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Warm Bodies
Karen Posada
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By

2013/01/30 at 12:00am

Reviews

Warm Bodies

01.30.2013 | By |

Warm Bodies

Look at pictures and read our coverage of the Red Carpet Premiere of ‘Warm Bodies’.  

 

Originality is something that Hollywood lacks a lot of, that’s why when something somewhat refreshing like ‘Warm Bodies’ comes around it creates a lot of buzz. The film will be more rewarding as a DVD watch, but if you want to see it enough in the theater you won’t be disappointed. The main thing here is more so the love story, hence why its release is so close to Valentine’s day; that in itself is predictable to the point of making us think it might be mocking ‘Twilight’, although we were assured it doesn’t. I praise the movie for not taking itself too seriously, since that clearly would have made it ridiculous instead of enjoyable.

 

‘Warm Bodies’ from director Jonathan Levine is about a Zombie named R (Nicholas Hoult) who falls in love with a human, Julie (Teresa Palmer), which changes the rules in both of their worlds and might help calm the chaos of the apocalypse.

 

The love story has similarities to the Romeo and Juliet story, note the main characters names, but of course it is quite unconventional. We have become obsessed with zombies and that’s where this film brings in originality and has sparked the crowds’ attention. The fact that a zombie is who narrates the story and pokes fun at his own state of being is entertaining, there’s some bending of zombie rules (ok quite a lot of bending) and that might annoy or delight some people. I’m into ‘The Walking Dead’ – as is more than half of the world, but I like that this movie forces you to have an open mind to a different kind of zombie world and see it in more of a comedic sense than a chaotic apocalyptic scenario. The key things to remember are that irony and sarcasm are two of the most important ingredients here.

 

The movie also scores with the soundtrack; it plays a great role in both the comedic and romantic senses of the movie giving it a complete feel. Hoult and Palmer are easy to like and their relationship develops flawlessly, although at the beginning we are not quite sure why Palmer doesn’t just run away. The storyline does have some gaps that contradict the main plot, but letting go allows you to take the film for what it is.

 

If you’ve seen a preview for this film and are interested you get exactly what you see: a lighthearted comedy along with romance, no more no less. It will give you just enough chuckles and insight into an interesting world enough to entertain you instead of boring you. Levine combines just the right amount of everything to give us a feel good movie, with an original twist in this much appreciated breath of fresh air.

Parker
Jack Rico
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By

2013/01/25 at 12:00am

Reviews

Parker

01.25.2013 | By |

Parker

I must say that as soon as I heard that British B-actor Jason Statham was teaming up with the Puerto Rican diva Jennifer Lopez in an action flick, my mouth dropped in reaction to seeing one of the worst casting selections done in recent Hollywood history. What does Statham’s violent, testosterone driven, one-liner B-films have to do with Lopez’s dough-eye, ear to ear smile, rom-coms? Nothing! So what was the result? A satisfying union of action violence and sweet sexy comedy. These two stars might not necessarily be a match made in heaven, but each one brings their appealing specialties that can please the mass moviegoing taste, especially the Latino moviegoer who eats this shit up!

 

As is typical in Jason Statham films, Statham plays ‘Parker,’ a Robin Hood like criminal with a code of honor who teams up with not so honorable criminals to do a heist (this seems to be almost the premise in every movie he does). When things go wrong, the nefarious thugs almost kill our hero and leave him for dead until… he miraculously survives. With the intent of getting his revenge, he meets serendipitously Leslie (Jennifer Lopez), a real estate agent hell-bent on escaping her life malaise, who is willing to help him capture the ruffians in exchange for a enough money to allow her to start a new life. Obviously, things don’t go as planned and blood, illusions of romance and a big payday ensue. 

 

Apart from Jennifer Lopez, there is no Latino actors in the cast. Even Jennifer Lopez’s mom, the veteran Broadway actress Patti Lupone, is Italian. She tries to speak with a Latino accent with the intention, I’m sure, to fool us bilingual Latinos into thinking her dialect is purely “authentic”. Please. Al Pacino tried to do it in Scarface and we’re still parodying him. But Hispanics don’t go to the movies because there is one of us represented on screen. We go because there is a genre that appeals to our social sensibilities – in this case action -  the reputations certain actors bring to the table and because we like to have a good time like anyone else. ‘Parker’ accomplishes that.

