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Saw III (2006)
Don't be blinded by the gore
While the Saw series is often (incorrectly, I feel) blamed for the goring-up of horror films and credited with starting the torture porn genre, something you'll notice if you watch the first two installments in the series is that they're fairly restrained and not as exploitive as some might expect. Saw III, on the other hand, is where the films stopped restraining themselves with the violence and adopted a policy of "keep showing! Show everything! More blood!!" This is not bad in and of itself, but I do feel like people more critical of the film are distracted by that and can't see that this film has much more story and character than the give it credit for. In this film, a doctor played by Bahar Soomekh is told she has to keep a dying Jigsaw alive while a man, played by Angus Macfadyen, goes from room to room confronting people he believes responsible for his son's death and has to choose to either let the people in the traps die, or to forgive them and set them free. The film's biggest strength is in its characters. You really feel for and understand Macfadyen's character and the tragedy of his situation and it's really hard to watch him go through his tests and face his own personal demons. Equally compelling is the Amanda-Jigsaw relationship, which is very unique for a horror film like this and the scenes they have together are the type you don't expect from a saw film, with Jigsaw reassuring Amanda that he believes in her worthiness to carry on his work in a very father-daughter like manner, with some very subtle characterization. In summary, the film has good characters, a some compelling and interesting drama and character dynamics, even going to far to explore the small difference between what Jigsaw does and what a straight-up murderer does, and the twists are just as compelling as you would expect from these movies at this point. I really wish they hadn't felt the need to be as gory with it as they did, since I think more people would be more open to the film. As is, the film is in my top 3 of the series, along with Part 6 and Part 1.
Halloween (1978)
The Creation of One of the Greatest Slashers of All Time
Back in 1978, John Carpenter was hired to Direct a horror film with one of the simplest plots ever-- crazy escaped maniac escapes from the nut house and stalks babysitters. It's as simple as that. It's a simple plot, and yet it is held today as a film that you almost have to watch on Halloween night every year. Unlike other slasher knockoffs that came after it, or even before it, most of the characters are likable and you can actually be in suspense and hope that they get away. It's not just a bunch of stupid annoying teens. They're regular people just going about there business. The best part of the movie, of course, is the cat and mouse chase between Michael Myers and Sam Loomis. Donald Pleasance delivers some of the best dialogue in horror film history, which gives the character of Michael Myers more depth than he probably would have had otherwise. I also have to commend this movie for being able to be suspenseful without gore. I love gore, but I like when you can entertain me without is and there isn't much blood to be seen here.
The only bad thing I can find about the film is some of the acting. Especially the parents and Judith Myers in the beginning. And Laurie's friends were pretty bad, too. If I hear the word "totally" one more time, I'm going to jump on screen and stab her myself.
All in all, it's a fun slasher film in it's campy elements (mostly brought on by the passage of time) and its horror elements.
9/10
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
It Sure Ain't the 1990 Film
After all the hype, after all the waiting we finally reach the final avengers movie before the big cahoona. So far, all of the Avengers films have been good. I loved Iron Man, I really liked Thor and The Incredible Hulk, and I also liked Iron Man 2. But, I've been waiting for an Avenger film that rivals the fun I had with the first Iron Man.
And I finally found it with. With Captain America, of all things! Even before I walked into the movie, I felt that it was going to be at least good. If you can do Thor, then how hard can Captain America be? I wasn't worried about the Director or cast, and I couldn't wait to see it.
The Good-- 90% of it. The casting was great and I loved every actor in the film. Chris Evans does a great job as C.A., selling the whimpy Steve Rogers without taking it too far and making a believable transition from that to Super-Soldier. I was rooting for him all the way. I loved all of the supporting characters, which include the likable scientist Stanley Tucci and the super-sexy love interest. Another strong point to the film is how well it captures the time. It looks and feels like a world war 2 era film, especially during the bond-selling scenes. It even felt like a Bond film at times. The action scenes are top notch and the climax was exciting and emotional. Not to mention that the ending of the film was very exciting and I encourage people to stay through the credits.
