*** MIGTH CONTAIN SPOILERS! ***
Featuring: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn
Genre: action, war
Plot: American pilot struggles to escape after being shot down and captured in Laos
Acting: brilliant, there’s no other word to describe it
Drama: captured by enemies, forced to eat maggots and snakes, determined to stay alive and go back to his job, fighting in the war
Action: plane fighting, crash, shooting guards, burning down village, journey through the jungle
Funny: the dialog was extremely funny in places as well as Dieter’s behavior
Visuals: stunning, in spite of the starving bodies of the prisoners
Soundtrack: too focused on the movie to pay attention to it
Comments: It’s a war movie. Still it’s a funny was movie. In the same time it’s touching, and moving and so realistic especially since the public knows by now that it was inspired from a true story, that you can’t possible be left senseless when it ends. True there are moments when it makes you wonder if this is exactly how things happened and whether Dieter wasn’t a bit crazy to begin with but Christian Bale does a fantastic job portraying him. So even if Bale seems to be a little masochistic with the length he goes when acting in his movies, as long as he doesn’t harm himself too much, cause we do want to see more of him in the future, we can only be happy with his performance.
Rating: 4/5
Friday, September 7, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Movie Review: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
*** MIGTH CONTAIN SPOILERS! ***
Featuring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Dan Aykroyd, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi
Genre: comedy
Plot: straight men become a couple on paper to save one of their pensions
Acting: not entirely believable but exaggerated on purpose
Drama: being straight when pretending to be gay
Action: during the fire some
Funny: more than expected
Visuals: some disgusting ones I’m afraid
Soundtrack: was surprised to hear some of Queen’s tracks
Comments: Not being a fan of Adam Sandler I wasn’t expecting much of this movie. Still I found it funny at least in the first half. Sandler is his usual self, with the added touch of hot stud that doesn’t quite fit, James is fun though less than he was in Hitch, Biel is not exactly credible, why would a lawyer hang out with one of her clients?, Rhames was great and Buscemi didn’t disappoint much. In a way it was a low more developed version of Three to Tango, okay as long as you don’t have better things to do.
Rating: 3/5
Featuring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Dan Aykroyd, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi
Genre: comedy
Plot: straight men become a couple on paper to save one of their pensions
Acting: not entirely believable but exaggerated on purpose
Drama: being straight when pretending to be gay
Action: during the fire some
Funny: more than expected
Visuals: some disgusting ones I’m afraid
Soundtrack: was surprised to hear some of Queen’s tracks
Comments: Not being a fan of Adam Sandler I wasn’t expecting much of this movie. Still I found it funny at least in the first half. Sandler is his usual self, with the added touch of hot stud that doesn’t quite fit, James is fun though less than he was in Hitch, Biel is not exactly credible, why would a lawyer hang out with one of her clients?, Rhames was great and Buscemi didn’t disappoint much. In a way it was a low more developed version of Three to Tango, okay as long as you don’t have better things to do.
Rating: 3/5
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Movie Review: The Simpsons Movie
*** MIGTH CONTAIN SPOILERS! ***
Featuring: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa
Genre: animation, comedy
Plot: disaster typical scenario, the town is covered with a glass dome because its polluting capacity
Acting: voices sounded right for what I remember from the series
Drama: town’s population threatened to die under the dome, Bart wants another father, Lisa finds a boyfriend, etc.
Action: bike race
Funny: not as much as the original
Visuals: ugly cartoons as usual but nothing out of the ordinary
Soundtrack: -
Comments: It doesn’t work as a full time movie. It used to be funny when it lasted half an hour but now it just drags. The plot is boring and it doesn’t bring anything new. I doubt the kids would like it, I’m sure adults don’t.
Rating: 2/5
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Movie Review: The Invasion
*** MIGTH CONTAIN SPOILERS! ***
Featuring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jeffrey Wright, Veronica Cartwright
Genre: sci-fi, thriller
Plot: aliens infects the human kind in order to make a better word
Acting: alright, though top protagonists’ talent gets usually gets wasted in this type of movies
Drama: the infected people become emotionless
Action: just running
Funny: not at all
Visuals: some gore shots, nothing extreme, except maybe for Mrs. Kidman’s ample bosoms.