 

We know what we’re getting by paying $13 (in NYC) to go see Jason Statham. He cranks them out once/twice a year. But with Lopez it’s different. Her professional job is more about being a celebrity than an actress. It is hard to get a sense for how her acting career is evolving because of it. For her to descend from A-list status to becoming a supporting actress in a Statham B-movie is a bit harsh. It’s fair to say that her film career has officially reached a nadir that will most likely continue this way. Her finest acting moment was supposed to be 2006’s “El Cantante,” but she squandered a precious opportunity, and so did Marc Anthony, who if he had been given the chance to shine, his career could have skyrocketed. The last time she was the lead star in a movie it was 2010’s “The Back-Up Plan,” but her last appearance was last year’s “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” a mish-mash of comedy clichés that should’ve been left in the retired jokes closet from where they came from. Still, her output is charming enough to maintain a level of likability in Hollywood and amongst moviegoers that that will allow her to continue working.

 

By no means is “Parker” a must-see action movie, but in the same breath, it is not one to be dismissive about. It manages to charm, amuse, entertain and laugh at. If I can do that in one sitting from a movie, then it deserves my time and money. 

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters
Karen Posada
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By

2013/01/25 at 12:00am

Reviews

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters

01.25.2013 | By |

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters

Talk about giving a spin to a classic fairytale, ‘Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters’ makes such drastic changes that it is no longer suitable for children; it definitely earns its R rating. This movie is extremely violent and every other word out of its characters mouths is a swear word; this is certainly Hansel and Gretel like we’ve never seen them or even imagined them before. The movie is original with some burrowed ideas yet predictable, it has absolutely no intelligent value but nonetheless it is mindlessly entertaining.

 

After slaying an evil witch that lived in a candy house as children, Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) become celebrity witch hunters and are seeked out by villages to get rid of witches and keep their children safe. The two are professionals at their job, but get a real challenge when they face Muriel (Famke Janssen) an extremely powerful witch. With some help from the locals, such as groupie fan boy Ben (Thomas Mann) they might stand a chance.

 

The thing that keeps this short 88-minute film entreating is the gory violence and quick powerful fights and effects, because without this the plot and dialogue are too weak to stand on their own. The violence really took me by surprise and it just tops itself scene after scene. The effects are well executed, as the witches are the complete package, they are this zombie looking quick moving, scary monsters unlike the witches of fairytales. The 3D is mainly noticed when things break and we are thrown pieces, but besides that there’s not much to it.

 

There are many things that contradict the setting and storyline the main one being the high tech weapons the duo uses, also the kind of innocence of the main two is laughable and there are many distractions away from the main plot. My favorite character is a troll named Edward (Robin Atkin Downes); he’s a computerized monster that easily wins us over.

 

If the film were any longer it would loose its essence as would start running out of ideas and even the violence wouldn’t be able to provide it with more entertainment. You forget about the film soon after you walk out the theater and it’s best because if you begin to analyze it you will certainly destroy the little fantasy it created. It’s just a good bloody time at the movies; don’t go expecting too much and you can enjoy the show. A note to those that decide to watch it in theaters: a sneak peek of ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ which opens March 29th is shown before the film begins and it is quite a treat, so don’t miss it. 

Parker
Karen Posada
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By

2013/01/25 at 12:00am

Reviews

Parker

01.25.2013 | By |

Parker

Jason Statham is one of my favorite action stars because he always delivers, he can carry a whole movie and entertain us blow by blow all the way through, but that’s not the case with ‘Parker’, because the biggest handicaps it has are Jennifer Lopez and an extremely weak script. The movie has some violent fun and could have been better if Lopez’s persona wouldn’t have been given such a big chunk of time, which works as a major break pedal for the flow of the film and the story. There are some memorable fight scenes but the movie gets so wrecked that it’s hard to enjoy it as a whole. 