Bad-- The first thing is probably just me not being a huge Captain America/Thor fan, being that the movies were my first intro to the characters: I would have liked more information on that glowing cube thing. They just say that it's a huge power source and It had something to do with Oden. A little more information would have been nice. Another thing is that I didn't like the Red Skull's makeup. It was too rubbery looking, It was supposed to be a physical deformity and it just looked like a mask with some CG on top. My final complaint is that the villain death was kind of weak. I predicted that it would happen that way, but it wasn't a good execution.
In Closing-- It's a great film, go see it. It's funny, fun to watch, and you will not be disappointed by hardly anything. There were even points while I was watching it where I considered it perfect. I'm still debating on whether or not it's better than Iron Man 1.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Audiences! Roll in!
Alright-- First transformers: Love it. Second One: Heavily Flawed, but still fun for me. I'm sorry. I like it. I've watched it many times thinking it wouldn't hold up. It still does.
I'll start with the good: Plenty of great action scenes involving humans and Robots alike with just about everyone getting there own bad ass moment. Bay is great at directing action. The plot, while thin and similar to the other films, had enough twists and turns and mystery to keep me invested. There are even a couple of big reveals that I liked. The acting is competent, though it does stray with some and I even got some laughs. I also liked the new girl, despite the Liv Tyler lips. I also like that John Tuturo's character wasn't all that annoying in this one. Even Lebouf's parents were used to a small degree in this one, and weren't quite as annoying, except for one overly-vulgar joke.
Now for the bad, the part most will probably want to love: I said I liked the new girl, but I liked Megan Fox's character a bit better. Fox's character did more in the other films. This girl is pretty much a damsel in distress the whole time. Another big problem is that Shockwave is deemed as the film's main villain on the IMDb pages. He ain't. He may as well not have been named. He has no real dialogue and probably fired his gun once. Another false point is that the cameos by Ken Jeong and John Malcovich. Malchovich serves no purpose and his last couple of scenes should have been deleted. Jeong is just annoying and I was so relieved when his character died. No real spoiler there. There is also some really bad attempts at humor in there, too. The only other bad thing I can name is that we spend too much time with people. I let it slip with the first 2, but this time was too much. We needed a few more scenes with Robots at this point.
Scream 4 (2011)
"F*** Bruce Willis"
Ah, good old Ghostface makes a return in this age of reboots, remakes, and long awaited sequels to old favorites. This particular slasher makes a return in a movie that is commenting on a bit of them all.
First, I give you my opinions on the others. Scream 1: 9/10 and certainly on my top 10 slasher list. Scream 2: 6/10. Just couldn't get into it. It had an opening that made me laugh, but not in a good way, and that awkward felling it left me with just stayed with me the whole time. Scream 3: Now, I haven't seen this one in a while, but I remember liking it more than 2. If memory serves me right, it was an 8/10.
And now, Scream 4.
As you know by now, we have the original cast returning (Arquette, Campbell, and Cox) and the parts are performed as good as ever, along with some okay to good performances by the new characters. Some of the smaller characters were a little "meh." Arquette could have upped his game a bit better. The suspense is good and so are the killings and make you go "Oomph! That's gotta hurt!" The humor is also pretty good most of the time and the movie never gets boring. That's probably the best thing I can say about it is that I was always into it and never even thought of dozing off.
If you listen to many other reviews, they seem to like the opening says. Personally, I disagree. I could see how it may have worked in the script, but it didn't work on screen. When you see it, you might get what I mean. In the middle, the movie's problems are very minor. There's too many jump scares, most of the humor is good, but there are others where it feels like they're trying too hard, or it's just inappropriate. They could also have done a better job at reintroducing you to the characters. It's been a decade and we don't get much! The last gripe is the ending: The movie tries to make a statement at the end about how the appeal of fame can affect people and about why people get famous. It feels crow barred in and it maybe should have been brought up earlier in the film. Another thing is that the reveal and the explanation of motive and the laying out of the killer's plan-- I bought it, but it addresses an issue of overnight sensations and what people are getting famous for and I thought that should have been brought up sooner.
