask for much more. Let’s be clear: ‘The Expendables’ is not an action movie, rather it is a love story with moments of action. It also doesnâ€™t merit a detailed analysis on my part, nor do I think that deserves to be battered, because it does serve up a large dose of nostalgia . Anyway, it is far from achieving what was intended, largely due to a faulty script. Despite this drawback, the plot conforms to what is asked of it and it wonâ€™t be unpleasant, it wonâ€™t be anything remarkable.

The premise is simple and straightforward – leader and mastermind Barney Ross (Stallone), former SAS blade expert Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), hand-to-hand combat specialist Yin Yang (Jet Li), long barrel weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Crews), demolitions expert Toll Road (Randy Couture), and precision sniper Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren).Â Living life in the fringes of the law, these hardened mercenaries take on what appears to be a routine assignment: a covert, CIA-funded operation to infiltrateÂ the South American country of VilenaÂ and overthrow its ruthless dictator General Garza (David Zayas).Â But when their job is revealed to be a suicide mission, the men are faced with a deadly choice, one that might redeem their soulsâ€¦or destroy their brotherhood forever.

Some of the negative highlights can be narrowed down to a few but no larger than the misuse of Jet Li. Known for his spectacular martial arts moves and fast paced fights without the use of weapons, there should have been some intense and epic battle to remind us of the old days. Although there is a small fight with Lundgren, it fails to impress and for the rest of the film he goes almost unnoticed.
Â
Obviously by now, youâ€™ve all seen the trailer with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis in THE SCENE. It really is worth all the hoopla just to experience that.

This film is bad and wonderful. It doesnâ€™t have a great script, the plot is chaotic, and itâ€™s an old dick party reminiscing of the good olâ€™ days. Iâ€™ll give it this, it has some nice moments, but the story is unchallenging which leaves us unsatisfied.

If it had tried something more daring or have brought the full potential of what they had (Stallone and Drago II), it would have hit a bigger jackpot. Nevertheless, the word is thatÂ there is a sequel in the works where they can perfect the imperfections. Letâ€™s toast to that.

By Jack Rico

2010/11/23 at 12:00am

Reviews

Faster (Movie Review)

11.23.2010 | By Jack Rico |

â€˜Fasterâ€™ is 2010â€™s Dirty Harry and its star, Dwayne â€˜The Rockâ€™ Johnson, inhabits his character as menacingly as the perilous Clint Eastwood ever did. This is a serious revenge thriller with some moments of gun slinging action; the jokes are absent and the raw pounding revenge only moves one way – forward. The action is light so donâ€™t expect any Jason Bourne choreographed fight sequences or Michael Bay explosions as the star walks away unscathed. With â€˜Fasterâ€™ you get a deeply tormented man, hell-bent on revenge as he points, shoots and kills his victims without consideration of any consequences or regard for the law. It is genuine, uncensored, R rated fun. Read More

By Jack Rico

2010/11/18 at 12:00am

Reviews

The Next Three Days

11.18.2010 | By Jack Rico |

By Jack Rico

2010/11/16 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

Disney’s The Christmas Carol

11.16.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Rating: 5.0

Rated: PG for scary sequences and images.
Release Date: 2009-11-06
Starring: Charles Dickens (novel) Robert Zemeckis
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/achristmascarol/

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By Namreta Kumar

2010/11/16 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

The Last Airbender

11.16.2010 | By Namreta Kumar |

Rating: 2.0

Rated: Not available
Release Date: 2010-07-01
Starring: M. Night Shyamalan
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.thelastairbendermovie.com/

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M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender does not live up to any hype. Not for fans of Shyamalan or for fans of the series. Unlike M. Night Shyamalan’s other films this is an adapted concept and thus not his usual cup of tea.

It shocked me to learn how short the film was but watching the film it is obvious how an approximate twenty-hour season fit into a less than two-hour film. For those of you that do not know the story it is about Aang, played by Noah Ringer, and his journey of becoming the Avatar. The first season or Book One is about Aang taking the first step of understanding his destiny and learning the second of four elements as the Avatar: Water. The film does not cover the intricacies of the characters involved in his journey or build narrative comparatively. It seems that as a writer Shyamalan failed to capture The Last Airbender.

Some of the blame of the writing process is shared with the editing process. Whether it be editing within the screenwriting process or in post too much of the crux of the film is cut or altered making it hard to follow or enjoy. The reprise here is in M. Night Shyamalan’s direction. As the screenwriter, Shyamalan was able to control much more of his characterization and his directorial touch shines through Dev Patel, as Prince Zuko. Zuko is Aang’s antithesis and without him Aang’s destiny is not complete. M. Night Shyamalan centers a great amount of this film on establishing the base for that relationship.

Dev Patel and Noah Ringer both play their parts very well. Ringer is M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender. As Aang he does not share the same carefree attitude characteristic of his television counterpart; but he excels as Shyamalan’s troubled Aang. Patel as Prince Zuko brings the spirit of the television series with him. He is the perfect balance of the powerful, troubled, confused, but fair Prince looking for his destiny. Patel outshines the others who seem to still be finding the right niche in comparison.

With the exception of the opening credits the role that 3D plays in the film is lost on me; it is not required for a film that never develops beyond its narration. The cinematography is best on location, from there it starts to become apparent that the remainder of the film is shot on sets and the production value starts to dwindle. To much of the film relies on the authenticity of production but the audience looses that to the concept of 3D and the editing too often.

Unfortunately expectations of M. Night Shyamalan films are always high and The Last Airbender just does not live of to his other body of work. Shyamalan has a great story here and his vision is clear within his direction, but the production does not make the same impact. He clearly needed to work on the editing process of the film and focus on his storytelling strength more than the high-end production value. This does not exemplify M. Night Shyamalan’s potential but more over seems to be crushing him.