10.31.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Rated: R on appeal for strong crude sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity and pervasive language.
Release Date: 2008-10-31
Starring: Kevin Smith
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Country: USA
Official Website: http://zackandmiri.com/
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10.30.2008 | By Jack Rico |
Rated: R for pervasive language, violence, drug use and brief sexuality.
Release Date: 2008-10-31
Starring: Guy Ritchie
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Country: England
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Guy Ritchie made his mark for film-goers not by marrying one of the world’s most visible pop stars, but by crafting Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. He exploded onto the cinematic scene with the former; the reaction from Hollywood was so ecstatic that the latter became virtually a higher-budget remake of its predecessor. Still, while the two may co-mingle in the memory, both are entertaining in their own right. After that, Ritchie began believing his press about doing no wrong and went off the deep end. His most recent features illustrate how badly he has miscalculated his aptitude. Swept Away, a horrific remake of the Lina Wertmuller masterpiece starring the aforementioned pop star, and Revolver, were unmitigated disasters – seen by few and liked by almost none. RocknRolla is Ritchie’s attempt to return to his roots: rough and tumble action, convoluted plots, and rat-a-tat-tat dialogue. All of these things are on exhibit in RocknRolla, but they do not flow smoothly. They feel forced and unnatural, as if Ritchie is keenly aware of what needs to do to placate the naysayers but can’t put everything together in a way that recaptures the magic. As punchy and energetic as the first few moments are, the rest of the film quickly falls back into mediocrity.
The story, as one might expect, features a congregation of bad guys who sleaze around London’s underworld. They include a boss played by a scenery-chewing Tom Wilkinson (an actor who can be sublime or over-the-top – whatever the role requires), a two-bit thug portrayed by Gerard Butler, and a femme fatale in the person of Thandie Newton. The narrator is Mark Strong who, through a quirk of scheduling, is appearing in two movies released this weekend. (The other being Body of Lies.) There are various double-crosses, a Maguffin in the form of a painting we never see, and a Russian land developer who hires some unsavory underlings. Throw in a junkie ex-rock star and a posse of tough guys, and you have typical Ritchie territory. Plot threads entwine and overlap and, in the end, it all comes together. There’s some torture, lots of shooting, and a couple characters get their just desserts. Yet, when the end credits roll, instead of shouting, “Damn, that was cool!” there’s a desire to yell, “Damn, that was lame!” It’s all perfunctory and feels far too contrived and scripted.
RocknRolla has a few high octane moments: the opening credits, which are loud and boisterous and promise more than the film delivers; a caper-gone-wrong that finds the right mixture of comedy and action; and a uniquely edited sex scene that gives new meaning to the phrase “Wham, bam, thank you, Ma’am.” Unfortunately, the things that work are outnumbered by those that don’t. Some of the “clever” bits, such as the big, black thug who understands culture and art, are clichés. Maybe once, long ago, they wouldn’t have been but that’s what happens when something has become overexposed through overuse. The movie spins out of control when it begins to focus on the rock star Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell), whose presence in the film serves only to add another layer of complications to an already convoluted plot. The involvement of people like Johnny diverts the story from the more interesting characters. Get us back to Wilkinson, Butler, and especially Newton.
RocknRolla often feels more like a parody of a Guy Ritchie film than a real movie. Lock, Stock and Snatch both rolled along like bizarre cinematic Rube Goldberg machines where the endings justified the convulsions needed to get to that point. RocknRolla breaks down along the way and the ending is so anti-climactic that it leaves one wondering: “Is that all?” Based on the evidence at hand, one can safely state that Ritchie is a one-note director. With RocknRolla, that note is off-key.
10.28.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Rated: For the whoe family.
Release Date: 2008-10-28
Starring: NULL
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Country:USA
Official Website: NULL
10.28.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Rated: PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments.; Rated PG-13 for some bloody sci-fi violence. (special edition)
Release Date: 2008-07-11
Starring: Michael Weiss, Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin, Jules Verne (novela)
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Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.journey3dmovie.com/
Journey to the Center of the Earth is the first live-action feature to take advantage of the new digital 3-D technology. However, in generating what amounts to a 90-minute theme park ride, the filmmakers lost track of the need to tell a compelling story to supplement the eye candy. Despite taking its name from one of the most famous science fiction novels of all time, Journey to the Center of the Earth is as weak when it comes to “fiction” as it is when it comes to “science.” This movie is an overlong gimmick, an opportunity for special effects whiz-turned-director Eric Brevig to “wow” an audience with his technical bravura. With 3-D, a little goes a long way and, in the absence of a legitimate script with credible characters, the fun dries up long before the running time has expired.
