The Movie Review Thread

[lalaladylegit]

Movie Title: TransAmerica

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama

Life is more than the sum of it's parts.

Review: This is about Bree Osbourne (Felicity Huffman) who is a male who is transgender and wants to make it official by getting the male to female gender operation which was scheduled a week later. Although before Bree can get the operation her therapist says she must deal with her unresolved problems of the past. Bree gets a call from a young boy named Toby Wilkins (Kevin Zegers) who is in a New York jail looking for his biological father. Toby has been supporting himself by committing petty crimes.

Such as prostitution and hustling.

Bree whose former self was Stanley knew nothing of Toby before the call. Toby who is all alone in the world with his mother having committed suicide and his father unknown to him has no way of really supporting himself. Bree takes on the role of a Christian social worker not telling Toby that she is his father. After bailing Toby out of jail, Bree and Toby take their trans-American journey which includes some interesting encounters along the way, Bree has to decide what is best for Toby while having the foremost goal of making it back to Los Angeles for the scheduled surgery.

This movie shows what it's really like to be different. How it feels to know you're not what people think you are. To be Transgender. In this movie Bree gives Toby a small insight on what it's like.

Rating: 10/10

[taylor_caroline]

The Vow

Genre: Drama, Romance

Plot: The Vow tells the real-life story of a newlywed New Mexico couple who are in a car crash. The wife is put in a coma, where she is cared for by her devoted husband. When she comes to without any memory of her husband or their marriage, the husband woos her and attempts to win her heart again.

Review: Words will not be able to describe how much I despised this movie. The Vow's plot was a complete roller coaster. It had back flashes at moments where it was completely unnecessary, and the moments where it need them they did not happen, and most scenes weren't connected with each other at all. I knew this movie was going to be a sappy romantic flick, but it was sooo annoying. All the characters in this movie I hated, and they all had a good amount of flaws. Scott Speedman ruined most of the movie with his character and so did Rachel McAdams. There was no climax whatsoever in this movie and the conflicts were endless. Channing Tatum may have saved the movie from sinking in failure, but it still wasn't as great as I thought it would be. I did love the fact that the movie was based upon a real event, but it was completely unbelievable on how horrible the movie went into so many irrelevant scenes. I'd only recommend this movie if you're in the mood for a nap and a lot of yawning.

Rating: 4/10

[weaver]

Man on Fire

Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot: In Mexico City, a former assassin swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.

Review: Certainly one of the finest movies I have seen for quite some time. The film can be accused of pandering to stereotyping Latino corruption, especially since the source novel was based in Italy.

While Tony Scott and his visual box of tricks {film stock, jump cutting, colour shifts and etc} will annoy those without a tolerance for his style of film making. Yet to me at least, Man On Fire is a ripper of a picture, one that smartly blends tension with its pyrotechnics.

The music was a great addition to the film and had one of the most varied selections I've heard. The beautifully haunting music heard in "Gladiator" by Lisa Gerrard. The classical pieces by Chopin and "Claire de Lune" by Debussy were used, which I think helped to give the movie a sympathetic heart to contrast with the violence. "Una Palabra" was also a stand out piece for me, that had an eerie and tragic sound - even though I couldn't understand a word.

And as ever Washington as always puts on a great performance. From start to finish this film is immensely captivating that you won't forget for sometime.


Rating: 9/10

[tswade]

Battleship

"The battle for Earth begins at sea."

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi

Year: 2012

Other Stuff: Runtime: 131 minutes. Directed by Peter Berg.

Plot: During the RIMPAC Naval war exercises in Hawaii, several alien craft descend just off Oahu's coast. The alien ships create a force field around the Hawaiian islands and three Navy destroyer ships are stuck inside: the USS John Paul Jones, the USS Sampson, and the JDS Myoko. What started as a naval exercise is now become a battle for the planet as the three ships must face the extraterrestrial armada. Inspired by the boardgame.

Review: For all of those who know what the board game's about, this movie should seem incredibly ridiculous to you. And, you're right. Battleship is a dumb, loud, intense, and basic alien invasion style film. But it's a fun one. Aside from the ships, the main star here is Taylor Kitsch as Lt. Alex Hopper of the USS John Paul Jones. His backstory is he's a skillful but dimwitted guy who happens to be dating the daughter of the Commander of the USPF, Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson), who thinks he's just another screwup. When the aliens arrive, Hopper turns from zero to hero in typical movie fashion. Overall he's alright but unfortunately he pretty much hogs most of the spotlight from the other stars like Alexander Skarsgard (as Hopper's brother) and Liam Neeson. Honestly, I really wish they did more with the wolf-killing, Batman-training, secret agent Neeson, but he's not really on screen for much of the over 2-hour film. Singer Rihanna makes her acting debut here as a weapons specialist on Hopper's ship and though her acting's passable, part of her dialog is downright laughable. Actually most of the script is crap, utter jargon scribbled to keep the actors from just gawking at the alien ships.

