"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" B+
The famous director Michael Bay is popular for making action movies that are eager to please. He has directed a list of movies, such as the Bad Boys movies, Armageddon, The Rock, Pearl Harbor and The Island. In the year 2007, he came out with a movie that pretty much was a dream come true for every fanboy in the world: Transformers. I was like wow, Michael Bay + Transformers = explosive stylish action movie. And it was, it had good storytelling and an understandable plot along with explosive action scenes with slow motion and awesome sound effects. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen came out in 2009 and was good, but not as good as the first one, but still awesome. Now, we have Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which was a much different kind of ride than the first two. This one is more of a political thriller and a mystery about conspiracies about the first mission on the moon. Shia Labouf returns as Sam Witwickie who is now a Harvard grad, has a medal from President Obama for his efforts in Egypt from the second movie, and now has a new girlfriend. This time, the decepticons are working with humans now to do their work against the autobots, and there is even a creepy decepticon bird assassin who goes after all the people whp worked on the nasa secret moon mission. Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are along for the ride again too which adds to the fun. This one is a weird Transformers movie, but it is action packed, fun and a good addition to the series.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Green Lantern
"Green Lantern" A-
There have been a number of movies made based on the characters and superheroes of the Marvel Universe, but it is nice every now and then that a new superhero movie from the DC Universe is made and released in theatres. We first got Batman Begins, then the Superman Returns movie, along with The Dark Knight and lasy year's Jonah Hex. I was very excited when I heard that a Green Lantern movie was going to be made. Green Lantern is one of my favorite superheroes and I have read many of the comics. The story is told quite well in the movie about a pilot who gets chosen by the famous green power ring from an alien who lands on earth named Abin Sur. He reluctantly gains the power and tries to learn how to not be fearful but become a hero and fight against all odds to save the world. Ryan Reynolds plays Hal Jordan/Green Lantern and does a good job with the role, and has good chemistry with co star Blake Lively as his love interest, Carol Ferris. Is it accurate to the comics? Yes it sure is, with a few parts rushed I guess to get to the sequels. It even shows Sinestro's (Mark Strong)power and also displays something that most comic readers are going to see coming. I thought this was a very fun and exciting movie, and a good addition to the movies based on the DC Universe.
There have been a number of movies made based on the characters and superheroes of the Marvel Universe, but it is nice every now and then that a new superhero movie from the DC Universe is made and released in theatres. We first got Batman Begins, then the Superman Returns movie, along with The Dark Knight and lasy year's Jonah Hex. I was very excited when I heard that a Green Lantern movie was going to be made. Green Lantern is one of my favorite superheroes and I have read many of the comics. The story is told quite well in the movie about a pilot who gets chosen by the famous green power ring from an alien who lands on earth named Abin Sur. He reluctantly gains the power and tries to learn how to not be fearful but become a hero and fight against all odds to save the world. Ryan Reynolds plays Hal Jordan/Green Lantern and does a good job with the role, and has good chemistry with co star Blake Lively as his love interest, Carol Ferris. Is it accurate to the comics? Yes it sure is, with a few parts rushed I guess to get to the sequels. It even shows Sinestro's (Mark Strong)power and also displays something that most comic readers are going to see coming. I thought this was a very fun and exciting movie, and a good addition to the movies based on the DC Universe.
X-Men: First Class
"X-Men: First Class" A-
There have been a number of X-Men movies that have come out in the past. It started with X-Men in 2000, which displayed the talents of a newcomer actor Hugh Jackman, as the superhero Wolverine. Then, X-Men 2 and 3 came out and rounded out a popular trilogy. Then, X-Men Origins: Wolverine came to theatres and showed the world that Wolverine himself could make a good movie. Then, Hollywood decided it was time for a reboot, with James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Magneto. Did this reboot work? It certainly did, along with doing a good job of displaying mutants in the 60's. This is about the first class in the mutant mansion, but it is mainly Magneto's movie. It is mainly a good origin story about him, which is good because even though he is considered a villain in the X-Men universe, you do kind of have a respect for him in all he had been through. Overall, this was an exciting superhero movie for the summer movie season.
