Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, the sequel to a film that debuted nine years ago, is the latest feature to debut on both 3d and flat screens. And I’d say that the film would’ve been better without the 3d effects.
The heroes of this film are an organization of secret agent dogs. Their newest recruit is Diggs, a German Shepherd booted out of SFPD for disastrously “resolving” a crisis at a Used Car lot. Lou the Beagle, head of the spy dogs and hero of the first film, recruits Diggs to the objections of his main dog Butch.
Their mission is to thwart the evil rogue cat Kitty Galore, who plots to drive all dogs mad by transmitting a horrendous sound all over the world. It’s all in revenge for her rejection by her former family after being disfigured by hair-removal cream. The heroic dogs are aided by heroic feline agent Catherine, her employers MEOWS, and the pigeon Seamus.
The 3d conversion on this film is the crummiest I’ve seen. It’s not only not that noticeable, but distracting and disorienting. What’s so special about that? Ironically, the 3d is far better in the new Road Runner cartoon that precedes this feature, so maybe it isn’t all that bad.
Strip away the 3d, and the film is actually far better. The Bond inspired credits sequence is a highlight, and a scene with hippy kitties is hilarious. Bette Midler, voice of the titular villain, is clearly having fun, as is former Bond Roger Moore as the head of MEOWS.
This’ll certainly entertain kids, and to some extent, the adults as well. But as I said, you won’t miss much if you see it on flat screen. Except for the Road Runner cartoon, and that is a frustrating dilemma.
About Me
- Jethrotcat
- This is the blog where I talk about the latest movies I've seen. These are my two Schnauzers, Rufus (left) and Marley (right, RIP). As of now, the Double Hollywood Strikes are officially over. May the next strikes not last as long as these ones did.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Salt
In many ways, Salt is the opposite of Inception: a film where big stunts and effects are the stars. However, this film has a few surprises to the point where it can be considered “Inception for non-thinkers.”
The salt of the film is not a condiment, but Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), a CIA operative with an arachnologist husband and good standing in the agency. One day, she stays late to interrogate Russian agent Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski). Claiming to be dying, Orlov tells Salt of a conspiracy involving KGB sleeper agents to start World War III. One such agent will trigger the conspiracy by assassinating the (fictional) Russian President at the (fictional) U.S. Vice-President’s funeral.
When Orlov names Salt as the aforementioned agent, ONCIX agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) immediately pursues her, while agent Ted Winter (Live Schrieber) tries to reason with Peabody. Of course, there’s another reason why Winter’s interested in helping Salt, but that’s a spoiler.
At times, Salt herself is convincingly desperate, while at others, she’s frustratingly chaotic evil. Some last act plot developments provide the surprises that redeem the latter a bit; however, a little more foreshadowing of her true intentions would’ve been nice.
There’s quite a bit of nice action scenes, which director Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games) has effective realized. And they help distract one from any story flaws. Yes, it’s just like the real spice, and that’s what makes it a good summer flick.
The salt of the film is not a condiment, but Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), a CIA operative with an arachnologist husband and good standing in the agency. One day, she stays late to interrogate Russian agent Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski). Claiming to be dying, Orlov tells Salt of a conspiracy involving KGB sleeper agents to start World War III. One such agent will trigger the conspiracy by assassinating the (fictional) Russian President at the (fictional) U.S. Vice-President’s funeral.
When Orlov names Salt as the aforementioned agent, ONCIX agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) immediately pursues her, while agent Ted Winter (Live Schrieber) tries to reason with Peabody. Of course, there’s another reason why Winter’s interested in helping Salt, but that’s a spoiler.
At times, Salt herself is convincingly desperate, while at others, she’s frustratingly chaotic evil. Some last act plot developments provide the surprises that redeem the latter a bit; however, a little more foreshadowing of her true intentions would’ve been nice.
There’s quite a bit of nice action scenes, which director Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games) has effective realized. And they help distract one from any story flaws. Yes, it’s just like the real spice, and that’s what makes it a good summer flick.
Eclipse
This is the story of werewolves, vampires and the teen girls who love them for some reason. The next two films based on Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight novels, based on her fourth, Breaking Dawn, will be directed by Oscar-winner Bill Condon (Dreamgirls). Meanwhile, this third entry, Eclipse, directed by David Slade (30 Days of Night), is what I think the first two should’ve been like.
Bella Swann (Kristen Stewart) and her vampire boyfriend Edward (Robert Patterson) are lovey-dovey as ever. Her werewolf friend, Jacob (Taylor Lautner), broods in the background fuming that she’s dating a bloodsucker.
Meanwhile, vampire villainess Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) is out to kill Bella in Revenge by Proxy scheme for her mate James’s demise in the first film. That scheme involves raising an army of “Newborns,” freshly minted vampires superior to all others. To fight them, the vampiric Cullen clan must join with Jacob’s shape changing Quillite tribesmen for an old fashioned smack down.
So what has improved from the last two Twilight films? The teen soap operaness is far less over-the-top unlike the last film. The cinematography, by the last film’s Javier Aguirresarobe, suits the film’s dark atmosphere. And there is quite more action on-screen than off-camera or in flashback. Technically, this film does a good effort.
As for the “faces of Twilight,” aka the actors, they do an OK job at conveying their characters. The best one in the cast is Jodelle Ferland as a reluctant and thus, quite convincingly sympathetic Newborn vampire named Bree Tanner. Her final fate in the movie was quite effectively executed.
OK, I admit I’m not remotely in the target audience of the Twilight novels. But I think this’ll satisfy them very much; for everyone else, this film won’t do you any harm by seeing it.
Bella Swann (Kristen Stewart) and her vampire boyfriend Edward (Robert Patterson) are lovey-dovey as ever. Her werewolf friend, Jacob (Taylor Lautner), broods in the background fuming that she’s dating a bloodsucker.
Meanwhile, vampire villainess Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) is out to kill Bella in Revenge by Proxy scheme for her mate James’s demise in the first film. That scheme involves raising an army of “Newborns,” freshly minted vampires superior to all others. To fight them, the vampiric Cullen clan must join with Jacob’s shape changing Quillite tribesmen for an old fashioned smack down.
So what has improved from the last two Twilight films? The teen soap operaness is far less over-the-top unlike the last film. The cinematography, by the last film’s Javier Aguirresarobe, suits the film’s dark atmosphere. And there is quite more action on-screen than off-camera or in flashback. Technically, this film does a good effort.
As for the “faces of Twilight,” aka the actors, they do an OK job at conveying their characters. The best one in the cast is Jodelle Ferland as a reluctant and thus, quite convincingly sympathetic Newborn vampire named Bree Tanner. Her final fate in the movie was quite effectively executed.
