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Movie Reviews

Iron Man 2
Jack Rico
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By

2010/05/06 at 12:00am

Reviews

Iron Man 2

05.6.2010 | By |

Iron Man 2

‘Iron Man 2’ is very fun, but the story in this sequel isn’t as interesting as the first origin story. It also felt longer than the original. Why? Dialogue was heavy and the action sequences weren’t as prevalent. Overall, an entertaining experience, but my main criticism of the first one was that it needed MORE action at the beginning and in the middle. This new film has a brief stint of action a quarter of the way in, but then becomes laughable halfway through.

With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, must forge new alliances — and confront powerful enemies (Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell).

Robert Downey Jr., is once again excellent as Tony Stark. He truly nails the caustic, pithy eloquence of Stark from the comic books. Don Cheadle was equivalently as good as Terrence Howard was in the original playing Rhodes. There was no real difference.  Mickey Rourke was fantastic as the main villain Vanko, and brought the gravitas that Jeff Bridges did in the first part. Scarlett Johansson on the other hand created a spark on screen, she was a highlight. She plays Black Widow (she was the sixteenth member of The Avengers), a sexy Russian femme fatale spy who works for S.H.I.E.L.D and whose job is to make sure Iron Man doesn’t stray for the worse. Sam Rockwell (Moon) was perhaps my favorite after Downey. He single handedly stole some scenes from Rourke and Downey himself. He’s really good and it is just a matter of time before he’s recognized for some gold hardware at the Oscars. Gwyneth Paltrow was slightly irrelevant. Funny enough, director Jon Favreau decided to put himself in the film for a few scenes. He’s funny and it seemed everyone else had a pleasant time shooting the film.

Some issues I had with this sequel had to do with the prolonged periods of comedy, or clowning around, that obstructed the flow of the story. The first Transformers movie did the same in the scenes where Optimus Prime is trying to hide in Sam’s backyard and I didn’t think it necessarily worked. When a film is taking itself serious and subtly injects humor into its storyline, it is fine, but when those moments of humor are prolonged and it becomes a centerpiece scene, then it can harm or ruin whatever solemn and credible moments the film was building from its inception.

The action sequences this time around, also coming in the final scenes as the first one, were more extended and much more action packed. The final half hour hit a climax well worth the ticket price. I saw this film on an mid-level IMAX screen and the resolution and sound were fantastic. If you can afford it, pay for it. Just in case you’re wondering, there is no 3D version of the film. I know, I was surprised too.

The Avengers storyline is in full swing here with Sam Jackson making a full appearance as Nick Fury, Captain America’s shield in another scene and…you must stay for the very, very end of the credits, where there will be a hidden scene about Thor’s Hammer. “Sir, we found it”.

 

Iron Man 2 is an exciting, funny, action summer film that everyone will like, even if it isn’t a classic.

Nine
Jack Rico
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By

2010/05/04 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Nine

05.4.2010 | By |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: PG-13 for sexual content and smoking.
Release Date: 2009-12-18
Starring: Michael Tolkin, Anthony Minghella
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://nine-movie.com/

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Tetro
Mack Chico
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By

2010/05/04 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Tetro

05.4.2010 | By |

Rating: 2.5

Rated: Not available.
Release Date: 2009-06-11
Starring: Francis Ford Coppola
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA, Argentina
Official Website: http://www.tetro.com/

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Meet Francis Ford Coppola 5.0: The Interesting Failure phase. Which certainly beats 4.0, the paycheck period of 1990s films like “Jack,” in which Robin Williams made the stretch of reverting to childhood. But “Tetro,” the second in Coppola’s new line of low-budget art films (following last year’s headache factory “Youth Without Youth”), is hard to take seriously.

 

In La Boca, the café quarter of Buenos Aires, a grimacing, unsuccessful writer named Tetro (Vincent Gallo) on the run from his own nonlegend is hunkered down with his girlfriend Miranda (Maribel Verdú) and working as a light man in the theater. He receives an unwanted visit from his younger half-brother, who works on a cruise ship and cherishes a mistaken view of the older sibling as a generous soul.

 

This movie will be remembered, perhaps, for the little brother, who is played by newcomer Alden Ehrenreich, an effortlessly appealing youngster who strongly resembles Leonardo DiCaprio.

 

Coppola, working in creamy black-and-white that suggests 1960s French and Italian films, wrote his own original screenplay for the first time since the 1970s. Opera is his inspiration — or possibly his infection — as he unloads an elaborate tale of celebrity, sexual revenge and family secrets that creep out of the expressionistic shadows.