Soundtrack: -
Comments: A remake of a common theme in the sci-fi world. It will hardly make happy those who are into gore or intelligent movies because there’s not enough of either. The solution was too simple and too easy to find. And while a frightened paranoid running around Nicole Kidman and a dependable Daniel Craig are not hard on the eyes, one still feels a little disappointed in the end.
Rating: 3/5
Featuring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jeffrey Wright, Veronica Cartwright
Genre: sci-fi, thriller
Plot: aliens infects the human kind in order to make a better word
Acting: alright, though top protagonists’ talent gets usually gets wasted in this type of movies
Drama: the infected people become emotionless
Action: just running
Funny: not at all
Visuals: some gore shots, nothing extreme, except maybe for Mrs. Kidman’s ample bosoms.
Soundtrack: -
Comments: A remake of a common theme in the sci-fi world. It will hardly make happy those who are into gore or intelligent movies because there’s not enough of either. The solution was too simple and too easy to find. And while a frightened paranoid running around Nicole Kidman and a dependable Daniel Craig are not hard on the eyes, one still feels a little disappointed in the end.
Rating: 3/5
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Movie Review: The Bourne Ultimatum
*** MIGTH CONTAIN SPOILERS! ***
Featuring: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Albert Finney, Joan Allen
Genre: action, adventure
Plot: Jason Bourne still doesn’t know who he is
Acting: just like in the other two there really wasn’t much of that, the accent being put on action mostly
Drama: we almost think he dies in the end
Action: fully packed but nothing extraordinary
Funny: umm, nope
Visuals: filmed with a mobile camera documentary style at times, great source for headaches
Soundtrack: very alert but also annoying if taken out of context
Comments: I was never too impressed with the Bourne movies, it always seemed too me there was too much action and Damon time alone on the screen while lacking in anything else that a good story should have. The first one was the only acceptable one, the rest was just filling dragging like a tail after a stray dirty unwanted dog. Stiles character wasn’t really needed in this sequel and Bourne should have probably been killed to spare us of another one. But then again, there’s always Rambo…
Rating: 3/5
Monday, July 30, 2007
Movie Review: Hairspray
*** MIGTH CONTAIN SPOILERS! ***
Featuring: John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Nikki Blonsky
Genre: musical, comedy
Plot: overweight teenage dreams about becoming a TV star
Acting: not sure Travolta was a good choice to impersonate a feminine character, he takes it too much over the top
Drama: bad diet and racism
Action: I’m sure they used tons of energy with those dancing routines
Funny: it is in places but the humor feels kinda forced often enough
Visuals: I’ll never understand why overweight women insist on wearing sleeveless tops
Soundtrack: wonderful just like the stage musical
Comments: Travolta tries to steal the show but it doesn’t quite work out. Pfeiffer is too skinny. Walken is absolutely charming. Bynes is cute as a doll but I would have liked to see more acting from her and not just sitting like a doll, some more singing would have been nice too. I didn’t know Marsden could sing and he does it well. Too bad he spends most of the time smiling like an idiot. Latifah seemed to be made for that part. Snow was annoying as the part required. Can’t say much about Efron since I haven’t seen him before but he was cute. Blonsky is also new to me. She’s got a great voice that’s for sure.
Rating: 3/5
Featuring: John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Nikki Blonsky
Genre: musical, comedy
Plot: overweight teenage dreams about becoming a TV star
Acting: not sure Travolta was a good choice to impersonate a feminine character, he takes it too much over the top
Drama: bad diet and racism
Action: I’m sure they used tons of energy with those dancing routines
Funny: it is in places but the humor feels kinda forced often enough
Visuals: I’ll never understand why overweight women insist on wearing sleeveless tops
Soundtrack: wonderful just like the stage musical
Comments: Travolta tries to steal the show but it doesn’t quite work out. Pfeiffer is too skinny. Walken is absolutely charming. Bynes is cute as a doll but I would have liked to see more acting from her and not just sitting like a doll, some more singing would have been nice too. I didn’t know Marsden could sing and he does it well. Too bad he spends most of the time smiling like an idiot. Latifah seemed to be made for that part. Snow was annoying as the part required. Can’t say much about Efron since I haven’t seen him before but he was cute. Blonsky is also new to me. She’s got a great voice that’s for sure.
Rating: 3/5
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Movie Review: Transformers
*** MIGTH CONTAIN SPOILERS! ***
Featuring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight, John Turturro
Genre: action, sci fi
Plot: aliens looking like huge robots hidden under vehicle appearance come to fight with each others on Earth
Acting: LaBeouf wasn’t so bad, Turturo was annoying as always
Drama: when your car is not a Porshe that sure is a drama
Action: the robots fight a lot
Funny: again the robots are… sort of
Visuals: good CGI
Soundtrack: errr… I’m sure there was one
Comments: It would have helped if I had watched the cartoons first to know which robot is which. The little meowing bad guy was funny. And I would have liked to have the yellow car. Not much else to say… you can imagine why. It’s a kid movie.
Rating: 3/5
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Movie Review: Evan Almighty
*** MIGTH CONTAIN SPOILERS! ***
Featuring: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Goodman
Genre: comedy
Plot: God asks a congressman, of all people, to build a huge ark to save a couple of hundreds of people who wouldn’t have been there in the first place if it hadn’t been for that ark
Acting: Morgan Freeman was good as ever
Drama: a fashion dilemma?
Action: ark ride
Funny: the animals were and a few of Carell’s reactions
Visuals: the ark the flood and the ride
Soundtrack: oldies but not bad just cheesy
Comments: I’m one of the few people who found The 40 Years Virgin to be a waste of my time and I also don’t like Jim Carrey at all so I had no hopes to like this movie. The only reason I saw it was because of Morgan Freeman, which by the way gets way too little screen time. Like with most sequels this one goes bigger too, unfortunately the plot doesn’t exactly hold in many places. Can you actually imagine all the windows being open in Washington for the birds to fly in when all the offices there are actually running on air conditioning? And if I was the wife I would have had him committed long before that. Really, we need a more modern God who keeps up with the advances of our society or we’re all doomed.
Rating: 3/5
Featuring: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Goodman
Genre: comedy
Plot: God asks a congressman, of all people, to build a huge ark to save a couple of hundreds of people who wouldn’t have been there in the first place if it hadn’t been for that ark
Acting: Morgan Freeman was good as ever
Drama: a fashion dilemma?
Action: ark ride
Funny: the animals were and a few of Carell’s reactions
Visuals: the ark the flood and the ride
Soundtrack: oldies but not bad just cheesy
Comments: I’m one of the few people who found The 40 Years Virgin to be a waste of my time and I also don’t like Jim Carrey at all so I had no hopes to like this movie. The only reason I saw it was because of Morgan Freeman, which by the way gets way too little screen time. Like with most sequels this one goes bigger too, unfortunately the plot doesn’t exactly hold in many places. Can you actually imagine all the windows being open in Washington for the birds to fly in when all the offices there are actually running on air conditioning? And if I was the wife I would have had him committed long before that. Really, we need a more modern God who keeps up with the advances of our society or we’re all doomed.
Rating: 3/5
Friday, July 6, 2007
Movie Review: Live Free or Die Hard
*** MIGTH CONTAIN SPOILERS! ***
Featuring: Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant, Justin Long, Maggie Q
Genre: action, thriller
Plot: greedy terrorists attacks the whole country this time
Acting: not totally convincing, Willis keeps his pensive-amused grin and while it’s amusing to see it it doesn’t always fit the situation
Drama: US seemingly under attack, McClane’s daughter gets abducted… you choose
Action: quite a lot though somehow not as much as in the previous movies… is Willis getting a tad old?
Funny: the dialog is in places… the hacker is just annoying… and the daughter can kick ass, yeah!
