Love him or hate him, Mel Gibson is unquestionably a fantastic actor. As a Jew myself, I am deeply offended by what he is towards Jews and it hurts that people can still feel this way. However, I did want to check out his new film 'The Beaver.' I personally have never seen a Mel Gibson movie before 'The Beaver,' but I can tell just by watching trailers for his movies that he is a sublime actor. Jodie Foster, a friend of Gibson's apparently wanted to bring his career back and give him a second chance with this movie, and that's exactly what has been done. I really wanted to check this movie out in theaters because of all of the controversy surrounding it. But because nobody I knew wanted to go with me to see this film, and the fact it barely did any business at the box office, I had to wait for the home video release to check it out. I am pleased to tell you that this movie is very dark, a bit disturbing, and all the more very good.
Mel Gibson gives a spellbinding performance as Walter Black, a depressed man on the verge of suicide who suddenly starts to wear a beaver puppet on his hand, communicating with a British accent through the puppet. However, as Walter suddenly gets his life back, how long will it be until he himself becomes the beaver puppet? Gibson gives a performance that was so amazing to watch that you could well believe that Gibson would be this way in reality. This film can obviously be compared to Gibson's real life troubles, only we wish that he in real life had a puppet on his right hand. The supporting cast, including the film's director Jodie Foster, Academy Award nominated Jennifer Lawrence, and Anton Yelchin of Star Trek' and 'Fright Night' fame are all great. It's nice to see this movie not being all about Gibson's problems and let the audience witness the story of Yelchin and Lawrence's relationship blossom, with both characters having problems of their own. If you want to see how acting is really done, watch this movie and prepare to be amazed.
The story concept will turn off many from watching the film, or just make you cringe while watching it. The final 20 minutes of the film are especially very disturbing and hard to watch. I can guarantee that this film may not be for everybody, but it really quite is something of a film if you let your feelings towards Gibson aside and just watch this movie. Gibson may be an Anti-Semite, but he is very talented. He should not have been exposed in the way it was, and he should have kept his personal beliefs to himself. I swear that I don't have a hand up my ass making me say this, I really mean that 'The Beaver' is a gem of a movie, and Mel Gibson is a great actor. Just see the movie for Jodie Foster's sake. We all still love her, right? Anyways, if you get the chance or can put your personal feelings aside, please do yourself a favor and get a load of 'The Beaver.' See what I did there: I rhymed, sort of.
On a night where I had nothing to do, my father and I decided to go to Redbox and find something to watch. I had already seen most of the stuff there, so I decided on getting 'Exporting Raymond,' a documentary from Phil Rosenthal, the creator of the hit TV show, 'Everybody Loves Raymond.' The original TV show, which ended in 2005 still makes me crack up when a rerun is playing on TBS. The show basically was 'Married with Children' if the Bundy's were more mil-mannered and their neighbors were their family rather than a crazy couple. The show was so clever and so relatable to modern audiences that it was hard not to laugh at the jokes. It seemed that families worldwide could relate to Raymond and his messed up family. But then, Russia called, and they wanted to do 'Raymond' over there.
As much as I wanted to love this movie, I just couldn't. Sure it was funny, but I don't think that it was worthy to win the top award from the Austin Film Festival. I don't find Rosenthal to be unfunny, but I found this movie to be somewhat dull, with some realistic comedy put into it. Many I think really enjoyed this documentary, but some didn't and I am one of those few. Honestly, I just wish I watched a few 'Raymond' episodes instead of seeing this. This is a film for the big 'Raymond' fans, as well as documentary fans. This is a film that disappointed me, and I wish it could have been better. Overall, I just found 'Exporting Raymond' to be an okay movie. The only time to watch it is if you are really bored or are in the mood for something involving your favorite American family sitcom. Sony and Rosenthal should not have exported Raymond, because the Russians never even got into the Italian American mood at all.
Ah, don't we all love 3D? The 'Spy Kids' franchise literally brought back 3D when the third film, 'Game Over' exploded onto the scene back in 2003. Ever since then, almost everything out there is in 3D. Heck, three of this weekend's releases are in 3D, with the other two rated R. Ever since I was young, I have always been a fan of 'Spy Kids.' What kid wouldn't want to become secret agents and fight off bad guys to save the world? After 'Spy Kids 3D,' I thought that the franchise would be over. But alas, Robert Rodriguez has decided to make another Spy Kids eight years after the last one. It is highly doubtful that kids would remember 'Spy Kids' unless they've been watching Disney XD for the past couple of months. To makes things more "extreme," Rodriguez has decided to add one more dimension into the pot: smell. Surprisingly enough, "Aromascope" as it was advertised as was the least of the film's problems. The acting is pretty terrible, the 3D is distracting and not needed, and the script is poorly written. However, it was nice to see the original 'Spy Kids' (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) back on the big screen, even if their acting sucks. This fourth installment is better than the third film 'Game Over,' but it's not nearly as good as the original two that put the series on the top.
A year after retiring from the spy division OSS, Marissa Cortez is called back into business after the world is threatened by a man only known as "The Timekeeper." His threat is to take all the time in the world so nobody will ever be able to spend it properly. Without intention, Marissa's step kids Cecil and Rebecca are recruited into the now dead Spy Kids division to help stop The Timekeeper from taking the time from the entire world. Meanwhile, Rebecca and Cecil's father is a spy hunter, not even thinking that his wife could be a spy, more or less a retired one. There's also a talking robot dog that's there for jokes that are sometimes funny, believe it or not.
