See it in the theater.
Maryanne really enjoyed this one, I thought it deviated slightly form the feel and theme of the first movie, but it was still plenty enjoyable and it had my attention all the way through.
This is only the first week of the movie run, so I don't want to give anything away, but you can count on the now customary Holmes-like twists and long running thought processes that we saw in the first movie, things like how they have Holmes anticipating things to come and thinking a few moves ahead. Not just over the next few minutes mind you, but even one day to the next (and in one case, starting from the beginning of the movie to the near-end of it). Many characters from the first movie make appearances (though most are very brief), and couple of them are even killed off this time around. It makes for an odd way to tie two movies together, but if you assume there will be future movies in the franchise, then a regular method of removing and replacing characters from one movie to the next keeps things fresh and new I guess.
There was plenty of action, the near-trademark Holmes slo-mo thought process makes an appearance a couple times, and there is plenty of wit, intelligence and cunning sprinkled throughout. It was as I said, an enjoyable film.
I hope they make a third film in this line. I also thought they could've done more with marketing this movie.
I'm glad we caught it on the big screen, and was pleasently surprised to find that the theater we choose to see it at (Marcus Theater in Rosemount this time around) wasn't very busy at all for a Saturday evening during new movie releases.
We arrived at the theater with minutes to spare, and still had time for consessions and seats before the previews started. We were a bit annoyed at the consession stand however. Who in their right mind takes 30 minutes to cook a hotdog? What theater doesn't have all of their consession food prepared and ready to sell on the opening weekend of a big movie during prime-time hours?? Apparently, this one. We kept asking after different food items (besides popcorn, drinks and nachos) and were told repeatedly that it would be 10 minutes for this, or 15 for that, or 30 for a hotdog, that kind of thing.
That's a bit ridiculous don't you think?
Showing posts with label good movie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label good movie. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Captain America: The First Avenger
OK, this wasn't bad, but it was very SLOOOWWW for most of the movie. If you don't know any of the history of Captain America (I know some) then the first hour of the movie is for you. Pay attention; people show up and things happen for a reason, and you'll see them again later in the film.
There were a couple funny spots that got a few chuckles from the crowd, sections of it though were almost annoying. The long montages detracted from the film for me, but they do get the point across that time is passing and things are happening and stuff. I did also note a few discrepancies within the film itself. There are times when Cap's shield deflects stuff and he doesn't even look like he felt it, and then later he's deflecting the same kind of big stuff and getting tossed around by it. Kinda seems to be a contradiction in there.
We do see how Steve Rogers ended up getting into the Army, and how he was selected for the Super Soldier program (and they spend a lot of time making all that happen). And then they spend a lot of time (and another long montage) about how Cap isn't happy with his assigned role as spokesman and entertainer. Then you actually get some action, and see something of what he can do. Then you get to see him go after the Red Skull (bad guy). Then go after him again (in another long montage), and then have a not-quite-epic-and-somewhat-boring boss battle at almost the end, where Cap than makes the ultimate sacrifice.
Make sure you stay through ALL the credits. You'll also need to see this so that the Avengers movie that comes out next year will make some sense (along with Thor, the Incredible Hulk, and perhaps both Iron Man movies).
There were a couple funny spots that got a few chuckles from the crowd, sections of it though were almost annoying. The long montages detracted from the film for me, but they do get the point across that time is passing and things are happening and stuff. I did also note a few discrepancies within the film itself. There are times when Cap's shield deflects stuff and he doesn't even look like he felt it, and then later he's deflecting the same kind of big stuff and getting tossed around by it. Kinda seems to be a contradiction in there.
We do see how Steve Rogers ended up getting into the Army, and how he was selected for the Super Soldier program (and they spend a lot of time making all that happen). And then they spend a lot of time (and another long montage) about how Cap isn't happy with his assigned role as spokesman and entertainer. Then you actually get some action, and see something of what he can do. Then you get to see him go after the Red Skull (bad guy). Then go after him again (in another long montage), and then have a not-quite-epic-and-somewhat-boring boss battle at almost the end, where Cap than makes the ultimate sacrifice.
Make sure you stay through ALL the credits. You'll also need to see this so that the Avengers movie that comes out next year will make some sense (along with Thor, the Incredible Hulk, and perhaps both Iron Man movies).
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2
I'm keeping this brief.
Lots of people rave about how great this was, fitting end to the series, etc. etc.