 

In this crime-thriller Parker (Jason Statham) is a thief that gets left behind for dead by the last group of men he worked with. To get vengeance and follow his principles he makes a plan to get back at these men and recruits Leslie (Jennifer Lopez) a woman whose dull life leads her to volunteer to be part of this dangerous plan.

 

Despite of the fact that Statham’s character has a weird set of morals and principals for a criminal, I could have gone along with the poorly executed story and enjoyed it if it wouldn’t have taken a screeching halt the second Lopez comes into it. Lopez’s story isn’t completely distracting as it serves a small purpose, but as soon as she completes the task her part should have been done; instead she’s left to wonder around to be one more thing the main character has to worry about. I’m not going to bother speaking about JLo’s acting as her character is completely irrational and is just a huge annoyance that could have been avoided or at least toned down.

 

The fight scenes are the only things that would get me to recommend this movie, as they are completely entertaining and leave you openmouthed. At the beginning there’s some comedy along with the action, which is where the picture of a “good” criminal gets woven in. There’s this weird 80’s tone and feel towards the middle of the film, all contributed to bad filmmaking. Here is where the movie really slows down and begins to loose its essence showing how little effort director Taylor Hackford put into this film.

 

Once the movie looses our interest it’s very hard for it to get it back and it all begins with Lopez’s appearance, from there it all just goes downhill. If you like seeing Statham on screen you might be able to stay for it all despite of him running on auto-mode for a while with a poor southern accent, but it will be hard to get through the very slow painful middle of the film and past JLo’s character of a sad and desperate woman. If you are not already a fan of Statham’s work then there’s no reason why you should put yourself through this, even though it does have some very cool fight scenes it’s not worth it.   

The Last Stand
Jack Rico
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By

2013/01/18 at 12:00am

Reviews

The Last Stand

01.18.2013 | By |

The Last Stand

‘The Last Stand’ is exactly what action movies from the decade of the 80’s felt like – fun escapism that put a smile on your face. So far, this is the most fun movie from the first 3 weeks of January and from the looks of it, only Sly Stallone’s ‘Bullet to the Head’ might equal it in entertainment value anytime soon.

 

The premise goes like this: the leader of a drug cartel (Eduardo Noriega) busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his inexperienced staff (Luis Guzman).

 

Amongst all the buzz of Arnold Schwarzenegger coming “back” to movies in a lead role, I can’t ignore how 40% of the lead cast is Latino. It’s a treat when I go see a mainstream Hollywood film and see this many Latino actors getting major face time. 

 

Let me begin with Luis Guzman. He has to be close to breaking the record with the most amount of film appearances ever. The man is ubiquitous and seems like every action or comedy film can use the services of someone like Guzman. He’s a solid character actor that derives laughs just on his physical presence and the delivery of comical dialogue tailored to him. Then we have Genesis Rodriguez who feels she’s like a movie or two away before she hits star status. In my opinion, she’ll succeed Jennifer Lopez as the next Latina mainstream star. She has the looks, the comic timing, the charm and most importantly, the ‘It’ factor, in other words, the magic. Rodrigo Santoro is a veteran actor with versatility. He travails from drama to comedy to now action. There’s not much he can’t do. He also looks like he jacked up for this film only making him more attractive to casting directors. Then you have Eduardo Noriega who is one of Spain’s most respected actors. If you get the chance, catch him in ‘El Lobo,’ Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Devil’s Backbone’ and Alejandro Amenábar’s ‘Tesis’ and you’ll see why Noriega is the real deal.

 

One note not to be ignored are the Latino roles. A criticism I’ve usually had has been Latino actors usually cast as criminals, thugs, maids, etc. But apart from Noriega playing the cartel boss, Guzman played a cop (typical, but honest), Rodriguez and FBI agent, and Santoro a ex-military soldier. It’s not ideal, but it’s a work in progress and improving year to year. What is bizarre, though, is that producers approved the hiring of non-Mexican actors to play Mexicans. The worst being Noriega who is from Spain. Santoro is from Brazil, Rodriguez from Venezuela and Guzman from Puerto Rico. I guess Hollywood thinks we’re all the same species. 