Have you ever seen a movie in 3D before, where the 3D wasn't even necessary in the first place? My guess is that you have, which is why I skipped 3D for 'The Smurfs' when I saw it. However I chose to go 3D for this movie because I wanted the full "4D" effect of this movie. Unfortunately the 3D was completely pointless, as it added nothing to the experience, and the extra "smell-o-vision" was a very dumb idea. I have been alive enough to remember seeing 'Rugrats Go Wild' with smell cards back in 2003, and even then I thought it was dumb. We were supposed to smell baby crap and bleu cheese in some moments, which I actually looked forward to smelling. As it turned out, every smell smelled like candy of all kinds, which explains the corniness of this movie. If you go into this movie because you want a fun "4D experience," I can guarantee that you will be coming out very let down.
Of everything bad about this movie, the worst thing about this film is the acting from the film's horrible casting. This movie might have been lucky enough to score such comedic talents as Joel McHale, Ricky Gervais, and Jeremy Piven, but it doesn't even matter because their natural comedic abilities are executed poorly, with barely any funny jokes coming from these funny comedians. Actually, Ricky Gervais, who played the robot dog Argonaut, did make me chuckle a few times, but that was it. No voice can overcome the mediocrity of this kids flick. The sexy Jessica Alba for some reason is the big name on the poster, yet that is all she is in this movie: a name. Her acting is some of the worst acting that I've seen all year, with even making the actors from those terrible spoof movies jealous. I've seen many cardboard ads of this movie, and Alba's acting is as thin and shallow as those ads. Kids don't care about acting unlike critics and parents, but parents might as well buy tickets for their kids and walk into something much much better than this movie.
Since the original Spy Kids are all grown up now, it's time to cast new kids to fill their spots. The kids who were chosen to fill their spots are named Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook. While it was nice to have new, young kids to fill the spots originated from Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara, they don't have the bickering charm that the original kids had. Sure, they fought, pulled pranks, and had personal contests between each other, these new kids didn't have that charisma that pulled us into Vega and Sabara a decade ago. Speaking of the original kids, they came back to the series to help out a bit in this new film. It's amazing how much puberty can change your acting abilities over the course of a decade. They weren't as bad as the adult actors, but their acting and devotion to this series proves that it's hard to get work in Hollywood if they can only remember you as "the 'Spy Kids' kid." I hope that they get work in the near future, but for now, kids, just leave the series that started your career, as it will only add more disappointment onto your poor résumé.
'Spy Kids 4' may have "all the time in the world," but the only bit of time it has is the time where it wasted my time. It might have been nice to have seen the original kids that brought this franchise to life, and have Ricky Gervais playing an amusing robot dog, but the film suffers from horrible acting, a lousy script, and the imagination of a 6 year old in a mental asylum. The added gimmicks of 3D and 4D get old very quickly, almost as if the cardboard characters can only say "what's that smell" or stick something out at the audience every 15 seconds. Kids may think that this is a great movie, but that's only because they are kids: they love everything they see. Parents will possibly regret taking their kids to see this movie, as there is no entertainment value for any parents at all. Heck, not even the 'Hangover' boys can survive scratching, sniffing, and watching this 88 minute long film.
Word of advice to Robert Rodriguez: stop taking movie advice from your kids. No offense to them, but they are ruining your career. They have made us suffer through such awful films like 'The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl,' as well as the better but still bad 'Shorts.' Yeah I know, I enjoyed the movie two years ago, but I was 12 when I first saw that movie, and I enjoyed most things back then. Overall, 'Spy Kids 4' isn't as disastrous as the third film in the franchise, but with the over use of gimmicks, weak script, and terrible acting, 'All the Time in the World' is a mess. Families, do yourself a huge favor and go see family movies that are really worth the ticket price, let alone the 3D price.
Out of the blue, I am all of the sudden allowed to see R rated movies. The first one that I saw won't be coming out until late September, so I won't talk about that yet. However, I can talk about a movie that my parents recently got out of Redbox: 'The Fighter.' 'The Fighter' has been getting all sorts of praise ever since it went to theaters back in December, especially for its supporting cast, including Amy Adams and Christian Bale. I'm glad my parents allowed me to see this movie, because under all of the drugs and foul language there is a cool inspiration story. Markey-Mark isn't a stranger to inspiration stories, having played Vince Papale in the 2006 Disney football film 'Invincible.' It may seem thatr Wahlberg is just playing the Papale role all over again, but he's added real emotion to the character of Ward. It's not because of Wahlberg that this movie succeeds, despite his powerful performance. It's because of the fantastic supporting cast and the emotion of Ward's family life that makes 'The Fighter' quite a great movie. If you haven't seen it yet, by all means go out and rent it or watch it on Netflix Instant when you get the cehance.
The best thing to compliment from this movie is the supporting cast. I am not kidding with you, they are what make the movie. I was skeptic of Melissa Leo winning the supporting actress Oscar this past year, because I found Hailee Steinfeld's performance in 'True Grit' to be spectacular. However then, I had not seen Leo's performance for myself. It turns out that the Academy made the right decision giving the statue to Ms. Leo. As much as I loved Steinfeld's performance, Leo was cruel, evil, potty-mouthed, and single minded. Her performance was absolutely astounding, especially after seeing her acceptance speech, where she seemed to be very happy and excited, especially when she swore on national TV. Her portrayel of Micky's mother shows how far an actor or actress can go to change their persona. However as good as Leo is, Christian Bale is the best thing from this movie.