But what it lacks in writing and character development, Battleship fully delivers in big-budget explosions and action sequences that literally reek of Michael Bay (though he swore he had nothing to do with this movie). Scenes with the Shredders (those big balls that rip up everything in sight) are awesome and even the naval battles between the Navy and the aliens are pretty fun. The movie makes a few good nods to the board game, like the buoy grid battle sequence and the fact that the projectiles from the alien ships look exactly like the pegs used to mark hits or misses on the game board.

Like I said before, this movie is a bloated, stupid and noisy actioner that's a combo of Independence Day, Battle: Los Angeles, The Hunt for Red October, and of course, Transformers. But it provides enough stupid fun to entertain, easily satisfying the standard of the summer popcorn blockbuster film.

Rating: 6.5/10

IMDb Profile http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1440129/

[tswade]

Attention! To keep this thread running, I've got permission from DG to keep posting here. Oh, and everyone else can keep posting here, too. Don't think I'm hogging it all to myself or anything of the such. Anywho, back to the reviewing!!!! :D



Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

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"President by day. Hunter by Night."

Genre: Action, Horror, Adaption

Year: 2012

Rated: R for violence throughout and brief sexuality.

Other Stuff: Runtime: 105 minutes. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Nightwatch). Original Score by Henry Jackman.

Plot: After his mother was murdered by a vampire when he was only a boy, Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) has vowed to slay the beasts. When he finds out the vampires are plotting with Southern slaveowners to make the United States a nation of the creatures, Abraham takes matters into his own hands and with his trusty ax, chops the monsters down to size, all while climbing up the political ladder. Based on the bestselling novel by Seth Grahame-Smith.

Review: Anti Twilight fans rejoice! The true vampire has returned! Actually, these guys can walk in daylight, but they're the bloodthirsty machines we all remember them for. But first, to rule out anybody thinking this: THIS IS NOT A TRUE STORY. It is a story of fiction and has nothing to do with the real life of Abraham Lincoln. Having said that, this movie kicked butt! The plot is pretty straight forward, following the early and political life of Abe, but throwing vampires into the mix. Walker, who looks like a young Liam Neeson, is a perfect cast as Lincoln, with a great physical and verbal prowess. Most of the other cast is okay, with some strong highlights toward the performances of Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Lincoln's wife Mary Todd and Dominic Cooper as Lincoln's vampire hunting mentor Henry Sturgess, who may be hiding some vampire secrets of his own. The sets are utterly superb, with some great visual scenery. Unfortunately, this is also a negative as the movie throws so much CGI sequences at you that it could tie Transformers. Now for the meat and potatoes: the vampire killing action sequences. Though I expected more of them, Vampire Hunter tosses some good Abe vs. Vampire battle sequences, including an incredible, though CGI heavy chase scene and a long term scene on a Civil War train. And though it takes itself seriously, there are cheeky bits of black humor throughout, including a few hilariously over the top kills. And the blood. Lots of blood. XD

Now for the big issues: Of course I already mentioned the CGI issue, but the other main problem for Lincoln is the script. It's penned by the same guy who wrote the book, Seth Grahame-Smith, but he skips a few major scenes and takes out what to me were a couple major characters from the book. The make-up effects in the later scenes are also cheap and obvious, with Walker's look as Lincoln being the most acceptable.

But if you want a (really) bloody good time and have ever wanted to see a historical figure destroy the dead with an ax gun, this will rock your world. In fact, if you actually want to see a REAL VAMPIRE film, this is a good breath of fresh air from the sparkly filth that's stinking up the cinemas. Just remember: It's only a work of a fiction, not a real thing. ;P

Rating: I give Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter **** out of *****.

IMDb Profile: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1611224/

[tswade]

The Raid: Redemption (Original Indonesian Title: Serbuan maut)
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"1 Ruthless Crime Lord. 20 Elite Cops. 30 Floors of Chaos."