Brevig’s film, based on a screenplay credited to three writers, is not intended to be a strict adaptation of the Jules Verne novel. Instead, it’s more of a sequel. It postulates that the novel’s hero, Professor Lidenbrock, made the trip described in the book and related the details of that trek to Verne, who recounted them in the novel. The characters in this movie – Professor Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser); his nephew, Sean (Josh Hutcherson); and their mountain guide, Hannah (Anita Briem) – follow in Lidenbrock’s path as they travel to the top of a mountain in Iceland that reveals tunnels leading deep beneath the Earth’s surface. Below, they discover a prehistoric world where dinosaurs and man-eating plants exist. But it’s getting hot down there, and the trio must find a way to escape before they are broiled alive.
The absence of a villain means that the only conflict is between our heroes and their environment. Under normal circumstances, this would not be inherently uninteresting, but the film’s grip of physics is so confused that the rules display an alarming lack of consistency and change at the director’s whim, depending on what he needs for a particular scene to work. Normally, I’m tolerant of flaws like this in a movie, but the so-called “science” on display in Journey to the Center of the Earth is so atrocious that it creates towering barriers to the suspension of disbelief for anyone knowledgeable about such things. Fortunately for New Line Cinema, the majority of potential customers won’t care.
The film’s “drama” is as painful as its science. The bonding between Trevor and Sean is trite; neither is developed as more than a toy to play around in the 3-D environment. Hannah’s role is to make Trevor look like an idiot and eventually provide some low-key romantic tension. Brendan Fraser tries to bring some of the charm he exhibited in The Mummy to this project, but it feels forced. Trevor is neither likeable nor dislikeable; he’s there to provide us with a human face as a means of entry into a world that’s a cross between Jurassic Park and Land of the Lost.
Ultimately, Journey to the Center of the Earth is about spectacle, so the characters and storyline are of secondary concern. The movie views them as, if not irrelevant, at least inconsequential. This is all about making the digital world come to life and having things jump out of the screen at us. The 3-D work is admittedly done very nicely but, after 30 minutes (or so) of pretty images, one starts to desire more. And the movie can’t deliver. The experience of watching this film in old-fashioned 2-D, while it would brighten the images a little (polarized glasses darken things), must be a hollow one indeed. Take away the 3-D, and there’s little remaining.
Ten years ago, I can recall standing in line at the Universal Studios theme park in Florida to see Terminator 3-D, a twelve-minute sequel to Terminator 2 that was projected in 3-D. Technology has advanced so that now it’s possible to have essentially the same experience in any theater equipped with a digital projection system. However, as with any visual effects tool, 3-D should be applied in service of the overall production, not vice versa. And that’s where Journey to the Center of the Earth goes wrong. Like the virtual roller coaster ride we go on mid-way through the proceedings, there’s something critical missing. Seeing, even in 3-D, is not the same as feeling. And once a movie has lost the capacity to reach us on more than a trivial level, what’s the point?
10.25.2008 | By Jack Rico |
Rated: R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and brief nudity.
Release Date: 2008-10-24
Starring: Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan
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Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.saw5.com/site/index.html
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SAW V is the worst film in the franchise’s history, yet it’s disturbing, gory, parody of itself maintains an appeal like no other in its ilk. Bad acting, a ‘horror’ of a script dialogue, all add to the mystique of why we as a collective mass of movie goers flock to films of this nature.
Jigsaw is dead and Detective Strahm is trying to get to the bottom of who is continuing his deranged games.
SAW movies are no longer frightening, they are just living off of their reputation from the first two. Director David Hackl reduces the bloodshed compared to it’s previous incarnations and in this fifth installment he delivers more of a character driven feature, leaving us more time to be engaged by the actor’s skills – why would you put us through such a thing!?