Christian Bale plays Dicky Eklund, Micky's older, drug addicted half-brother. Bale is a foul-mouthed, sick minded brother who somewhat only cares about how he won a fight between him and Sugar Ray Leonard back in the late 70s. He kind of reminded me of a drug-addicted, foul mouthed version of Uncle Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite. This movie isn't a comedy at all, but the characters are oddly similar because of their obsessions of the past. Plus, seeing him in movies like 'Newsies' and 'The Dark Knight,' Bale gives a breakthrough performance that could be compared to his late co-star Heath Ledger's performance in 'The Dark Knight.' The performances are completely opposite from one another, but the comparison that bonds them together is that both roles are very diverse for the actors, showing how wide actors can go to make a solid performance. Christian Bale IS the best thing about this movie. The rest of the cast, including Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams were great for the roles they played, but nothing compared to the crazy mother/son duo of Leo and Bale.
Overall, 'The Fighter' is one of the best inspiration films that I've seen in a while. It has sublime acting, pure heart, and a lot of f-bombs. This is the first time in my life where the cursing in this movie actually helps keep the pace going. Without the constant swearing, this movie wouldn't be as powerful as it currently is, plus the movie wouldn't be that good. Sure, the acting and story would still be there, but it wouldn't feel like the story was being told in the correct light. The acting will captivate, and make you believe that Bale and Leo won the supporting role awards earlier this year. The story can be very emotional and heartbreaking, especially Dicky's side story. I can guarantee that you will fall in love with this movie as many others in the world already have. If you have the means, I would totally recommend you seeing 'The Fighter.' For the dreamer and the person down on their luck in all of us, this movie will inspire you to overcome your fears and live your life the way you want to. Don't be afraid to let out the fighter in yourself. Live your life the way you want to, and see this fantastic movie.
So what do we have here? A movie about sperm doners starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, as well as being created by the directors of 'Blades of Glory?' I'm in. 'The Switch' isn't just about sperm doners and pregnancy hijacks. It's also a sweet father/son story that will leave your heart throbbing throughout the screen presence of both Jason Bateman and his young son, played by newcomer Thomas Robinson. Despite the predictable ending that I saw coming from even the trailer, this is a sweet comedy that had more heart than raunch. It wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, but 'The Switch' is definitely worth a rental if you have the means.
Wally and Kassie have been best friends for a very long time, so it comes to a surprise to Wally when Kassie wants to get a sperm doner to have a kid. After a drunken night at her pregnancy party, Kassie and Wally don't see each other for seven years. Now Cassie comes back to New York with Sebastian, a strange little six year old who seems oddly familiar to Wally. Similarities between Wally and Sebastian start to be exposed, which gives Wally one particular thought: what happened on that drunken night seven years previous? Wally then realizes that he switched Kassie's doner Roland's sperm ingredient with his own, hijacking the pregnancy. How will Wally tell Kassie?
Despite being headlined as a Jennifer Aniston movie, the real star of the movie is Jason Bateman. Jennifer Aniston is only the victim of the hijacked pregnancy, and she acts snooty and motherly throughout. Don't get me wrong, she had her moments in this movie, but she wasn't the real star of the film. She was only the biggest one. Jason Bateman knows when to be an awkward, nerdy man who clearly has relation and mental problems. He is a very funny man, and I'm glad to have seen him get into much bigger movies this year, like 'The Change-Up' and 'Horrible Bosses.' Though Bateman and Aniston are the big stars of this movie, the best performance comes from the newcomer playing young Sebastian, Thomas Robinson.
For being a six year old, this kid can really be funny. He might as well be compared to a young Gary Coleman on 'Different Strokes' if Coleman was white and was playing a character who was socially awkward and liked strange things rather than a smart mouth kid who always said "What you talkin' about, Willis?" I cannot wait to see this young kid in more movies, because he is incredibly talented. A great supporting cast member in this movie is Jeff Goldblum as Bateman's friend. Goldblum is funny in everything, and this is no exception. The other main supporting character is Patrick Wilson as the sperm doner Roland. He wasn't a good character and was highly unneeded. That's all I have to say about that.
The story is original, but predictable. The cast is likable, but sometimes annoying. 'The Switch' could've been a disaster of a film, but it somehow works. It's a sweet dramedy with light hearted moments and some funny characters. I wouldn't say go rush out and rent this movie at all costs, (it's actually on Showtime as we speak, so there is an idea) but you won't regret renting it if you do so. I honestly didn't laugh much in this movie, but I did see some funny things in the movie, and the sweet chemistry between Wally and his accidental son is quite charming and watchable. I found Aniston's Kassie to be a bit annoying and quite similar to a more light hearted and less strict Katherine Heigl in any of her recent movies. ('Life As We Know It,' 'Knocked Up,' etc.) Aniston may be a bit annoying in this movie, but she still has her moments, showing what kind of comedian she is. You won't regret watching 'The Switch,' but I can assure you that it will not be your first choice when renting something at a Redbox or scrolling through your Netflix selections. 'The Switch' is a dumb, predictable romantic comedy. However, the chemistry by the father/son team, sexual/pregnancy jokes, and Jeff Goldblum role help make it a recommendable movie.