Genre: Action, Crime, Foreign

Year: 2012

Rated: R for strong brutal bloody violence throughout, and language.

Other Stuff: Runtime: 101 minutes. Directed by Gareth Evans (Merantau). Original score by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and Joseph Trapanese.

Plot: Deep in the slums of Jakarta, Indonesia, a large fortress stands. This 30 floor building is housed to the city's most dangerous criminals, gangs, and druggies. Ran by crimeboss Tama, the building is impenetrable. That is, until a 20-unit SWAT team is sent to raid the fortress and take him out. The raid goes horribly awry and it's up to rookie cop Rama and the remaining SWAT members to complete their mission and more importantly, get out alive.

Review: Chinese and Japanese martial arts films are fun. But they get a drop kick to the face now, courtesy of the Indonesians in their masterful The Raid: Redemption. In what is probably one of the best action films in years, The Raid is full of brilliant fights that would make even the great Bruce Lee cringe. That's the main pleaser here; the intense action. Sure, there's some gunplay. But The Raid is primarily knife/machete work and hand-to-hand combat. The choreography, done by Iko Uwais (who plays the hero Rama) and Yayan Ruhian, is stunningly flawless and so realistic. The fights are also as brutal as they are realistic. Throats slashed, necks broken, arms twisted, spines snapped, jaws cracked. You name it, The Raid's got it. The score by Linkin Park member Mike Shinoda is just the icing on the cake. What better to have a drug lab fight sequence than with Shinoda's guitarwork in the background? Not much at all.

Despite all this, The Raid does have a flaw in that it carries a rather generic plot, like the hero with a kid on the way, the bloodthirsty henchman, the cop looking for redemption, the dirty cop, and the botched mission. The murky cinematography, while pretty effective early on, got on my nerves a few times during the latter scenes, including a crucial fight scene.

But I am more that definitely gonna bypass those little critiques for the overall product. The Raid: Redemption may sound familiar but trust me, it's a pitbull disguised as a chihuahua. The Raid is pure fun, 101 minutes of non-stop balls to the wall action that never relents. Move over, Bruce.

Rating: I give The Raid: Redemption ****1/2 out of *****.

IMDB Profile: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1899353/

[tswade]

Premium Rush

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"Ride Like Hell"

Genre: Action

Year: 2012

Rated: PG-13 for some violence, intense action sequences and language.

Other Stuff: Runtime: 91 minutes. Directed by David Koepp (Secret Window, Stir of Echoes). Original score by David Sardy.

Plot: Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: being a New York City bike messenger. Riding a fixie, a fixed gear bike with no coast or brakes in city streets packed with speeding cars, this adrenaline junkie loves the rush of his deadly occupation where one wrong turn could make him kiss the pavement or become fender meat. But when he gets a premium rush delivery involving a strange envelope, he is chased down by corrupt NYPD officer Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon) who is desperate to get his hands on the envelope himself to pay off his rather sizable gambling debt. Wilee's been lucky so far in his job, but this might be the one delivery that sends him into the latter side of life & death.

Review: This is a film that basically speaks for itself just by looking at the title. Premium Rush is a typical chase film that contains quickly turns into one hell of a ride. The plot is rather familiar and formulaic; Good Guy chased down by Dirty Cop who's deadset on something Good Guy has taken possession of and won't give it up. It's a standard chase idea. But where Premium Rush sets it's own bar is in those chases. Standard chases like bike vs. car, bike vs. bike, and bike vs. foot are propelled by some excellent stunt work. To put it simply, Wilee pulls some pretty sweet moves with his fixie. The movie is also well shot, with jumping from one side of Manhattan to another via a virtual map, realtime to show how much time Wilee has til his delivery is due, and slow-mo sequences showing Wilee predicting what happens should he turn left, right, or straight in a tense moment. The characters are the usual generic fare, like the ex-girlfriend (Dania Ramirez) who still cares for Wilee, the a-hole rival (Wole Parks), and the dimwitted boss (Aasif Mandvi) who has no idea how much trouble our hero is actually in. But Gordon-Levitt and Shannon stand out among them. Gordon-Levitt is a funny, smartass kind of hero who gives some good narrations into his life while Shannon is both menacing but also humorously dimwitted as the main villain. Toss up some good, kicking tunes like The Who's "Baba O'Riley", and you have yourself a deal.

