"Letters to Juliet" A-
Love stories are a popular genre in cinema. They tend to inspire loved ones to go out there and believe in true love. Love stories can be romantic, they can be comedies, or they can be tragedies, for example, William Shakespeare's popular works of literature. It is appropriate, in my opinion, to make a feel good movie about how true love can prevail, even after 50 years. Today on Mother's Day, I got to pleasure to attend a sneak preview for free of "Letters to Juliet" with my wife. The movie doesn't open until Friday May 14th, but some lucky viewers got to watch this one today. In my opinion, it was a really good love story with some funny moments, sad moments and romantic moments. The movie stars Amanda Seyfried (Dear John, Mamma Mia!), Christopher Egan (Eragon) and Gael García Bernal (Babel). Sophie, Amandas Seyfried's character, travels to Verona, Italy with her fiancee for a pre honeymoon. Basically instead of a vacation, he treats it as a business trip for his new restaurant. They are apart for most of this vacation and they just seem to be okay with it. Sophie then joins a club that answers letters to Juliet and she finds a letter that was written 50 years ago. She writes and sends it and low and behold, Charlie (Christopher Egan) shows up and is angry with her. However, Charlie's grandmother wants to help and her companionship. She is looking for her long lost love, Lorenzo Bartolini. Its a very good story and the scenery of the vineyards of Italy are breathtaking. They are so beautiful and it really makes you want to take a vacation to Italy, not to mention eat Italian food. It is the perfect feel good movie and it is also the perfect date movie.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Iron Man 2
"Iron Man 2" A-
The summer movie season has officially started and there seems to be a new trend every year. We get the opportunity to see a Marvel superhero in action as the summer movie kick off. Am I complaining? Not at all! Two years ago, a superhero movie was released and that was when we first heard that Robert Downey Jr. was playing Industrialist Billionaire Tony Stark AKA Iron Man. I was skeptical at first at how he would play the role, but he surprised me by bringing charisma and heroism to the role. Two years later, we get a sequel appropriately titled Iron Man 2. Director Jon Favreau returns to the director's chair and brings back most of the cast and then some. Robert Downey Jr. returns (way more cocky than he was in the first one), Don Cheadle plays Jim Rhodes AKA War Machine (replacing Terrance Howard from the first movie), Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and a couple more familiar faces. We also get many people added to the cast. Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash and the predictably cast Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Basically this one starts right where the first one left off, showing once again Tony Stark's "I am Iron Man" speech. Then we get introduced immediately to Ivan Vanko. After he loses his father, he wants revenge on Tony Stark because their fathers were business partners. You see how much he wants to defeat him in a rousing action scene at the Monaco Grand Prix. Whiplash definitely is a darker villain than Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger played by Jeff Bridges in the first movie. After that scene, things get more complicated for Tony. His best friend Rhodey betrays him, the US Government is on his case about taking possession of his suits. In Iron Man, we see the Mark I, II and III. In this one, we see the Mark IV, V and VI. The suit coming out of the suitcase is pretty awesome. The movie is bigger, louder and way more action packed than the first one. That is all well and good, but the main thing this sequel lacks is the charm of the first one. Tony seems more cocky and pompous this time, although he still has some good one liners. It has a darker, more complex story. It even goes into more about his relationship with his father, Howard Stark. The climactic battle is sure to be exciting for fans, especially in IMAX. Lots of explosions, lot of drones and the awesome team up of Iron Man and War Machine. Of course, we get not only a hint at a 3rd Iron Man movie, but we are getting more and more hints of the Avengers movie. In fact, there are two teasers of the "certain weapons" of the Avengers. Be sure to stay after the end credits. You get a very nice teaser then. As for the other teaser, It will make you even more excited for the Avengers movie. Overall, this sequel has enough firepower and action to kick off the summer movie season. I was impressed and the Marvel superhero movies keep getting more and more awesome every year.