Aw just what we need: another true story/inspiration story brought to the big screen. I have nothing against the old inspiration story, but they've been popping them out of Hollywood ever since 'The Blind Side' exploded onto the scene. Even next month we're getting the story of Winter the Dolphin in the 3D feature 'Dolphin Tale.' We're not here to talk about a tale-less dolphin, though. We're here to talk about Bethany Hamilton, who's story of recovering after losing her arm in a shark attack has been made into a movie starring child star AnnaSophia Robb and Dennis Quaid. While I did like 'Soul Surfer,' I felt that it should've been more heartwarming, showing more of Hamilton's training for her surfing competition before the big 20 minute finale. It's not a movie for everyone, but 'Soul Surfer' is a sweet movie that will inspire many little girls out there to keep following their dreams. I will keep the production team some recognition, since Hamilton's stump in the movie looks remarkably real, expect for one small sequence towards the end of the film.
The best thing to compliment is the acting in this movie. AnnaSophia Robb, best known for her child roles in such films as 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Bridge to Terabithia' (a personal favorite of mine) is great as the young Hamilton. You see her motivation and confidence after she loses her arm, and even if you know what to expect in the end, Hamilton is still someone to root for throughout the picture. I also praise Robb for being able to use one arm for 85% of the movie, as that is something very hard for an actor to do. I'm not including Gary Sinise's performance in 'Forrest Gump' in the context though, because anyone can sit in a chair and act pissed all of the time. The supporting cast includes a strong first performance from award winning singer Carrie Underwood, Academy Award winning Helen Hunt, and Dennis Quaid, who gives one of his better performances in recent years. The acting is good, not great. Nothing award winning, but acceptable for the inspiration bipoic that this is.
This movie was trying to be 'The Blind Side' for surfing. In some ways, it is, with a female lead, a tragic story, and a family with a deep christian background. However the difference between the two films is that 'The Blind Side' was a better film. It had pure comedic moments, a sublime cast, and some tear-jerking moments. This movie wants you to feel bad and root for Hamilton, which you do in some parts. I found the film to be too typical for what it was. It seems that aside from sequels and remakes, today's audiences are getting inspiration stories. Some for adults, like 'The Fighter,' and some for families, like 'The Blind Side.' This movie is nothing outstanding or remarkable, but it's an acceptable drama that will inspire little girls to follow their dreams. Plus the added effect of Robb with one arm looked quite real. There is some soul in this surfing film, but less than what I expected. Overall, just an okay-slightly good film.
Let me just start out by saying that I am a 100% "gleek." I watch the show every week, I even have some "Gleek"ed up songs on my iPod. However I was a bit disappointed that the series had to be made into a 3D concert movie. I was iffy about seeing it from the first trailer that came out, even though I am a fan of the show. Luckily, I made the right decision to go with my younger sister to a 6:45 show on a Monday night, and see for myself if 'Glee' pulled of "The 3D Concert Experience." Luckily, they did. Glee is for the underdog in all of us, and this movie, despite being a concert documentary gives the audience exactly what the TV show does on every episode: inspiration. Whether you're gay, handicapped, or even overweight, 'Glee' makes you feel like you're a part of something, that you can relate to everyday life. The show gives you hope, and sends the message that you are not alone in this world, that there are plenty of kids like you who feel like outsiders. That's why this movie may possibly be the best concert documentary that I've ever seen. For those who bash on Glee lovers, calling guys who like the show "gay" or "weird" might just be considered one of the football bullies at McKinley High School who constantly pick on Kurt.
Despite being a concert movie, the film has three different stories running at the same time. They are true stories about kids who are different that have had their lives restored because of the TV show. The first kid has aspergers, and has made many friends because of the show. She considers herself to be like Brittany, a kid on the show who also has the disorder. For those who don't know what Aspergers Syndrome is, it is a disorder that makes them socially awkward with others around them. I know this because I know somebody very close who has it. The second kid is a man who was humiliated in eighth grade because he was exposed as being gay by a few jerks around him, which embarrassed him and scarred him. Because of the show's gay character Kurt, this man has learned to express himself and show his gay pride without having to suffer from bullies. The third person is a high school cheerleader who happens to be a short person. Despite this, she comes to express herself and be the captain of the cheerleading team. Think of her as a nicer Quinn Fabray, who is the popular yet self centered head cheerleader on the show. There is a fourth kid, but he isn't much more than a cast member. Still, the 'Young Warbler,' as he is listed in the credits may be the best part of the movie.
Despite having the main high school characters in the concert, and a very surprising cameo that I won't spoil for those who haven't seen the film yet, the concert missed the presence of Matthew Morrison, who plays the head teacher Will on the show, and Jane Lynch, who plays the snooty cheerleading coach Sue. I can understand Morrison not being there, because he has other commitments, but Jane Lynch was surprising because she was shown in all of the trailers, not just in her office, but IN the concert as well. Disappointing on my behalf, but that's why there's always a DVD release. The rest of the characters are fantastic singers, and not too bad of actors on the show, or even during the backstage segments where you see them in character getting ready for the show. I don't know why the filmmakers decided to do that, but it was still humorous overall.
I know someone who thinks that 'Glee' is basically 'Kidz Bop' for teens, but let me tell him that he is wrong. He is insulting a show that he's never watched in his life before. The worst thing about that is the fact that he was in the same singing group as I was in 8th grade, where we sing songs from other source materials. I'm not trying to stand him out over others who are just like him when it comes to this show, but I'm telling him, along with the others to actually watch the first season of the show. I will guarantee that it will make you laugh, and it will shock you in many ways. Inside the songs that they sing are messages that relate to the characters on the show, and many others in everyday life. Music tells a story, but it's just elaborated more in the show. You will hear the kids sing classics such as 'Don't Stop Believin' and Queen's 'Somebody to Love,' but all for the purpose of telling the story of many high school outsiders who finally realize where their purpose in high school lies: glee club. For those who think that this show is "gay," I say shame on you. You might as well be called "gay" if you keep calling others that. For all of the losers or nerds out there who are bullied because they watch the show, ignore it. Show the world who you are, and be proud to be considered a "gleek." I know that I am.