 

One critical element of the feature that isn’t necessarily seen, but felt, is the action tempo. South Korean director Jee-woon Kim, he of one of the best Asian films I’ve seen in a long time, ‘I Saw the Devil,’ manages to integrate seamlessly all the thumps, bangs and smacks in a rhythmic choreographic tempo. And it is this element that allows the action sequences to flourish and the comedy to be enjoyed. The timing, the pace, the beats are all in-synch in nice blend of action comedy that provides a wonderful exciting experience at the movies. 

 

In regards to Schwarzenegger’s personal performance, he can still deliver a punch in his one-liners and he can still carry a movie. If you had put Ron Perlman or a Lyle Alzado type in his place, this would be lost somewhere in the bottom feeders of my Netflix Instawatch. How does ‘The Last Stand’ rank amongst his films? Not in the Top 10, but above ‘The 6th Day’ and ‘Red Heat’. 

 

Go see it. It is a very funny movie and the entertainment value is thru the roof.

Mama (Movie Review)
Karen Posada
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By

2013/01/17 at 12:00am

Reviews

Mama (Movie Review)

01.17.2013 | By |

I would say that ‘Mama’ which is presented by executive producer Guillermo Del Toro is not rightly labeled as a horror film because it is more of a fantasy and supernatural thriller than it is scary. Argentinian director Andrés Muschietti made a short film in Spanish in 2008 titled ‘Mamá’ along with his sister Barbara Muschietti, Del Toro saw something he liked and convinced them to make it into a full-length film. The film approaches what we’ve come to expect from Del Toro such as beauty even in the darkest scenes, an interesting plot, and weird supernatural characters. The film is entertaining in its own right, but for those that are looking to get spooked, you will only be startled and will be taken in a completely different direction. Read More

Dredd
Jack Rico
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By

2013/01/08 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Dredd

01.8.2013 | By |

 

Con muchas de nuestras mentes aun manchadas con el fracaso desastroso de “Judge Dredd” del director Danny Cannon y protagonizado por Sylvester Stallone en 1995, Hollywood ha decidido hacer una nueva versión del film como si el original nunca hubiese existido. El resultado es “Dredd”, un éxtasis sensorial que deleitará a cualquier fanático de los cómics y del genero de la acción. El 3D es de lo mejor que va del año al igual que su banda sonora y sonido técnico. 

 

A pesar de obvias similitudes con la película Indonesia “The Raid: Redemption”, “Dredd” es mucho más cercano al cómic de los 1970’s que la cinta original de 1995, por eso no se califica como un “remake” por si. 

 

En esta ocasión, el juez Dredd es interpretado por Karl Urban, y toma lugar en un futuro cercano donde existe un Norteamérica páramo asolado por la radiación con una única y gran megalópolis que se extiende a lo largo de su costa este: Mega City 1. Esta inmensa y violenta urbe cuenta con una población de más de 400 millones de personas, cada uno de los cuales es un infractor en potencia. Los únicos que intentan imponer el orden entre semejante caos urbano son los jueces, a la vez agentes de la ley, jueces, jurados y verdugos. Y la perfecta personificación de estos jueces es Dredd (Karl Urban), una leyenda viva de justicia blindada dedicado por entero a hacer cumplir la ley. En una misión aparentemente rutinaria junto a Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thrilby), una juez novata dotada de grandes habilidades psíquicas, se disponen a investigar de homicidio en un peligroso mega-rascacielos de la ciudad, un suburbio vertical de 200 pisos de altura controlado por el clan de la despiadada Ma-Ma (Lena Headley). Pero al intentar arrestar a uno de los principales secuaces de Ma-Ma, ella decide cerrar a cal y canto todo el edificio y ordena a su clan que dé caza a los jueces. Atrapados en una brutal e implacable lucha por la supervivencia, Dredd y Cassandra se verán obligados a impartir una justicia extrema con violencia y sangre al final de su travesía.