The summer movie season has officially started and there seems to be a new trend every year. We get the opportunity to see a Marvel superhero in action as the summer movie kick off. Am I complaining? Not at all! Two years ago, a superhero movie was released and that was when we first heard that Robert Downey Jr. was playing Industrialist Billionaire Tony Stark AKA Iron Man. I was skeptical at first at how he would play the role, but he surprised me by bringing charisma and heroism to the role. Two years later, we get a sequel appropriately titled Iron Man 2. Director Jon Favreau returns to the director's chair and brings back most of the cast and then some. Robert Downey Jr. returns (way more cocky than he was in the first one), Don Cheadle plays Jim Rhodes AKA War Machine (replacing Terrance Howard from the first movie), Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and a couple more familiar faces. We also get many people added to the cast. Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash and the predictably cast Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Basically this one starts right where the first one left off, showing once again Tony Stark's "I am Iron Man" speech. Then we get introduced immediately to Ivan Vanko. After he loses his father, he wants revenge on Tony Stark because their fathers were business partners. You see how much he wants to defeat him in a rousing action scene at the Monaco Grand Prix. Whiplash definitely is a darker villain than Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger played by Jeff Bridges in the first movie. After that scene, things get more complicated for Tony. His best friend Rhodey betrays him, the US Government is on his case about taking possession of his suits. In Iron Man, we see the Mark I, II and III. In this one, we see the Mark IV, V and VI. The suit coming out of the suitcase is pretty awesome. The movie is bigger, louder and way more action packed than the first one. That is all well and good, but the main thing this sequel lacks is the charm of the first one. Tony seems more cocky and pompous this time, although he still has some good one liners. It has a darker, more complex story. It even goes into more about his relationship with his father, Howard Stark. The climactic battle is sure to be exciting for fans, especially in IMAX. Lots of explosions, lot of drones and the awesome team up of Iron Man and War Machine. Of course, we get not only a hint at a 3rd Iron Man movie, but we are getting more and more hints of the Avengers movie. In fact, there are two teasers of the "certain weapons" of the Avengers. Be sure to stay after the end credits. You get a very nice teaser then. As for the other teaser, It will make you even more excited for the Avengers movie. Overall, this sequel has enough firepower and action to kick off the summer movie season. I was impressed and the Marvel superhero movies keep getting more and more awesome every year.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Kick-Ass
"Kick-Ass" B+
How come nobody has ever tried to be a superhero? That is the question that Dave Lizewski poses to his friends in the first 5 minutes of the movie. Honestly when I heard him say that, I kind of wondered it myself. I mean, wouldn't it be cool to get a costume, give yourself a cool superhero name and go out into the world and help people? Yes it sounds like an awesome idea. However, we are quickly brought into reality with this movie. Not long after Dave buys the $99 wetsuit does he get taught a true lesson in superheroism (he gets stabbed and then hit by a car). Even after that though, he goes out and fights again and actually saves someone on a convenience store parking lot. That is when the movie takes an unexpected turn. There really are superheroes out there that are well trained and know what they are doing. They are named Hit Girl and Big Daddy and they steal the show in my opinion. The twist of the movie comes in when Red Mist comes into the picture, appropriately played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse (also known as McLovin). It has some similarities to the popular graphic novel written by Mark Millar, but overall, it has a very different feel. I would have been surprised if the MPAA allowed the ending of the graphic novel to even be on screen. I really enjoyed this movie. It had a really good story, emotion and some funny parts (mainly from Dave's best friends). And of course, there is the love interest who thinks he is gay. That plays a big role in the movie too. I found this movie to be a good take on the superhero genre and I enjoyed the action scenes and the costumes. The movie has a Tarantino feel to it too, especially when Hit Girl and Big Daddy are on screen. Mark Strong also plays the villain once again, like he usually does in his movies (Sherlock Holmes and the upcoming Robin Hood). He seems to be the go to guy to play villains. I can see why, he really does make it work. So the important question is, does Kick-Ass kick ass? Absolutely! It's a fun movie and I recommend it!