For this review exclusively, I will try to use the word "smurf" as frequent as I can, so please just stay with me on this. First off, why the smurf did I even bother to see this dumb looking kids movie? Well for starters, I was bored and had nothing else to do. Second, this movie garnered a sequel deal, which sparked my interest. And third/the most important reason, I wanted to see this film for the review. It's my job to tell you whether or not this is worth the ticket price and a trip to the movies. To make things more interesting, I decided to attend a 2D showing of this movie rather than a 3D show so I didn't have to pay a $3.00 smurfcharge. As shocked as I am to say this, and I will never say this sentence in public ever in my life, I had a smurfing good time with this movie. Sure there were many cliche`s and this was aimed directly towards little kids, I, along with many parents in the audience really enjoyed 'The Smurfs.' This may be the best live action/CGI hybrid film since the original 'Alvin & the Chipmunks,' a kids movie which I happen to enjoy.
In a different world lies a hidden village where the magical Smurfs live. Though living in happiness and peace, the smurfs have one enemy: the evil wizard Gargamel. When Gargamel discovers the hidden village, the smurfs accidentally are transported into our world, more specifically New York City. So the smurfs who, with the help of their new friends Patrick and Grace must get back home to their beloved village before Gargamel captures them all and takes over the entire world. Pretty complicated plot, right? Well considering the fact that this is a kids movie from the director of the 'Scooby Doo' films and 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua,' this isn't a hard plot to follow at all.
As much as I thought I was going to be annoyed by the little blue creatures, I surprisingly wasn't at all. As expected, they say the word "smurf" with everything they say. I was surprised how well it blended into the movie itself. The film knew how to work around that and just entertain the kids and adults in the audience. The only thing that may get in the way of your movie experience when seeing the smurfs is the fact that its in 3D. I chose not to see it in 3D because my sister, who saw it before me in 3D, said it wasn't worth the ticket and added nothing to the movie. If you were to see this movie in theaters, choose the cheaper and more comfortable way of seeing it in 2D, rather than with the extra dimension.
Getting back to the characters, Neil Patrick-Harris and Jayma Mays play their parts nicely as the couple of people who help out our little blue people. They're not great in the movie, but they do bring out more humor than Jason Lee did in the 'Chipmunks' movie. In terms of live action characters, the best one out of the four main leads is Hank Azaria as Gargamel. Even though he can be repulsive at times, like you didn't see that coming in a kids movie, Azaria really knows when to make the dumbest things funny. If anyone watches the Disney show 'Phineas & Ferb,' then you may be able to see a close resemblance in character to Dr. Doofenshmirtz, except the only differences are that Gargamel is a wizard and he has a cat. Azaria stole the show as he does in almost every single one of his movies. The other live action actor who has a role in this movie is Sofia Vergara of 'Modern Family, who plays Patrick-Harris' boss. While she isn't as funny as her Gloria character, she does bring in a couple of funny lines that make the audience laugh.
Director Raja Gosnell may not be a fantastic director, but he does know how to entertain a family looking for a movie to see. Sure, he made the terrible 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua,' but he also made family hits like the 'Scooby Doo' series and the original 'Big Mamma's House.' This film won't appeal to those looking for a smart and witty Disney film, but it will appeal to those who are going into this accepting the fact that they're going to be watching a movie about miniature avatars in New York City. This movie is everything that 'Mr. Popper's Penguins' and 'Zookeeper' should have been. If you're family is looking for a sweet and funny summer treat, then you may just want to sing a happy song with those tiny little smurfs.
Here comes a cool looking movie from the director of '300' and 'Watchmen.' However, I never saw any of those movies, so instead I saw 'Legend of the Guardians' and I thought that sucked. In an attempt to make any nerd's fantasy, Zack Snyder made 'Sucker Punch,' an action fantasy movie that has cool visual effects and incredibly sexy women. Unfortunately, that's really all that 'Sucker Punch' is: a cool looking fantasy with hot women. If you're looking for story and good acting, then you're seeing the wrong movie. This is the type of movie made for Comic Con nerds who love watching hot women fighting off dragons and robot Nazis and don't care about story and acting. If you're one of those nerds or die hard movie buffs that like to watch fighting hot women, then you might've found your 'Citizen Kane.' Anyone else: well good luck trying to enjoy this movie. 'Sucker Punch' isn't as bad as many others think, but it still gives you a good sucker punch to your wallet.
Babydoll, dealing with the deaths of her mother and sister, is forced into an asylum to be lobotomized by her money hungry stepfather. While in the asylum, Babydoll befriends many inmates, and joins up with them to steal five items in order to escape from the asylum and be free. To do this, Babydoll creates numerous fantasy worlds in order to get the items. However, the girls have to do this in five days before Babydoll is scheduled to be lobotomized and lose everything that really matters in her life.
