With a poor choice made with my Netflix instant selection of Calvin Marshall, thank goodness there are men like Martin McDonagh to make everything all right again with films like In Bruges. [Read more...]
HST…Film Review: Skyfall
11/09/2012 by Leave a Comment
Zac: Craig is back as Bond with possibly the best director yet to work on the series in Sam Mendes, and the results are sure to please Bond fanatics who have felt the series has gotten away from its roots, while not alienating those that don’t mind the new face of Bond.
Film Review: Wrath of the Titans
03/29/2012 by Leave a Comment
2010’s Clash of the Titans may not be the best film by far, but for a blockbuster with quite the action and visual effects filled center, it is a movie I honestly don’t get sick of watching when I just want to get lost in something. With this base and quite the exciting trailer, Wrath of the Titans was looking like a sequel that could far surpass the previous film in more than just sand and mixed mythology. It could truly be great! [Read more...]
Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II
07/15/2011 by Leave a Comment
The Deathly Hallows: Part II is an exciting, heart pumping, and near perfect finale to the Harry Potter series.
We last left our heroes as they escaped Malfoy Manor and our villain had acquired the Deathly Hallow, the Elder Wand. Harry, Hermione, and Ron pick right back up where they left off, on the trail for Voldemort’s Horcruxes, and they have a lead on the possible location of the fourth. Meanwhile, Snape is headmaster at Hogwarts and Voldemort may be realizing the fate of his Horcruxes.
The film opens with a couple scenes of exposition and then basically hits the ground running. The pacing is fantastic and the film rarely gives you a chance to breath. [Read more...]
Now Playing – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
11/19/2010 by Leave a Comment
A few years back when the last Harry Potter book was released I went with my sister to pick up her reserved copy at Borders. Stepping hesitantly into the throngs of Potter devotees I picked a seemingly safe place away from the costumed clusters animatedly discussing their favorite memories from the series and what is to come. Don’t get me wrong, I love the books and all, but when an excited voice snuck up behind me shouting, “You’re a wizard, Harry!” and I turned around to find Dumbledore, Hagrid and a Death Eater laughing at my expression, I was clearly not as fanatical as they come. No matter where you fall on the Potter fan spectrum, you will be pleased to know that they are looking to go out on top with the first half of the 7th book’s adaptation to film.
Those of you who will be running out the theaters to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 can probably spout off the basic storyline of this chunk of the Potter saga, while the rest of you should stick your toes in the water back with the first novel and/or film because at this point drowning is the only way out without previous knowledge. [Read more...]
Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
11/19/2010 by Leave a Comment
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 definitely feels like a part one, but it is executed nearly perfectly and it sets the stage for The Deathly Hallows to easily be the best of the Potter films when it is all said and done.
Picking up more or less right where the last film left off, Harry, Hermione, and Ron are foregoing their last year at Hogwarts in an attempt to track down Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes and destroy them. And if that sentence made any sense to you than that is all you need to know about the film. If you don’t, go read the books!
If you aren’t a Harry Potter fan, of either the films or the books, then there is no reason to apply here as the movie will not cater to you in the slightest. That is a good thing and the film does a great job at respecting its audience and doesn’t feel the need to flash clips to reminds us what happened every time they mention something from a previous film; ala Return of the King.
Review: Cemetery Junction (Now Out on Blu-Ray/DVD)
08/11/2010 by Leave a Comment
The first feature film from the brilliant British duo Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais is a bit more of a dramatic affair but still serves as an excellent, if a tad conventional, portrait of an era with their excellent blend of humor, sadness, and reality.
The film follows three friends form a rundown section of England known as Cemetery Junction in the early 70’s. A blue collar town full of generations of families that never left, sons and daughters following in their parents foot steps; living a nice, quaint and humble existence. When one of the friends, Freddie, tries to move up and out in the world the trio embarks on a series of life lessons and local culture that may or may not lead them out of the Junction.
Now Playing Review – Clash of the Titans
04/03/2010 by Leave a Comment
Clash of the Titans starts with a narration explaining how the stories of the Greek gods have been written in the stars for all to see. Well, as pretty as those twinkling night-lights are they don’t really do justice to the action sequences of the myths, which is where this film steps in.
Like with most Greek stories, in Clash of the Titans the people bring about their own troubles thanks to their tragic flaw of hubris. They have grown too proud for their own good, believing that they are now better than the gods that created them. Unfortunately for them these gods have their own excess of pride to contend with, and they really don’t like lower beings spitting in their faces. Seeing the destruction of a statue of Zeus by the soldiers of Argos, Hades vengefully wipes them out, as well as a ship below that just so happens to belong the Perseus’ family, killing all but him. [Read more...]
Review: Clash of the Titans
04/02/2010 by Leave a Comment
Clash of the Titans is a an unoriginal, pretty dumb, sword and sandals epic that looks great, has solid action and effects, with some superb art design/production values and the result is an entertaining and fun flick that I enjoyed even when I was chuckling at the cheesiness.
Perseus is the son of Zeus, his mother was human, and he was raised by an adoptive human family that found him in the watery grave of his mother. Raised as a fisherman and a strict follower of the Gods, Perseus’ family is wiped out by Hades when they are in the wrong place and the wrong time as Hades wipes out a group of Argos soldiers and takes out Perseus’ family boat for good measure. Dragged to Argos as a possible accomplice in the encounter, Perseus, is taken to a party where the Queen of Argos claims her daughter, Andromeda, is more beautiful then any Goddess and the King declares this the time of men which pisses off Zeus who sends a once exiled Hades to mess with Man. Hades tells the city that they will fall to the Kraken if they do not sacrifice Andromeda by the soon coming eclipse and this in turn sets out Perseus and the last remaining Argos soldiers to try and find out how they can destroy the titan they call Kraken.