OK, I admit I’m not remotely in the target audience of the Twilight novels. But I think this’ll satisfy them very much; for everyone else, this film won’t do you any harm by seeing it.
Inception
If I were to explain the complete plot of Inception, director, writer and co-producer Christopher Nolan’s new sci-fi caper film, I’d take up too much time and confuse the living daylights out of my readers. So instead, I’ll parse it down in a few paragraphs.
The “heroes” of this film are Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), two thieves who steal ideas from people’s dreams. One day, businessman Saito (Ken Watanabe) proposes a unique idea: rather than swipe an idea from someone’s mind, they instead give someone a bright idea. This is the Inception of the title.
The plan is to give corporate heir Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) an incentive that would cause his late father’s corporation to disintegrate. The heroes assemble their team and scam their way into Fischer’s trust so easily. But the specter of Cobb’s dead wife (Marion Cotillard) threatens to derail everything.
The film stylistically resembles Nolan’s two Batman features, especially with its cinematographer Wally Pfister filming this one. The best effects have to be either the “Shifting dream city” or the revolving hallway. The snowy fortress visited in the last part is an amazing locale. In short, as far as style goes, Inception is outstanding.
This is a summer film where effects play second fiddle to the story. It’s quite a complicated storyline that is most likely meant to make sense the more you think of it. The same can probably said about any dream, which is likely the point of this film.
Overall, Inception’s complexities help make this summer film quite a memorable one. This is the kind of films that should be coming out this summer; if Christopher Nolan keeps this up, then the inevitable third Batman feature will linger in the pop-cultural osmosis as much as this film.
The “heroes” of this film are Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), two thieves who steal ideas from people’s dreams. One day, businessman Saito (Ken Watanabe) proposes a unique idea: rather than swipe an idea from someone’s mind, they instead give someone a bright idea. This is the Inception of the title.
The plan is to give corporate heir Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) an incentive that would cause his late father’s corporation to disintegrate. The heroes assemble their team and scam their way into Fischer’s trust so easily. But the specter of Cobb’s dead wife (Marion Cotillard) threatens to derail everything.
The film stylistically resembles Nolan’s two Batman features, especially with its cinematographer Wally Pfister filming this one. The best effects have to be either the “Shifting dream city” or the revolving hallway. The snowy fortress visited in the last part is an amazing locale. In short, as far as style goes, Inception is outstanding.
This is a summer film where effects play second fiddle to the story. It’s quite a complicated storyline that is most likely meant to make sense the more you think of it. The same can probably said about any dream, which is likely the point of this film.
Overall, Inception’s complexities help make this summer film quite a memorable one. This is the kind of films that should be coming out this summer; if Christopher Nolan keeps this up, then the inevitable third Batman feature will linger in the pop-cultural osmosis as much as this film.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
You know it better as a part of Disney’s Fantasia, but the story of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was once a poem by Goethe. Anyway, they’ll be remembered far better than this film version, which is directed by Jon Turteltaub, who did the two National Treasure films.
The film dumps its exposition in the beginning, explaining how Horvath (Alfred Molina), apprentice to Merlin himself defected to the side of the evil Morgana le Fey, and how fellow apprentice Balthazar (Nicolas Cage) sealed the villains in a magical matryoshka doll. Years later, in contemporary Manhattan, young Dave (played as an adult by Jay Baruchel) strolls in the now-immortal Balthazar’s shop and accidentally frees Horvath. The two rivals seal themselves in a vase for exactly ten years and then, the plot progresses…
As for the rest of the film, Dave learns from the now-free Balthazar that he’s the “Prime Merlinian,” the chosen one who can thwart le Fey forever. His magic ring is his weapon against Horvath and le Fey’s other servants, but he has to use it properly or else a simple clean-up job becomes a big mess.
Having spent too long on exposition, I’ll cut to the chase. There’s quite a bit of cool CGI effects, including a fight with a dragon and the obligatory walking brooms sequence. Toby Kebbell, as Horvath’s own apprentice, is quite amusing.
But still, producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s not gonna match the cultural longevity of Pirates of the Caribbean with this one. Overall verdict is this: see this one if all you want is a fairly decent afternoon timewaster, for that’s all this is.
The film dumps its exposition in the beginning, explaining how Horvath (Alfred Molina), apprentice to Merlin himself defected to the side of the evil Morgana le Fey, and how fellow apprentice Balthazar (Nicolas Cage) sealed the villains in a magical matryoshka doll. Years later, in contemporary Manhattan, young Dave (played as an adult by Jay Baruchel) strolls in the now-immortal Balthazar’s shop and accidentally frees Horvath. The two rivals seal themselves in a vase for exactly ten years and then, the plot progresses…
As for the rest of the film, Dave learns from the now-free Balthazar that he’s the “Prime Merlinian,” the chosen one who can thwart le Fey forever. His magic ring is his weapon against Horvath and le Fey’s other servants, but he has to use it properly or else a simple clean-up job becomes a big mess.
Having spent too long on exposition, I’ll cut to the chase. There’s quite a bit of cool CGI effects, including a fight with a dragon and the obligatory walking brooms sequence. Toby Kebbell, as Horvath’s own apprentice, is quite amusing.
But still, producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s not gonna match the cultural longevity of Pirates of the Caribbean with this one. Overall verdict is this: see this one if all you want is a fairly decent afternoon timewaster, for that’s all this is.
Predators
Last time we saw Fox’s extraterrestrial hunters, they hunted down Fox’s extraterrestrial terrors in two Alien vs. Predator films. Now, twenty years after they had a film for themselves, the Predators have returned in, drum roll please, Predators!
The brainchild of Producer Robert Rodriguez and realized by director Nimrod Antal, this film drops a whole bunch of soldiers, criminals and even a “pharmacist” (Topher Grace) into the jungle in the first few minutes. Led by Royce (Adrien Brody), our “heroes” quickly discover that wherever they are, they are not on Earth. Just as quickly, Royce realizes their new surroundings are a game preserve with themselves as the prey. And then the real stars of the show come in…
And, that’s it for plot. Then again, all it is supposed to be is an action film.
Yes, the film is gory, but it doesn’t really drown itself in a sea of blood. Instead, the film provides plenty of suspenseful action to go along with the blunt set pieces that highlight the film. In a way, this puts it on similar ground as Ridley Scott’s Alien from 1979.
These characters maybe stereotypical, or at worst, unsympathetic, but somehow, these characters are appealing at best. The cast highlight is Grace, as the pharmacist who starts off a hapless nerd, but is really more than he lets on. And in a cameo role, Laurence Fishburne is a nice surprise.