 

Lo que distingue a “Dredd” de muchas de las películas de acción que uno ve es la acción incesante que ofrece el film. Esto se logra porque el director Pete Travis recorta el desarrollo de los personajes y los reduce a sujetos unidimensionales. Esto permite en que el filme solo gire alrededor de la acción y no la historias de los protagonistas. Travis entiende que este tipo de cine es diseñado para entregarle al espectador una gran dosis de escapismo y nada más. Él lo logra exitosamente. 

 

La calidad de las actuaciones aquí se deben de ignorar. Lo único que uno le pide a los protagonistas es que no traten de convertirse en Al Pacino o Tom Hanks en estos papeles. La meta aquí es que ellos nos hagan creer que son estos personajes de los cómics y que nos ayuden a adentrarnos más al universo de Mega City One. Al igual que en los cómics, Dredd aquí nunca se quita la máscara. Además, habla en un gruñido gutural que suena muy parecido al Batman de Christian Bale. Dredd es implacable, no muestra ninguna emoción y, aunque él parezca un asesino en traje de policía, el posee una conciencia admirable.  

 

 

“Dredd” posee, en mi opinión, el mejor 3D del año. Fue filmado en 3D con espectaculares efectos especiales cargados de escenas en cámara lenta que poco a poco se está usando a pleno por muchos directores. El sonido también es fantástico y asombrosamente es parte protagónico de la película, no solo un acompañante. Yo predigo que la cinta será nominada a varios premios Oscar en las categorías técnicas y visuales. 

 

Si hay una decepción en “Dredd”, es el villano, en este caso, la villana. ‘Ma-Ma’, como se le llama al personaje que interpreta la actriz Lena Headey, no es temible o merecedora de ser una magno contrincante a Dredd. Incluso, la confrontación final es casi irrelevante. De todos modos, es refrescante ver una mujer en estos papeles ya que  se le agrega un elemento de impredecibilidad que se genera a la experiencia del público. 

 

En fin, “Dredd 3D” es discutiblemente la mejor película de pura acción del año junto a la película Indonesia “The Raid: Redemption” que quizás sea mejor. No incluyo necesariamente a “Los Vengadores” o “The Dark Knight Rises” en esta conversación porque las susodichas poseen elementos de acción, pero cinematográficamente hablando, son más filmes de ciencia ficción que acción. Los largometrajes clásicos de “Die Hard” o “Lethal Weapon” son más comparables y mejores representaciones del genero de la acción. “Dredd” es la mejor inversión que usted puede hacer con su dinero este fin de semana. No se decepcionará.

 

Django Unchained
Karen Posada
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By

2012/12/24 at 12:00am

Reviews

Django Unchained

12.24.2012 | By |

Django Unchained

I bow down to Quentin Tarantino for having given us some of the best movies I’ve ever seen and some of my favorites such as ‘Inglourious Basterds’, ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2’ just to name a few and now comes ‘Django Unchained’ also written and directed by the master himself. This one has his name written all over it and it belongs in this category. To take on the subject of slavery is not an easy task, Tarantino gets around it by concentrating more on a love story, which is what drives the main character; but he does touch upon the brutality of it while not really depressing us with the subject. In fact there’s a lot of comedy, which keeps the film light hearted. While the 165 minutes duration might not be attractive to many, the director’s fan base will be in all the way and will be highly rewarded for it. I encourage everyone to oversee the longevity of it, because thanks to that we get a well played out film that is not rushed. To summarize my point it has been three years since the last Tarantino film and this one makes up for the wait, it’s in line with what we’ve come to expect from him and will remind us why we idolize him.

 

Set in the South of the United States during slavery in 1858 two years before the civil war, we meet Django (Jamie Foxx), a slave that gets some training from German bounty hunter Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Django’s only dream is to be reunited with his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), with the help from his mentor they go on to look for the woman only to encounter a mighty obstacle, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) the owner of an infamous plantation called “Candyland”.

 

Waltz is phenomenal and easily carries more than the first half of the film, his eloquence once more is magnificent as is his performance and I’m happy to see him in a role as one of the “good guys”, where we as an audience can actually like him. He certainly is my favorite part of the film. Foxx takes the backseat for a while there, which is understandable seeing how his character goes through a transformation and once he does, oh boy Django or better yet Foxx is unstoppable. DiCaprio as a bad guy?! Yes please! He’s exceptional and is not a pretty boy anymore but a brutal, elegant, aristocratic man who’s used to getting his way.