Review: The Hurt Locker
07/20/2009 by Leave a Comment
The latest effort from Kathryn Bigelow is a gritty and realistic look into the life of an Iraq War bomb squad that is thrilling when defusing the bombs but meanders a bit when not.
In and around Iraq during our skirmish over there since we went to war in the country, the enemy has been getting more and more crafty with there techniques at trying to kill American soldiers. One efficient way they have been able to do that is by planting bombs on the side of roads and what have you and detonating them once there are enough casualties to go around. In The Hurt Locker, we get to follow around a team of specialists who are brought in to do the riskiest work in the field and that is to diffuse the bomb without blowing it themselves or letting some observing detonator do what they were meant to. The team we get to follow consists of three men, Sgt. Bill James who is the bomb man, Sgt. JT Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge who spot and protect the situation as best they can while making sure nobody detonates the bomb while they work. We pick up with them only having around a month left to go before their tour in Iraq is over and Sgt. James is thrust into their squad after the loss of their previous bomb man. The film hits the ground running along with James who dives into every situation he is put in with almost reckless abandon, but he quickly proves he is very capable at what he does. [Read more...]
Review: The Reader
01/12/2009 by Leave a Comment
Stephen Daldry’s latest is a well acted, well paced, and a surprisingly twisted and turning plot that engages you from start to finish.
Michael Berg is a young boy living in Germany almost fifteen years after the end of WWII. While riding the tram home one day he finds himself getting sick and gets off and throws up in the alley. Coming to his aide is a 30 something woman who helps him out and gets him home in one piece to which he discovers he has scarlet fever. After three months in bed he finally gets the chance to visit the woman, Hannah (Kate Winslet), and much to Michael’s surprise she seduces him into an affair which runs the length of a summer. One of the things Hannah enjoys most is Michael reading to her before and/or after sex, and it becomes a source of enjoyment for both of them as the days pass. Years later, Michael is a law student and he signs up to be a part of a seminar that will observe a trial prosecuting alleged Nazi’s for their crimes during the war. When Michael gets to the trial he finds that one of the women on trial is a Hannah Schmitz, the same Hannah that he had spent a summer with, and she finds herself at risk of being handed possibly the harshest of punishment for the deaths of over 300 Jews during the war; for allowing them to burn in a church on a march from the abandoned Auschwitz camp in 1944. [Read more...]
Review: 'The Duchess'
10/01/2008 by Leave a Comment
Keira Knightley stars in this new period film that keeps a quick pace, doesn’t try to be overly eloquent and pompous and strikes a cord at being kind of a new breed of costume drama that was most recently seen with Marie Antoinette, for a very successful experience.
Georgiana (Knightley) was daughter of a wealthy family who sets her up with the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) who is an older and unmarried man who is looking to produce a male error first and foremost with Georgiana. The marriage does not go on like a fairy tale like Georgiana expected and her desires and curiosity are peaked by her close friend Bess Foster (Hayley Atwell) who shows her that there is more to marriage then reproduction. I can’t really go into the plot much further, but the film doesn’t really pull any huge twists on your, and projects things well while subtly telling the story as it moves along over the years. [Read more...]
Review: In Bruges on DVD
06/26/2008 by Leave a Comment
In Bruges came out on video this week and you should rush out to buy it as it is currently in the top 3 standings of movies of 08 by my book. Here is my original review!
Martin McDonagh’s feature debut is an impressive one that weaves dark humor with a bit of action while diving into the psyche of a hit man.
Ray and Ken (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, respectively) are instructed by their employer Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to lay low in Bruges, Belgium after performing a hit in London while the crime cools down before they are allowed to return. Bruges is a medieval town filled with canals, steeples, and stone buildings and tourists must see if you ever happen to visit Belgium. Ken is in love with the town, seeing the sights and enjoying his days touring the locales while Ray feels as he is in Hell and loathes every moment he has to spend there. [Read more...]
Review: In Bruges
03/10/2008 by Leave a Comment
Martin McDonagh’s feature debut is an impressive one that weaves dark humor with a bit of action while diving into the psyche of a hit man.
Ray and Ken (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, respectively) are instructed by their employer Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to lay low in Bruges, Belgium after performing a hit in London while the crime cools down before they are allowed to return. Bruges is a medieval town filled with canals, steeples, and stone buildings and tourists must see if you ever happen to visit Belgium. Ken is in love with the town, seeing the sights and enjoying his days touring the locales while Ray feels as he is in Hell and loathes every moment he has to spend there. [Read more...]
Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
12/14/2007 by Leave a Comment
HP and OTP is the best film in the series and sets the tables for the thrilling conclusion of the last two films to come. The book and the film both serve as set-ups for the last two plot lines but that doesn’t hurt the material as it is both full of information and adventure.
David Yates is a first time film and Harry Potter director and he knocks it out of the park. Known for great character drama’s on British television he brings that alleged greatness to the series that has been getting stronger ever since Azkaban. Yates also does an excellent job with the action with some major props to his work with ILM. [Read more...]