In a summer ravaged by high tech $100+ million dollar budgeted blockbusters, Premium Rush is that one film that doesn't really rely too much on visual effects. Most of these chases are as real as it gets. In fact, it's so real that Gordon-Levitt actually crashed into a taxi cab window while filming a scene and slashed his arm, requiring 31 stitches (the video's below). It may sound like a boring old traditional and generic chase film, it is truly the opposite. Providing some of the most intense, fast paced action I've seen for its kind since 1994's box office spectacular Speed, Premium Rush is my choice for sleeper hit of the summer and is a must see for action fans. Feel the Rush, baby. ;)

Rating: I give Premium Rush **** out *****.

IMDb Profile: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1547234/

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Premium Rush Accident:

[tswade]

Shark Night 3D

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"Terror Runs Deep"

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Year: 2011

Rated: PG-13 for violence and terror, disturbing images, sexual references, partial nudity, language and thematic material.

Other Stuff: Runtime: 90 minutes. Directed by David R. Ellis (Snakes on a Plane, Final Destination 2 & 4). Original score by Graeme Revell.

Plot: Seven college friends decide to take a weekend vacation at a private lake house owned by one's parents. But there's a deadly, razor sharp, secret in the lake; sharks, and plenty of them. As the body count rises, the friends must find out why these sharks are in the lake of all places and more importantly, survive.

Review: Sometimes, an R-rating helps a movie. Would that be able to salvage the unbelievable s*** storm that is Shark Night. Well, not really. No matter how you swing it, this is one god awful mess of a killer animal film. The first thing is the plot. What starts out as semi-interesting quickly turns to a perfect 90 degree nosedive as the most ridiculous explanations are given for the sharks being in the lake. It's just one stupid idea after another. The characters are the most stereotypical MTV-esque young adults on the market: the Sweet Heroine, the Nerdy Hero, the Bulking Bonehead, the D-bag Friend, the Token Black Dude, the Floozy, and the Minority. I cared for exactly ZERO of these characters throughout the entire film. I couldn't wait for the next one to be shark food. That's another problem; the lack of any real attacks. The attacks are so cheap and quick that you barely even see any blood. The only even bearable kill is a character plucked off a jet ski by a jumping Great White. That made me smirk a little, but that's all I got from this movie. Why so cheap with the kills? The movie basically neutered itself by getting a PG-13 rating instead of the rather common R rating for a shark film. To do a good killer shark movie that is not rated R is VERY difficult to pull off, and Shark Night is a pitch perfect explanation of how to do everything wrong. Oh, and the 3D sucked too.

The movie is a basic rip-off of the shark classic Jaws, and tries to play for exploitative thrills like Piranha 3D did back in 2010. What made Piranha 3D good though were two things; the movie poked fun at itself and hard gory, intense violence that ended up being so sick it was funny. Shark Night does neither. It's just a big pile of crap that just never should have been. It's better off being fed to the sharks.

Rating: I give Shark Night 1/2 out of *****.

IMDb Profile: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1633356/

[tswade]

Resident Evil: Retribution

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"Evil Goes Global"

Genre: Action, Horror, Adaption, Zombie

Year: 2012

Rated: R for sequences of strong violence throughout.

Other Stuff: Runtime: 95 minutes. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evils 1 & 4, Mortal Kombat) Original score by tomandandy.

Plot: Taking off right after the events of Afterlife, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is capturered by and once again faces off against the evil Umbrella while being trapped in an underwater testing facility in Antarctica, while a team of survivors including Leon S. Kennedy (Johann Urb), Barry Burton (Kevin Durand), and Ada Wong (Li Bingbing) are sent to rescue her.

Review: All I have to say is wow. I'm a huge RE fan and I have to say this was the worst entry in the series so far. It makes Afterlife look as good as the original. There was very little for me to like about this film and that's a damn shame considering all the possibilities this movie could've had. First off, the story is completely all over the place here. The film felt stilted all the way through and there was not one single plot element here that I really cared for. Hell, the scene following the opening credits is almost an EXACT rip-off from the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead! Almost every single character here is purely cardboard, save for just a couple (Alice and Barry, the latter of which I think had a really fun time in his role). Sure, they bring back One, Carlos, Jill Valentine, and Rain from the previous films, but only the latter two really have any key moments here and those are minimal at best. And I think the intro of Leon, Ada, and Barry were only for fan appreciation and nothing more. But what about the one thing almost all the previous Evils got right? Luckily, Retribution got this part right: the action. For what little the plot or characters give, there are some great action scenes here including a hand-to-hand combat scene that was actually rather fun to sit through. Sadly, it's just too little too late for that to impress me in this wreck. And even though some of the action's fun, they still overuse that damn slow-mo technique. By the opening credits you'll be going, "Great, another 95 minute film that's 50% slow motion." Finally there's the 3D (if you were thinking of seeing it this way). Well, it's okay, but without the use of the wonderful Fusion 3D camera system (used in Afterlife and James Cameron's masterpiece Avatar), it just didn't look as good as the last film.