 

The brothers, especially the older one, have been poisoned by the renown of their father (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and by the gruesome fates of their mothers.

 

The gorgeous look of this frazzled, fractured monster is enough to hold your interest, for a while at least, and Gallo radiates the appropriate level of crazy for his part.

 

Still, the more dramatic revelations and tragic inevitabilities that turn up, the harder it is not to laugh. Give credit to its maker for directing with an earnestness suggesting a pretentious 22-year-old. Having passed through the phases of Interesting Apprentice, Mad Genius, Chastened Bankrupt and Shameless Wage Slave, Coppola at 70 may be the world’s oldest student filmmaker.

Tooth Fairy
Jack Rico
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By

2010/05/04 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Tooth Fairy

05.4.2010 | By |

Rating: 1.5

Rated: PG for mild language, some rude humor and sports action.
Release Date: 2010-01-22
Starring: Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.toothfairy-movie.com/

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I didn’t really know what to expect of the latest family film ‘Tooth Fairy’ starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. At one point I thought it might be the same fare as his 2007 ‘The Game Plan’, which was #1 at the box office for two weeks in a row, but no, this was nowhere near as charming as that one. ‘The Tooth Fairy’ was just bad cinema. The Rock is a simpatico guy, but with a ludicrous plotline, uninspired dialogue, the worse camera editing I’ve seen in years and a paltry supporting cast, there was no way he was saving this sinking ship.

Here’s the story. A bad deed on the part of a tough minor-league hockey player (The Rock) results in an unusual sentence: He must serve one week as a real-life tooth fairy.

He wears a ballerina dress when first becoming a fairy and instead of it being a funny moment, it was a bit embarrassing. I’m wondering why he needs to be working these types of films. Could you imagine what his wrestling buddies must be saying? His body of work isn’t so bad at all. His previous roles in films such as ‘Race to Witch Mountain’ was great family fun potpourried with thrills, chills and action. ‘The Game Plan’ was a touching and charming movie that makes grown men cry when they see it.

Director Michael Lembeck, mostly a TV director, shouldn’t be doing movies. His camera shot selections were not flattering to the actors and showed the many audio dubbing flaws caught by the lens. Just intolerable. Adding to the demise of the movie was seeing a New York legend Billy Crystal in a pajama like costume regurgitating screenwriter Lowell Ganz’s stale and infantile dialogue.

Do not spend your money this week on ‘Tooth Fairy’. If you want the same family vibe with lots of smiles and warm, fuzzy sentiments and a tear or two, see ‘The Game Plan’ on DVD. You’ll be grateful I recommend it to you.

Furry Vengeance
Karen Posada
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By

2010/04/29 at 12:00am

Reviews

Furry Vengeance

04.29.2010 | By |

Furry Vengeance

The family film, Furry Vengeance, lacks a lot of imagination, it seems to have gotten most of its ideas from other family films such as Dr. Dolittle and Evan Almighty. The few laughs it achieves out of the audience (and I mean children) are based on ridiculous physical humor that at some point is more distasteful than funny. The good thing about the film is the messages it carries: to conserve our forests, prevent the destruction of them to build housing and the need to respect animal’s rights and homes. Unfortunately, these are barely important points of the movie; it’s more of a story of man vs. wild carried out by nature’s pranks against the protagonist.

Dan Sanders  (Brendan Fraser) is a real estate developer who is sent to take down a forest and build a private community called “Rocky Springs”. His family Tammy (Brooke Shields) and Tyler (Matt Prokop) miss the noisy city where they used to live, Chicago. His wife tries to be supportive and make the best of their new home, but their teenage son hates having been taken away from his friends and being in the middle of a forest where there is nothing to do. Dan tries everything to please his boss (Ken Jeong) and believes the supposed year they are to live in the forest while they build the community will bring them closer to nature and that it would fly by, but he’s wrong. The animals that live in the forest soon realize what is to become of their home and begin plotting against Dan by pranking him and making his life miserable. Dan is shun by his family when he starts acting crazy, saying the animals are pranking him and also once they realize what the company he works for is to do to this natural haven.

If the film would have focused on the importance of protecting our forest and keeping family as a priority, this at least would have given it some substance. There really isn’t much to take from this film that would even be of much entertaining value for anyone. Fraser as well as Brooks have played these same roles many times, the one of the goof and the patient wife. As a cartoon this movie might have been more successful. There’s nothing new that this movie has to offer nor in the story line or characters. This is not the worse movie i’ve seen but it definitely makes the list.

