"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is a 2014 reboot of the cartoon/comic/movies of the 90's. April O'Neil (Megan Fox) is a reporter with a nose for news but stuck making fluff pieces when she lands on the trail of some secret vigilantes who are protecting New York City from a clan of thieves. April's persistence leads her to a startling discovery - a connection between her deceased father's lab and the vigilantes who are really teenage mutant ninja turtles. Also stars Will Arnett and look for Whoopi Goldberg in a small part as April's boss.
Fans of the original series might enjoy this film for the nostalgia. There are some fun moments and some action sequences but overall this film isn't much to recommend. At some points even Megan Fox seemed a bit bored with it all.
This is okay but nothing to run out to see - C
Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts
Monday, February 9, 2015
Monday, July 8, 2013
Movie Review: Gangster Squad (2013)
"Gangster Squad" is a crime action/drama based on events in the 1940's and 50's in Los Angeles when the LA Police Department police chief (played by Nick Nolte) created a special unit called the "Gangster Squad" to combat gangster Mickey Cohen (played by Sean Penn). The Gangster Squad is led by John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and his men include Jerry Whooters (Ryan Gosling), Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie), Conway Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi) and Navidad Rameriz (Michael Pena). Complicating the situation is Jerry's romancing Mickey's girlfriend Grace (Emma Stone). The Gangster Squad begins disrupting Mickey's operations while searching for the location of his wire gambling business, which is the heart of Mickey's empire. Mickey meanwhile attempts to grow the wire gambling business and find then punish the Gangster Squad for threatening his "progress."
Despite the big-name cast, this film is largely forgettable. Penn makes a good bad guy but he's up against a very bland hero in Brolin. Decent supporting work by Gosling, Mackie, and Ribsi in particular but the dull script really didn't give them much to work with. Characters were largely undeveloped, especially Stone's, and dialogue is stilted. Chemistry between Gosling and Stone is almost non-existent. The shoot-em up violence is greatly prioritized. On the upside there is nice cinematography and the 40's/50's in LA looks glamorous.
Nice-looking film with much more bullets than depth - D+
Despite the big-name cast, this film is largely forgettable. Penn makes a good bad guy but he's up against a very bland hero in Brolin. Decent supporting work by Gosling, Mackie, and Ribsi in particular but the dull script really didn't give them much to work with. Characters were largely undeveloped, especially Stone's, and dialogue is stilted. Chemistry between Gosling and Stone is almost non-existent. The shoot-em up violence is greatly prioritized. On the upside there is nice cinematography and the 40's/50's in LA looks glamorous.
Nice-looking film with much more bullets than depth - D+
Friday, April 12, 2013
Movie Review: Skyfall (2012)
"Skyfall" is the latest in the James Bond series. Bond (Daniel Craig) is back and investigating a cyber-attack on M16. The bad guy this time is a former M16 operative named Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), who is obsessed with humiliating, discrediting, and punishing M (Judi Dench) for her betrayal of him. The film brings in two classic Bond film characters: Q (Ben Whishaw) and Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris).
I'm a bit mixed on this film. I continue to like Craig in the role of Bond and loved Dench. Her character got a lot of screen-time and development in this film. As a fan of the Bond franchise I liked the classic characters, Q and Moneypenny, being brought into the script as well as some of the background nuggets offered about Bond's childhood. I still wish there was some continuity between all of the Bond films, as taken as a series it's difficult to put them on a real timeline and reconcile a lot of "facts" and plots, but I'm begrudgingly accepting that this is just not possible. Overall this is a nice action/suspense film with a nice theme running through it of asking what is the value of old ways and old spies (note: Bond is supposedly "old" in this film). Don't miss Adele's theme song during the opening credits.
What I really didn't like was Bardem's character, Silva. When taken in comparison to some of the great Bond villains of the past, Silva is just not up to par. This is a shame especially since Bardem is such a good actor - we've seen how thrilling he can be as a bad guy (remember "No Country for Old Men"). Silva comes across as scheming but a bit whiny and the homosexual angle to the character just seemed silly. I feel like this character should have been written much better. With better writing I think Bardem would have delivered a villain holding his own with classic bad guys like Dr. No and Goldfinger.
This film should have been better if Bardem had been given something to really chew on: B
I'm a bit mixed on this film. I continue to like Craig in the role of Bond and loved Dench. Her character got a lot of screen-time and development in this film. As a fan of the Bond franchise I liked the classic characters, Q and Moneypenny, being brought into the script as well as some of the background nuggets offered about Bond's childhood. I still wish there was some continuity between all of the Bond films, as taken as a series it's difficult to put them on a real timeline and reconcile a lot of "facts" and plots, but I'm begrudgingly accepting that this is just not possible. Overall this is a nice action/suspense film with a nice theme running through it of asking what is the value of old ways and old spies (note: Bond is supposedly "old" in this film). Don't miss Adele's theme song during the opening credits.