There have been a number of X-Men movies that have come out in the past. It started with X-Men in 2000, which displayed the talents of a newcomer actor Hugh Jackman, as the superhero Wolverine. Then, X-Men 2 and 3 came out and rounded out a popular trilogy. Then, X-Men Origins: Wolverine came to theatres and showed the world that Wolverine himself could make a good movie. Then, Hollywood decided it was time for a reboot, with James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Magneto. Did this reboot work? It certainly did, along with doing a good job of displaying mutants in the 60's. This is about the first class in the mutant mansion, but it is mainly Magneto's movie. It is mainly a good origin story about him, which is good because even though he is considered a villain in the X-Men universe, you do kind of have a respect for him in all he had been through. Overall, this was an exciting superhero movie for the summer movie season.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Thor
"Thor" A
The summer movie season of 2011 has officially started and once again it started off nicely. Last week, we got the supercharged sequel Fast Five, which is number 5 in the Fast and the Furious series. That was an action packed thrill ride that should satisfy all action fans. Last night, I got the tremendous opportunity to see Thor in 3D for free. There was an advanced screening for it last night that Corrine awesomely worked very hard to get. I had waited for this movie since the teaser at the end of Iron Man 2 and it definitely makes for a perfect summer superhero movie. Thor is played by Chris Hemsworth (Jim Kirk's father on the new Star Trek) and he brings a lot of charisma and toughness to the role. Anthony Hopkins plays his father Odin, who banishes him to earth to teach him humility. On earth, he learns more about himself, the hammer and how to be a true warrior. The movie is directed by Kenneth Branagh, so its somewhat of a Shakespearian movie too, especially with the scenes taking place in Asgard. In Asgard, its very serious and intense, but when Thor goes to Earth, it starts to get extra interesting and even funny in some parts. The movie also has a love story, with Natalie Portman playing Jane Foster, Thor's love interest. There is also some teasers for the Avengers movie too, so watch for that. I thought this was a spectacular movie and I think it would have been just as good even without the 3D. It's an awesome movie with a good story and some interesting characters. It is another cool movie from Marvel studios.
The summer movie season of 2011 has officially started and once again it started off nicely. Last week, we got the supercharged sequel Fast Five, which is number 5 in the Fast and the Furious series. That was an action packed thrill ride that should satisfy all action fans. Last night, I got the tremendous opportunity to see Thor in 3D for free. There was an advanced screening for it last night that Corrine awesomely worked very hard to get. I had waited for this movie since the teaser at the end of Iron Man 2 and it definitely makes for a perfect summer superhero movie. Thor is played by Chris Hemsworth (Jim Kirk's father on the new Star Trek) and he brings a lot of charisma and toughness to the role. Anthony Hopkins plays his father Odin, who banishes him to earth to teach him humility. On earth, he learns more about himself, the hammer and how to be a true warrior. The movie is directed by Kenneth Branagh, so its somewhat of a Shakespearian movie too, especially with the scenes taking place in Asgard. In Asgard, its very serious and intense, but when Thor goes to Earth, it starts to get extra interesting and even funny in some parts. The movie also has a love story, with Natalie Portman playing Jane Foster, Thor's love interest. There is also some teasers for the Avengers movie too, so watch for that. I thought this was a spectacular movie and I think it would have been just as good even without the 3D. It's an awesome movie with a good story and some interesting characters. It is another cool movie from Marvel studios.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Beastly
"Beastly" B
With the movie Twilight, it sparked a new phenomenon in movies: a love story, but with a twist. Let's have a movie about a normal woman who falls in love with an abnormal man. After Twilight and the two sequels, it showed the world a vampire love story. Then, there is love stories between an alien and a woman, such as the show on ABC Family "Kyle XY", and the recent action movie that came out in February "I Am Number Four". In this particular love story, it is as if it is based on an old disney classic story "Beauty and the Beast". The movie is appropriately titled "Beastly". I was surprised at this movie. With the long delays that took place (they showed a preview of this movie last summer and was scheduled to be released in July 2010), I was thinking to myself that this movie has been shelved a long time. That is not a good sign. But I actually thought it was a good story with a very good message, that beauty is on the inside too. There are not many well known actors in this movie, with the main cast being Alex Pettyfer as the cocky, shallow popular student council president and Vanessa Hudgens as his love interest (of High School Musical fame). The movie also has appearances from Neal Patrick Harris (How I Met your Mother) giving some comic relief, and Mary-Kate Olsen (one of the Olsen twins, most well known as Michelle Tanner in Full House). She is far from that character in this one as the witch who hexes the student council president with scary looks, which sadly causes his father to disown him. The lesson is he must find someone to truly love him in a year, otherwise he will look "beastly" forever. The message here is clearly defined: don't be shallow, beauty is on the inside. The transformation here is good and it is very realistic. It was a pretty good movie with some interesting nods to poetry and classic love stories. A good rendition of the beauty and the beast story for the Twilight crowd.