Nevertheless, the inventiveness of how to kill people is amped in this sequel; from homemade nail bombs to guillotine contraptions.
If you’re looking for a fright, save your money on SAW 5 and rent The Strangers on DVD. That has more of what you’re looking for. It was created to scare the skin off of you through a slow build of suspense that keeps you screaming to the very end.
10.25.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Rated: PG-13 for thematic elements including some scary images, and sensuality.
Release Date: 2008-10-24
Starring: Ronnie Christensen
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Country: Canada
Official Website: NULL
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‘Passengers’, the fifth film from Rodrigo Garcia, son of the Colombian nobel prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, sets out to be a profound romantic thriller, yet delivers a platitudinous experience worth only a DVD sit, maybe if that.
The story begins with five survivors of a plane crash. A young therapist, Claire (Anne Hathaway), is assigned to counsel them. When they share their recollections of the incident, they begin to disappear mysteriously, one by one except Eric (Patrick Wilson), the most secretive of the passengers. Eric seems to hold all the answers to this enigmatic puzzle.
Passengers is a thriller that doesn’t thrill or chill the spine. It doesn’t deliver as promised, perhaps due to a disjointed script by Ronnie Christensen. As a result, the film feels uninspired and unsuspenseful. Garcia manages to at least capture the great chemistry between Wilson and Hathaway, by far the film’s best moments. He has shown he can create films with a strong subject matter, in particular with a female cast (Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, Ten Tiny Love Stories, Nine Lives), but unfortunately it hasn’t translated into success, the same problem his father “Gabo†suffers from.
Outside of some serviceable special effects, a charming performance by the two protagonists, there is nothing else of substance to latch on to. I imagine it seemed great on paper – “ ‘It’ girl Anne Hathaway stars in a thriller love story full of suspense, ghosts and a Hollywood plane crash†– except no one expected the banality of the outcome. The film fits better as Saturday night fare on cable.
10.21.2008 | By Alex Florez |
Rated: R for violence, terror and language.
Release Date: 2008-05-30
Starring: Bryan Bertino
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Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.thestrangersmovie.com/
The Strangers is a chilling horror film about a home invasion. This movie doesn’t break any new ground on a plot level, but its interesting cinematography suffuses the production with an overpowering combination of paranoia and claustrophobia. This is one of those rare horror movies that concentrates on suspense and terror rather than on gore and a high body count. By keeping the premise simple and making the small group of characters seem like genuine human beings, Bertino sets the audience up for a tense and uneasy 85 minutes.
It’s 4:00 am when Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) arrive at his cabin in the woods. It has not been a good night for them – Kristen turned down his wedding proposal – but it’s about to get much worse. As they’re preparing for bed and trying to figure out how to bridge the gulf that has suddenly opened between them, there’s a knock at the door. This is the first of many such interruptions of the still night, and it isn’t long before harassment develops into something darker and more dangerous. The woods, normally empty and serene, now hold the promise of terror and death.
The Strangers (there are three of them) wear masks. They are simple masks but, as we know from the lesson taught by Michael Myers, even a blank white covering of the face can be terrifying in certain circumstances.
The Strangers is not a perfect motion picture, but it’s one of the horror genre’s rare recent standouts. The melodrama at the beginning is weak, failing to connect us to the characters to the degree Bertino intends, and the final shot is a bit of a cheat.
The Strangers is so effectively produced that if you arrive home after a night showing to find the electricity off, you will have misgivings about going inside. Horror movies come in two categories: those that deal in supernatural creatures and those that have their roots in very real dangers. The escapism that often categorizes and distances viewers in the former is absent in productions like this. There’s pain and blood in The Strangers, but the movie is more about psychological torture than the physical variety. It’s intense but not necessarily fun and may disappoint less sophisticated horror fans. However, for die-hard supporters of unsettling peeks into the dark side of human nature, this is a welcome excursion.
10.21.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Rated: R for strong violence, pervasive language and brief drug content.
Release Date: 2008-10-24
Starring: Joe Carnahan, Gavin O’Connor
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Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.prideandglorymovie.com/
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‘Pride and Glory’ is one of the better cop films to come out in a long time. It’s still not as good as the films from the 70’s, but it can sure pack a punch in the drama and acting department. The choice of using the streets of Washington Heights and a large urban latino cast, gave the film its grit and authenticity. The film even gave us a return to Spanish speak for Ed Norton since his early work in ‘Keep the Faith’.