Unlike a few other summer films, Predators doesn’t flash the latest in visual effects and the loudest of noises. In fact, the titular creatures are effectively created by practical makeup effects. And really, there’s nothing wrong with simplicity. This is why Predators is quite worth the trip to see this summer.
The brainchild of Producer Robert Rodriguez and realized by director Nimrod Antal, this film drops a whole bunch of soldiers, criminals and even a “pharmacist” (Topher Grace) into the jungle in the first few minutes. Led by Royce (Adrien Brody), our “heroes” quickly discover that wherever they are, they are not on Earth. Just as quickly, Royce realizes their new surroundings are a game preserve with themselves as the prey. And then the real stars of the show come in…
And, that’s it for plot. Then again, all it is supposed to be is an action film.
Yes, the film is gory, but it doesn’t really drown itself in a sea of blood. Instead, the film provides plenty of suspenseful action to go along with the blunt set pieces that highlight the film. In a way, this puts it on similar ground as Ridley Scott’s Alien from 1979.
These characters maybe stereotypical, or at worst, unsympathetic, but somehow, these characters are appealing at best. The cast highlight is Grace, as the pharmacist who starts off a hapless nerd, but is really more than he lets on. And in a cameo role, Laurence Fishburne is a nice surprise.
Unlike a few other summer films, Predators doesn’t flash the latest in visual effects and the loudest of noises. In fact, the titular creatures are effectively created by practical makeup effects. And really, there’s nothing wrong with simplicity. This is why Predators is quite worth the trip to see this summer.
Despicable Me
The umpteenth film in this short span of months to come on both 3d and flat screens, Despicable Me actually works wonders in the 3d format. Take away the fancy “throw stuff at the screen” effects and it still works.
Our villainous hero is Gru (Steve Carrel), who’s supposed to be a big time villain, but is more of a wash-up. His grand plan is to shrink and steal the moon itself, but he can’t even get a loan from The Bank of Evil (“Formerly Lehman Brothers,” as its sign proclaims) to secure his plan. When he does get the shrink-ray essential for his plan, it’s swiped from him by up-and-coming baddie Vector (Jason Segal).
Good ol’ Gru fails to steal back the shrink-ray from Vector’s fortress, and that’s when he sees three orphan girls: Margo, Edith and Agnes sell some cookies to Vector. Shameless opportunist he is, Gru adopts the girls as unwitting pawns in his scheme. Despite his efforts, Gru ends up liking becoming a surrogate father for these three.
This film’s use of 3d effects is not despicably inept in the least. Whether in the film’s amusement park scenes, or in its displays of villainous gadgetry, the 3d effects are, simply put, there. Subtlety works great in other effects films, but with a format that eschews subtlety, one shouldn’t ask for anything less.
Without the 3d effects, everything else, as I said before, still works. Gru makes a likeable anti-villain, Vector a capably smug real-villain, while Gru’s harsh mother (Julie Andrews in a Transylvanian accent) and Gru’s yellow “minions” are hilarious highlights.
Whatever the price you pay for this film, Despicable Me is worth it all the way.
Our villainous hero is Gru (Steve Carrel), who’s supposed to be a big time villain, but is more of a wash-up. His grand plan is to shrink and steal the moon itself, but he can’t even get a loan from The Bank of Evil (“Formerly Lehman Brothers,” as its sign proclaims) to secure his plan. When he does get the shrink-ray essential for his plan, it’s swiped from him by up-and-coming baddie Vector (Jason Segal).
Good ol’ Gru fails to steal back the shrink-ray from Vector’s fortress, and that’s when he sees three orphan girls: Margo, Edith and Agnes sell some cookies to Vector. Shameless opportunist he is, Gru adopts the girls as unwitting pawns in his scheme. Despite his efforts, Gru ends up liking becoming a surrogate father for these three.
This film’s use of 3d effects is not despicably inept in the least. Whether in the film’s amusement park scenes, or in its displays of villainous gadgetry, the 3d effects are, simply put, there. Subtlety works great in other effects films, but with a format that eschews subtlety, one shouldn’t ask for anything less.
Without the 3d effects, everything else, as I said before, still works. Gru makes a likeable anti-villain, Vector a capably smug real-villain, while Gru’s harsh mother (Julie Andrews in a Transylvanian accent) and Gru’s yellow “minions” are hilarious highlights.
Whatever the price you pay for this film, Despicable Me is worth it all the way.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The Last Airbender
I’m sure director, writer and producer M. Night Shyamalan tried, but the film of the cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender isn’t really that great. It has some good spots, but not enough unfortunately.
Simply called The Last Airbender to avoid confusion with the recent blockbuster, this film is available in both flat and 3d screens. With the 3d added at the last minute, you can guess which I saw.
The cartoon and this film concern nations of people who can control, or “bend” the elements of fire, water, earth and air. The Fire Nation, led by Fire Lord Ozai is out to conquer the world. Having reduced the Airbenders to the brink of extinction, they set their sights on the other two nations.
Two kids from the Water Tribe, Sokka and his sister Katara accidentally free young Aang from a century-long slumber in an Iceberg. It turns out Aang is the titular last Airbender and the Avatar, the one bender that controls them all and thus, the one who can thwart Ozai. But since Aang’s skills in the other three elements are nil, our heroes must get him trained immediately.
This film’s fatal flaw is that it plays out as a plot summary of the first season of the cartoon. It skims through important events and leaves character development second. It’s mainly the secondary characters that ultimately suffer, although the leads get their share of it.
This film also violates the rule of show, don’t tell. Instead of showing, for instance, how Aang got frozen, Katara’s narration simply states, paraphrased, “Aang ran away and got frozen.” Those two aren’t the same.
Among the bright spots in the film is the score, provided by James Newton Howard, which helps the battle scenes. The production and costume designs should also be mentioned for their fine use of color. And the elementally-aided fight scenes are also nicely done.
In the cartoon, the Avatar is continuously reborn after death into newer lives. Let’s just hope the next incarnation is better thought out.
Simply called The Last Airbender to avoid confusion with the recent blockbuster, this film is available in both flat and 3d screens. With the 3d added at the last minute, you can guess which I saw.
The cartoon and this film concern nations of people who can control, or “bend” the elements of fire, water, earth and air. The Fire Nation, led by Fire Lord Ozai is out to conquer the world. Having reduced the Airbenders to the brink of extinction, they set their sights on the other two nations.
Two kids from the Water Tribe, Sokka and his sister Katara accidentally free young Aang from a century-long slumber in an Iceberg. It turns out Aang is the titular last Airbender and the Avatar, the one bender that controls them all and thus, the one who can thwart Ozai. But since Aang’s skills in the other three elements are nil, our heroes must get him trained immediately.