What I really didn't like was Bardem's character, Silva. When taken in comparison to some of the great Bond villains of the past, Silva is just not up to par. This is a shame especially since Bardem is such a good actor - we've seen how thrilling he can be as a bad guy (remember "No Country for Old Men"). Silva comes across as scheming but a bit whiny and the homosexual angle to the character just seemed silly. I feel like this character should have been written much better. With better writing I think Bardem would have delivered a villain holding his own with classic bad guys like Dr. No and Goldfinger.
This film should have been better if Bardem had been given something to really chew on: B
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Movie Review: Safe House (2012)
"Safe House" is an action thriller about Matt (Ryan Reynolds) who runs a CIA safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. Matt's job is pretty tame until former agent Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) seeks refuge at the US Consulate and Frost is brought to the safe house for interrogation. The secrets Frost holds puts himself, Matt, and everyone in the safe house in immediate danger and soon Matt and Frost are out on the run with Matt desperately trying to deliver Frost to the next safe house. Matt's mission becomes increasingly dangerous when he begins to learn Frost's secrets and who really is after him.
The acting in this film by the leads is pretty good. Denzel is really playing a character we've seen him play many times before. He's not showing us anything new here but rather just showing us why he's good at what he does - the smooth, intellectual "bad" guy. Ryan Reynolds is no Denzel but he does show some range as his character goes through a range of emotions. The script and editing could've been better. I felt that the last 30 minutes had so many twists that I was almost dizzy. In a way there's not much really stand-out about this film but it's not a bad way to pass the time. Solid C for what could've been better but manages to be average with good leads.
The acting in this film by the leads is pretty good. Denzel is really playing a character we've seen him play many times before. He's not showing us anything new here but rather just showing us why he's good at what he does - the smooth, intellectual "bad" guy. Ryan Reynolds is no Denzel but he does show some range as his character goes through a range of emotions. The script and editing could've been better. I felt that the last 30 minutes had so many twists that I was almost dizzy. In a way there's not much really stand-out about this film but it's not a bad way to pass the time. Solid C for what could've been better but manages to be average with good leads.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Movie Review: Red Tails (2012)
"Red Tails" is George Lucas' film based on the true story of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American servicemen during World War II. The men make up the 332nd Fighter Group and face segregation within the Air Force as they fly outdated planes and are not given a chance at assignments that involve combat. Col Bullard (Terrance Howard) fights for opportunities for equality for African American pilots while Major Stance (Cuba Gooding Jr) guides a group of pilots who just want a chance to prove themselves. The group is made up of Easy (Nate Parker), Lightening (David Oyelowo), Junior/Ray Gun (Tristan Wilds), Smokey (Ne-Yo) and Joker (Elijah Kelley).
The reviews I've seen on this film have been pretty mixed if not skewed toward negative but I think there's some good in this film. I think the story the movie is based on is an important one and there's a lot of food for thought about segregation and equal rights within the film. The film doesn't shy away from the racism the characters faced outside of the military and also within. The flying/fighting sequences were overall well done. I think the problems center on the script because some of it was stilted and awkward and it seemed like there were too many characters resulting in many of them being underdeveloped. The addition of the love story for Lightening with an Italian local woman just seemed unnecessary. I think that the script really took what could've been a great movie and made it almost unbearable. This movie could've been so much better and really should've been given the subject matter. It begs the question: is it better for a story that needs to be told to be done poorly or not be done at all?
Important issues and good fighting sequences but so many issues in the script - C
The reviews I've seen on this film have been pretty mixed if not skewed toward negative but I think there's some good in this film. I think the story the movie is based on is an important one and there's a lot of food for thought about segregation and equal rights within the film. The film doesn't shy away from the racism the characters faced outside of the military and also within. The flying/fighting sequences were overall well done. I think the problems center on the script because some of it was stilted and awkward and it seemed like there were too many characters resulting in many of them being underdeveloped. The addition of the love story for Lightening with an Italian local woman just seemed unnecessary. I think that the script really took what could've been a great movie and made it almost unbearable. This movie could've been so much better and really should've been given the subject matter. It begs the question: is it better for a story that needs to be told to be done poorly or not be done at all?
Important issues and good fighting sequences but so many issues in the script - C
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Movie Review: Bullhead (2011)
"Bullhead" is a Belgian film about a cattle farmer named Jacky (Matthias Schoenaerts) who has been brought into a deal with a shady beef dealer along with others but he is almost immediately suspicious of the other players. Though his involvement with the beef dealer is minimal, the death of a police officer investigating hormone-fed beef starts wheels in motion that threatens Jacky and brings someone from his past into his present. Through flashbacks the audience sees a horrific incident in Jacky's past that led him to inject not only his cattle but also himself with hormones.