There's no better way to describe this movie than this upcoming sentence: 'Sucker Punch' is like a 'Star Wars' prequel if one of them was directed by Zack Snyder. The movies look good and have very attractive women, but they suffer from weak storytelling and bad acting. The only difference between the George Lucas prequels and Zack Snyder's film is that Snyder is a big fan of slow motion sequences. Not only was it overused in his previous films, but Snyder uses it in this movie to a point where you just can't stand it for the rest of this two hour visual effects spectacle. Really the best thing to compliment about this movie is the visual effects, which are absolutely breathtaking. Those visual effects, plus the big screen scope of this film were the only reason to have seen this on the big screen. Other than the look of this movie, there's nothing much more to say about this movie, except for the film's menacing villain played by Oscar Issac.
While the film presents a very talented cast, including Carla Gugino and Vanessa Hudgens, they play very uninspired characters that go absolutely nowhere in the movie other than just looking bored. This is the type of acting that we would get out of some cheap horror film or Direct-To-DVD B film. Emily Browning, who plays Babydoll in the film, seems very emotionless and bored in this movie as the girls are fighting to survive. Of all of the other girls, my least favorite was Sweet Pea, played by Abbie Cornish. In my opinion, she just seems like Katherine Heigel if she was in action thrillers. The two women play the same dumb roles in each movie they're in, and they're even not that good at playing that. Even though she, along with the other girls weren't good, the worst characters in this movie were Carla Gugino as Madame Gorski, the woman controlling the dance studio, and Scott Glenn as The Wise Man, who's description is in the name.
Gugino uses a Polish accent to play a woman who apparently is a mentor to the girls as they are strippers. This character is not inspired at all, and for the most part was very annoying. The Wise Man was also an annoying character to me. He was just one of those one liner characters that had nothing much to say except for somewhat motivational advice and ending every conversation with "and one more thing..." He even does this towards the end of the movie, which really got me irritated. Overall, about 85% of the characters in this movie were uninspired and not very well acted. That goes to say that the other 15% of main actors were actually very good. Those actors were Oscar Issac and Jena Malone.
Oscar Issac plays Blue, the owner of the asylum/strip club. As you could guess from what he is, Blue is the main antagonist in 'Sucker Punch.' Issac's portrayal of Blue was menacing, suave, and just plain evil. I loved this character mainly because he could possibly be as suave as James Bond, yet as evil as any Bond villain that liked to rape and abuse women. He may well go down in my top 5 villains of the year. The other character who I want to give credit to is Jena Malone as Rocket. Rocket is not only the youngest of the ensemble of girls, but she in many ways is the coolest one, and the most heroic. She is the first of the girls to actually fight for the others, even if her sister Sweet Pea is against it throughout. Because of her heroism and awesome fighting skills, Rocket is my favorite of the hot women in this movie.
The other main problem with this movie is the storyline. Not only is it odd to comprehend, it is also very confusing at times. Just like 'Inception,' you lose focus on what is a dream and what is real, but for all of the wrong reasons. Other than all of the sequences involving retrieving the five items needed to escape the asylum, there are two settings we keep switching to without even realizing it. The first one is the asylum that Babydoll is imprisoned in. The second one is a strip club where the women dance to satisfy the "customers." You never know what world you are ever in, except if you carefully notice how the setting looks, whether it looks glamorous or if it looks dirty. Also, I hated how (SPOILER) many of the characters die at the end of the movie. I understand that it's supposed to be symbolic at the end, but it just got me irritated that barely any of the girls actually escaped.(END OF SPOILER) If you're looking for a cool fantasy flick with a smart storyline, then go watch something else, because you're not going to get anything like that from this movie.
To summarize this lengthy review, 'Sucker Punch' was a very disappointing fantasy movie that could've been something way more than crappy acting, bad storytelling, and too much slow motion. Obvious from this review I am not the right audience for this movie, and I know people who actually like this flick. To those who like 'Sucker Punch,' good for you. I respect anybody's opinions on movies, but I'm just saying that I'm not a fan of this movie. I bet that this movie will gain a cult status like how 'The Big Lebowski' and 'Rocky Horror' have in the past four decades, but for now this is just a pretty smelly piece of trash to run amok. The way I feel about this movie is probably the way everyone else feels about 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.' The only thing that many will get from this movie is that they got suckered out of $1-$5 for this movie.
One of the most popular books in recent history is The Help, written by Kathryn Stockett. The Help is told from the point of view of the help, who were the black servants in Jackson, Mississippi. This book has generated lots of popularity ever since its release in 2009. Hollywood loves to adapt books into movies, and this book was no exception to them. To be honest, I never read 'The Help' before, so I can't compare this movie to the original source material. But I can tell you that for the first time this entire year, I was on the verge of crying in this movie. Not sobbing my eyes out, but just shedding a couple of tears. Of all of the films to be released this year, this is the most powerful film of the year so far.
It is the early 1960s and segregation is still in tact in the city of Jackson, Mississippi. Aibileen and Minny are among the many African American women who have to work as maids in order to make a living. Skeeter has just moved back home to Jackson after graduating from the University of Mississippi. She takes up a job at the local newspaper writing for a letter column. Hilly is the leader of a group of women who mainly support segregation to its fullest. She attempts to initiate a law giving "the help" a separate bathroom from the white people, to prevent "any diseases from spreading." Fed up by the fact that Hilly is being quite the bitch, Skeeter wants to interview "the help" in Jackson, Mississippi to put the less fortunate in the spotlight, and show the true colors of the spoiled white women.