I'm not raving. In fact, I thought it was all a bit anti-climatic honestly. You know Voldemort is gonna lose, that's a given (Harry and friends always triumph in the end). Based on previews alone, you can see that the school is gonna get messed up, big fight and all that. I was looking forward to all that and thought it would happen based on how solemn and uneventful Part 1 was.
Well, they did have a big fight, and it was utterly predictable. There were a couple minor but interesting twists here and there, and if you weren't paying attention you'd miss them. Also a few chuckles, the (brief) return of a couple familiar faces and the like.
But really, the climax of the film was predictable at every step of the way and was far too short (and in my opinion too simple) to be a fitting end to the film series. I mean, seriously, your supposed to be beating up and defeating THE wizard of the century! Shouldn't the fight reflect that?
Still it was entertaining, and if your a die-hard HP fan then see it on the big screen while you still have time. For those interested in seeing how everything turns out but not interested enough to shell out about $20 per person to see it (ticket, food, etc.) then I'd wait for a Redbox rental or something.
I wasn't impressed with the film but I was entertained enough to not be unhappy that I spent all that money to see it in the expensive theater in our area (at least I was comfortable while watching it).
I know that Maryanne, Dean, Juliet, Mike and a few others will probably disagree with me on most of these points, but hey I'm the one writing the review, right? :) Really though, it was a pretty decent movie, I just wish they'd have done more with it since it is the final chapter and all.
Lots of people rave about how great this was, fitting end to the series, etc. etc.
I'm not raving. In fact, I thought it was all a bit anti-climatic honestly. You know Voldemort is gonna lose, that's a given (Harry and friends always triumph in the end). Based on previews alone, you can see that the school is gonna get messed up, big fight and all that. I was looking forward to all that and thought it would happen based on how solemn and uneventful Part 1 was.
Well, they did have a big fight, and it was utterly predictable. There were a couple minor but interesting twists here and there, and if you weren't paying attention you'd miss them. Also a few chuckles, the (brief) return of a couple familiar faces and the like.
But really, the climax of the film was predictable at every step of the way and was far too short (and in my opinion too simple) to be a fitting end to the film series. I mean, seriously, your supposed to be beating up and defeating THE wizard of the century! Shouldn't the fight reflect that?
Still it was entertaining, and if your a die-hard HP fan then see it on the big screen while you still have time. For those interested in seeing how everything turns out but not interested enough to shell out about $20 per person to see it (ticket, food, etc.) then I'd wait for a Redbox rental or something.
I wasn't impressed with the film but I was entertained enough to not be unhappy that I spent all that money to see it in the expensive theater in our area (at least I was comfortable while watching it).
I know that Maryanne, Dean, Juliet, Mike and a few others will probably disagree with me on most of these points, but hey I'm the one writing the review, right? :) Really though, it was a pretty decent movie, I just wish they'd have done more with it since it is the final chapter and all.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Limitless
Movie - Give it a B- overall.
It was interesting, thoughtful and thought provoking, but not an action flick or high drama kind of thing. I'd still try to see it in the theater before it goes away, and it's definately worth a $1 rental when the DVD comes out. Don't think I'll be buying it because to me it feels like a movie you see once in a great while. By the time it shows up on TV, I'll have forgotten enough about it to be interested in seeing it again, but probably not before.
Still, we did enjoy the film and are both glad to have seen it in the theater. I'd suggest a matinee for the theater as well.
It was interesting, thoughtful and thought provoking, but not an action flick or high drama kind of thing. I'd still try to see it in the theater before it goes away, and it's definately worth a $1 rental when the DVD comes out. Don't think I'll be buying it because to me it feels like a movie you see once in a great while. By the time it shows up on TV, I'll have forgotten enough about it to be interested in seeing it again, but probably not before.
Still, we did enjoy the film and are both glad to have seen it in the theater. I'd suggest a matinee for the theater as well.
Monday, November 22, 2010
RED
Ehhh... See it in the theater while you have time I guess.
Not that the movie is bad mind you, just a bit slow and campy at time. There are some slick action sequences and such, but overall you'll be familiar with most of the characters right away. Bruce Willis is always cast in these down-n-out law enforcement type roles, which his role in this movie isn't exactly but it's awful close. Morgan Freeman is doing his best intellectual impersonation (with just a bit of action). You'll recognize lots of faces though you may not know all the names. And the movie plot is also pretty predictable so it makes it difficult to be surprised when things happen farther along (like the twist on the twist near the end, I saw it coming an hour earlier).