Summary: Where the movie hits are the important parts. The parts where it misses are mostly minor, except for the beginning and end and some bad bits of humor and lack of reintroductions. I could see people come out loving it, I could see people not loving it.
For me, it's 8/10
Saw 3D (2010)
A Fun Farewell to Our Friend Jigsaw
The alleged "final film." Now, after watching all six saw films over the past few weeks, my hopes were up for the last film. That being said, I am happy to say that I am entertained and liked this film a lot, but I am not without my gripes.
First: the film is just a little too cartoonish. The first trap involves a girl that hangs from the ceiling half dressed and her breasts are paid a lot of attention to, especially with the 3D. Being a guy, I don't mind this, but it felt a bit gratuitous and I couldn't take the scene seriously. Especially with the accidentally funny dialogue. I've always applauded Saw for not falling to the clichés that most franchises eventually fall to like blatant cheese and camp. This film didn't take its self very seriously, and was very unintentionally funny at times. The lead cop, Chad Donella, is just there for comedy and is more funny than dramatic. One other thing that bothered me is the ending. Without ruining much: There are 3 characters that are shown in a scene, and I know who one is, but when I was walking out of the theater the first thing I said was "Who the hell were the other two?" They also make a decision that I didn't like with one of the characters.
To name the good things: the traps are all very good, especially the one that involves cars. I won't say any more. The deaths are great, and there's plenty of gore. And, since it's in 3D, you get a bit of it flying at you. The 3D, by the way, is pretty good. I also like the guy who plays Bobby in the movie, despite being an Ed Norton ripoff and Bettsy Russel was also good too. I'm happy that, despite Tobin Bell having only two minutes of screen time, it still moved fast.
Oh, and a question for the rest of you: Did you manage to hold back the laugh when he showed up at the book signing scene?
Alright, in summary: There was no actor that I hated, but a couple I was somewhat annoyed with. I didn't care for the ending and I loved all of the traps.
If they had at least fixed up the ending or the campiness, this could have been one of the best in the series.
As it is, it's an 8/10
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
Good but Flawed Remake
I'll start out by saying that I am, in fact, a fan of the original and it does deserve its spot in the IMDb top 250. Now, I am not a die hard fan, therefor, I did not go into this movie very mad that they remade the original like I was with Halloween.
The acting is quite good. They've got Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Cathy Bates, etc. A great cast. I was very relieved to see that, even though Klaatu had powers, he didn't completely remind me of Neo. I very much liked all of the characters, despite some needed development. The movie also has some decent affects and Gort looks more bad ass than ever. And that's not just talking about how he looks. I was happy to see that he did more than just stand there and look pretty, though I felt his introduction could have used some work. Last, the ending was good and satisfactory despite a bad line from little Smith.
Professor Berhardt (I probably spelled that wrong) was one of my favorite characters in the original, yet he only gets about five minutes of screen time here and about four lines of ideologue. Like I said above, the characters were a bit underdeveloped. After work, the mother gets home, has an argument with her son, then she is picked up by people in suits. I would have had the audience see what these characters go through in there daily lives and then have the guys pick her up when she goes to bed. The lack of development also causes the movie to feel a bit rushed. I mean, they had plenty of time, why rush it? Last, the phrase "Klaatu Barrada Nikto" is there, though it's barely heard and, being that there is no true definition for these words, they could have put it into any situation in the film. Last, the movie is called "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL" yet it didn't have a very global feel to it.
And then there's the McDonalds scene.
Overall, this is a fun popcorn flick with plenty of action, believable characters, and some witty, sometimes humorous ideologue.
Frost/Nixon (2008)
Excellent
This is, without a doubt, the best made film of the year. I will see this at least one more time before DVD. I know, with that comment, some people are going to say "No, it was The Dark Knight!" So take into account that I said that it was the best MADE film of the year. TDK's one flaw was Maggie Gylenhaal. But, hey! This isn't a Dark Knight review! This is Frost/Nixon.
Let's get going.
The Good: Flawless performances by everyone from the extras to the actors that are only in this movie for like two minutes. Despite the fact that it is all about an interview, it never gets boring because of how tense it becomes. I've heard people compare this interview to a boxing match. Hell yeah! This is so close to being a boxing match, that I half expected them to parody the ending scene of Rocky using Frost and Nixon. You like all of the characters for one reason or another- I actually felt sorry for Nixon at times. Like in a scene where he's giving a speech and you can see that the people aren't interested in what he's saying. Then comes this dialog between Nixon and Kevin Baken's character:
"I can't stand it, Jack! Reducing the presidency to a series of banal anecdotes! I feel like a circus animal doing tricks! AND I THOUGHT I MADE IT CLEAR, I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS ON WATERGATE! DAMN IT! As soon as it came to question time, all those sons of bitches ever want to hear about is Watergate. It's as if all my other achievements cease to exist."
Some of dialog from the supporting characters is even funny at times, mostly coming from Oliver Platt and Sam Rockwell. I felt Frost's frustration with trying to get money and sponsors as the sweat poured down his face. I was as frustrated as he was when nobody believed he would go anywhere. Jesus! In addition, the pacing is perfect. Being 2 hours long, and being about an interview, I expected this to drag like the When a Stranger Calls remake. I need to, last of all, give a lot of credit to Frank Langella. He may not look exactly like Nixon, but he's a damn good actor and I actually saw Nixon's face on his the entire time. Give him best actor.
Bad: Umm... jeez. Nothing.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
A Breath of Fresh Air For Me
I must say, I wasn't even planning on seeing this in the theaters, but a few friends of mine talked me into it and, hey, it's a James Bond film. I'm pretty much guaranteed to like some parts if not the whole movie. That being said, I didn't like Casino Royale. I thought it was incredibly boring after Eva Green showed up. Not blaming her, its just at that moment that the film dipped low.
I will start out by saying that I liked this movie much more than Royale. It had everything I could ever want out of a Bond film. Great casting, acting, action sequences, hot women, and a good overall story. This is the first actual Bond sequel and 007 wants to get revenge for the death of his girlfriend. This, to me, surpasses Royale in every way. The chemistry between the characters was also very good. The dialog was witty and often humorous and it felt like the movie went by very fast. Didn't feel like 2 hours.
The only gripes I have for this film are very minor. Didn't care for either of the bond girls. Both of them felt kind of forced. I've heard people mention the camera work in the action scenes and, for once, I agree. Normally I don't even notice the shaky cam, at least not since I saw Armaggeddon. But, I don't think I'll have any problems with that in the future.
The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008)
I Have to Stick Up For my Friends Mulder and Scully
I have listened to many reviews of this film that rate it very low. I think it's very far from a bad movie. Now, in some reviews, it is said that we don't get caught up on what Mulder and Scully have been doing for the past 6 years. In my opinion, it's pretty self explanatory. Scully became a doctor and Mulder's been in hiding from the FBI. Another thing that people say is that it's boring as sh** and I, again, disagree. I was very interested from start to finish. True, it lacked action scenes, but that was NEVER what XFiles was about. The cast is also very good from Amanda Peet to Mitch Pileggi's short cameo as Skinner.
My only problems with the film concern the slow pace and bad execution toward the end and I felt that they ended it without any closure. I also wish they could have given a good enough reason to come on this case. Another thing is that, other than the religion factor, it lost a lot of supernatural elements.
As you can see, I have gripes. But they are just so minor.
The Wolfman (2010)
Review of the Unrated Version
Okay, I've heard a lot of people complaining that this looks a lot like Van Helsing in the trailers. Let me just say that, apart from some similarities in cinematography and sets, it's not like Van Helsing. Just about everybody has heard the story of THE WOLFMAN. A guy goes somewhere with which he's not familiar, gets bitten by a werewolf, turns into one after ignoring constant warnings. Now, after telling the plot like that, you may think I'll accuse this film of being unoriginal. Since it's a remake, I can't call it on this, but I am getting tired of seeing this same pattern in so many movies.
Positives: I really like the direction of the movie. The director is very good at setting up mood. The cast and the acting quality is actually very good. A lot of people are saying that Del Toro was miscast. I can see where those people are coming from, but I didn't think he was that bad. The gore is great, but not too overbearing. It's not like you're watching Friday the 13th with a werewolf. There are also some good scares in it. I must also praise Rick Baker's work on the makeup effects. I can definitely say that this may be Oscar worthy. I would also like to thank Universal for not using a completely CG werewolf. And thank you for that very nice werewolf on werewolf fight.
The Negatives: The movie's biggest flaw is the serious lack of likable characters. Emily Blunt, as hot as she may be, is crying in all but one scene and isn't given much to stretch her out. I supported Del Toro on th acting, but I just never really cared about his character. This could have been helped if the love subplot between Del Toro and Emily Blunt (HOT HOT!) didn't seem so flat. Never bought it. There is also a very unsatisfactory ending. My last complaint is a few jump scares. I hate jump scares, and there are some of them very quickly.
Basically, this movie is certainly enjoyable. Therefore, I would like you to give this movie a shot. I really can't see too many people hating it.
8/10
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Aside from plot holes and IMPROBABILITIES AS BIG AS THE EARTH, It Was Fun
The Bad: When I say improbabilities, I mean improbabilities. There's a part about fifteen minutes in when Alice and Wesker crash a plane headfirst into a mountain and minutes later she walks out of the wreckage mildly burned with a limp. Now, Wesker has powers now so I can accept him surviving. She's human. If you can buy that, the sky's the limit. Other problems include Wentworth Miller, who was doing his best Christian Bale impression the whole time and the guy who played Wesker was pretty bad, too. I could see that guy being a memorable villain, but it was kind of ruined by the performance and an anticlimactic, but cool looking, end fight.
The Good: This series is very much one of those that, while it is very different to the game, they are still fun movies. For that, I put this series up with some of the better video game movies that we have, not that that's saying much. I mean, look what it's going up against. And for those of you who want these things to be more faithful to the games, this is the most faithful one so far. The action scenes, while indeed stealing heavily in some parts, are really fun and the rest of the acting isn't as bad as it could have been. I've read some reviews where the critic was bothered by the sudden and unexplained appearance of the Executioner/Axe Man. This is different from the video games and previous movies how? It's the Resident Evil movie. You kill these bosses and you just move on from there. I don't want a whole back story on a guy who only appears for about fifteen-twenty minutes.
Now, if you like the other three films, go ahead and see this one. If you didn't, I don't even know why you're reading this review because this most certainly is not going to redeem it.
8/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Another Remake of a Classic Slasher Film is Upon Us.
Alright, first, we have Halloween- Bulls***. Next, we have Friday the 13th- In my opinion, a good film. Now, we have A Nightmare on Elm Street.
People keep saying that the film is very dull. I disagree. Every time something happened, Freddy would pop up. However, that's where my biggest problem comes up. I get really annoyed with jump scares and I don't remember why Hollywood still does that. You get one, Hollywood. After that, I don't want to see another one until the film is over. Maybe an extra one right at the end, if you want. A positive point is the performance by Jackie Earl Hailey, which I feel was a worthy followup to Robert Englund's performance. I like the darker, more sinister Freddy more and I didn't think that any of his puns were to silly or out of place. They even borrow a few toward the end from the previous Nightmare films. I also forgot to mention that I like the way they turned his backstory into a mystery. One last point is the acting. I know I'm going to take a lot of heat when I say it wasn't that bad. Although, Rooney Mara didn't do it for me. She was just kind of boring. And even the parents were kind of bad.
All in all, if you're a Nightmare fan, I would definitely recommend giving this a shot. And don't make any comments like "I didn't like this. Robert wasn't in it." Because you should have known that before you bought your ticket! If it had a few less jump scares, and maybe a few more clever killings, I could have given it a higher rating, but that stuff really bugs me so...
Predators (2010)
Bring on Predator 4
Alright, I'll let you know my opinion of the other films before I get to this one. 1ST PREDATOR, I'll just say it: awesome. Do I need to say more than that? 2n: Dumb, poorly acted in some parts, but the second half was pretty kick ass. The 2 AVP films: I'm one of few people who liked the first one, albeit aware of his flaws. The second one is nothing more than a B movie and is only good for blood and gore.