How come nobody has ever tried to be a superhero? That is the question that Dave Lizewski poses to his friends in the first 5 minutes of the movie. Honestly when I heard him say that, I kind of wondered it myself. I mean, wouldn't it be cool to get a costume, give yourself a cool superhero name and go out into the world and help people? Yes it sounds like an awesome idea. However, we are quickly brought into reality with this movie. Not long after Dave buys the $99 wetsuit does he get taught a true lesson in superheroism (he gets stabbed and then hit by a car). Even after that though, he goes out and fights again and actually saves someone on a convenience store parking lot. That is when the movie takes an unexpected turn. There really are superheroes out there that are well trained and know what they are doing. They are named Hit Girl and Big Daddy and they steal the show in my opinion. The twist of the movie comes in when Red Mist comes into the picture, appropriately played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse (also known as McLovin). It has some similarities to the popular graphic novel written by Mark Millar, but overall, it has a very different feel. I would have been surprised if the MPAA allowed the ending of the graphic novel to even be on screen. I really enjoyed this movie. It had a really good story, emotion and some funny parts (mainly from Dave's best friends). And of course, there is the love interest who thinks he is gay. That plays a big role in the movie too. I found this movie to be a good take on the superhero genre and I enjoyed the action scenes and the costumes. The movie has a Tarantino feel to it too, especially when Hit Girl and Big Daddy are on screen. Mark Strong also plays the villain once again, like he usually does in his movies (Sherlock Holmes and the upcoming Robin Hood). He seems to be the go to guy to play villains. I can see why, he really does make it work. So the important question is, does Kick-Ass kick ass? Absolutely! It's a fun movie and I recommend it!
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Wolfman
"The Wolfman" B
Nothing says I love you like a movie about a werewolf terrorizing a village. This Valetine's Day, we got three different kinds of movies. That is basically the rule on Valentine's Day weekend. We get a romantic comedy/love story, a family movie and a scary/action movie. Last year, around this time, we got He's Just Not that Into You, Confessions of a Shopaholic and the Friday the 13th remake. This year, we got Valentine's Day, with just about every actor in Hollywood starring it (a really good movie by the way), Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and the scary/action movie is The Wolfman. This movie is fun and it was made like the old 1950's monster movies. This remake was directed by Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III, Hidalgo, The Rocketeer), and it has an all star academy award winning cast of Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving. While the acting might not get academy award recognition, the performances are enough to keep the story interesting. It starts out with a violent prologue and then gets into the story immediately right after the old fashion and cool opening credits. It is a classic remake of a classic monster movie and it is a good date movie.
Nothing says I love you like a movie about a werewolf terrorizing a village. This Valetine's Day, we got three different kinds of movies. That is basically the rule on Valentine's Day weekend. We get a romantic comedy/love story, a family movie and a scary/action movie. Last year, around this time, we got He's Just Not that Into You, Confessions of a Shopaholic and the Friday the 13th remake. This year, we got Valentine's Day, with just about every actor in Hollywood starring it (a really good movie by the way), Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and the scary/action movie is The Wolfman. This movie is fun and it was made like the old 1950's monster movies. This remake was directed by Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III, Hidalgo, The Rocketeer), and it has an all star academy award winning cast of Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving. While the acting might not get academy award recognition, the performances are enough to keep the story interesting. It starts out with a violent prologue and then gets into the story immediately right after the old fashion and cool opening credits. It is a classic remake of a classic monster movie and it is a good date movie.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Sherlock Holmes
"Sherlock Holmes" B
There is something interesting about mysteries, isn't there? It has entertainment value, but in the process, it makes you think and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. You never know what is going to happen next, but you keep venturing guesses as to what is going to happen or who the culprit is in a mystery. That is pretty much what its all about with Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes adventures. They are all about mysteries. In the movie version, directed by Guy Richie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. we not only get a mystery, but we also get a blockbuster action movie with an awesome score by Hans Zimmer. The score by Hans Zimmer is very similar to his music in Pirate of the Caribbean. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as Sherlock Holmes, displaying once again his charisma and increasing maturity as an actor. Jude Law is his usual self as Dr. Watson, Holmes's sidekick. In this movie though, he isn't just a sidekick, he kicks butt along side his trusted mentor. The movie has the action and the thrills, especially in a fight scene on a constructed tower between Holmes and Blackwood. My favorite scenes were when Sherlock would imagine his attack before actually doing it. It because Sherlock Holmes mixed in with The Matrix! I was quite impressed! The movie flirts with the line of complete goofiness, but doesn't exceed it. It is funny when it has to be and it is action packed and suspensful when it has to be. Your question may be right now, so do you recommend this movie? Yes absolutely!