Looking at the poster of this movie, you may think that it's just another chick flick based on a best selling girls book, which in some ways it is. How would you even expect for 95% of the audience at my screening to be women? Instead of this being just another book turned chick flick like such recent "classics" like 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' or 'Confessions of a Shopahollic,' this movie gets very serious, and sometimes even heartbreaking. Even though this movie is considered a comedy, which this movie tends to be alot, you have to remember how heavy a subject racism is in this movie. There are some moments in this movie where you will be laughing in your seat hysterically, but then a split second later your jaw will be on the floor in shock and anger. What these pampered women in Jackson, Mississippi do is so frustrating to the audience that it could almost be considered cringe-worthy. That's what's so great about this movie: because it knows when to be taken seriously and when to be taken as a comedy. This could not have been done without the astounding cast on the screen.
Getting out of raunchy teen comedies and into the world of serious filmmaking is the gorgeous and always lovely Emma Stone. If you see this movie because you think that she's going to do something that she did in 'Easy A,' then go see some raunchy teen comedy that's playing. Stone plays Skeeter, an aspiring journalist who decides to do the unthinkable and interview these black maids only to find success and hatred. After seeing this film, you will know that Ms. Stone has the potential to go even bigger and become a regular awards contender. We saw what she could do in 'Easy A' last year, and that got her a Golden Globe nomination. As good as she was, the rest of the cast got better and better as you went down the cast list. Viola Davis gives a powerful performance as Aibileen, a longtime maid who has lived through a bunch of prissy women. She is great in this film, as yo feel her fear and anger with the white Jackson women. The two best performances in my opinion come from Octavia Spencer and Bryce Dallas Howard as Minny and Hilly, respectively.
Spencer knows how to play a humorous role in a movie, whether it's a small, strange role in 'Dinner for Schmucks,' or a sassy, big role in 'The Help.' Ms. Spencer knows when to bring the humor and sass, and when to bring the drama and pain in her portrayal of Minny. She in my opinion is the best character in this movie, and I believe that Ms. Spencer deserves at least a nomination for Minny. The other supporting character that deserves a nomination, but isn't as good as Spencer is Bryce Dallas Howard as the evil, bitchy Hilly. Even when it seems that she's being nice and kind-hearted, Hilly is pure evil throughout her presence in this movie. Ms. Howard, best known for her dismal roles in films like 'Spider Man 3' and 'Terminator Salvation' gives the performance of her career so far. Even though we still have the last third of 2011 left to see, Howard's portrayal of Hilly gets my personal award of 'Best Villain of 2011,' period. Yes, I am saying that Hilly is even more sinister than Lord Voldemort and Red Skull, among others, and those characters killed innocent lives. Hilly was just a sinister bitch, and that's all you need to make the perfect movie villain.
With fantastic acting, a funny/heartbreaking story, and the power of a racial background, 'The Help' is without a doubt one of the best films of the year. This movie has that rare combination in a movie where one second you'll be laughing, the next second you're crying. This is the only time this year where I came close to crying in my seat. Don't call me heartless, but I didn't cry at all in 'Toy Story 3,' so a film getting me close to crying in a movie is really an accomplishment for Hollywood. If this movie doesn't get nominated for any acting Oscars or Best Song, with Mary J. Blige singing the film's theme song "The Living Proof," then there may not be any justice this year when it comes to awards for great movies.
I have never seen 'The Color Purple,' but I have a strong feeling that this film might gain the popularity and acclaim that that movie had almost three decades ago. There was a film with a similar message that came out a few years ago called 'The Great Debaters.' This film, with superb performances and a heartbreaking/gruesome storyline wasnn't considered for anything at the Oscars. I hope that with the message in this movie and the response that the audience will give it, 'The Help' will get some recgonition come awards season. For a film that came be so light and so dark at the same time, 'The Help' is one hell of an extraordinary film, period.
Those damn dirty apes are back after Tim Burton messed their world up back in 2001. However fate was on this reboot's side as they have an all star cast including Oscar nominee James Franco and the always fantastic Andy Serkis, as well as using the same technology used to bring the Na'vi to life back in 2009 with the groundbreaking 'Avatar.' Considering the amount of talent that was in this, and the fact that this was branching off one of the most popular movie series' of the 20th century, this movie is a disappointment in many ways. The actors weren't used very well, the story didn't go into many different paths to become a bit more intriguing, and they used the "damn dirty apes" line for no reason other than it being a reference to the previous films.
However, I was captivated by the apes in this movie, especially the main ape Caeser, played to perfection by Andy Serkis. Also, the fact that the ape takeover started from an experimental drug to cure Alzheimer's was very interesting storywise, and I would've liked to have gone further into that. If you go into this expecting an action-packed apocalypse type movie, then you're seeing the wrong movie. 'Apes' is only interesting for the storyline of Caesar and the apes that join his rebellion. Because of that one reason, and because John Lithgow is great in this movie, I would recommend this movie to people.
The best thing to come from this movie, besides the film's astounding special effects is the motion-captured performance of Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, an actor who's no stranger to motion-capture. If anyone knows Serkis and what he's done in his career, then they should know that he played Gollum in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, and 'King Kong' in the 2005 remake, both directed by Peter Jackson. So having some knowledge of what this actor has done previously, you will go in expecting another great performance from a great actor. What was great about his performance was that even though he looked and acted like an animal for most of the movie, in his mind he knew that he was different from the other apes, and the audience will see that as if they are in Caesar's eyes. Serkis' performance as Caesar could really get a good buzz going for him when it comes to awards season. Personally I don't see the performance as being Oscar worthy, but I wouldn't be surprised if he gets nominated anyway. Caesar is what makes what could have been a cheesy movie with apes running around the place and learning new things.
James Franco, even though he was good in this movie, wasn't at his quality best, like he was in many other films he was in. All I think Franco did for most of the movie was screaming "Caesar!" to catch the ape. Any actor in the business can scream "Caesar" at the top of their lungs, but it won't make the performance as good as it should be. The supporting cast included Freida Pinto, who played Will's girlfriend, and Tom "Draco Malfoy" Felton playing the jerky captor. Pinto, best known for the Oscar winning film 'Slumdog Millionare' does absolutely nothing in this movie to add to the story, other than warn Will about the possible destiny of the apes. Come to think of it, I think that she only had about 5 or 6 lines in the entire movie, believe it or not. As for Felton, I'm not sure which agent he has, but he may want to fire him or her, because the first role he has outside of the 'Harry Potter' series is no different than the jerky Draco Malfoy that he grew up playing for over a decade. Out of the entire supporting cast, the most powerful performance comes from John Lithgow, who plays Will's father who has Alzheimer's. You really feel for this guy when he has the disease, and feel his "being lost" situation being as real as anyone who has Alzheimer's in real life. We're supposed to care for our human characters in movies like this, but even though we were on the apes side throughout the film, the humans could have been developed much better than they were in this movie.
The movies released in the month of August for some reason go into a major funk and are disappointing most of the time. While I don't find this movie to be terrible, I find this movie to be caught into the August funk, with weak acting and a story that isn't that interesting after 50 minutes into the movie. The previews showed a lot of action with the apes and humans fighting against eachother on the Golden Gate Bridge. I want to tell you now that the action in this movie doesn't even begin until about 65 minutes into the movie, and lasts for the last 40 minutes of the movie. If you're going into this expecting an intense action summer movie, you will be disappointed. However for what was in it, the action was pretty cool. Seeing the apes desroy the Golden Gate like their's no tomorrow was quite something to see, especially remembering that these apes are really people in suits with dots on their face and a microphone to their mouth.
I don't think that this movie deserves an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is something to see if you didn't like or did like 'Captain America' and 'Cowboys & Aliens.' This is a different summer movie, and it's in some ways unique for that. I would only see this movie again for the performance of Andy Serkis. Even if you don't like this movie, you won't be able to deny that Serkis is fantastic as Caesar. So if you want to see something enjoyable enough to wind down the summer movie season, then go witness the 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes.' Well, you could also see the sexy, raunchy, poop joke filled comedy 'The Change-Up' instead, but I've heard mixed reactions on that.
'Cowboys & Aliens' opens up on Daniel Craig waking up in the desert having a mysterious cuff on his wrist and no idea who the hell he is. Throughout the first 20 minutes of the film, the audience learns that his name is Jake Lonergan, a criminal wanted for death and money. What's great about the first half hour of this movie is that the audience is just as clueless as Daniel Craig's character. Throughout the movie we learn piece by piece what happened in Lonergan's past that caused the aliens to come. John Favreau, best known for directing the 'Iron Man' series is fantastic at developing his characters, as well as being a great storyteller in general. As corny as the movie's title may be, 'Cowboys & Aliens' is an awesome summer movie that gives today's audiences a glimpse of the ol' west as well as satisfying their sci-fi appetites.
The best thing about 'Cowboys & Aliens' is its characters and how they're developed. Daniel Craig takes a break from the '007' role to be Jake, a clueless criminal who may be everybody's only hope in getting their town back. Like I said previously, you're just as clueless throughout the movie as Jake is, because he is still trying to figure out who he is and why he has the mysterious bracelet on his wrist. With every hero there has to come with a cranky counterpart, and that person is Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde, played by the man, the legend, Harrison Ford.
Since Ford is much older than he was thirty years ago, playing a scruffy, cranky, old sheriff who can also be a badass is the perfect role for him. It's always nice to see Ford on the big screen being the action star he always was, rather than being in some average medical drama. Ford and Craig have terrific chemistry, and that alone carries the movie. This movie has a great supporting cast, including the luscious Olivia Wilde, and the hilarious/powerful Sam Rockwell. They are just as great as the two main leads, and they will make you laugh and intrigue you throughout the two hour movie.
As most know, Jon Favreau, the director of 'Iron Man' is at the helm of this sci-fi western. As much as I love the 'Iron Man' movies, I think that Favreau made a great choice leaving the series. Before 'Iron Man,' Favreau directed the Will Ferrell comedy 'Elf,' and the sci-fi kids adventure 'Zathura,' both of which are excellent movies. 'Iron Man' was only the benchmark of this director's career. With his creative mind, Jon Favreau can really go far in Hollywood, rather than just acting alongside Vince Vaughn in a dumb comedy. Favreau's creative mind sells the what could have been dismal story of this movie. Of course we get unnecessary subplots involving defending yourself, but you still have to remember that every great movie has a few minor flaws.
With an energetic cast, a cool storyline, and killer special effects, 'Cowboys & Aliens' is a fun summer movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the initial mystery is solved. Craig and Ford have perfect chemistry together, and why wouldn't they, considering the fact that it's an epic action battle between 'Indiana Jones,' 'James Bond,' and a whole bunch of extra terrestrial aliens. The story is intriguing, as you keep wondering what is going on between Jake Lonergan and the aliens that want to kill everyone. For those looking for some pure summer fun, you may want to give this movie a chance. Not everyone will love it, but if you know that it's going to be more western than sci-fi, and there's more character development than alien battles, then you will enjoy the epic battle of 'Cowboys & Aliens.'
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