This film’s fatal flaw is that it plays out as a plot summary of the first season of the cartoon. It skims through important events and leaves character development second. It’s mainly the secondary characters that ultimately suffer, although the leads get their share of it.
This film also violates the rule of show, don’t tell. Instead of showing, for instance, how Aang got frozen, Katara’s narration simply states, paraphrased, “Aang ran away and got frozen.” Those two aren’t the same.
Among the bright spots in the film is the score, provided by James Newton Howard, which helps the battle scenes. The production and costume designs should also be mentioned for their fine use of color. And the elementally-aided fight scenes are also nicely done.
In the cartoon, the Avatar is continuously reborn after death into newer lives. Let’s just hope the next incarnation is better thought out.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Knight and Day
And finally, a rarity these days: a summer blockbuster that’s not a sequel, adaptation or remake. This is Knight and Day, and with Tom Cruise in the lead, it makes for a genuinely good time killer.
Here, Tom is Roy, a secret agent who bumps into June (Cameron Diaz) at the Witchita Airport. June is on her way to Boston for her sister’s wedding, and she and Roy become seatmates. They strike up a few talks and hit it off quickly.
Then, when she’s not looking, everybody else on the plane, even the pilots, tries to kill Roy. Roy kills them back which bring their plane down in a cornfield.
It turns out Roy is out to deliver the world’s most powerful battery out of the hands of bad guys. The bad guys target June for associating with him, which results in them going on the run.
The best part of the movie is the two stars themselves. They go well together and separately in their comedic roles. It’s especially true with Tom Cruise, who as Roy is the perfect straight man. It makes the delivery of his lines, especially his poorly-worded fake hostage taking just funny.
In fact, these two more than make up for some weak spots in this script. At one point, we allegedly learn of Roy’s true colors, but that barely comes up again. And some of the supporting characters, except for Viola Davis as Roy’s boss and Paul Dano as Roy’s genius friend are poorly defined. And even the title itself is only half-defined.
I’m not gonna spoil the movie. You’re going to have to watch it yourself. In addition to the leads, the film’s climactic car chase during Spain’s Running of the Bulls makes it worth the while.
Here, Tom is Roy, a secret agent who bumps into June (Cameron Diaz) at the Witchita Airport. June is on her way to Boston for her sister’s wedding, and she and Roy become seatmates. They strike up a few talks and hit it off quickly.
Then, when she’s not looking, everybody else on the plane, even the pilots, tries to kill Roy. Roy kills them back which bring their plane down in a cornfield.
It turns out Roy is out to deliver the world’s most powerful battery out of the hands of bad guys. The bad guys target June for associating with him, which results in them going on the run.
The best part of the movie is the two stars themselves. They go well together and separately in their comedic roles. It’s especially true with Tom Cruise, who as Roy is the perfect straight man. It makes the delivery of his lines, especially his poorly-worded fake hostage taking just funny.
In fact, these two more than make up for some weak spots in this script. At one point, we allegedly learn of Roy’s true colors, but that barely comes up again. And some of the supporting characters, except for Viola Davis as Roy’s boss and Paul Dano as Roy’s genius friend are poorly defined. And even the title itself is only half-defined.
I’m not gonna spoil the movie. You’re going to have to watch it yourself. In addition to the leads, the film’s climactic car chase during Spain’s Running of the Bulls makes it worth the while.
Toy Story 3
It’s been eons since the first Toy Story introduced the world to CGI animated films. Now, ten years since its first sequel, Pixar’s only franchise returns in Toy Story 3, which can be seen on 3d and Flat Screens. I’ll say here that the long wait was worth it.
The miniature heroes, once again led by Buzz (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks), realize that their human, Andy, has outgrown them. That means that soon, with Andy going to college, it’s the trash bin, attic, or donation box for them.
Accidentally sent to the trash, the intrepid toys escape to be donated to the local daycare. There, the king toy, Lots-O’-Huggin Bear (Ned Beatty) introduces the toys to the laws of the toyland. But when the toys learn just how rough these kids play with them, “Lotso” reveals himself to be a nots-O’ nice bear.
So, what do our heroes decide to do? Escape, of course!
Unlike Shrek’s fourquel, this threequel knows what it’s doing. It doesn’t trade story for gimmicks; in fact, its story, crafted by writer Michael Arndt, is greatly executed. It’s simple for kids to understand, but it’s fully-realized for adult viewers too. End result is a funny movie that knows how and when to be serious.
It also helps to have some great characters in this story. All are well-defined, including the returning characters and especially Lotso, who makes for a mean, but sad villain once you know his story.
Let’s just say at this rate it’ll take forever before Pixar makes a true stinker. As such, Toy Story 3 is yet-another memorable film that needs to be seen first on any screen.
The miniature heroes, once again led by Buzz (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks), realize that their human, Andy, has outgrown them. That means that soon, with Andy going to college, it’s the trash bin, attic, or donation box for them.
Accidentally sent to the trash, the intrepid toys escape to be donated to the local daycare. There, the king toy, Lots-O’-Huggin Bear (Ned Beatty) introduces the toys to the laws of the toyland. But when the toys learn just how rough these kids play with them, “Lotso” reveals himself to be a nots-O’ nice bear.
So, what do our heroes decide to do? Escape, of course!
Unlike Shrek’s fourquel, this threequel knows what it’s doing. It doesn’t trade story for gimmicks; in fact, its story, crafted by writer Michael Arndt, is greatly executed. It’s simple for kids to understand, but it’s fully-realized for adult viewers too. End result is a funny movie that knows how and when to be serious.
It also helps to have some great characters in this story. All are well-defined, including the returning characters and especially Lotso, who makes for a mean, but sad villain once you know his story.
Let’s just say at this rate it’ll take forever before Pixar makes a true stinker. As such, Toy Story 3 is yet-another memorable film that needs to be seen first on any screen.
The Karate Kid
Yet another name from the 1980’s, The Karate Kid, makes its return to cinemas in the form of a new film. Does it live up to the original film? Who cares?! It’s a good film in its own right.
The new Karate Kid is Jaden Smith, who plays Dre Parker. Dre moves to Beijing with his working mom (Taraji P. Hensen). There, he meets aspiring violinist Mei Ying (Wen Wen Han), and incurs the wrath of Cheng (Zhenwei Wang), the star pupil of a brutal kung fu master.
The local handyman, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), steps in one day to save Dre from Cheng and his fellow bullies with his Kung Fu skills. Mr. Han agrees to teach Dre Kung Fu to prepare him for an upcoming tournament against Cheng’s school. And thus begins the kinship between student and teacher.
As Mr. Han, Jackie Chan has his best role to date. As an eccentric master, or as a broken man with a sad past, Chan creates a believable character. His chemistry with the much younger Smith also works well as does Smith’s own performance.
The filmmakers are also experts in picking locations. Director Harold Zwart and Cinematographer Roger Pratt film in such locations as The Forbidden City and the Wudang Mountains. Simply awesome visuals, almost like a travelogue of China and a very amazing one at that.
This is a remake done right. It’s not manipulative in the least; instead, it lets the characters act for themselves to get the appropriate audience reactions. It’s also around two and a half hours long, but it holds interest for that long. That’s what makes it worth whatever you pay for it.
The new Karate Kid is Jaden Smith, who plays Dre Parker. Dre moves to Beijing with his working mom (Taraji P. Hensen). There, he meets aspiring violinist Mei Ying (Wen Wen Han), and incurs the wrath of Cheng (Zhenwei Wang), the star pupil of a brutal kung fu master.
The local handyman, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), steps in one day to save Dre from Cheng and his fellow bullies with his Kung Fu skills. Mr. Han agrees to teach Dre Kung Fu to prepare him for an upcoming tournament against Cheng’s school. And thus begins the kinship between student and teacher.
As Mr. Han, Jackie Chan has his best role to date. As an eccentric master, or as a broken man with a sad past, Chan creates a believable character. His chemistry with the much younger Smith also works well as does Smith’s own performance.
The filmmakers are also experts in picking locations. Director Harold Zwart and Cinematographer Roger Pratt film in such locations as The Forbidden City and the Wudang Mountains. Simply awesome visuals, almost like a travelogue of China and a very amazing one at that.
This is a remake done right. It’s not manipulative in the least; instead, it lets the characters act for themselves to get the appropriate audience reactions. It’s also around two and a half hours long, but it holds interest for that long. That’s what makes it worth whatever you pay for it.
The A-Team
There was this TV show once, called The A-Team, that was on in the 1980’s. I’m not gonna talk about that here; instead, I think I shall talk about the film of the 80’s action show.
The film’s heroes are, obviously enough, The A-Team. They consist of Hannibal (Liam Neeson), Faceman (Bradley Cooper), B.A. Barracus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson) and “Howling Mad” Murdock (Sharlto Copley). The four are a military unit who, during the Iraq War, are called upon to thwart a counterfeiting scheme in Bagdhad. But some higher-ups don’t want them to do it; yet, they do it anyway.
When their commanding officer, the only proof they weren’t going AWOL on this mission, is blown to bits, our heroes are sent to their own prisons. But Hannibal has a plan for revenge, and that involves busting himself and the others out.
As Hannibal says, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Unfortunately, this film doesn’t really come together as it should. The plot, which involves a Blackwater analogue pulling the strings, is lost in the explosions and gunfire. By the time the truth is revealed, the reaction is more “huh?” then “whoa!”
Perhaps the one star who saves this is Sharlto Copley. As Murdock, he’s perfectly loopy and insane. He gets the best scenes and the best lines; so much so that he outshines the others.
If it weren’t for Copley, I’d say you can probably forget about this one. However, Copley makes this movie worth it. Now, if only the rest of the film came together well.
The film’s heroes are, obviously enough, The A-Team. They consist of Hannibal (Liam Neeson), Faceman (Bradley Cooper), B.A. Barracus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson) and “Howling Mad” Murdock (Sharlto Copley). The four are a military unit who, during the Iraq War, are called upon to thwart a counterfeiting scheme in Bagdhad. But some higher-ups don’t want them to do it; yet, they do it anyway.
When their commanding officer, the only proof they weren’t going AWOL on this mission, is blown to bits, our heroes are sent to their own prisons. But Hannibal has a plan for revenge, and that involves busting himself and the others out.
As Hannibal says, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Unfortunately, this film doesn’t really come together as it should. The plot, which involves a Blackwater analogue pulling the strings, is lost in the explosions and gunfire. By the time the truth is revealed, the reaction is more “huh?” then “whoa!”
Perhaps the one star who saves this is Sharlto Copley. As Murdock, he’s perfectly loopy and insane. He gets the best scenes and the best lines; so much so that he outshines the others.
If it weren’t for Copley, I’d say you can probably forget about this one. However, Copley makes this movie worth it. Now, if only the rest of the film came together well.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
A big video game requires a big cinematic treatment. And such a big video game is The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time; and its film version, directed by Mike Newell, is unashamedly a big blockbuster.
The titular prince is Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), adopted into the royal family of King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup). After leading the armies of Persia in a successful campaign against the city of Alamut, Dastan comes back a hero. He also gets the “honor” of getting tricked into causing his adopted father’s demise.
Now a wanted man, Dastan goes on the run with Alamut’s Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), who hates his guts, and a dagger that holds the titular time-reversing sands. The Sands are sought after by evil Uncle Nizam (Ben Kingsley) for purposes most evil. Naturally, our heroes must thwart him from realizing those schemes.
As I said, it’s a big blockbuster, so the effects and action scenes are the star. They’re quite decent for the most part; the best effects were the sands themselves. Their time-bending powers were simply great, like a neatly realized video game trick. Speaking of which, this movie made me want to play one.
The actors, meanwhile, play their best in their stock character roles. The best notice goes to Alfred Molina as an Anti-Tax, Anti-Government Business Sheik. The spotlight’s always on him when he’s around, and with his charismatic exuberance, that’s never a bad thing.
Is this a decent timewaster? Yes, it is. Will it enter the pop-cultural osmosis for all time like producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s Pirates of the Carribean? Not exactly; however, it’s worth to see at least once. And there’s no harm to be undone if you do.
The titular prince is Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), adopted into the royal family of King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup). After leading the armies of Persia in a successful campaign against the city of Alamut, Dastan comes back a hero. He also gets the “honor” of getting tricked into causing his adopted father’s demise.
Now a wanted man, Dastan goes on the run with Alamut’s Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), who hates his guts, and a dagger that holds the titular time-reversing sands. The Sands are sought after by evil Uncle Nizam (Ben Kingsley) for purposes most evil. Naturally, our heroes must thwart him from realizing those schemes.
As I said, it’s a big blockbuster, so the effects and action scenes are the star. They’re quite decent for the most part; the best effects were the sands themselves. Their time-bending powers were simply great, like a neatly realized video game trick. Speaking of which, this movie made me want to play one.
The actors, meanwhile, play their best in their stock character roles. The best notice goes to Alfred Molina as an Anti-Tax, Anti-Government Business Sheik. The spotlight’s always on him when he’s around, and with his charismatic exuberance, that’s never a bad thing.
Is this a decent timewaster? Yes, it is. Will it enter the pop-cultural osmosis for all time like producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s Pirates of the Carribean? Not exactly; however, it’s worth to see at least once. And there’s no harm to be undone if you do.
Friday, May 28, 2010
MacGruber
In the proud tradition of such films as Wayne’s World and The Blues Brothers, MacGruber is the latest film based on a skit from Saturday Night Live.
A spoof of the old TV show MacGyver, this movie is crude and rude, but it’s also funny. And that’s what’s most important to know.
As played by Will Forte, MacGruber is an alleged military hero and explosive experts. Far from professional, he’s a childish man whose attempts to dismantle ticking time bombs are thwarted by something so trivial.
MacGruber’s arch-enemy, Dieter von Cunth (Val Kilmer) has just stolen a Nuclear Warhed for purposes most nasty. So, MacGruber and his allies, Lt. Piper (Ryan Phillipe) and Vicki (Kristen Wiig) must not only save the day, but keep our hero’s attention to the task at hand.
This movie, first and foremost, is delightfully ridiculous. Yes, MacGruber is obnoxious and immature, but Will Forte plays him with zeal. The most nauseating jokes that come from MacGruber’s mouth, or his actions, are instead validly funny as a result.
As for the other actors, it’s their interactions with MacGruber that allow them to shine. Val Kilmer as von Cunth is the perfect hammy villain, and Phillipe and Wiig make for the perfect “straight folks” who have to put up with MacGruber. And as MacGruber’s superior, Powers Boothe is perfectly serious and thus, delightfully out of place in this farce.
This is a film that takes the clichés of dumb 80’s action movies and makes them dumber. Not only dumber, but they are effectively funnier. It’s the enthusiasm that the actors, along with director and co-writer Jorma Taccone, execute on screen that makes MacGruber the mighty fine comedy it is.
A spoof of the old TV show MacGyver, this movie is crude and rude, but it’s also funny. And that’s what’s most important to know.
As played by Will Forte, MacGruber is an alleged military hero and explosive experts. Far from professional, he’s a childish man whose attempts to dismantle ticking time bombs are thwarted by something so trivial.
MacGruber’s arch-enemy, Dieter von Cunth (Val Kilmer) has just stolen a Nuclear Warhed for purposes most nasty. So, MacGruber and his allies, Lt. Piper (Ryan Phillipe) and Vicki (Kristen Wiig) must not only save the day, but keep our hero’s attention to the task at hand.
This movie, first and foremost, is delightfully ridiculous. Yes, MacGruber is obnoxious and immature, but Will Forte plays him with zeal. The most nauseating jokes that come from MacGruber’s mouth, or his actions, are instead validly funny as a result.
As for the other actors, it’s their interactions with MacGruber that allow them to shine. Val Kilmer as von Cunth is the perfect hammy villain, and Phillipe and Wiig make for the perfect “straight folks” who have to put up with MacGruber. And as MacGruber’s superior, Powers Boothe is perfectly serious and thus, delightfully out of place in this farce.
This is a film that takes the clichés of dumb 80’s action movies and makes them dumber. Not only dumber, but they are effectively funnier. It’s the enthusiasm that the actors, along with director and co-writer Jorma Taccone, execute on screen that makes MacGruber the mighty fine comedy it is.
Shrek Forever After
As the ads spell out in bold letters, Shrek Forever After is supposed to be the last entry in this franchise, but it's also the first in 3d. It’s not the grandest of finales, but it’ll do as a decent time waster.
Once again, Mike Meyers is the voice of Shrek, the big green ogre guy. As the movie opens, Shrek’s getting sick and tired of life happily-ever-after. So sick is he that he’d just like to be the terror of the swamp again.
This guy Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) meets Shrek, and promises the green guy a day as a feared ogre. Instead, he sends Shrek to a world where he never existed. And if Shrek doesn’t act quickly, he won’t exist anymore.
I saw this in 3d, which means more money to pay at the box office. When stuff flies at the screen, you’ll notice it and notice it well. The rest of the time, it looks like any other flat screen movie. You’ll wonder after a while why it’s supposed to be special.
Amongst the main cast, Puss’n’Boots (Antonio Banderas) gets the best notice. Although his appearance was spoiled months ago, his other-world fate as a fat cat was the best thing about the movie. With the rest of the humor going so-so, I thought Puss was the only decently funny thing about this movie.
A saving grace here is that the plot doesn’t lag. At around 90 minutes, the film knows how to keep going. It especially helps to have moments, such as the film’s final battle, that keep one’s attention away from their watch.
And yet, this Shrek is overall nothing special. Not a moment that’ll legitimately stay in the pop-cultural osmosis for eternity. If they makers put a bit more effort in effects and story, then this film’ll truly be worth both the flat screen and 3d prices.
The end.
Once again, Mike Meyers is the voice of Shrek, the big green ogre guy. As the movie opens, Shrek’s getting sick and tired of life happily-ever-after. So sick is he that he’d just like to be the terror of the swamp again.
This guy Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) meets Shrek, and promises the green guy a day as a feared ogre. Instead, he sends Shrek to a world where he never existed. And if Shrek doesn’t act quickly, he won’t exist anymore.
I saw this in 3d, which means more money to pay at the box office. When stuff flies at the screen, you’ll notice it and notice it well. The rest of the time, it looks like any other flat screen movie. You’ll wonder after a while why it’s supposed to be special.
Amongst the main cast, Puss’n’Boots (Antonio Banderas) gets the best notice. Although his appearance was spoiled months ago, his other-world fate as a fat cat was the best thing about the movie. With the rest of the humor going so-so, I thought Puss was the only decently funny thing about this movie.
A saving grace here is that the plot doesn’t lag. At around 90 minutes, the film knows how to keep going. It especially helps to have moments, such as the film’s final battle, that keep one’s attention away from their watch.
And yet, this Shrek is overall nothing special. Not a moment that’ll legitimately stay in the pop-cultural osmosis for eternity. If they makers put a bit more effort in effects and story, then this film’ll truly be worth both the flat screen and 3d prices.
The end.
Robin Hood
And now on screen is the one-billionth film starring Robin Hood, called Robin Hood (No, duh?). Its director Ridley Scott trusts that his audience knows all about the guy, so this film is about Robin “before the hood.”
So who was Mr. Robin “before the hood?” Well, he’s Robin Longstride, and he’s played by Russell Crowe. Mr. Longstride is an archer-guy in the army of King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston). They’ve been doing some crusading, and Robin tells the King that non-stop crusading’s a bad idea.
King’s response? “You’re an honest man. To the shackles you go!”
So when Richard gets an arrow to the neck, Robin and his merry men get to go home. At home, which is England, now-King John (Oscar Isaac) is taxing his citizens too much. Thus, Robin and his Merry Men decide to take action.
There’s just one problem: the script that Oscar-Winner Brian Hegeland co-wrote barely takes action. The movie just pads the time with too much talking, story elements and characters. This just creates a tangled mess on screen.
As Robin, Russell Crowe makes for a capable gritty idealist hero. His arch-enemy, Godfrey (Mark Strong, in his umpteenth villain role), is a decent villain. So, perhaps this new Robin Hood’s not that bad.
There’s some good production design here, but I bet you don’t care about that. There is some action at the end; if you can wait that long, then the wait’ll be worth it. If not, no problem with me if you ignore it.
So who was Mr. Robin “before the hood?” Well, he’s Robin Longstride, and he’s played by Russell Crowe. Mr. Longstride is an archer-guy in the army of King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston). They’ve been doing some crusading, and Robin tells the King that non-stop crusading’s a bad idea.
King’s response? “You’re an honest man. To the shackles you go!”
So when Richard gets an arrow to the neck, Robin and his merry men get to go home. At home, which is England, now-King John (Oscar Isaac) is taxing his citizens too much. Thus, Robin and his Merry Men decide to take action.
There’s just one problem: the script that Oscar-Winner Brian Hegeland co-wrote barely takes action. The movie just pads the time with too much talking, story elements and characters. This just creates a tangled mess on screen.
As Robin, Russell Crowe makes for a capable gritty idealist hero. His arch-enemy, Godfrey (Mark Strong, in his umpteenth villain role), is a decent villain. So, perhaps this new Robin Hood’s not that bad.
There’s some good production design here, but I bet you don’t care about that. There is some action at the end; if you can wait that long, then the wait’ll be worth it. If not, no problem with me if you ignore it.
Iron Man 2
How is Iron Man 2? The last one opened two years back and just about every critic liked it, audiences too. Now, the sequel’s here, and it’s also good.
It starts by recapping the end of the last one, when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) outs himself as Iron Man. Now, because of it, the U.S. Government wants his Iron Man armor. Meanwhile, his power source/pacemaker’s poisoning him, and Stark’s been keeping it a secret. That’s never a good thing.
This Russian guy Vanko (Mickey Rourke) has a grudge against Tony for something Tony’s pa did to his pa, his former business partner. So he makes himself some bad guy gear and goes after Tony. He also meets Tony’s business rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), and the two baddies conspire to do some bad stuff.
Once again, Robert Downey Jr. makes a likeable rogue out of Tony Stark. He does “display textbook narcissism” quite well, but also commitment to duties other than to his own. He’s so effective in this two-sided role that his reluctance to divulge his mortality seems most natural and not artificial padding by screenwriter Justin Theroux.
The effects here are in top-form. The CGI enhanced-armor and CGI created machines mesh very well in their environment. This makes the set pieces amazing to behold. A highlight: the battle with Tony, his now-armored partner Jim Rhodes (Don Cheadle) against a legion of War Machines.
Should you take time out of your schedule to see Iron Man 2? For the aforementioned reasons, and many more, the answer is yes. Be sure to stick to the end of the credits when you do.
It starts by recapping the end of the last one, when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) outs himself as Iron Man. Now, because of it, the U.S. Government wants his Iron Man armor. Meanwhile, his power source/pacemaker’s poisoning him, and Stark’s been keeping it a secret. That’s never a good thing.
This Russian guy Vanko (Mickey Rourke) has a grudge against Tony for something Tony’s pa did to his pa, his former business partner. So he makes himself some bad guy gear and goes after Tony. He also meets Tony’s business rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), and the two baddies conspire to do some bad stuff.
Once again, Robert Downey Jr. makes a likeable rogue out of Tony Stark. He does “display textbook narcissism” quite well, but also commitment to duties other than to his own. He’s so effective in this two-sided role that his reluctance to divulge his mortality seems most natural and not artificial padding by screenwriter Justin Theroux.
The effects here are in top-form. The CGI enhanced-armor and CGI created machines mesh very well in their environment. This makes the set pieces amazing to behold. A highlight: the battle with Tony, his now-armored partner Jim Rhodes (Don Cheadle) against a legion of War Machines.
Should you take time out of your schedule to see Iron Man 2? For the aforementioned reasons, and many more, the answer is yes. Be sure to stick to the end of the credits when you do.
The Losers
It’s funny how a movie called The Losers could be such a winner. It’s based on a DC comic book, and it acts like one too. So if you expect something more intelligent, go elsewhere.
There are these five military guys: Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch, and Cougar. They’re on a top-secret military mission in Bolivia, and then it goes wrong. As in “get betrayed by their top-brass wrong.”
Then there’s Aisha (Zoe Saldana); she’s been seeking the evil mysterious warmonger Max (Jason Patric). She knows that Max set the Losers up for their fall. So, she decides to recruit them for a good ol’ revenge mission.
Unlike Kick-Ass, which came out the prior week, The Losers doesn’t get jarringly dark. Instead, it’s just good explosions and fun. It’s an ideal that the film never loses sight of.
As for the actors, they are great in their roles. The best notice goes to Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the effectively charismatic Clay, and Chris Evans as the funny Jensen. Actually, out of the main cast, they are at their best when they’re working together.
This is one of those movies that ask its audience to hold on to its suspension of disbelief. Tightly hold on to it, I might add. If you can do it, then this romp’ll make a great preparatory summer blockbuster.
There are these five military guys: Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch, and Cougar. They’re on a top-secret military mission in Bolivia, and then it goes wrong. As in “get betrayed by their top-brass wrong.”
Then there’s Aisha (Zoe Saldana); she’s been seeking the evil mysterious warmonger Max (Jason Patric). She knows that Max set the Losers up for their fall. So, she decides to recruit them for a good ol’ revenge mission.
Unlike Kick-Ass, which came out the prior week, The Losers doesn’t get jarringly dark. Instead, it’s just good explosions and fun. It’s an ideal that the film never loses sight of.
As for the actors, they are great in their roles. The best notice goes to Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the effectively charismatic Clay, and Chris Evans as the funny Jensen. Actually, out of the main cast, they are at their best when they’re working together.
This is one of those movies that ask its audience to hold on to its suspension of disbelief. Tightly hold on to it, I might add. If you can do it, then this romp’ll make a great preparatory summer blockbuster.
Kick-Ass
As the title implies, Kick-Ass is all about violence, comic book violence. No surprise here, since it’s another comic book movie. But don’t expect it to be total fun and fancy free here.
There’s this guy, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who wonders why no one’s ever decided to be a superhero. He decides to do it himself, under the name of Kick-Ass. After a rocky start, to say the least, he finally becomes an internet sensation and a crime fighter.
Then these two show up: Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his daughter Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz). They’re out to get the evil Frank (Mark Strong), and they get Kick-Ass involved. And there’s more violence.