There is something interesting about mysteries, isn't there? It has entertainment value, but in the process, it makes you think and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. You never know what is going to happen next, but you keep venturing guesses as to what is going to happen or who the culprit is in a mystery. That is pretty much what its all about with Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes adventures. They are all about mysteries. In the movie version, directed by Guy Richie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. we not only get a mystery, but we also get a blockbuster action movie with an awesome score by Hans Zimmer. The score by Hans Zimmer is very similar to his music in Pirate of the Caribbean. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as Sherlock Holmes, displaying once again his charisma and increasing maturity as an actor. Jude Law is his usual self as Dr. Watson, Holmes's sidekick. In this movie though, he isn't just a sidekick, he kicks butt along side his trusted mentor. The movie has the action and the thrills, especially in a fight scene on a constructed tower between Holmes and Blackwood. My favorite scenes were when Sherlock would imagine his attack before actually doing it. It because Sherlock Holmes mixed in with The Matrix! I was quite impressed! The movie flirts with the line of complete goofiness, but doesn't exceed it. It is funny when it has to be and it is action packed and suspensful when it has to be. Your question may be right now, so do you recommend this movie? Yes absolutely!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Fantastic Mr. Fox
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" A-
Remember stop motion animation? The old Christmas animated movies where they had clay figurines and brought them to life with stop motion? When I was a kid, I enjoyed those kind of shows. I was always fascinated with how they did the animation. Apparently, it takes a long time to make a movie like this because basically it is taking constant pictures while moving the figurines. It is move them, take a picture, move them, take a picture, etc. It is reminiscent of a flip book, as some have described it. Wes Anderson worked very hard for a very long time in making the movie "Fantastic Mr. Fox", which is based on a Roald Dahl book. Dahl also wrote "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Wes Anderson (director of well made movies such as Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited) does something a little differently this time and made a kid's movie. I must say, he does a brilliant job with it! The usual Wes Anderson cast is in this movie, which are Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson. The lead characters here are Mr. and Mrs. Fox, played by George Clooney and Meryl Streep. The movie starts out with Mr. and Mrs. Fox stealing from farms basically, until Mrs. Fox learns she is pregnant with a cub. Mr. Fox is forced to find a new occupation as a columnist for a newspaper. He is a "wild animal" as he puts it, so he continues his old job of stealing chickens without her knowing it. He mainly attacks Boggis, Bunce and Bean and their corporations. They are described in the movie as "one short, one fat, one lean. These horribe crooks, so different in looks, were nonetheless equally mean". It all turns into a war for food and apple cider. The apple cider is from Bean's farm and he is the one who is obsessed with exterminating foxes or fox like creatures who try to steal from him. I won't give too much away in case you want to see it too lol! The cast is perfect and the stop motion animation is so awesome. It made it a visual treat and Wes Anderson did a brilliant job making this movie for kids and adults to enjoy. I read the book when I was in 4th grade and I also did a book report on it, so it was so cool to see it not only come to life on the big screen, but also to see it done the way animation was done in the old days! I highly recommend this movie because it is fun for the whole family. It deserves to get the academy award for best animated movie of the year!