 

There are a couple of great cameos in the film one of the best ones is Don Johnson with his character of Big Daddy, owner of the Evergreen Plantation. This was one of the biggest plantations in the South, which is now a historic landmark, and I’m sure a very depressing site to visit, which Foxx himself felt on seeing the slave quarters. Here, thankfully Johnson’s bit with Jonah Hill provides comedic relief in a violent situation. The best surprise comes from Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen, Candie’s Butler. The make up work on him is unbelievable, but his character is hilarious and dislikable all at once, everything he does with it is brilliant. 

 

There’s a lot of humor in this film, which for this kind of subject one would think it would be difficult to intertwine the two, but Tarantino does it effortlessly, not only is it given to us in the form of dialogues but with attire, props, it’s all around us even in some of the violent scenes. Because of this the movie never gets heavy, although there certainly are a handful of extremely violent and difficult scenes to watch. There’s even beauty in some of the death scenes, Tarantino believes in the magic of effects being crated without CGI and he’s able to create many magical moments.

 

The film was shot in various locations, among them Grand Teton and these beautiful, majestic winter sceneries give a great contrast to the ones in the South in the plantations. Tarantino exposes some interesting things about slavery, in the case of Candie he takes slavery back to the way many Romans treated it by having their slaves be gladiators; it was an interesting juxtaposition. Tarantinto punches these slave owners with words, best put in the mouth of well-spoken Waltz. The music also gives it a light heartedness and pushes that western feel that the director wanted to give the film.

 

I do wish that the main character wouldn’t be as selfish, he’s not out to end slavery but he’s only out to save himself and his woman and that holds back the story for me. However, this does give it a higher focus otherwise we would probably get a four-hour film and a different movie. Tarantino says it took him ten years to write this picture and being a fan of westerns decided to make one as he believes they are a good depiction of good and evil and that clearly comes out in this one.  

 

The look of the film as a western, along with the heavy subject treated with comedy, violence and beauty make for quite an entertaining movie. Any one that has ever enjoyed Tarantino’s work will without a doubt enjoy this one. For those that aren’t too familiar with him the main thing I can tell you is that this director doesn’t hold back when it comes to violence and for any of his films you have to expect it because it is always there especially in the form of blood. This is not a film for the squeamish, but for those that can take it I recommend it for its originality, laughs and amazing performances. 

This is 40
Jack Rico
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By

2012/12/21 at 12:00am

Reviews

This is 40

12.21.2012 | By |

This is 40

This is 40, the sequel to Knocked Up, is an honest, mature effort by it’s director Judd Apatow to tell an unfiltered, comedic look inside the life of a married couple with kids who are about to hit the “dreaded” 40 years of age. Whether he is directing or producing, Apatow still carries a reputation of creating comedies, mixed in with a high dosage of raunchiness, that become instant classics. Which is why it is disappointing that This is 40 is his second film that doesn’t reach superlative heights (the first being “Funny People”). Between hit and miss laughs, an obvious lack of rhythm, and an over-welcomed duration of 2 hours and 15 minutes, the movie never quite gels as a whole. 

 

The plot has Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann reprising their roles as Pete and Debbie from Knocked Up, a husband and wife both approaching a milestone meltdown. After years of marriage, Pete (Paul Rudd) now has a house full of females: wife Debbie (Leslie Mann) and their two daughters, eight-year-old Charlotte (Iris Apatow) and 13-year-old Sadie (Maude Apatow). As he struggles to keep his record label afloat, he and Debbie must figure out how to forgive, forget and enjoy the rest of their lives…before they kill each other. 

