Archive for the ‘movie reviews’ Category
March 3, 2013
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver
Director: David O. Russell (The Fighter, Three Kings)
Quick Thoughts: David O. Russell follows up The Fighter with another powerful film in Silver Linings Playbook. This film tackles mental disorders and broken relationships, but is still a love story at its core. Russell seems to have a knack for coaxing great performances out of his casts. After earning three acting nominations for The Fighter, the Silver Linings Playbook cast managed four. De Niro gives his best effort in at least ten years, Lawrence cements her status as the best young actress in the business, and Cooper is shockingly awesome. Truly, in most years without a Daniel Day Lewis movie, Cooper deserves an Oscar. The material handled here could easily be presented in an annoying fashion, but the cast makes it work…wonderfully. The end result is a sweet and troubled love story, the kind of which a man shouldn’t have to be dragged to the theater to see.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Worthy of owning.
Sequel Potential: None…however, Lawrence and Cooper have signed on to Russel’s next project, along with Christian Bale, Jeremy Renner, and Amy Adams. Holy crap.
Oscar Potential: A Best Actress win for Lawrence (the first of many?), nominations for Cooper, De Niro, Weaver, Russell, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Nudity: I don’t recall, but Seth MacFarlane noted at The Oscars: “and Jennifer Lawrence’s boobs we haven’t seen at all.”
Grade: 8/10 (Excellent)
RottenTomatoes Scores: Critics: 92% Audience: 88%
IMDB Rating: 8/10
Recommendation: A fantastic movie featuring great performances. A love story both sides of a couple should appreciate.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged best actress, bradley cooper, david o. russell, jennifer lawrence, movie reviews, movies, Oscars, robert de niro | Leave a Comment »
February 24, 2013
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christopher Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio
Director: Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds)
Quick Thoughts: I’m starting to feel like I need to watch Death Proof again because I didn’t love it and Quentin Tarantino simply doesn’t miss. For the past twenty years I can’t think of a more consistent filmmaker. If nothing else, he makes movies that are specifically tailored to my tastes. Django Unchained is more QT awesomeness and I can understand arguments claiming it as his best film ever. It’s certainly his longest, clocking in at nearly three hours, but barely feels like two with its swift pacing and frequently comical dialogue. To paint this film as a comedy would be unjust, however, as slavery and racism are the biggest themes being tackled and there is nothing funny about whip scars and savage abuse. To his credit, Tarantino is absolutely fearless and it seems he’s earned the right to be. I can’t think of another white director/writer that could have pulled off Django Unchained–or more accurately, that has the balls to try to. Tarantino is a masterful filmmaker and Django Unchained is his latest classic, featuring another Oscar-worthy performance from the spectacular Christopher Waltz and a new cinematic hero in Jamie Foxx’s Django.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Tons. Like all Tarantino movies, a must own for any serious film collector.
Sequel Potential: Very unlikely.
Oscar Potential: Numerous nominations including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Waltz.
Nudity: Yes, but there’s nothing sexy about it.
Grade: 8.5/10 (Excellent/Potential Classic)
RottenTomatoes Scores: Critics: 89% Audience: 94%
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
Recommendation: Even with its touchy subject matter Django Unchained is one of the most fun and enjoyable films of 2012. It’s so good my mom saw it in theaters and sat through the whole thing…twice. Another hit from the nearly flawless Tarantino.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 2013 Oscars, best picture, django unchained, movie reviews, Quentin Tarantino | Leave a Comment »
February 19, 2013
Starring: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy
Director: Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses)
Quick Thoughts: If you’re familiar with the television show How I Met Your Mother you may have seen the episode where Barney Stinson brings up the Crazy/Hot scale when evaluating women. Specifically, a woman must be at least as hot as she is crazy. Well, comedy films can be judged on a similar scale: Stupid/Funny. For a comedy to actually be good, it needs to be at least as funny as it is stupid and with its ridiculous premise, bounty hunters, and unbelievable characters, Identity Thief fails in that regard. It’s definitely far dumber than it is funny.
I’m not saying Melissa McCarthy isn’t funny or that she can’t carry a comedy, but after her Oscar-worthy performance in Bridesmaids, this film was a misstep. Still, most of the actors in this movie are funny, but the script doesn’t give them much to work with. There is a moment in the film when McCarthy’s character breaks down while telling the story of her upbringing and we see a glimpse of her acting chops, but by that point the movie has become far too silly to give the scene any weight.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Not much
Sequel Potential: It makes me cringe a little thinking I may have contributed to the potential of a sequel.
Oscar Potential: None.
Nudity: Bare man ass.