Honestly, I went into this film with an open mind, moderate expections, and the hope that Retribution would at least be a minor comeback for the franchise. Instead I get something that, although it had good action and meant well for fans, was worse; a dud that takes the title of being the series low. It pains me to say it, but I think this series has landed flat on it's back and I can only hope the next entry (it's been confirmed already) takes notes from this film so it will never happen again.

Rating: I give Resident Evil: Retribution ** out of *****.

IMDb Profile: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1855325/

[tswade]

Dredd 3D

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"Judgment is Coming"

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Adaption

Year: 2012

Rated: R for strong bloody violence, language, drug use and some sexual content.

Other Stuff: Runtime: 95 minutes. Directed by Pete Travis (Vantage Point). Original score by Paul Leonard-Morgan.

Plot: In the future, the world is a wasteland. In this wasteland is Mega-City One, a violent metropolis populated by 800 million people where thousands of crimes are committed every day. The only order in the chaos are Street Judges, cops who serves as Judge, Jury, and Executioner. The most feared is Judge Dredd (Karl Urban), who shoots first and asks questions second. When he and rookie Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) are assigned to investigate a 200-story slum called Peach Trees, they find the building is operated by psycho drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headley) and is a front for a new drug called Slo-Mo. The criminal locks down the building with the Judges inside and it's up to Dredd and Anderson to fight their way to the top floor and bring order to Peach Trees. Based on the 2000 AD comic strips.

Review: For those of you who hated the taste of the "Dredd"-ful 1995 adaption Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone, this version is the perfect mouthwash for you. Dredd is in every way superior where the original film failed in that the people who made this film actually gave a damn about what they were making. Dredd is a really fun and entertaining surprise for the late 2012 season. Now I know your first thought when the plot is introduced; it's like a futuristic version of this year's earlier action hit The Raid. In a few ways it is, but Dredd is rather different (the story for Dredd was actually written in 2006, six years before Raid). The Raid is a fighting film while Dredd's a shoot 'em up, though it's story is still as basic and generic. Now how's the Judge this time around? Well, Dredd is a total badass here and would make even The Punisher wizz in his pants. Though you never see the face of our hero, a key mistake the 1995 film made, Dredd is still a very menacing figure thanks entirely to Urban's wonderful performance. Never have I seen such great acting in which only one's chin is seen. He captures the gritty, violent Judge Dredd that is seen in the comics while also making the guy a little deadpan and darkly humorous. Thirlby also does well as his partner Anderson. She is Dredd's perfect opposite, the Yin to his Yang. Where he gets brutal, Anderson thinks things out. And Headley is a pleasant surprise as well, finding the perfect sense of evil as the sadistic Ma-Ma. But it's time for the meat and potatoes: the violent shootouts. Dredd stylizes and celebrates it's violence in all the right ways and is about as fun as Raid's fighting scenes. People are literally turned into meat here and it is unrelenting (did I mention that this movie captures the comics' violent perspective? XD). Each shootout is fun and the next one gets better than the last. The 3D is actually pretty good in not only these scenes, but in the hallucinogenic Slo-Mo induced scenes where you see what the drug feels like. These sequences are so beautifully shot and paced, and they make the 3D come to life all the more. In fact, for a grimy film, this movie is visually stunning. And the hypnotizing electronic score by Paul Leonard-Morgan makes the film even all the more mesmerizing. The only issues I found were in bits of the script department. There aren't that many silly one-liners for Judge Dredd here, but when he does throw one out, it rarely works. And like I said, the film's story is rather generic.

But set aside those two really minor flaws and you have a brisk, violent, and most of all, fun comic book movie that does Dredd justice in every way. It's beautiful to watch especially in 3D, and I really hope this'll be a start of a great franchise. Forget the hokey Stallone version. This Dredd IS THE LAW.

Rating: I give Dredd 3D ****1/2 out of *****.

IMDb Profile: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343727/

For kicks, here's a scene from the 1995 Judge Dredd that's so awful, it's rather hilarious: