REVIEW: The A-Team

MOVIE
The A-Team

CAST
Liam Nesson, Bradley Cooper

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
June 11, 2010

DIRECTOR
Joe Carnahan

STUDIO
20th Century Fox

RUNNING TIME

1 hour 58 minutes

GRADE
A+






STARS
****

REVIEW:

This has to be one of the most pointless and mindless movies I've ever seen. Yet, I loved every second of it! John "Hannibal" Smith, Templeton "Faceman" Peck, Bosco Albert "B.A." (Bad Attitude) Baracus, and H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock are the members of a highly-regarded, elite combat unit known as The A-Team. While at the top of their game, the U.S. Military suspect the team of committing a crime that they didn't commit in the first place. Now the team, who have escaped prison and are considered fugitives must clear their names and find the real criminals using their unique and amazing skills at getting in and out of problems. In the words of Mr. T himself, I PITY THE FOOL WHO DOESN'T SEE THIS MOVIE! This is the summer movie that 2010 was looking for, apart from Iron Man 2. What made this movie great and enjoyable were two key factors in it: Top of the line Action and nearly sidesplitting Comedy. The real stars of this movie are Bradley Cooper of The Hangover fame and Sharlto Copley of District 9 fame, which both make this movie as much of a comedy as much as action. Also, Liam Nesson and Rampage Jackson do great jobs as Hannibal and B.A. with all of their action packed scenes being some of the best in the business. Oh yeah, the action sequences were top notch as some of the sequences were real exploding settings with real explosions, while most of the complicated scenes were done with special effects. But on a side note, the one reason why I'm not a fan of 20th Century Fox, who released this movie is because they never fully explain the movie's plot fully and they never show many characters from the movie aside from the main celebric characters. Like most people would expect, this movie isn't for everybody, (see Ebert's review on his website) but if you want two enjoyable hours of mindless action and comedy with no lesson, then you should indeed see The A-Team. Actually, I prefer this movie over The Karate Kid remake, which I also enjoyed. So when there's trouble in hand and the world needs heroes, then call The A-Team, because like Hannibal says in the movie, "We're unbeatable." And like Jessica Biel's character says, "They're the best and they specialize in the ridiculous" which the indeed do. Oh Hell Yeah!

PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Knight And Day

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Predators

Inception

Scott Pilgrim VS The World

Takers

REVIEW: The Karate Kid (2010)

MOVIE
The Karate Kid

CAST
Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan

RATING
PG

RELEASE
June 11, 2010

DIRECTOR
Harold Zwart

STUDIO
Columbia Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 19 minutes






GRADE
A




STARS
***1/2








REVIEW:

I never saw the original Karate Kid with Pat Morita, but after seeing this, I want to see what the original was like, because this movie was funny, dramatic, and just plain fun. Dre Parker and his mom are being relocated to Beijing, China for a job. Dre of course is the new kid at school and doesn't know much Chinese. But then he meets the perfect girl, a violinist "controlled" by her parents. But on the same day, he meets the local bully who loves to pick on Dre. So with the help of the local maintenance man, Mr. Han, he will be taught the arts of kung-fu and make an unlikely bond. This was one of the surprise movies of the year that really kept my attention throughout, even though it was a half hour longer than it should've been. It was very fun to see the bond that Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan made throughout the movie, (MILD SPOILER) especially to see the history of Mr. Han's very emotional life. (END) But with all movies, it has its flaws thrown in. One of the problems that I had with the movie was Dre's mother. Don't get me wrong, Taraji P. Henson is a great actress and was terrific in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, but in this movie she was just plain annoying. They should've had fewer scenes with her in it, even though the motherly role is kind of a real life role, and by that I mean most mothers act like how she does in this movie. Other than that, the only other problem I had was that some scenes were just a little too long. But I do think the movie had a solid story and a good cast that led into some very dramatic and very funny moments. Harold Zwart, who also directed The Pink Panther 2 makes a movie that well deserves plenty of standing ovations. I would like to point out that this movie, even though it's considered a family movie, the movie can be very intense at parts, like the fighting and bullying sequences. Plus, (SPOILER) there is one intense scene involving Jackie Chan and a car. (END) But other than that, it's a good movie. I would also like to point out that if this movie gets nominated for any Oscars, it probably will be for Best Cinematography. The reason for this kind of nomination is because the shots of China's buildings and the Great Wall are just exhilerating to look at. Also, if you are going to see this movie, I just want to point out that even though this is called The Karate Kid, it should be called The Kung Fu Kid because Dre is learning Kung Fu, not Karate. In fact, America is the only part of the world that calls this movie The Karate Kid. But if you do see this, you sure will be in for a summer treat. I can surely guarantee I will see the original Karate Kid and make the comparison. So if you're looking for family action and fun with Kung Fu, then go and check out The Karate Kid.





PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:


Grown Ups


The Last Airbender


Despicable Me


Flipped


Alpha & Omega

PIXAR TOP 10: #2 A Bug's Life

This has to be PIXAR's most underrated movie they ever made. But I, believe this movie is one of the most original, most entertaining animated movies in history. A Bug's Life is about Flik, an ant in a giant colony that's protected by grasshoppers. But protection always comes with a price: they had to collect food for the grasshoppers. But after an incident occurs, the grasshoppers give the ants until the end of summer to get them more food. Desperate, the ant colony sends Flik to find warrior bugs to fight off the grasshoppers. But when Flik finds the "warriors," it turns out their just unemployed circus bugs. This movie is smart, funny, and beautiful to watch. When the movie first opens up and you see the glimpse of the ant island, the animation is just stunning to look at. Also, the look of Ant City looks almost accurate to cities like New York or Chicago. Plus, the comedy is so genuine that it's just as funny as PIXAR's later movie, Monsters, Inc. I can't really say much more, except that I am one of the few people who enjoy this movie. In fact, I liked it so much that I downloaded it onto my I-POD. You may like it, you may not. But I for one, would recommend seeing A Bug's Life.

GRADE
A+

CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK FOR MY FAVORITE PIXAR FILM OF ALL TIME

REVIEW: Cast Away

MOVIE
Cast Away

CAST
Tom Hanks

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE

December 7, 2000

DIRECTOR
Robert Zemekis

STUDIO(S)

20th Century Fox,

Dreamworks Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 23 minutes

GRADE
A







STARS
***1/2

REVIEW:

Robert Zemeckis, who is the successful director of Back To The Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and Forrest Gump made a movie that takes us to our deepest fears of being alone. Chuck Noland is a time obsessed worker at FedEx. On Christmas eve, his plane crash lands in the Pacific Ocean on the way to Malaysia. He is the only survivor of the crash and finds a island that is uncharted and deserted. Alone and hungry, Chuck must learn to survive on his own and without electricity and population. Personally, this was one of the most scarring yet fantastic movies I've ever seen. What made it very interesting to me is because for the majority of the movie where Tom Hanks is on the island, there is no score at all, almost like a documentary. The reason why this is a scary movie is because this situations in this movie like Tom Hanks being alone and going mad could actually happen to somebody and probably already has happened to many people. It's also scary that you could come back to civilization after a number of years, but your entire life would've said goodbye the day you disappeared as you're wife could've moved on, you've missed major events in history, etc. I would also like to point out that this movie is also very brutal to watch, as viewers witness blood and dead bodies. Plus, the story premise is very mature for audiences and need to have open minds and never stop watching. But if you do watch it, you probably will enjoy it, although if you think it's another Forrest Gump, you're soorley mistaking. So, try to watch this movie and see why Tom Hanks deserved his Oscar nomination as you and Tom Hanks go and Cast Away.

PIXAR TOP 10: #3 The Incredibles

What's so significant about The Incredibles, which is in my top 5 superhero movies ever made, is that it's PIXAR's first PG rated film. Although it quite deserves it, this is one of the funniest and best work in animation that my pearly eyes have laid on. The Incredibles is about Bob Parr, who back in the day was Mr. Incredible, the best superhero in the business. But after a fatal accident, superheroes are banned from existence. 15 years later, he and is family, all supers are hiding and living as regular citizens. But when a new super-villain arrives, it's up to Bob and his family to take suits and become The Incredibles. This PIXAR flick is probably not just the most suspenseful, but also the most violent. Despite many controversies about its PG rating, it's just as enjoyable as any other PIXAR movie like Toy Story & Monsters, Inc. It combines comedy, heart, and violence flawlessly. The movie also have itself a very good script. The casting for Mr. Incredible, Frozone, and Syndrome, are also quite perfect, with Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jason Lee lending their voices respectively. I don't have much else to say, except that this would also be a good movie to see in 3D, like I said Finding Nemo would be last week. So, if you love superheroes, action, or just plain old PIXAR, then watch The Incredibles and see why it won the Acadamy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2004.

CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK FOR #2 IN THE TOP 10 PIXAR FILMS SERIES