Visuals: some of the stunts are impressive
Soundtrack: didn’t notice it
Comments: The longest a character lives the writers just seem to run out of ideas. So first there was a tower building, then an airport followed by a city and now it’s the whole country. Wanna bet the world is next if there ever is a fifth one? McClane hasn’t changed much except for the lack of hair and slightly bigger look, he’s still like a dog with a bone when confronted with a tough situation. We realize he hadn’t made up with his wife, of course since after 12 years Bonnie Bedelia couldn’t possibly look like she’s 20 again, he doesn’t get along well with his daughter, who he obviously taught her defense classes at some point, and he’s apparently surpassed by the today’s world. While pairing him with someone worked more or less in the third movie, pairing him with a weaker one, the hacker doesn’t have much of a back bone and he’s just a whiny kid who would like to be someone but is not ready for it yet, doesn’t exactly work and I pity the kid if the daughter really makes up her mind to ever hook up with him. There are a couple of déjà vu scenes like Willis on top of a plane or Maggie Q’s version of the Terminator bitch who just won’t die. The poor thing gets killed again like she did in X-Men 2, and since I mentioned that I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if the hacker was someone like Stanley aka Hugh Jackman in Swordfish. Would that have kicked ass or what? One in all it’s not really a bad movie, but the first sequel was my favorite of all and compared to that there’s too much tech and less action in it. Along with Terminator Die Hard is probably one of the few series whose first sequel is better than the original. Haven’t decided yet if I’m hoping for a fifth one. Probably not.
Rating: 3/5
Featuring: Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant, Justin Long, Maggie Q
Genre: action, thriller
Plot: greedy terrorists attacks the whole country this time
Acting: not totally convincing, Willis keeps his pensive-amused grin and while it’s amusing to see it it doesn’t always fit the situation
Drama: US seemingly under attack, McClane’s daughter gets abducted… you choose
Action: quite a lot though somehow not as much as in the previous movies… is Willis getting a tad old?
Funny: the dialog is in places… the hacker is just annoying… and the daughter can kick ass, yeah!
Visuals: some of the stunts are impressive
Soundtrack: didn’t notice it
Comments: The longest a character lives the writers just seem to run out of ideas. So first there was a tower building, then an airport followed by a city and now it’s the whole country. Wanna bet the world is next if there ever is a fifth one? McClane hasn’t changed much except for the lack of hair and slightly bigger look, he’s still like a dog with a bone when confronted with a tough situation. We realize he hadn’t made up with his wife, of course since after 12 years Bonnie Bedelia couldn’t possibly look like she’s 20 again, he doesn’t get along well with his daughter, who he obviously taught her defense classes at some point, and he’s apparently surpassed by the today’s world. While pairing him with someone worked more or less in the third movie, pairing him with a weaker one, the hacker doesn’t have much of a back bone and he’s just a whiny kid who would like to be someone but is not ready for it yet, doesn’t exactly work and I pity the kid if the daughter really makes up her mind to ever hook up with him. There are a couple of déjà vu scenes like Willis on top of a plane or Maggie Q’s version of the Terminator bitch who just won’t die. The poor thing gets killed again like she did in X-Men 2, and since I mentioned that I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if the hacker was someone like Stanley aka Hugh Jackman in Swordfish. Would that have kicked ass or what? One in all it’s not really a bad movie, but the first sequel was my favorite of all and compared to that there’s too much tech and less action in it. Along with Terminator Die Hard is probably one of the few series whose first sequel is better than the original. Haven’t decided yet if I’m hoping for a fifth one. Probably not.
Rating: 3/5
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Movie Review: Ratatouille
*** MIGTH CONTAIN SPOILERS! ***
Featuring: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O'Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo
Genre: animation, comedy
Plot: a rat develops kitchen skills
Acting: from the animation point of view it’s very well done and believable; the voices aren’t bad either
Drama: it’s a rat’s life
Action: that part is fun too
Funny: plenty of it
Visuals: I liked the camera moves and the characters and settings are well done
Soundtrack: quite nice
Comments: It’s been a while since I truly liked an animated movie or any other movie for that matter. Kids will love it but it should amuse adults quite a lot too. I’m insisting on the fun part but also on the visuals and although I’d rather not eat in a restaurant ran by rats they were cute too.
Rating: 4/5
Featuring: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O'Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo
Genre: animation, comedy
Plot: a rat develops kitchen skills
Acting: from the animation point of view it’s very well done and believable; the voices aren’t bad either
Drama: it’s a rat’s life
Action: that part is fun too
Funny: plenty of it
Visuals: I liked the camera moves and the characters and settings are well done
Soundtrack: quite nice
Comments: It’s been a while since I truly liked an animated movie or any other movie for that matter. Kids will love it but it should amuse adults quite a lot too. I’m insisting on the fun part but also on the visuals and although I’d rather not eat in a restaurant ran by rats they were cute too.
Rating: 4/5
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