This story is centered around a family of New York City Police officers. The family’s moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney (Edward Norton), investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law (Colin Farrell). For Ray, the truth is revelatory, a Pandora’s Box that threatens to upend not only the Tierney legacy but the entire NYPD.
The last two good cop films I saw were ‘Narc’ with Ray Liotta and ‘Gone Baby Gone’ starring Casey Affleck, Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman. Yes, I’m not mentioning ‘The Departed’ since it wasn’t that good and you know it. Since then, every film of that nature has been monotonous, recycled and just plane ol’ stale. They just don’t make them like they used to back in the 70’s. Movies such as Bullit, Serpico, The French Connection, have stood the test of time and set the measuring bar way too high for any to reach, just ask Pacino who has not been able to replicate his own successes.
Nevertheless, Pride and Glory is darn good, I wouldn’t call it great just because I can’t see Ed Norton being a bad ass cop. As great an actor as he is, there are just somethings I can’t see him in and this is one of them. Jon Voight does his typical solid work and Farrell does his best job in years.
The performances of the Latino cast in the film composed of John Ortiz, Manny Perez, Ramon Rodriguez, Rick Gonzalez and Max Hernández were credible and sound. I particularly like the work of John Ortiz who keeps on getting better with time.
‘Pride and Glory’ is worth your time and money at the movies this weekend. It’ll remind you of a time when cop movies were something to be excited about. Let’s hope Hollywood keeps them coming.
10.20.2008 | By Alex Florez |
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content.
Release Date: 2008-06-13
Starring: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee
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Country:USA
Official Website: http://incrediblehulk.marvel.com/
For five years, Marvel has been trying to figure out what to do with one of the biggest potential franchises of its universe. Ang Lee’s Hulk proved to be a dud with fans and producing a direct sequel was as unlikely an alternative as altogether forgoing additional Hulk movies. So the decision was made to “re-imagine” the character, which is a nice way of saying that the 2003 feature would be ignored. The Incredible Hulk is a more traditional superhero movie than its predecessor and should please those who want their not-so-jolly green giant served with helpings of action. This film provides less talk and more smashing.
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Structurally, The Incredible Hulk is a fairly straightforward superhero movie. While it is not an “origin story” in the strictest sense, it functions as one in the way it must introduce characters, establish situations and relationships, and open a series. As a result of so much backstory, there’s not a lot of room for a complex plot. So the principal villain remains half-formed and the storyline as a whole revolves around three confrontations between the Hulk and this nemesis.
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The film opens with a re-telling of how Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) entered his Jekyll and Hyde state. This allows the 2003 Hulk to be “erased” from the record for those who care about such things. As we join the story, Banner is in South America, on the run from himself and the military, trying to keep a low profile while he searches for a cure to what plagues him. A mishap at a factory alerts General Ross (William Hurt) to Banner’s location. A tactical team, led by the amoral Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), goes in to capture Banner. After turning into the Hulk, he escapes and heads back to the United States, where he is reunited with his former love, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). Meanwhile, the General and Emil plot a “foolproof” method of capturing Banner – one that involves injecting Blonsky with a serum that makes him superhuman.
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The Incredible Hulk takes place in the same “universe” as Iron Man (a point that is driven home by a Robert Downey Jr. cameo), but the movies aren’t on quite the same level. Iron Man was rightfully described as a “comic book movie that you don’t have to be a comic book fan to like.” The same is not true of The Incredible Hulk. This film’s appeal, while not as narrowly focused as Sex and the City, is designed primarily with fanboys in mind. Director Louis Leterrier’s approach lacks the wit and sophistication of Iron Man. While The Incredible Hulk has some emotional resonance, it’s built on a foundation of action. When Lou Ferrigno (providing the main character’s voice) shouts “Hulk Smash!”, it encapsulates the attraction.
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As Banner, Edward Norton takes over for Eric Bana but there’s little apparent difference in the way the character is interpreted. Banner is still the same tortured soul he was in 2003. Liv Tyler’s version of Betty Ross is surprisingly awkward and at times unconvincing, but maybe that has a lot to do with her dialogue. It’s as if George Lucas was brought in to ghost write her lines. At least there’s a real sense of affection between Banner and Betty; that goes a long way toward redeeming weaknesses in Tyler’s performance. As Blonsky, Tim Roth is at his badass best, even if all he really has to do is sneer a lot. William Hurt is fine, if a little bland, as Ross. Then there’s Downey, who’s on-screen for about 30 seconds, but steals the movie and brings down the house. That says a lot about the popularity of Iron Man and indicates how big Iron Man 2 will be.
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The Incredible Hulk pays homage in many ways to the popular late-’70s/early-’80s TV show of the same name. In addition to providing the little-used voice of the Hulk, Ferrigno reprises his role from the 2003 movie as a nameless security guard. Bill Bixby gets a little face-time via some archival footage that’s inserted in such a way that anyone not looking for it won’t be bothered by it. There’s also a brief snippet of the TV show’s theme tune, a character named “Jack McGee,” and an iconic shot of Banner walking alone, hitchhiking. Plus, Stan Lee makes his obligatory cameo. (He and Ferrigno are the only two to appear in both Hulk and The Incredible Hulk.)
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After a slightly protracted introduction that puts all the pieces in place, The Incredible Hulk stays action-oriented for the remainder of its running time, pausing occasionally for some exposition or to advance the Banner/Betty relationship. Granted, a lot of the action consists of chase scenes with soldiers running after Banner, but whenever the Hulk appears, things get interesting. The final battle, bits of which have been shown in TV commercials and trailers, recalls one of those Japanese monster-a-thons where giant creatures collide. And it’s a lot more kinetic (and shorter) than the climactic conflict in Transformers. The Incredible Hulk builds to this, and it doesn’t let us down.
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The special effects used to create the Hulk aren’t flawless but they’re good enough. The CGI is evident mainly during the final battle, when it’s apparent that a lot of what we’re seeing was crafted in a computer. The word “cartoonish” comes to mind but, considering that this is adapted from a comic book, that’s not an inappropriate descriptor. The work here passes muster, and the Hulk is no longer the bright green of the 2003 feature. Letterier has rendered him in a grayish-green.
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The Incredible Hulk provides Marvel with its second superhero hit of the summer. For comic book fans, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk represent a solid one-two punch. If the former movie was a triple, the latter is a solid single, and good enough to drive the earlier one home. Now, the wait is on for The Dark Knight, to see whether D.C. can hold its own. Certainly, Marvel has succeeded in wiping away the hangover from last summer’s crop of superhero movies and revising the future look more promising.
10.16.2008 | By Mike Pierce |
Rated: PG-13 for violence including intense shooting sequences, drug content, some sexuality and brief strong language.
Release Date: 2008-10-17
Starring: Sam Lake, Shawn Ryan
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Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.maxpaynethemovie.com
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Well, I went to the movies over the weekend. Hmmmm, what can I say about Max Payne?
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It was a PAINNNN to watch!
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Don’t get me wrong…I am a huge fan of Mark Wahlberg…I see everything he is in…I think Mila Kunis is hot…but…come on now…when I saw the preview…I was so pumped…I was like, “Oh yeah – Marky Mark’s going to kick some demon angel ass!!!â€
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I WAS WRONG!!!
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Hmmm…it started off slow…then you think it’s going to get going…then it slows down…it did that a lot. I hated the fact that I saw all the good parts on the TV commercials. I hate when movie’s do that. (Total bummer!) Bastards! I thought it was going to be like Constantine…now that was a kick butt flick! I mean, didn’t it seem like there was going to be some kick ass angels in it? Yessssss…but….noooooooooo…that’s not what you get!!
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Another thing that killed it for me was…Ludacris. I don’t think he belonged in that role. I didn’t believe his acting. It was actually kind of cheesy. Would anyone agree?
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There were a few things I liked about it. Miss Mila – she’s hot – I know I said it before…but, she kept me watching the movie. I wish she would have kicked a little more butt though. The special EFX were dope. But, that’s about it.
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If you haven’t seen it yet – just wait to Netflix it. Don’t bother wasting your cash.
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