Grade: 3/10 (Skip It)
RottenTomatoes Scores: Critics: 24% Audience: 74%
IMDB Rating: 5.8/10
Recommendation: My family seemed to enjoy Identity Thief, but it was immature for my tastes and the heart they tried to inject into the film felt forced. If the previews look funny to you, maybe you will like this. To me, it felt longer than Django Unchained, which was nearly double the running time.
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August 11, 2012
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Ice Cube, Rob Riggle
Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller (Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs)
Quick Thoughts: Through mid-August 21 Jump Street is still easily the funniest movie of 2012 with several laugh out loud moments, a refreshing and self-aware script, hilarious performances from Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Rob Riggle, and Ice Cube, and one of the all-time best surprise cameos. One of the more enjoyable and surprising films of the year.
Viewings: 2
Replay Value: Still hilarious the second time through.
Sequel Potential: It would honestly be bad business not to keep this franchise going. Update: Sequel is already being written and filming begins in September 2013.
Oscar Potential: None.
Nudity: Surprisingly… none.
Grade: 8/10 (Excellent)
RottenTomatoes Scores: Critics: 85% Audience: 86%
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
Recommendation: As far as comedies go, this is pure gold. 21 Jump Street follows in the footsteps of 2009’s Star Trek and 2011’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes as surprisingly excellent remakes.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 2012 movie reviews, 21 jump street, buddy movies, channing tatum, comedies, cop movies, ice cube, johnny depp, jonah hill, remakes, rob riggle | Leave a Comment »
July 5, 2012
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Fields
Director: Marc Webb (500 Days Of Summer)
Quick Thoughts: There’s some redundancy here since we’re rebooting a franchise that only started ten years ago and the origin story portion of the film feels a little tiresome, but pretty much everything else is an improvement over the original series, especially the casting of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in the two lead roles. The execution of The Lizard is a bit questionable, but Rhys Ifans is solid in the human role. The best aspect of the movie was giving Peter Parker a little swag and having Spider-Man verbally abusing his opponents. As a whole, The Amazing Spider-Man is quite enjoyable and, at the very least, hopefully a springboard to even more entertaining sequels.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Repeat viewings should tell how good this movie really is as the original didn’t hold up nearly as well over multiple viewings.
Sequel Potential: The next one is scheduled for release in 2014 with at least one more to follow.
Oscar Potential: Might get some visual effects love but something tells me this won’t be top shelf for 2012.
Nudity: N/A
Grade: 6.5/10 (Recommended/Must See)
RottenTomatoes Scores: Critics: 72% Audience: 84%
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Recommendation: I think this is an improvement on the Sam Raimi films, especially the cast, and an enjoyable but not great superhero flick.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged Andrew Garfield, comics, emma stone, marvel, movie reviews, movies, peter Parker, Spider-Man | Leave a Comment »
June 30, 2012
Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Bryan Cranston, Jessica Chastain, Martin Short
Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath (Madagascar, Madagascar 2, Megamind)
Quick Thoughts: I skipped the first two installments in this series but was still able to jump right in with this story and felt like I already knew who these characters were. The story find the animals wishing to return to the Central Park zoo after a brief stay in Africa, but I in their attempt to return home they find themselves stuck on a train with a traveling circus and a new cast of animals to share the limelight with. Martin Short and Frances McDormand are perfectly cast in their new roles, both providing plenty of comedy.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Not exactly something I’d want to own and watch repeatedly, but I’ve clearly overlooked its predecessors.
Sequel Potential: These movies keep doing well enough to warrant further sequels but at some point it’s going to be difficult to to continue moving this story forward. Spin offs might be the way to go as the penguins already have their own T.V. show.
Oscar Potential: A notch below Pixar’s Brave, which means it should probably whiff on a Best Animated Feature nomination.
Nudity: N/A
Grade: 6/10 (Recommended)
RottenTomatoes Scores: Critics: 76% Audience: 81%
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
Recommendation: A solid family film that is geared toward the kids, but still enjoyable for adults, and a pretty remarkable film for a third installment.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 2012 movie reviews, 3D, animation, ben stiller, Bryan Cranston, chris rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, Madagascar, Madagascar penguins, Martin Short, Sacha Cohen Baron | Leave a Comment »
June 27, 2012
Starring: Kelly MacDonald, Kevin Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters
Director: Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews
Quick Thoughts: I found Brave to be quite enjoyable, but it’s definitely a notch below the standard we’ve come to expect from Pixar movies that aren’t called Cars. The film plays out more like a classic Disney fairy tale than the immensely creative and layered stories we’ve come to expect from the studio. There are some touching moments in the movie due to the conflict between mother and daughter and the pressure some parents put on their kids to be what they want them to be rather than letting them grow into their own destiny; and Brave actually resolves this rift in surprising fashion.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Good enough too warrant a second viewing but it’s not timeless like many of the other films in the Pixar library.