Now we have PREDATORS. And let me just say that my hat is off to Mr. Rodriguez for helping to create this. It is truly the Predator film we have been waiting for. It's well acted, the action is affective, the PREDATORS are more bad ass than ever, and the film actually explores the predator world more than the other films. All of the characters are likable at one time or another, and I actually felt sorry for a few of them when they died. You really don't know where they're going to go with any of the characters that last through more than the first act. There was a time where I thought they could have killed off just about anyone. Co-Host said there weren't any really good action scenes, but I have to disagree with him entirely. Every time I started to get bored, either a good action scene would reel me back in, or it would be a character saying or doing something unexpected.
The only gripes I have with the film involve small things such as underused actors like Trejo and Fishburn. You could have put anybody in those roles, why spend so much on actors that would only have five to ten minutes of screen time? The audience I was with actually clapped when Fishburn showed up, and I heard a noticeable "aww" noise when he died. My next problem involves the effects- not very good. Especially when the Predators would go to and from "invisible mode". Though, this also brings up a good point, which is that they didn't use too much unnecessary CG. Last gripes I have involve a Predator on Predator fight. They mostly tackle each other the whole time and I thought they could have done so much more.
Overall, it has some noticeable flaws. But, the fact that those flaws are restricted to one specific part of the film rather than something that drags on through the film makes it a very watchable film
Dragonball Evolution (2009)
Mor like "Dragons**t Evolution"
I'm gonna get straight to the point. This movie is stupid, poorly made, and... okay. It sucks.
First, the acting is terrible. A line in the film is "I will avenge him" and it's painfully hollow. I was expecting them to reveal that everybody was robots at the end. The only good actors in the movie are Yun-Chow-Fat, or however you say his name, and James Marsters. By the way, James Marsters- Piccolo- the villain- with the best dialog in the movie- is barely in the film. I mean it. On that subject, there are so many underdeveloped plots in the film. Especially the love subplots. Apparently, all i need to do to get a girl is open her locker for her. And what was up with Yamcha and Bulma? They immediately hit on each other, even after Yamcha traps them in a hole/cave. Next, the effects. Awful. The Oozaru. I'm shocked that that thing got past the editing room. That and those monsters that piccolo sends after the heroes. Oh, I almost forgot to question why, when these people meet each other- they automatically say "Oh. I've got to help you." What the heck is that? On the good side, I enjoyed the last twenty minutes of the movie despite the effects. Like I said, James Marsters and Chow-Yun-Fat are good and Roshi was funny. But, there is just nothing to offer here. The movie's biggest problem is that it's stupid and the jerks at Fox clearly didn't care at all about Dragonball.
4/10
REBOOT PLEASE
House M.D.: Simple Explanation (2009)
So Sad
Spoilers
Honestly, I would love to talk to the person who saw this coming. Kutner killing himself? Kutner, man, we barely knew ye'. I always had a feeling that they would eventually kill off a character, but I would have expected it to be Wilson or Chase. Kutner? I would never have seen it coming. I really like this character, especially in the episode "Here Kitty". His superstitious ways made my lungs hurt from laughter. Same goes for his persistent ways, best shown when he turned his #6 upside down. The last piece of the puzzle to make this a complete and heartfelt episode was Taub's reaction at the end to his friend's death after holding it in.
Kutner, may you rest in peace
Friday the 13th (2009)
Jason!!!!
Man, I loved the living hell out of this movie. Blood, women, a few jumps. And, there's not all that many jump scares. Please make more.
Jason doesn't disappoint at all. He's scary for the first time in a while. Hollywood, keep with the smart, fast Jason. Now, a lot of people are complaining that this doesn't do anything new. Give me a break. Neither did any of the other ones. Granted, that's not a good thing per say, but I still don't hear anyone talking about that. I got laughs, booty, everything I wanted. Even the acting wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Even if it had been as bad as I thought, has this franchise ever been known for A grade actors. The only notable one I know is Kevin Bacon.
All in all, this is a great movie. Although, I would advise the next film to try something new