Alright, so I've been slacking a lot this summer with the reviews, and I apologize. Some of these movies date back to May, so hang in there. If anything, use them if you haven't seen the films in theaters, and perhaps give them a rent at home. These reviews will be shorter than usual, as I have a lot to go through. So I will keep it short and sweet. I will be listing these in reverse chronological order, starting with what has just come out recently. Well, enough is enough, let's get to it.
The Watch
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| Watching them blow stuff up is one highlight. |
From the director that brought you
Hot Rod and
McGruber (Akiva Schaffer), this comedy enlists the help of so called "Frat Pack" members Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Jonah Hill. The fourth member of the team is newcomer Richard Ayoade, who has had some success across the pond in Britain. I had high hopes going into this one. The trailer had the trademark rapid fire conversations this group in known for, especially Vaughn. Unfortunately, this works against them in this case. I've heard a lot of the script wasn't written before the scenes were shot, so as to give the actors some room to improvise in. It seems like a good idea on paper, but this ends up being the downfall of the movie. The jokes just aren't that funny, and all the good bits ended up in the trailer. The scenes just seem to run on and on too. I didn't find myself having as good of a time as I thought I would, even with the cast at hand. To wrap it up, if you want a comedy with some random sci-fi elements thrown in, I'm sure there are better places to look.
2 out of 5 Stars
The Dark Knight Rises
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| Anne Hatheway actually does a pretty good job as Catwoman. |
Christopher Nolan has done it again. You can rest easy, my friends. While The Dark Knight Rises doesn't reach the heights of its' predecessor, it certainly breaks the three-quel curse that plague a lot of trilogies (see Spiderman 3 for a reference). Everyone in the film brings their A-game, from Hardy's performance as Bane, right down to Michael Caine's Aflred giving plenty of tear-jerking speeches, trying to get Bruce Wayne to stop fighting and live his life. The plot is heavy, with lots of new characters added, but it never gets too confusing. It is a long epic, running almost 3 hours, and every one of those minutes is used to help deliver a great finale. The effects also need to be praised, as Nolan has wisely opted again to minimize the use of CGI whenever possible, and hides it well went it is utilized. Seeing the snow falling as Batman and Bane duke it out for Gotham City looked amazing, and this is just one of many scenes that gave me goosebumps. While not without its' flaws, the magnitude of this film makes them seem minuscule. This is what every film needs to make me feel like leaving the theater.
5 out of 5 Stars
The Amazing Spider-Man
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| The first fight sequence makes good use of a subway train. |
Director Mark Webb, coming off the romantic comedy hit 500 Days of Summer, sure had his work cut out for him on this blockbuster franchise. Some didn't think he had what it took to bring the famous webslinger to life. What eventually is put onto film is wishy-washy to say the least. He certainly nails the romance between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. The tension is almost palpable, with every glance and look making you feel like this is real. The action, on the other hand, is standard stuff, nothing too different from Sam Raimi's Spiderman trilogy. The use of CGI was very well done, as flying around New York City never looking so good. Unfortunately, the villian, the Lizard, was a pretty lame character, with Rhys Ifans never really bringing any gravitas to the role. I didn't care really at all. Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man was a mixed bag as well. He plays Peter Parker closer to a skater punk outcast, rather than a nerdy dweeb as seen before. And his Spider-Man certainly has the report down, slinging out one-liners at his enemies. In the end, I can't shake this feeling like we've all been here before, and if it was really worth it.
3 out of 5 Stars
Ted
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| Thunder Buddies for life. |
I kept thinking this was going to be Family Guy, but with a teddy bear. While it does ring true in some places, I was thrown off by how much heart this movie actually had. Despite its' raunchy exterior, there are some pretty tender moments to be had between poop jokes. I'm loving Mark Wahlberg in his new comedy films. He definitely has some great comedic timing and deliverance. The CGI in Ted is very well done too. I never for one moment thought that the bear looked fake. At all. It was truly amazing work. All in all, it was a really funny movie, despite some typical third act cliches.
4 out of 5 Stars
Brave
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| The main character searching for the soul of the movie. |
I hate having to write this, but how the mighty have fallen. It's unfortunate that Pixar, who once was creating some of the best films ever to be put on film. But their latest, while not as big of a monstrosity as Cars 2, still seems to be searching for the sweet spot Finding Nemo or Toy Story found so well. Which is a shame too, because this was their first film to primarily feature a female protagonist. The story was weak, the accents were thick (not that the accents were a bad thing). I actually didn't even know what the hell the movie was about until the second act started. The trailer did nothing to show me what I was in for. That's a good thing usually, right? Anyways, I was disappointed in the whole affair, with nothing really standing out in the movie. As usual, the animations were well done, but if you can't put a good story and characters behind that, then why bother?
2 out of 5 Stars
Snow White and the Huntsman
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| The only good thing is that Thor is in this movie. |
Oh, I've been waiting for this one to come up on my list. Garbage. Oops, did I just say that? Sorry, I guess I'm supposed to be more classy, and word that differently. Uh, hmmmm... I can't think of anything else. Kristen Stewart is just god awful. She plays nothing. She's not a character. She just makes that same god damn face in every scene. Is she scared of what bad guys are coming? Who knows, she looks the same. The only saving grace in this film in Chris Hemsworth, who just rolls around playing a bad ass and getting into fights. His character has less of a reason to fight, but he shows way more emotion that the main character. Charlize Theron seemed to have some fun with the villain role, but her performance borders on hammy. Some of the time I can't help but wonder why she is yelling so much. On the plus side, the film does bolster some pretty interesting visuals, especially in the form of the Mirror on the Wall. Creepy shit if you ask me. Anyways, I've wasted too much time on this movie.
1 out of 5 Stars
Men in Black 3
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| It's good to have these two back. |
You can't deny this film didn't look funny. I mean, Josh Brolin does a spot-on impression of Tommy Lee Jones. But I understand one's hesitation towards the series. The second one didn't really live up to the originals' charm. And this new film has been in production hell for a while now, with numerous script re-writes. But it all comes together quite nicely in the end, with a great story about a time travelling alien trying to kill Tommy Lee Jones. The comedy in the film is pretty well done, but one gripe I had was with Will Smith, as some of his little one-liners and comebacks aren't really that good. If I recall correctly, he says something along the lines of "I will bitch slap the shizzle out of Andy Warhol." Or something like that. It made me cringe though. The special effects in the movie are pretty well done, and downright creepy in some parts. I was glad this was a return to form for the series, and wouldn't mind seeing another installment in the future.
4 out of 5 Stars
The Avengers
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| This part in the film gave me goosebumps. So good. |
What can I even say about this movie that you don't already know? Joss Whedon was brought to life the greatest ensemble team in the history of cinema. Everything was pretty much pitch perfect. I'm not going to type anymore; just go and see it already.
5 out of 5 Stars
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