Sequel Potential: Merida is a strong enough character to get a sequel but they would need to go a completely different route to continue her story.
Oscar Potential: Should get a Best Animated Feature nomination but not a win.
Nudity: N/A
Grade: 6/10 (Recommended)
RottenTomatoes Scores: Critics: 76% Audience: 85%
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Recommendation: Brave is visually beautiful and has some charm, but the humor is almost exclusively juvenile and the story is much simpler than what we expect from a Pixar movie.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 2012, brave, disney, film reviews, movies, pixar | Leave a Comment »
June 26, 2012
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron
Director: Rupert Sanders
Quick Thoughts: There’s no doubt this movie is visually stunning and while I applaud its attempt at originality, this dark take on the classic Snow White fairy tale is actually rather boring. The visual effects and set pieces are impressive, but the story is weak and there’s no emotional investment in its characters. I could care little whether Snow White lives or dies and Chris Hemworth’s huntsman seems like he’s tacked on as an after thought, so when a romance develops between the two characters, it’s like “huh?” It’s possible Charlize Theron gives a quality performance, but it seems over the top and out of place here.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: The first viewing was tough enough for me to get through.
Sequel Potential: A sequel has already been announced.
Oscar Potential: I suppose it’s possible this film could get some visual effects or costume attention.
Nudity: Well, that’s one way this movie could be improved.
Grade: 5.5/10 (Recommended/Wait For Red Box)
RottenTomatoes Scores: Critics: 49% Audience: 57%
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
Recommendation: I was pretty bored by this movie but it wasn’t insultingly bad and I’d potentially worth seeing in theaters for the visuals. Also, general audiences seem to be enjoying it quite a bit.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 2012 movie reviews, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, huntsmen, kristen stewart, snow white, Thor, twilight | Leave a Comment »
January 19, 2012
Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Bibb, Nick Kroll, Tyler Labine
Director: Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck
Quick Thoughts: Thought this might be one of those under-the-radar solid comedies but A Good Old Fashioned Orgy is a real snooze fest. No seriously; I fell asleep no less than three times while I was watching it. As I’ve mentioned numerous times before, the worst kind of movie is the comedy that isn’t funny and this film’s humor is completely MIA. And the story is absurd. A group of 30-something losers decide to throw a Labor Day orgy when the house they’ve been partying in for years is being put up for sale. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? I always get Jason Sudeikis and Ed Helms (from The Office and The Hangover) confused and then I remember how to tell the difference: Ed Helms is actually funny. For real, I wanted to turn this movie off and send it back numerous times while watching it. The best you’re going to get out of this film is a few chuckles. Don’t waste your time watching it.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Ew.
Sequel Potential: Naw.
Oscar Potential: None.
Nudity: Quite a bit. Nothing good though.
Grade: 2.5/10 (Horrible/Skip It)
RottenTomatoes Scores: Critics: 35% Audience: 44%
IMDB Rating: 6/10
Recommendation: I couldn’t possibly recommend this to anyone. But my roommate said he liked it, so there’s an audience out there for it somewhere. I say stay away.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 2011 movies, a good old fashioned orgy, jason sudeikis, jesus christ, lol, movie reviews, orgy, sex, snl, tim tebow, tom brady | Leave a Comment »
December 29, 2011
I’ve been slacking on my movie reviews this year and have backed myself into a hole so deep it seems a daunting task to dig my way out of. With 2011 coming to a close and everyone always asking for my opinions on recent movies, I figured I’d at least rate everything I’ve seen this year. Some of these films deserve further elaboration–and I hope to provide that in due time–but I’d rather start fresh in 2012 and review everything as I see it rather than try to post reviews for a bunch of movies I saw ages ago. With that in mind, it’s worth noting that some of these ratings aren’t 100%; mostly because I saw a lot of these movies a while ago or have only seen them once. I can say with conviction, however, that these are films you absolutely have to check out if you haven’t already:
-Attack The Block
-Super 8
-Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows
-Crazy, Stupid, Love.
-Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
-Moneyball
-The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
-The Help
Also, my nominations for worst movies of the year are Sucker Punch and Green Lantern. The former because I thought it had potential and it was pure torture; and the latter because it’s just a colossal mess and that superhero deserves better.
Check out my 2011 Movie Reviews for ratings and/or reviews of everything else.
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The Bat Cave 