With the movie Twilight, it sparked a new phenomenon in movies: a love story, but with a twist. Let's have a movie about a normal woman who falls in love with an abnormal man. After Twilight and the two sequels, it showed the world a vampire love story. Then, there is love stories between an alien and a woman, such as the show on ABC Family "Kyle XY", and the recent action movie that came out in February "I Am Number Four". In this particular love story, it is as if it is based on an old disney classic story "Beauty and the Beast". The movie is appropriately titled "Beastly". I was surprised at this movie. With the long delays that took place (they showed a preview of this movie last summer and was scheduled to be released in July 2010), I was thinking to myself that this movie has been shelved a long time. That is not a good sign. But I actually thought it was a good story with a very good message, that beauty is on the inside too. There are not many well known actors in this movie, with the main cast being Alex Pettyfer as the cocky, shallow popular student council president and Vanessa Hudgens as his love interest (of High School Musical fame). The movie also has appearances from Neal Patrick Harris (How I Met your Mother) giving some comic relief, and Mary-Kate Olsen (one of the Olsen twins, most well known as Michelle Tanner in Full House). She is far from that character in this one as the witch who hexes the student council president with scary looks, which sadly causes his father to disown him. The lesson is he must find someone to truly love him in a year, otherwise he will look "beastly" forever. The message here is clearly defined: don't be shallow, beauty is on the inside. The transformation here is good and it is very realistic. It was a pretty good movie with some interesting nods to poetry and classic love stories. A good rendition of the beauty and the beast story for the Twilight crowd.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Rango
"Rango" A
It has been quite some time since we have been to the movies. According to my last post, it has been exactly two months. Once again, we got some free passes to a movie and this one, while it was not on top of my list, was actually a really awesome movie. The movie we saw was Rango, starring Johnny Depp as the lizard wanting to be a hero and belong somewhere. Gore Verbinski, director of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, has reteamed with Johnny Depp to create an exciting and funny animated adventure movie. It starts out with Rango role playing adventure scenarios in his little aquarium, until he lands on the road and is forced to go his own way. He travels the desert for a while, meets some singing owls, and then gets chased frantically by a giant bird. After some surreal scenes and some introduction of our heroic lizard, he ends up in a town called Dirt. They have a water problem there, so he assumes the role of sheriff by telling everyone he shot some dangerous criminals with one bullet, and took on Jake the Snake, one of the most ferocious villains in the old west. Along the way, there is adventure and Johnny Depp's usual comic talent. He does a really good job in this movie. Johnny Depp is definitely in Jack Sparrow mode here and this is pretty much his movie. Gore Verbinski does a good job keeping things at a fast pace but at the same time, allowing us to care about the characters and the dilemma of the town. And Rango is a very likable lizard. Gore Verbinski also gives us a couple of scenes resemblant to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, involving a flying giant gold fish and a group of bugs. We also have an interesting scene with the "man with no name", which seemed to be an homage of the old Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. However, there is a warning. While there are some cool adventure scenes and funny parts, there are a few scenes that might be scary for kids, especially with Jake the Snake. Other than that, it was a good time at the movies! I am thinking this one is going to be an early blockbuster for the spring.