Regardless, it was overall a fun and enjoyable movie. I'll probably buy it when it comes out on video, and I'd suggest seeing it in the theater before it's gone. Go for a matinee with a bunch of friends and you'll do well. There is a lot of little stuff happening ont he screen, and if you don't have a very large screen to see it all you'll miss a few little bits here and there.
Not that the movie is bad mind you, just a bit slow and campy at time. There are some slick action sequences and such, but overall you'll be familiar with most of the characters right away. Bruce Willis is always cast in these down-n-out law enforcement type roles, which his role in this movie isn't exactly but it's awful close. Morgan Freeman is doing his best intellectual impersonation (with just a bit of action). You'll recognize lots of faces though you may not know all the names. And the movie plot is also pretty predictable so it makes it difficult to be surprised when things happen farther along (like the twist on the twist near the end, I saw it coming an hour earlier).
Regardless, it was overall a fun and enjoyable movie. I'll probably buy it when it comes out on video, and I'd suggest seeing it in the theater before it's gone. Go for a matinee with a bunch of friends and you'll do well. There is a lot of little stuff happening ont he screen, and if you don't have a very large screen to see it all you'll miss a few little bits here and there.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Iron Man 2
B+
We saw this recently with some friends at the Kerasotes (now AMC) Showplace ICON theater in Saint Louis Park. We had the VIP seating in the balcony (nice comfy chairs, tables, lottsa space and leg room). These seats are a bit more expensive than the regular admission seating and require reservations/pre-purchase, but they're worth it for the big-deal and/or long movies you really want to see in a theater.
Anyway, you've read the review we did for Iron Man last year. I have to say that IM2 suffers from some of the same problems. Bits of the movie are just plain too long and quite boring, some sections could probably have been left out as they lend not much to the movie over all, and my FAVORITE thing to pick on... scenes in the TV commercials and theater trailers were not in the actual movie (I really hate when studios do that).
Still, generic plot stuff: The son of a Russian scientist that Stark's father worked with years ago on the Arc Reactor (remember the first movie) either bought, stole or somehow acquired plans to the chest power source Tony uses to keep himself alive and power his armor. This guy (who for those familiar with the Marvel Universe is called Whiplash) builds his electric whip weapons and goes after Tony in Monaco at a car race. He fails cause Stark has a portable briefcase sized version of the armor and was able to beat Whiplash, who is arrested.
One of the sub-plots running through the movie is that Tony is slowly being poisoned by the very device keeping him alive, and he's been working on a new design without success. He takes some kind of drink he made up to stave off the effects of the heavy metal poisoning, but is still losing the fight.
Anyway, Whiplash gets out of jail and is hired on by one of Starks competitors who wants not only the power source, but armor suits of his own to sell to the military. Oh, somewhere in between the initial fight and these new suits being developed (remember how I said parts of it were too long?) Rhode's takes the Mark II suit (the silverish one) and hands it over to the Air Force, who in turn hand it off to this guy Hammer that's working with Whiplash now. They mod the heck out of the suit adding weapons and such and call it War Machine, which Rhodes still pilots.
Meanwhile, Stark continues thinking he's dead soon, and starts giving away his company (to Pepper) and tossing out compute files and papers and such, getting drunk and throwing parties.
He eventually discovers that the new element he needs to make a new power source that won't poison him was thought up by his father 20 or more years ago and left hidden in plain sight for Tony to find years later (which he does). Tony ends up creating this new element based on Dad's design and builds a new chest piece that miraculously not only gives him renewed strength gut heals him of the heavy metal poisoning as well, all with-in a few seconds.
Just in time, as Whiplash is taking over all these drones he built for Hammer, including the War Machine suit, and going after Iron Man again.
Big fight ensues, where whiplash dies, the drones are destroyed, Rhodes recovers and helps in the fight, and everyone that needs to live does so.
See? Pretty easy to sum up this movie. Provided I left out a couple people, and a bunch of junk that doesn't really matter to the story.
A good movie if you can get through the boring bits (and there are more than a couple) but worth seeing in the theater regardless if your a fan.
Oh, they find Thor's hammer in the desert of Nevada at the end of the movie (for the upcoming Avengers movie next year).