This movie is gritty and raw with a bit of violence as we see Jacky behave like an animal himself in several situations. Schoenaerts is great in the lead role making Jacky sympathetic even when he's behaving erratically. This movie really had an interesting story, good acting, good direction and cinematography. My only complaint is that some of the flashbacks felt a little awkward and jerky and it's a tad long but otherwise this film is really solid. I give this a B+ and hope that people will overlook the subtitles and give this film a chance.
This movie is gritty and raw with a bit of violence as we see Jacky behave like an animal himself in several situations. Schoenaerts is great in the lead role making Jacky sympathetic even when he's behaving erratically. This movie really had an interesting story, good acting, good direction and cinematography. My only complaint is that some of the flashbacks felt a little awkward and jerky and it's a tad long but otherwise this film is really solid. I give this a B+ and hope that people will overlook the subtitles and give this film a chance.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Movie Review: Machine Gun Preacher (2011)
"Machine Gun Preacher" is an action/drama biopic telling the story of Sam Childers (played by Gerard Butler). Sam gets out of prison to find that his wife Lynn (Michelle Monaghan) has "found Jesus" while he goes back to his wild ways. A harrowing experience gets Sam to attend church with his wife and daughter and he is converted. As Sam begins a successful contracting business he hears a missionary speak about his work in Uganda. Sam decides to go to Uganda and work on a mission project but while there he visits the war zone in southern Sudan and is shocked at the need there particularly the orphaned children. Back at home Sam and his family build and start a new church and then build an orphanage in Sudan. As Sam builds and supports the orphanage he faces struggles both external and internal.
This is a film that hasn't gotten as much buzz as a typical Gerard Butler film. I think that this film is average but not great and Butler does his best with the script. He is especially believable during the first portion of the film when Sam is first out of prison and back to his wild ways. I felt that at times the script got a bit long and tired. The direction at times was a bit awkward as well. It's a gritty film and there is a good bit of violence - Sam's wild ways plus the violence against children in many cases in Sudan.
There is some controversy surrounding this film due to the connection to the "Kony2012" movement. Sam Childers works with the Sudan People's Liberation Army to protect and save children from Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army. Personally I didn't find the film to be a full-fledged propaganda film for "Kony2012." In fact I thought it was interesting that the female doctor in the film challenges Sam several times about his intentions and methods, specifically using violence, and even compares him to Kony.
This film was okay but not great for me. I thought at times Butler was really good but at times the film really lagged and the violence got tough to watch. C+.
This is a film that hasn't gotten as much buzz as a typical Gerard Butler film. I think that this film is average but not great and Butler does his best with the script. He is especially believable during the first portion of the film when Sam is first out of prison and back to his wild ways. I felt that at times the script got a bit long and tired. The direction at times was a bit awkward as well. It's a gritty film and there is a good bit of violence - Sam's wild ways plus the violence against children in many cases in Sudan.
There is some controversy surrounding this film due to the connection to the "Kony2012" movement. Sam Childers works with the Sudan People's Liberation Army to protect and save children from Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army. Personally I didn't find the film to be a full-fledged propaganda film for "Kony2012." In fact I thought it was interesting that the female doctor in the film challenges Sam several times about his intentions and methods, specifically using violence, and even compares him to Kony.
This film was okay but not great for me. I thought at times Butler was really good but at times the film really lagged and the violence got tough to watch. C+.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Movie Review: This Means War (2012)
"This Means War" wants to be an action/romance/comedy combo but doesn't achieve any of the three. FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy) are CIA agents who not only work together but are long-time best friends. Their friendship is tested when they accidentally start seeing the same woman, Lauren (Reese Witherspoon). Once the guys realize the situation, they agree to let the lady decide and both continue seeing her while agreeing they won't tell her they know each other, won't interfere with each other's dates, and won't sleep with her. Being CIA agents with a lot of technology and skill on their side, the guys quickly forget about the no interference rule as their dates with Lauren heat up.
I think that the major problem with this film is that it's trying to be too much. It's hard to be action, romance, and comedy all at once and I think this film falls short on all three marks. There's not enough action to really establish this as a spy or action film. The audience sees very little of the guys doing much other than competing over Lauren, who doesn't know they are spies. The romance angle didn't work for me because I saw no real chemistry between Witherspoon and her two suitors. Really I thought the chemistry was between Hardy and Pine, who would've been great in a film just about the two of them in a "buddy" or "partner in crime" situation. As far as comedy, the writing and delivery just didn't bring the laughs enough to make this a real comedy. The only chuckles come from Hardy and Pine interacting despite the weak script. Chelsea Handler attempted to bring some laughs as Lauren's married best pal/confidant, but I felt she just didn't have much to work with and her efforts fell short.
Overall, I just think this film is such a miss in terms of its writing, delivery, direction, and lack of chemistry. It's a good example of what was possibly a good idea (combining action with rom-com) and big names (Witherspoon, Hardy, Pines) but the result is a poor film - D+.
I think that the major problem with this film is that it's trying to be too much. It's hard to be action, romance, and comedy all at once and I think this film falls short on all three marks. There's not enough action to really establish this as a spy or action film. The audience sees very little of the guys doing much other than competing over Lauren, who doesn't know they are spies. The romance angle didn't work for me because I saw no real chemistry between Witherspoon and her two suitors. Really I thought the chemistry was between Hardy and Pine, who would've been great in a film just about the two of them in a "buddy" or "partner in crime" situation. As far as comedy, the writing and delivery just didn't bring the laughs enough to make this a real comedy. The only chuckles come from Hardy and Pine interacting despite the weak script. Chelsea Handler attempted to bring some laughs as Lauren's married best pal/confidant, but I felt she just didn't have much to work with and her efforts fell short.
Overall, I just think this film is such a miss in terms of its writing, delivery, direction, and lack of chemistry. It's a good example of what was possibly a good idea (combining action with rom-com) and big names (Witherspoon, Hardy, Pines) but the result is a poor film - D+.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) are back in "A Game of Shadows" - the sequal to the 2009 film also directed by Guy Ritchie. This time Watson is trying to married while Holmes suspects that seemingly unrelated recent bombings, murders, and business acquisitions are actually part of a broader scheme of nemisis Dr. Moriarty. The ensuing chess game between Holmes and Moriarty creates a race against time through Europe with a potential world war on the line. A gypsy fortune-teller Simza (Noomi Rapace), who is searching for her lost brother, joins the guys as her search and theirs intertwine.
I thought that this film over the previous Holmes film showcased more of the buddy chemistry between Downey and Law. The sparring between the two is great. Also I love the Holmes role for Downey because he fits it like a glove transitioning between Holmes' quirky behavior and brilliant detective work (including some amazing disguises). I also liked Rapace, famous for the Swedish "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" films, as the guys' female companion. She is one to watch. I liked the story also but my problem was with the direction. Too many slow-motion fight/deduction sequences. It seems a bit over-styled at times. Otherwise, it's a good time with a good mystery with two good pals. I give it a B+. If you liked the 2009 film then be sure and watch this one as it's better.
I thought that this film over the previous Holmes film showcased more of the buddy chemistry between Downey and Law. The sparring between the two is great. Also I love the Holmes role for Downey because he fits it like a glove transitioning between Holmes' quirky behavior and brilliant detective work (including some amazing disguises). I also liked Rapace, famous for the Swedish "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" films, as the guys' female companion. She is one to watch. I liked the story also but my problem was with the direction. Too many slow-motion fight/deduction sequences. It seems a bit over-styled at times. Otherwise, it's a good time with a good mystery with two good pals. I give it a B+. If you liked the 2009 film then be sure and watch this one as it's better.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
"On Stranger Tides" is the fourth installment of the Pirates franchise and hopefully the last. This film dispenses with Orlando Bloom and Keira Knighley's charachters, who were in the first three films, and there's no explanation or reference to them at all rather this film focuses on Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow. Also notable is that this film has none of the expansive fighting scenes between the ships. Positive additions to this film are added scenes/lines to Geoffry Rush who plays Barbossa and the addition of Penelope Cruz as Angelica, Blackbeard's daughter. The adventure in this film is the race to find the fabled Fountain of Youth, which both the Spanish and British want to find but Blackbeard needs to find it for a more personal reason.
I really liked seeing Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp spar with each other as their characters are semi-romantic interests. Geoffry Rush is a treat but also look out for Keith Richards in a cameo early in the film. Though there is good acting, overall there was a lot going on in this film and many storylines that were attempted to be resolved in a short period of time at the end. I think that some of these storylines, like the missionary/mermaid one, didn't really add to the film. The Jack/Angelica dynamic and the Blackbeard/Angelica dynamic were more interesting and could've been more fleshed out.
The bottom line is that this film is better than the previous two in the franchise but still not as satisfying as the original. Average but check it out if you're a fan of the franchise: C.
I really liked seeing Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp spar with each other as their characters are semi-romantic interests. Geoffry Rush is a treat but also look out for Keith Richards in a cameo early in the film. Though there is good acting, overall there was a lot going on in this film and many storylines that were attempted to be resolved in a short period of time at the end. I think that some of these storylines, like the missionary/mermaid one, didn't really add to the film. The Jack/Angelica dynamic and the Blackbeard/Angelica dynamic were more interesting and could've been more fleshed out.
The bottom line is that this film is better than the previous two in the franchise but still not as satisfying as the original. Average but check it out if you're a fan of the franchise: C.
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