The Back-Up Plan
Jack Rico
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By

2010/04/23 at 12:00am

Reviews

The Back-Up Plan

04.23.2010 | By |

The Back-Up Plan

Puerto Rican actress Jennifer Lopez makes her long awaited comeback to the big screen in the New York romantic comedy ‘The Back Up Plan’. Lopez is back to form in what is, in my opinion, a charming and pleasant cinematic experience. Any thoughts on Lopez being washed up will have to wait since she can still carry a film on charm alone even with a modest B list cast. The movie possesses appeal, mostly from its star, but also from its relevant and topical plotline.

Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) has been on hundreds of dates looking to find a prince charming whom she can fulfill her life long dream of starting a family with. Regrettably, she discerns her time has past and resorts to what she feels is her ‘back up plan’ – artificial insemination. As fate must have it, Zoe meets the man of her dreams (Alex O’Loughlin) on the same day she submitted herself to the procedure. Will she tell her shining prince that she’s pregnant with some unknown man’s sperm? Will he feel he has to father kids that aren’t his own? How will it all end for Zoe?

Jennifer Lopez’s movie career spiraled down a bit when El Cantante was released in 2006 (the film only generated 7.6 million dollars). For those who have followed her career since Money Train we have noticed her strengths lie in the romantic comedy genre and even perhaps in action films. When she naturally decides to branch out into more demanding genres such as drama, her deficiencies as an actress are magnified. I disagree with people who say she isn’t a good actress. She is not an Oscar caliber actress, but she is a good one. You might think it’s easy to play cutesy and adorable in a movie. But she makes it look that easy. That’s her gift. I compare her to Sandra Bullock and put her in that range set. You never know Jennifer Lopez might have one Oscar win in her.

 

Nevertheless, most women will love this film, at least the ones that are suckers for romance. Men will barf at it because Alex O’Loughlin, the male lead, portrays a character at the end of the film of a man that doesn’t seem to exist in real life. The implausible fantasy is a bit too much to bear. It is a fantasy film full of romance though, full of hope and obviously a feel good sentiment. That is what you’ll be buying for the price of a movie ticket, and that is not bad. I liked it, it made me like that world a bit better than ours, even if it’s just for an hour and a half.

 

To follow Jack Rico’s film reviews check him out on Twitter at @jackricofficial

Oceans
Jack Rico
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By

2010/04/21 at 12:00am

Reviews

Oceans

04.21.2010 | By |

Oceans

Disney is once again at it, creating rapturous sea imagery in ‘Oceans,’ their second cinematic effort distributed through there newly minted Disneynature Studios. If you are glued to the National Geography or Animal Planet channels, you won’t see anything different or innovative here, but what you will see is never before seen footage of sea creatures that we never even knew existed. That one fact makes all the difference in the world.

Documentaries don’t really have scripts, but the ‘plot’ here is the chronicling of the mysteries of the sea the way no human has ever seen it before. Directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud dive deep into the very waters that sustain all of mankind—exploring the harsh reality and the amazing creatures that live within. Actor Pierce Brosnan, an active environmentalist, narrates some of the most fantastic and surreal scenes on Earth.

The filmmakers began my sea experience through the eyes of a boy as he lays his eyes on the beach for the very first time. He’s overwhelmed. Brosnan begins speaking about what questions the boy, as well as us, might have about the crystal, deep blue sea.

What is remarkable and astounding is the onerous production in making a doc like this. Filmmakers traversed all five of the Earth’s oceans and devoted two full years to the preproduction process. That was followed by four years of shooting, with 75 excursions to dozens of the planet’s most untouched spots. It took nearly another year of postproduction to winnow down the 480 hours of footage. Overall, the task took seven years to create all for the price of a movie ticket.

Many of the sites visited where in Latin America such as Costa Rica, Panamá, Argentina, Galapagos, Venezuela and Mexico. The beauty that still lies there is ethereal.

For a mere 83 minutes, “Oceans” manages to extract some emotions from me by putting me in the middle of the action with a great white shark shredding to pieces a lovely sea lion, or watching a symphonic ballet of traveling tuna and awing me with the spectacle of exotic creatures that looked like something out of a Phillip K. Dick novel – The Blanket Octopus, The Spanish Dancer, The Manta Shrimp, The Ribbon Eel and the Leafy Seadragon.