We did enjoy the movie, and we actually intend to see it again here soon, partly because we did enjoy it, partly because I started day-dreaming in parts of the movie and missed some bits (remember, boring bits). Still pretty good movie with quite a few funny bits thrown in.
We saw this recently with some friends at the Kerasotes (now AMC) Showplace ICON theater in Saint Louis Park. We had the VIP seating in the balcony (nice comfy chairs, tables, lottsa space and leg room). These seats are a bit more expensive than the regular admission seating and require reservations/pre-purchase, but they're worth it for the big-deal and/or long movies you really want to see in a theater.
Anyway, you've read the review we did for Iron Man last year. I have to say that IM2 suffers from some of the same problems. Bits of the movie are just plain too long and quite boring, some sections could probably have been left out as they lend not much to the movie over all, and my FAVORITE thing to pick on... scenes in the TV commercials and theater trailers were not in the actual movie (I really hate when studios do that).
Still, generic plot stuff: The son of a Russian scientist that Stark's father worked with years ago on the Arc Reactor (remember the first movie) either bought, stole or somehow acquired plans to the chest power source Tony uses to keep himself alive and power his armor. This guy (who for those familiar with the Marvel Universe is called Whiplash) builds his electric whip weapons and goes after Tony in Monaco at a car race. He fails cause Stark has a portable briefcase sized version of the armor and was able to beat Whiplash, who is arrested.
One of the sub-plots running through the movie is that Tony is slowly being poisoned by the very device keeping him alive, and he's been working on a new design without success. He takes some kind of drink he made up to stave off the effects of the heavy metal poisoning, but is still losing the fight.
Anyway, Whiplash gets out of jail and is hired on by one of Starks competitors who wants not only the power source, but armor suits of his own to sell to the military. Oh, somewhere in between the initial fight and these new suits being developed (remember how I said parts of it were too long?) Rhode's takes the Mark II suit (the silverish one) and hands it over to the Air Force, who in turn hand it off to this guy Hammer that's working with Whiplash now. They mod the heck out of the suit adding weapons and such and call it War Machine, which Rhodes still pilots.
Meanwhile, Stark continues thinking he's dead soon, and starts giving away his company (to Pepper) and tossing out compute files and papers and such, getting drunk and throwing parties.
He eventually discovers that the new element he needs to make a new power source that won't poison him was thought up by his father 20 or more years ago and left hidden in plain sight for Tony to find years later (which he does). Tony ends up creating this new element based on Dad's design and builds a new chest piece that miraculously not only gives him renewed strength gut heals him of the heavy metal poisoning as well, all with-in a few seconds.
Just in time, as Whiplash is taking over all these drones he built for Hammer, including the War Machine suit, and going after Iron Man again.
Big fight ensues, where whiplash dies, the drones are destroyed, Rhodes recovers and helps in the fight, and everyone that needs to live does so.
See? Pretty easy to sum up this movie. Provided I left out a couple people, and a bunch of junk that doesn't really matter to the story.
A good movie if you can get through the boring bits (and there are more than a couple) but worth seeing in the theater regardless if your a fan.
Oh, they find Thor's hammer in the desert of Nevada at the end of the movie (for the upcoming Avengers movie next year).
We did enjoy the movie, and we actually intend to see it again here soon, partly because we did enjoy it, partly because I started day-dreaming in parts of the movie and missed some bits (remember, boring bits). Still pretty good movie with quite a few funny bits thrown in.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Must own, no. Would I mind owning it? I'll buy a previously viewed DVD form the local video store like we did for the fourth Indiana Jones movie ($3.99!!).
Not to spoil things, but this movie isn't the Joe's against Cobra. Cobra doesn't exist (yet) so you get to see the precursor to that.
If your familiar at all with G.I. Joe from the cartoons back in the 70's & 80's, then you'll recognize some of the character names while watching this. A number of your old favorites do NOT make an appearance in this film, but that is somewhat understandable since this isn't the whole Good Guys vs. the persistent Bad Guys yet (no Cobra).
Still, it was quite entertaining overall. I thought they did a pretty good job of bringing the franchise up to date, and found some good people to play the key roles for the most part. Some of the history has been altered, and I can kinda see why it was done that way. Those alterations do a good job of explaining why certain 'outside military' personnel were brought in to the fold, and also does a good job of setting up for future movies in the line.
To keep things short: Duke was seeing this girl, and this girl's brother was a geek assigned to his team for some operation overseas. Things went bad and the brother died. The girl went all Gothic and evil on Duke, and went to the dark side unbeknownst to him.
A few years later, Duke and his team are charged with transporting some new weapon the Gov just bought, and his ex-girl shows up to take his new toys. The Joe's show up during this fight, and Duke and his buddy end up joining them since he has some history with her.
Turns out the ex-girl is working for the really bad guy, and he has lots of other really bad guys working for him. Remember Snake Eyes from the cartoon? He has a 'brother' who's one of the bad guys, and they duke it out at the end. The head bad guy turns out to be Destro, and the dead-brother ain't so dead, and he becomes The Commander (and creates Cobra from the ashes of the other lead bad guy's remains).
Of course the movie does end there, but the writers or whoever built-in a couple spots were a sequel can show up, and I expect there will be at least one.
Overall the movie was good, entertaining and mostly well thought out. There aren't many plot twists, but they are creative and thought out. The movie ended up being mostly predictable for me, but I enjoyed many a school morning watching cartoons before heading out for the day, and G.I. Joe was one of them so I'm still pretty well versed on the history and people involved.
If some friends wanted to go see it again in the theater, I probably would. And when it comes out on video (provided there isn't some big deal alternate version or something on Blu-ray) I'll most likely stop at the video store and get a previously viewed DVD. The movie wasn't bad, but I can't see spending $40 on a Blu-ray disc for it (unlike Ironman which I bought on DVD and then later on Blu-ray, gave the DVD to my parents).
Your kids would like seeing this movie I think. It's high tech, but not so technical that young teens wouldn't understand what's going on (provided they like this kind of movie).
The special effects and overall cinematic experience can't be ignored though. If your going to see this movie, try to catch it in a good theater before the run ends. It'll make a difference.
Not to spoil things, but this movie isn't the Joe's against Cobra. Cobra doesn't exist (yet) so you get to see the precursor to that.
If your familiar at all with G.I. Joe from the cartoons back in the 70's & 80's, then you'll recognize some of the character names while watching this. A number of your old favorites do NOT make an appearance in this film, but that is somewhat understandable since this isn't the whole Good Guys vs. the persistent Bad Guys yet (no Cobra).
Still, it was quite entertaining overall. I thought they did a pretty good job of bringing the franchise up to date, and found some good people to play the key roles for the most part. Some of the history has been altered, and I can kinda see why it was done that way. Those alterations do a good job of explaining why certain 'outside military' personnel were brought in to the fold, and also does a good job of setting up for future movies in the line.
To keep things short: Duke was seeing this girl, and this girl's brother was a geek assigned to his team for some operation overseas. Things went bad and the brother died. The girl went all Gothic and evil on Duke, and went to the dark side unbeknownst to him.
A few years later, Duke and his team are charged with transporting some new weapon the Gov just bought, and his ex-girl shows up to take his new toys. The Joe's show up during this fight, and Duke and his buddy end up joining them since he has some history with her.
Turns out the ex-girl is working for the really bad guy, and he has lots of other really bad guys working for him. Remember Snake Eyes from the cartoon? He has a 'brother' who's one of the bad guys, and they duke it out at the end. The head bad guy turns out to be Destro, and the dead-brother ain't so dead, and he becomes The Commander (and creates Cobra from the ashes of the other lead bad guy's remains).
Of course the movie does end there, but the writers or whoever built-in a couple spots were a sequel can show up, and I expect there will be at least one.
Overall the movie was good, entertaining and mostly well thought out. There aren't many plot twists, but they are creative and thought out. The movie ended up being mostly predictable for me, but I enjoyed many a school morning watching cartoons before heading out for the day, and G.I. Joe was one of them so I'm still pretty well versed on the history and people involved.
If some friends wanted to go see it again in the theater, I probably would. And when it comes out on video (provided there isn't some big deal alternate version or something on Blu-ray) I'll most likely stop at the video store and get a previously viewed DVD. The movie wasn't bad, but I can't see spending $40 on a Blu-ray disc for it (unlike Ironman which I bought on DVD and then later on Blu-ray, gave the DVD to my parents).
Your kids would like seeing this movie I think. It's high tech, but not so technical that young teens wouldn't understand what's going on (provided they like this kind of movie).
The special effects and overall cinematic experience can't be ignored though. If your going to see this movie, try to catch it in a good theater before the run ends. It'll make a difference.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Star Trek
This was odd for me. I'm not a huge fanboy of Star Trek or anything like that, but I've seen enough of it often enough to have a good feel for the 'universe' and history of Star Trek.
That said, they've just rewrote the book.
Lots of TV shows and stuff talked about this movie as a prequel to the rest of everything (Trek before Trek ever was I guess). It's not a prequel. Don't go into it thinking that or you'll be disappointed if you do (ask Maryanne about that).
This movie was really quite good (note: not GREAT). The writers have taken a very special opportunity (to me it seems that way) to reinvent the entire series all over again. Of course, they use time travel to set the whole thing up (seems to be a rather large crutch the writers continually fall back to) but it still works alright if you just let it be.
The interesting thing with this is that now future teams of writers can do whole new stories, create an entirely new history basically, for all of Star Trek. Hopefully, that's what everybody was thinking when they were writing and shooting this, and they'll jump on the possibility of creating a more up-to-date version of Star Trek for the movie theaters in the years to come.
I'm not dropping specific spoilers (just in case your one of the 17 people in the world that hasn't seen this yet) but it's still not the greatest movie it could've been.
Still, I'm getting this on Blu-ray when it's out.
That said, they've just rewrote the book.
Lots of TV shows and stuff talked about this movie as a prequel to the rest of everything (Trek before Trek ever was I guess). It's not a prequel. Don't go into it thinking that or you'll be disappointed if you do (ask Maryanne about that).
This movie was really quite good (note: not GREAT). The writers have taken a very special opportunity (to me it seems that way) to reinvent the entire series all over again. Of course, they use time travel to set the whole thing up (seems to be a rather large crutch the writers continually fall back to) but it still works alright if you just let it be.
The interesting thing with this is that now future teams of writers can do whole new stories, create an entirely new history basically, for all of Star Trek. Hopefully, that's what everybody was thinking when they were writing and shooting this, and they'll jump on the possibility of creating a more up-to-date version of Star Trek for the movie theaters in the years to come.
I'm not dropping specific spoilers (just in case your one of the 17 people in the world that hasn't seen this yet) but it's still not the greatest movie it could've been.
Still, I'm getting this on Blu-ray when it's out.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
The Bourne Ultimatum - August 3, 2007
Synopsis: Matt Damon returns as the trained assassin Jason Bourne. All he wanted was to disappear. Instead, Jason Bourne is now hunted by the people who made him what he is. Having lost his memory and the one person he loved, he is undeterred by the barrage of bullets and a new generation of highly-trained killers. Bourne has only one objective: to go back to the beginning and find out who he was. Now, in the new chapter of this espionage series, Bourne will hunt down his past in order to find a future. He must travel from Moscow, Paris, Madrid and London to Tangier and New York City as he continues his quest to find the real Jason Bourne - all the while trying to outmaneuver the scores of cops, federal officers and Interpol agents with him in their crosshairs.
Her perspective: Wait/Must Own
Very good action flick. Good story line, it kept moving and kept my attention the whole film. Matt Damon was excellent, as always, and the other actors were great as well. The action was very well choreagraphed. However, there was quite a lot of extraneous camerawork during the fight scenes. I understand that the director wanted to portray how frantic the characters and the action was, but it was too much. If it had been a less talented actor, I could have seen using the camerawork to "hide" the fact, but it wasn't needed with Matt Damon.
They never really did explain the whole program that he had joined or what they had done to him that made him lose his memory. They also hinted at a personal relationship between Bourne and Nicky Parsons, but they never explained that, either. Even though these left me feeling unsatisfied, I still enjoyed the story.
All in all, if you're a fan, go ahead and see it in the theater, but if you just want to see a good action flick, buy it on DVD. This is one for the video collection.
Her perspective: Wait/Must Own
Very good action flick. Good story line, it kept moving and kept my attention the whole film. Matt Damon was excellent, as always, and the other actors were great as well. The action was very well choreagraphed. However, there was quite a lot of extraneous camerawork during the fight scenes. I understand that the director wanted to portray how frantic the characters and the action was, but it was too much. If it had been a less talented actor, I could have seen using the camerawork to "hide" the fact, but it wasn't needed with Matt Damon.
They never really did explain the whole program that he had joined or what they had done to him that made him lose his memory. They also hinted at a personal relationship between Bourne and Nicky Parsons, but they never explained that, either. Even though these left me feeling unsatisfied, I still enjoyed the story.
All in all, if you're a fan, go ahead and see it in the theater, but if you just want to see a good action flick, buy it on DVD. This is one for the video collection.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Synopsis: Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts only to discover that much of the wizarding community has been led to believe that the story of the teenager's recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort is a lie, putting Harry's integrity in question. Worse, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has appointed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the duplicitous Professor Delores Umbridge. But Professor Umbridge's "Ministry-approved" course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the Dark forces threatening them, so at the prompting of his friends, Hermione and Ron, Harry is convinced to take matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves "Dumbledore's Army," Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.
Her perspective: Must See
His perspective: Must See or Wait depending on how much you like this movie series.
If you are a true Harry Potter fan, you need to see this in the theater. It's worth it to see the special effects on the big screen. If not, you can wait until dollar theaters or video.
I thought the movie was quite well done, although this is the first HP movie I've seen without reading the book first. I guess I had expected a little more, though. The final battle seemed a little short and lacked variety in the use of spells and the demonstration of power. The previous films in this series kept their momentum and, I thought, were very good. While this one didn't measure up to those, I still thought it was very good. The photography was very effective in creating a very "dark" movie. I think they could have used other methods to show the struggle going on inside Harry, though. It's one of those movies that seems more to forward the story line than stand alone. The actors, as always, were phenomenal.
I saw quite a bit of character development in this film. Some of the "bit" characters from the previous films stepped up and played a bigger role in the story line. It was also easy to see that Harry, Hermione and Ron have gotten a lot closer and are more comfortable standing up for each other. Another thing I thought was interesting, was how much power little Ginny Weasley found within herself. There were a couple of spots where she showed how much farther ahead she was than even some of the 5th year students. I'll be interested to see how that develops in the next two films.
Overall, well done. I will be sure to own this one.
Her perspective: Must See
His perspective: Must See or Wait depending on how much you like this movie series.
If you are a true Harry Potter fan, you need to see this in the theater. It's worth it to see the special effects on the big screen. If not, you can wait until dollar theaters or video.
I thought the movie was quite well done, although this is the first HP movie I've seen without reading the book first. I guess I had expected a little more, though. The final battle seemed a little short and lacked variety in the use of spells and the demonstration of power. The previous films in this series kept their momentum and, I thought, were very good. While this one didn't measure up to those, I still thought it was very good. The photography was very effective in creating a very "dark" movie. I think they could have used other methods to show the struggle going on inside Harry, though. It's one of those movies that seems more to forward the story line than stand alone. The actors, as always, were phenomenal.
I saw quite a bit of character development in this film. Some of the "bit" characters from the previous films stepped up and played a bigger role in the story line. It was also easy to see that Harry, Hermione and Ron have gotten a lot closer and are more comfortable standing up for each other. Another thing I thought was interesting, was how much power little Ginny Weasley found within herself. There were a couple of spots where she showed how much farther ahead she was than even some of the 5th year students. I'll be interested to see how that develops in the next two films.
Overall, well done. I will be sure to own this one.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Disturbia - July 6, 2007
Her perspective: Must See
Synopsis: Kale (Shia LaBeouf) has a life most teenagers would envy. He spends his days endlessly playing video games, surfing the net, eating junk food and watching cable. He has complete free reign of the house, and a beautiful young hottie named Ashley (Sarah Roemer) has just moved in next door. There's only one problem - he's not allowed to leave the house. Kale's under court-ordered house arrest for three months, and if he takes one step beyond a 100-foot perimeter of the house, his next confinement will be in a real prison, and jail cells don't have video games or cable. Life hasn't always been like this for him. A year ago, Kale and his mom (Carrie-Ann Moss) and dad were a tight-knit, happy family. Then his father was killed in a car accident, for which Kale feels somewhat responsible. The trauma has had long-lasting psychological effects. The once outgoing young man is now shut down and withdrawn. When an insensitive teacher brings up his father, Kale loses it and punches him out. Only the intercession of his mother kept him out of jail. Now he's going stir crazy in his own house while his mother tries to keep things together by working day and night. As the walls start to close in, Kale starts to notice the world outside. With some secondhand surveillance equipment, he begins spying on his neighbors, most prominently Ashley, who soon catches on to him. To his surprise, however, she becomes interested in his stakeout hobby. What starts out as a game turns deadly serious when Kale and Ashley begin to suspect that one of their neighbors (David Morse) may be an elusive serial killer. But who's going to believe them? It may just be their imagination, or they may have stumbled across a secret that might cost them their lives. After all, even killers have to live next-door to someone...