Remember stop motion animation? The old Christmas animated movies where they had clay figurines and brought them to life with stop motion? When I was a kid, I enjoyed those kind of shows. I was always fascinated with how they did the animation. Apparently, it takes a long time to make a movie like this because basically it is taking constant pictures while moving the figurines. It is move them, take a picture, move them, take a picture, etc. It is reminiscent of a flip book, as some have described it. Wes Anderson worked very hard for a very long time in making the movie "Fantastic Mr. Fox", which is based on a Roald Dahl book. Dahl also wrote "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Wes Anderson (director of well made movies such as Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited) does something a little differently this time and made a kid's movie. I must say, he does a brilliant job with it! The usual Wes Anderson cast is in this movie, which are Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson. The lead characters here are Mr. and Mrs. Fox, played by George Clooney and Meryl Streep. The movie starts out with Mr. and Mrs. Fox stealing from farms basically, until Mrs. Fox learns she is pregnant with a cub. Mr. Fox is forced to find a new occupation as a columnist for a newspaper. He is a "wild animal" as he puts it, so he continues his old job of stealing chickens without her knowing it. He mainly attacks Boggis, Bunce and Bean and their corporations. They are described in the movie as "one short, one fat, one lean. These horribe crooks, so different in looks, were nonetheless equally mean". It all turns into a war for food and apple cider. The apple cider is from Bean's farm and he is the one who is obsessed with exterminating foxes or fox like creatures who try to steal from him. I won't give too much away in case you want to see it too lol! The cast is perfect and the stop motion animation is so awesome. It made it a visual treat and Wes Anderson did a brilliant job making this movie for kids and adults to enjoy. I read the book when I was in 4th grade and I also did a book report on it, so it was so cool to see it not only come to life on the big screen, but also to see it done the way animation was done in the old days! I highly recommend this movie because it is fun for the whole family. It deserves to get the academy award for best animated movie of the year!
Ninja Assassin
"Ninja Assassin" B-
Andy and Larry Wachowski became popular when they directed a high budget science fiction movie called The Matrix, my all time favorite movie. They decided it would be cool to direct two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. They were good, but by no means matched the success of the first one with fans or the critics. They then with help of an unknown director named James McTeigue, they created V for Vendetta. Some success came from that, and then they directed a flop called Speed Racer. I personally enjoyed this movie, but apparently the set pieces and overly flashy racing scenes were a bit much for some people. Now, just in time for the holiday season, we get a family movie from the creators of the Matrix trilogy entitled Ninja Assassin. Okay, so it is definitely not a family movie lol! You certainly get that vibe with the slice and dice opening sequence. It is not very often even before the opening credits you have blood and limbs literally flying everywhere along with chinese stars. It made Punisher: War Zone look like a PG kid's movie. After that, it slows down a little bit, but in the same process, the action comes and goes at times. The star of this movie, a Korean pop singer named Rain, showed himself in the movie Speed Racer and proved that he can be a compelling actor. In this movie, he is a tough guy who uses awesome weapons to defeat other ninja clans. The story is kind of incoherent. Basically to put it simply, Raizu, the ninja assassin, teams up with an Interpol agent to put away all of the evil ninja clans, specifically the clan of the black sand. This clan sends a letter with black sand and in it and then before you can say ninja, chinese stars are flying everywhere. That is pretty much all you get from this movie. It is fun, it has action and it works, but it certainly won't be in the running for any academy awards.
Andy and Larry Wachowski became popular when they directed a high budget science fiction movie called The Matrix, my all time favorite movie. They decided it would be cool to direct two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. They were good, but by no means matched the success of the first one with fans or the critics. They then with help of an unknown director named James McTeigue, they created V for Vendetta. Some success came from that, and then they directed a flop called Speed Racer. I personally enjoyed this movie, but apparently the set pieces and overly flashy racing scenes were a bit much for some people. Now, just in time for the holiday season, we get a family movie from the creators of the Matrix trilogy entitled Ninja Assassin. Okay, so it is definitely not a family movie lol! You certainly get that vibe with the slice and dice opening sequence. It is not very often even before the opening credits you have blood and limbs literally flying everywhere along with chinese stars. It made Punisher: War Zone look like a PG kid's movie. After that, it slows down a little bit, but in the same process, the action comes and goes at times. The star of this movie, a Korean pop singer named Rain, showed himself in the movie Speed Racer and proved that he can be a compelling actor. In this movie, he is a tough guy who uses awesome weapons to defeat other ninja clans. The story is kind of incoherent. Basically to put it simply, Raizu, the ninja assassin, teams up with an Interpol agent to put away all of the evil ninja clans, specifically the clan of the black sand. This clan sends a letter with black sand and in it and then before you can say ninja, chinese stars are flying everywhere. That is pretty much all you get from this movie. It is fun, it has action and it works, but it certainly won't be in the running for any academy awards.
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