REVIEW: The Smurfs in 2D

MOVIE

The Smurfs

CAST

Neil Patrick-Harris,

Hank Azaria

RATING

PG

RELEASE

July 29, 2011

DIRECTOR
Raja Gosnell

STUDIO
Columbia Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 43 minutes




STARS
***1/4








REVIEW:

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.





PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Spy Kids:
All the Time in the World


Johnny English Reborn


Puss in Boots


The Muppets


Arthur Christmas


The Pirates:
Band of Misfits

REWIND REVIEW: Sucker Punch

MOVIE
Sucker Punch

CAST
Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
March 25, 2011

DIRECTOR
Zack Snyder

STUDIO
Warner Bros. Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 50 minutes




STARS
**1/4

REVIEW:

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. 

REVIEW: The Help

MOVIE
The Help

CAST
Emma Stone, Viola Davis

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
August 10, 2011

DIRECTOR
Tate Taylor

STUDIO(S)
DreamWorks Pictures,
Touchstone Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 17 minutes





STARS
****









REVIEW:

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.

REVIEW: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

MOVIE

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

CAST

James Franco, Andy Serkis

RATING

PG-13

RELEASE
August 5, 2011

DIRECTOR
Ruper Wyatt

STUDIO
20th Century Fox

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 45 minutes





STARS
***









REVIEW:

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.

PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Conan the Barbarian


Contagion


Killer Elite


In Time


The Sitter


The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

REVIEW: Cowboys & Aliens

MOVIE
Cowboys & Aliens

CAST
Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
July 29, 2011

DIRECTOR
Jon Favreau

STUDIO(S)
Universal Pictures,
DreamWorks Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 58 minutes





STARS
***1/2











REVIEW:

'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.'


PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

The Debt

Contagion

Moneyball

Killer Elite

In Time

Tower Heist

Battleship