This is beyond art, it is the best nature film I’ve ever seen of the sea. Oceans along with IMAX: Hubble 3D are by far the best documentaries of the year.

To follow Jack Rico’s film review check him out on Twitter at @jackricofficial

The Losers
Jack Rico
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By

2010/04/21 at 12:00am

Reviews

The Losers

04.21.2010 | By |

The Losers

An action film with some heart, family values and a Latino flair is the way I would describe WB’s new film ‘The Losers’. The genres, though, do not necessarily fit well together. It’s a fun movie, but somewhere along the way it goes through a bit of an identity crisis. Does it want to be an action film or a family film? The producers seem to think both.

Based on the 1970 comic book of the same name, The Losers is about 5 members of a CIA black ops team who are betrayed and left for dead. Their mission now is to find out who wanted them killed.

This revenge film means well. It has a cast of characters comprised of a diverse and simpatico bunch (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Óscar Jaenada and Jason Patric) that draws you into them and their plights. What most vexed me was their jobs – they’re killers for the government who have hearts of gold? Not sure verisimilitude played a role there, or at least, I don’t think director Sylvain White pulled it off well. You hate to be gripped into a storyline to then detour somewhere opposite. It’s not good storytelling and it’s what happened here. In the end, The Losers is hit and miss and it has more hits than the latter. You can forgive some of its deficiencies for some laughs and charm and some old PG-13 action.

On a side note, just like Fast and Furious, this movie has a very big Latin American feel to it that begins with the opening credits in Bolivia and lasts throughout the ending. Most of the film was shot in Puerto Rico, which we hope they film there much more. Stay for the closing credits, there some funny sketches that belong to the storyline of the movie.

 

To follow Jack Rico’s film review check him out on Twitter at @jackricofficial

Avatar
Jack Rico
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By

2010/04/20 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Avatar

04.20.2010 | By |

Rating: 4.0

Rated: PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.
Release Date: 2009-12-18
Starring: James Cameron
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.avatarpelicula.es

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Crazy Heart
Terry Kim
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By

2010/04/20 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Crazy Heart

04.20.2010 | By |

Rating: 4.0

Rated: R
Release Date: 2009-12-16
Starring: Scott Cooper
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.crazyheartmovie.com/

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Crazy Heart is an underdog story—and an underdog story a few decades overdue, to be exact—about a fifty-seven year-old country singer, Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges). Blake is broke, has a twenty-eight year-old son he hasn’t seen since he was a toddler, and has a severe drinking problem. To top it off, he falls in love with a small-town reporter, Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), while performing in Santa Fe. Feeling a tad more reinvigorated from his new love, he decides to pick things up a bit, and slowly puts pen to paper after years without song writing. Just when he thinks things are looking its best, he hits rock bottom yet again: while baby-sitting Jean’s son at the mall, he loosens up with a drink at the bar, and loses sight of the kid in the process. After the mall ordeal, Jean storms off, leaving Blake all alone. After a few days of wallowing, Blake checks himself in to rehab, and finally finishes the songs he has been putting off for all those years. He finally accepts the fact that although he may no longer occupy center stage, he is happy knowing that his protégé, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), will take over in his place.

 

Jeff Bridges has been nominated for four Oscars, and it is the sincerest wishes of many that he will take home his lucky fifth. I cannot help but compare the story, and Bridges’ performance to last year’s The Wrestler, in which Mickey Rourke also played a world-weary man, looking for a way back in. Crazy Heart does not boast any fancy camerawork, so Bridges’ acting inevitably steals the spotlight. One can almost smell the whiskey from off screen, as he lugs himself around dusty motels. He is also personally invested as one of the executive producers of the film. Robert Duvall also appears in the film as Blake’s old friend, and is one of the producers as well.

 

Crazy Heart is an honest tale about how it is never too late to get your life back on track, and about taking your trials and tribulations and channeling them through an art form, like music. All music was done by T Bone Burnett, who is a music producer renowned for soundtracks like O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Cold Mountain, Walk the Line, and The Big Lebowski. It is interesting to hear some of Blake’s songs repeated throughout the film, a realistic depiction of the redundancy entertainers are subjected to; indeed, some of the live performances, whether they take place in bars or bowling alleys, begin to weld together so that they are indistinguishable from one another.

 

Coupled with the raw landscape of the American Midwest and the mellifluous country music, Crazy Heart is not only recommended for all y’all boots-toting cowboys out there, but for anybody suffering from heartache and mental blocks, and could use a buoyant story about an old dog that can learn new tricks.

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