Review: This was a good thriller - very suspenseful. The actors did a wonderful job and all were very believable. The story line started out a little slow, but I think that was necessary to give the audience enough background to set up the main events. The script was very well written and the photography was very effective. There were some camera angles that really grabbed me and pulled me in. I don't think any detail was overlooked. Great movie overall, although a little predicatable as most thrillers are nowadays.
Synopsis: Kale (Shia LaBeouf) has a life most teenagers would envy. He spends his days endlessly playing video games, surfing the net, eating junk food and watching cable. He has complete free reign of the house, and a beautiful young hottie named Ashley (Sarah Roemer) has just moved in next door. There's only one problem - he's not allowed to leave the house. Kale's under court-ordered house arrest for three months, and if he takes one step beyond a 100-foot perimeter of the house, his next confinement will be in a real prison, and jail cells don't have video games or cable. Life hasn't always been like this for him. A year ago, Kale and his mom (Carrie-Ann Moss) and dad were a tight-knit, happy family. Then his father was killed in a car accident, for which Kale feels somewhat responsible. The trauma has had long-lasting psychological effects. The once outgoing young man is now shut down and withdrawn. When an insensitive teacher brings up his father, Kale loses it and punches him out. Only the intercession of his mother kept him out of jail. Now he's going stir crazy in his own house while his mother tries to keep things together by working day and night. As the walls start to close in, Kale starts to notice the world outside. With some secondhand surveillance equipment, he begins spying on his neighbors, most prominently Ashley, who soon catches on to him. To his surprise, however, she becomes interested in his stakeout hobby. What starts out as a game turns deadly serious when Kale and Ashley begin to suspect that one of their neighbors (David Morse) may be an elusive serial killer. But who's going to believe them? It may just be their imagination, or they may have stumbled across a secret that might cost them their lives. After all, even killers have to live next-door to someone...
Review: This was a good thriller - very suspenseful. The actors did a wonderful job and all were very believable. The story line started out a little slow, but I think that was necessary to give the audience enough background to set up the main events. The script was very well written and the photography was very effective. There were some camera angles that really grabbed me and pulled me in. I don't think any detail was overlooked. Great movie overall, although a little predicatable as most thrillers are nowadays.
Transformers - July 6, 2007
Her perspective: Must See
Synopsis: In 2003, the Beagle Mars Rover was launched. We were told that it crashed. It's final transmission was classified top secret. It was the only warning we were given. Now the dueling alien races of the Autobots and the Decepticons have brought their battle to earth and the future of humankind is hanging in the balance. It's their war, but it's our world!
Review: This is one that you need to see on a big screen. The fights are a bit hard to follow due to the constant "morphing" while the action is going on. The special effects are quite impressive, though, and the story line is a little slow moving at times, but very well thought out. The writing was great, with quite a bit of humor. I was also impressed that they were able to use the original voice of Optimus Prime.
However, if you know nothing about the Transformers going into the movie, you will be somewhat confused. I knew a little bit from watching bits and pieces of the cartoon when I was little, but I never got into it, so I didn't fully understand everything.
Shia LaBeouf is really coming into his own establishing himself as a leading man. However, I think he will always be an underdog type character. Josh Duhamel was excellent in a military role and I think we will be seeing much more of him.
Synopsis: In 2003, the Beagle Mars Rover was launched. We were told that it crashed. It's final transmission was classified top secret. It was the only warning we were given. Now the dueling alien races of the Autobots and the Decepticons have brought their battle to earth and the future of humankind is hanging in the balance. It's their war, but it's our world!
Review: This is one that you need to see on a big screen. The fights are a bit hard to follow due to the constant "morphing" while the action is going on. The special effects are quite impressive, though, and the story line is a little slow moving at times, but very well thought out. The writing was great, with quite a bit of humor. I was also impressed that they were able to use the original voice of Optimus Prime.
However, if you know nothing about the Transformers going into the movie, you will be somewhat confused. I knew a little bit from watching bits and pieces of the cartoon when I was little, but I never got into it, so I didn't fully understand everything.
Shia LaBeouf is really coming into his own establishing himself as a leading man. However, I think he will always be an underdog type character. Josh Duhamel was excellent in a military role and I think we will be seeing much more of him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