Yes, there’s action involved. And these scenes are well-done, both in editing and choreography. It’s the type of action you’d expect in a comic book.
In the case of Watchmen last year, you knew right away that it was a dark, neo-noir comic book movie. But here, it starts as a raunchy comic book movie and goes darker along the way. As in “treats physical violence far seriously darker.” It’s rather jarring, and it might put off its audience a bit.
When the film’s not that brutal, it’s at its best. It’s really at its best when Big Daddy and Hit Girl are on screen. As B.D., Cage is delightfully eccentric; as H.G., Moretz fully realizes her as the sanest of these “heroes.”
My final word on Kick-Ass is that if you can stand the violence, you can have some fun. It’s not in any shape or form for the prude, that’s for sure.
There’s this guy, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who wonders why no one’s ever decided to be a superhero. He decides to do it himself, under the name of Kick-Ass. After a rocky start, to say the least, he finally becomes an internet sensation and a crime fighter.
Then these two show up: Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his daughter Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz). They’re out to get the evil Frank (Mark Strong), and they get Kick-Ass involved. And there’s more violence.
Yes, there’s action involved. And these scenes are well-done, both in editing and choreography. It’s the type of action you’d expect in a comic book.
In the case of Watchmen last year, you knew right away that it was a dark, neo-noir comic book movie. But here, it starts as a raunchy comic book movie and goes darker along the way. As in “treats physical violence far seriously darker.” It’s rather jarring, and it might put off its audience a bit.
When the film’s not that brutal, it’s at its best. It’s really at its best when Big Daddy and Hit Girl are on screen. As B.D., Cage is delightfully eccentric; as H.G., Moretz fully realizes her as the sanest of these “heroes.”
My final word on Kick-Ass is that if you can stand the violence, you can have some fun. It’s not in any shape or form for the prude, that’s for sure.
The Runaways
Once upon a time, there was this rock band of teen girls called The Runaways. Its most famous people were named Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. They had a good run, but then the band ended. And now, it’s a movie.
The Runaways is the first movie from music video director Floria Sigismondi, who also wrote the movie based on Cherie Currie’s memoirs. And I say this is an awesome first feature.
The film opens up by telling us about Cherie (Dakota Fanning) and Joan (Kristen Stewart) before the band was even thought up. Cherie, along with her twin Marie is the good girl with a drunken stepdad and an overbearing mom. Joan, meanwhile, is already into sex, drugs and rock’n’roll.
Then Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), an eccentric record producer, comes along. Inspired by Joan’s suggestions, he decides to make an all-girl rock band. He then gets Cherie to join, and then a few others come along, and The Runaways is born.
Amongst the main cast, the best notice should go to Michael Shannon, who made such a potential slime ball so magnificent at the same time. As the main Runaways, Dakota and Kristen make the audience care about their characters’ ordeals. These main three fully realize their characters for their audience.
One of the best scenes is when Fowley improvises the band’s first hit, “Cherry Bomb.” Once realized on screen, this tune and the film’s other music makes for great listening to say the least.
If there’s a problem with the movie, it’s that the other three runaways aren’t that noticeable. But that’s not a terminally fatal detriment; if you can find it at your local Art House, give it a try.
The Runaways is the first movie from music video director Floria Sigismondi, who also wrote the movie based on Cherie Currie’s memoirs. And I say this is an awesome first feature.
The film opens up by telling us about Cherie (Dakota Fanning) and Joan (Kristen Stewart) before the band was even thought up. Cherie, along with her twin Marie is the good girl with a drunken stepdad and an overbearing mom. Joan, meanwhile, is already into sex, drugs and rock’n’roll.
Then Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), an eccentric record producer, comes along. Inspired by Joan’s suggestions, he decides to make an all-girl rock band. He then gets Cherie to join, and then a few others come along, and The Runaways is born.
Amongst the main cast, the best notice should go to Michael Shannon, who made such a potential slime ball so magnificent at the same time. As the main Runaways, Dakota and Kristen make the audience care about their characters’ ordeals. These main three fully realize their characters for their audience.
One of the best scenes is when Fowley improvises the band’s first hit, “Cherry Bomb.” Once realized on screen, this tune and the film’s other music makes for great listening to say the least.
If there’s a problem with the movie, it’s that the other three runaways aren’t that noticeable. But that’s not a terminally fatal detriment; if you can find it at your local Art House, give it a try.
Clash of The Titans
OK, so in 1981, there was this movie film called Clash of the Titans. It was all about the clashes, but not about any Titans.
And people remember that film so much that now it's made again. It's directed by Louis Letterier, whose last movie film was The Incredible Hulk, and is available in 2d and 3d screens. I saw the 2d version, 'cause I didn’t want to pay more, so that's what I'll talk about.
Its plot is quite simple: this Hades fella (Ralph Fiennes) wants to conquer the world. Since the humans are revolting against the Gods, he decides to get Zeus (Liam Neeson) to let him scare 'em. He says this’ll put ‘em in their place, but he’s so evil we know better.
And then there's Perseus (Sam Worthington); he's a Demigod, and the son of Zeus. His human family got killed by Hades’s goons, so he leads some humans (and a Djinn) on a quest to thwart Hades.
Just like the older movie, this new one is also all about the clashes. For a film of its title, this is not a bad thing.
The giant monsters, especially the gigantic Kraken, are amazingly realized by CGI. The epicness of its battles is aided by Ramin Djawadi’s score. And the set and costumes effectively realize this extreme take on Ancient Greece.
Clash of the Titans’ plot and characterizations are simple, but they don’t need to be that detailed. It set out to be a big action piece, and it succeeded big time.
And people remember that film so much that now it's made again. It's directed by Louis Letterier, whose last movie film was The Incredible Hulk, and is available in 2d and 3d screens. I saw the 2d version, 'cause I didn’t want to pay more, so that's what I'll talk about.
Its plot is quite simple: this Hades fella (Ralph Fiennes) wants to conquer the world. Since the humans are revolting against the Gods, he decides to get Zeus (Liam Neeson) to let him scare 'em. He says this’ll put ‘em in their place, but he’s so evil we know better.
And then there's Perseus (Sam Worthington); he's a Demigod, and the son of Zeus. His human family got killed by Hades’s goons, so he leads some humans (and a Djinn) on a quest to thwart Hades.
Just like the older movie, this new one is also all about the clashes. For a film of its title, this is not a bad thing.
The giant monsters, especially the gigantic Kraken, are amazingly realized by CGI. The epicness of its battles is aided by Ramin Djawadi’s score. And the set and costumes effectively realize this extreme take on Ancient Greece.
Clash of the Titans’ plot and characterizations are simple, but they don’t need to be that detailed. It set out to be a big action piece, and it succeeded big time.
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