 

In his fourth directorial outing, Apatow returns to the problems that afflict adults, in particular, marriage. All marriages go through some difficulties and drawbacks, but sometimes some couples succeed in surviving their stumbles and getting back to their loving ways. That is what emerges here, told in an honest portrait of the challenges and rewards of marriage in 2012. What This is 40 has going for it is its likeable characters, its Apatow-honest dialogue and its uneasy, tense situations. But despite the charm of its leads, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, the film is hindered with pacing issues. Apatow, whose job as a director is to make sure that the flow from scene to scene never loses its energy nor intensity, overextends several scenes to the point of exhaustion. Much of this could be because his wife and kids are in the film or it could be because he thinks his script is extremely funny and god forbid his “hilarious” jokes are cut out.

 

Successful comedies are those that manage to make the best use of the funniest moments within a story in perfect flow. This is usually why the best comedies are 1 hour 30 minutes to 45 minutes, any more and those jokes aren’t cracking ribs anymore. Apatow gives us a whopping 2 hours and 15 minute duration betting that every scene, every joke, every situation is rip-roaringly funny. At that length, it’s most likely that moviegoers will hit a wall in the middle that will take them out of the flow. Not aiding the pacing are the numerous subplots that sidetrack you from the core of the fragile relationship and home affairs.

 

The best parts of the movie figure Apatow’s kids, in particular, Maude Apatow (Judd and Leslie’s older daughter) who was a scene stealer. Her rants are memorable and laugh out loud funny. My guess is she’s going to be a funny and or great dramatic actress. She has the chops to do it. 

 

As moments and fragments, This is 40 offers some very good laughs, with some soul, but it is the whole that doesn’t leave a solid impression. In terms of laughter, if you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, Ted, 21 Jump Street and Silver Linings Playbook do a much better job for your money. This is 40 is better viewed on Blu-Ray where the price doesn’t burn your pocket. 

Jack Reacher
Karen Posada
0

By

2012/12/20 at 12:00am

Reviews

Jack Reacher

12.20.2012 | By |

Jack Reacher

It is not the right time for ‘Jack Reacher’ to be opening nationwide because of its thematic material and unfortunate similarities to the current events that happened in Newtown, Connecticut. There are plenty of scenes that are hard to watch because they will easily remind you of everything that we are seeing and hearing about that tragedy (there’s even a character named Sandy) and if you can’t get pass that, then it’s better to skip this film. On the other hand if you are able to see past the terrible coincidences this is an action movie that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

 

Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is an ex military policeman who’s gone off the grid and decides to come out of the shadows after a sniper terrorizes a city. Policemen, Rodin (Richard Jenkins) and Emerson (David Oyelowo) are ready to convict the assassin, but a well to do lawyer, Helen (Rosamund Pike) believes in fair trials and she recruits Reacher to help her solve the case. As a trained professional Reacher believes there might be more than meets the eye.

 

I thought the movie was going to be very ‘Mission Impossible’, but it was more like ‘The Bourne Identity’. The beginning is a little slow, but shocking; again because of what we’ve lived through recently. The movie is based on a book by Lee Child who’s written a series with Jack Reacher as his protagonist, perhaps this will turn into a franchise like ‘Bourne’; at the moment is hard to say, but I sure wouldn’t mind. The fights are great, especially because Reacher has no boundaries and there’s even comedy involved in the violence. The conspiracy theories keep spiking your curiosity throughout the movie and string you along all the way to the end.

 

The movie isn’t perfect, there are some things that don’t quite add up and there are gaps in the story. The main villain The Zec (Werner Herzog)is creepy all around, but he looked too feeble to be that threatening. Some of the other bad guys are such muscle heads that it’s hilariously ridiculous. There’s so much sexual tension throughout the film, that it’s a little distracting.

 

Cruise reminds us once more why he’s an action icon, he carries out his scenes with perfection. Pike gives a nice contrast to Cruise’s character as well as the rest of the film and she’s able to hold her own. Oyelowo has a couple of scenes that are all just body language and he’s great in these. Robert Duvall is brilliant, and gives us more of that interesting humor composed in this movie.

 

For anyone that likes action movies this is definitely one to watch, because the fights, surprising comedy, mystery and car chase that keep you glued to the screen. I do hope everyone that goes to see this film knows exactly what it entails, because many people might not be ready to experience this movie right now. For those that feel ready and can enjoy this fictional but realistic story you are in for a treat.   

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