It has been quite some time since we have been to the movies. According to my last post, it has been exactly two months. Once again, we got some free passes to a movie and this one, while it was not on top of my list, was actually a really awesome movie. The movie we saw was Rango, starring Johnny Depp as the lizard wanting to be a hero and belong somewhere. Gore Verbinski, director of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, has reteamed with Johnny Depp to create an exciting and funny animated adventure movie. It starts out with Rango role playing adventure scenarios in his little aquarium, until he lands on the road and is forced to go his own way. He travels the desert for a while, meets some singing owls, and then gets chased frantically by a giant bird. After some surreal scenes and some introduction of our heroic lizard, he ends up in a town called Dirt. They have a water problem there, so he assumes the role of sheriff by telling everyone he shot some dangerous criminals with one bullet, and took on Jake the Snake, one of the most ferocious villains in the old west. Along the way, there is adventure and Johnny Depp's usual comic talent. He does a really good job in this movie. Johnny Depp is definitely in Jack Sparrow mode here and this is pretty much his movie. Gore Verbinski does a good job keeping things at a fast pace but at the same time, allowing us to care about the characters and the dilemma of the town. And Rango is a very likable lizard. Gore Verbinski also gives us a couple of scenes resemblant to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, involving a flying giant gold fish and a group of bugs. We also have an interesting scene with the "man with no name", which seemed to be an homage of the old Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. However, there is a warning. While there are some cool adventure scenes and funny parts, there are a few scenes that might be scary for kids, especially with Jake the Snake. Other than that, it was a good time at the movies! I am thinking this one is going to be an early blockbuster for the spring.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Black Swan
"Black Swan" A
It is around this time typically when critics and people all over the world look at the top movies of the year. The year 2010 was a good year for movies and around the holidays is when we start getting the opportunity to watch the academy award winning contenders. From what I have heard, this year, some of the top movies are True Grit, which was awesome, The Social Network, which I have not seen yet but I would like to, and lately, I have heard a lot of buzz about Black Swan. Corrine and I have both wanted to see it for a while, so we decided to ring in the new year with a movie today. We had free AMC passes we got last year, so we used them on Black Swan. Pretty much every review I have read about this movie is true. It is the weirdest of the weird from director Darren Aronofsky, but it pulls you in and it is very good at what it does. The movie centers around Nina (Natalie Portman) and her goals of being a top ballet star. The new show about to start is Swan Lake and everyone is trying for the Swan Queen part. The newcomer trying for the part, Lily (surprisingly perfectly played by Mila Kunis of Family Guy and That 70's Show fame) is more of the black swan persona, while Nina is more the white swan. Some people might think, who would want to watch a ballet movie? Well this movie has more than what meets the eye. Darren Aronofsky, who also directed The Fountain and The Wrestler to name a couple, knows how to keep the audience intrigued and how to make things so weird, it keeps you watching. This movie also has a horror element to it. Some scenes have a resemblance to the movie The Fly (enough said). Overall, I think this movie would be a worthy contender for best picture and best director for Darren Aronofsky. This movie is art at its best.
It is around this time typically when critics and people all over the world look at the top movies of the year. The year 2010 was a good year for movies and around the holidays is when we start getting the opportunity to watch the academy award winning contenders. From what I have heard, this year, some of the top movies are True Grit, which was awesome, The Social Network, which I have not seen yet but I would like to, and lately, I have heard a lot of buzz about Black Swan. Corrine and I have both wanted to see it for a while, so we decided to ring in the new year with a movie today. We had free AMC passes we got last year, so we used them on Black Swan. Pretty much every review I have read about this movie is true. It is the weirdest of the weird from director Darren Aronofsky, but it pulls you in and it is very good at what it does. The movie centers around Nina (Natalie Portman) and her goals of being a top ballet star. The new show about to start is Swan Lake and everyone is trying for the Swan Queen part. The newcomer trying for the part, Lily (surprisingly perfectly played by Mila Kunis of Family Guy and That 70's Show fame) is more of the black swan persona, while Nina is more the white swan. Some people might think, who would want to watch a ballet movie? Well this movie has more than what meets the eye. Darren Aronofsky, who also directed The Fountain and The Wrestler to name a couple, knows how to keep the audience intrigued and how to make things so weird, it keeps you watching. This movie also has a horror element to it. Some scenes have a resemblance to the movie The Fly (enough said). Overall, I think this movie would be a worthy contender for best picture and best director for Darren Aronofsky. This movie is art at its best.
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