Archive for Reviews
Barrett’s Review: ‘Battleship’ Shows Off Impressive VFX…But That’s About It
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GRADE: C-
Not sure what the creative meeting was like when Battleship was green-lit to become a movie:
Universal Exec 1: “OK. So, those Transformer movies were based off popular 80′s toys, and like, made a lot of money and stuff. What other game and/or toy can we use to base a $200 million summer blockbuster on?”
Universal Exec 2: “Uhhh, how about Battleship?”
Universal Exec 1: “(looks around the table) Sounds good to me!”
I think of it this way, because the eventual end product that became Battleship the movie, could not have had any more thought to it than that. It’s a non-stop explosion/VFX-fest that is entertaining (at times), but due to nonsensical plot holes and a truly terrible script, it’s a summer blockbuster that should never had been made. And with it’s absolute bombing (pun intended) at the box-office this weekend (taking in an abysmal $25 million), a lot of people are about to get canned at Universal… John Carter-style.
GRADE: B
This film is still making rounds in the distribution circuit, but will most likely be difficult to find at your local theater. Bully is an indie film, but has gotten quite a bit of play because of the important message it carries. I saw the movie a few weeks back, but because of all the other things going on in life I didn’t get to this review until now. Despite seeing it so long ago and it barely still being in theaters, I had to cook up a review about this film because its importance. Students, parents, soon-to-be parents, teachers, anyone associated with the education system needs to see just how widespread bullying is in schools today. Bullying in America is a massive problem that is causing both measurable and immeasurable harm to those who are tormented. This film shows how cruel kids in school are today, and how the afflicted can no longer escape persecution outside the school grounds with evolving social media and tech — kids today are entering a new age of bullying.
Barrett’s Review: ‘The Dictator’ Tries Too Hard for Raunch, and Falls Flat
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GRADE: C
Sacha Baron Cohen first made his mark on the short-lived, but hysterical HBO comedy The Ali G Show back in 2003. What made that such a cult classic amongst comedy lovers was his interaction with real people while portraying these ridiculous satirical characters. He evoked real reactions from these unsuspecting victims, causing hilariously uncomfortable and awkward situations. His three staple characters (Ali G, Borat and Bruno) each gained their own spin-off feature film, with the Ali G Indahouse being the only truly 100% scripted effort. Ali G Indahouse was by far the worst of the three, as it struggled to translate what made these characters great (“reality comedy”) into a 90 minute fictional script. Cohen’s latest character, General Admiral Aladeen, the featured star of his new film The Dictator, suffers the same fate as Ali G. The unique comedic essence of “punking” people in real life is completely lost, resulting in a very disappointing outing from someone with such comedic balls.
Matt’s Review: ‘Dark Shadows’ is a Another Burton/Depp Fiasco Not Worth Theater Dollars
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GRADE: C
A Tim Burton movie starring Johnny Depp? Say what? Of course I’m kidding, because this is not the first time this pair has collaborated with one another — not to mention another Burton regular Danny Elfman scoring Dark Shadows and Helena Bonham Carter also being in the mix. All the familiar sights and sounds were there, but towards the end I was just hoping it would end quickly. All the cards on the table, I am not a big fan of Tim Burton anyway. He’s just not my type of storyteller. Even aside from this obvious bias, Dark Shadows is not a very good movie — most of all because I could not buy into or care for Depp’s Barnabas Collins, his plight, or any of the other supporting cast members.
Matt’s Review: ‘The Avengers’ is the Epitome of Summer Blockbuster Fun
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GRADE: A
The last couple of months Marvel has been in-your-face with The Avengers marketing team working in full force. While I had reservations about showing so much of the film in teasers, trailers, featurettes, behind-the-scenes photos, and other sorts of promotion, the marketing team effectively sold this movie without giving away too much. Only one big moment was ruined by a trailer, something that is more common these days than not. Thankfully, there was so much more to this film than what was shown in all these previews. The Avengers was a fun-filled, surprisingly funny, Summer blockbuster that will give The Dark Knight Rises a worthy foe for the crown of Summer Box Office King.
Matt’s Review: ‘The Raid: Redemption’ Boasts Gritty Realistic Action Rivaled By Few
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GRADE: B
Sure many of you have not heard of The Raid: Redemption, but the film has slowly worked itself from foreign film to small American markets to a fairly wide distribution. The reason this film’s reach has expanded so much centers around the breathtaking action sequences that evoke “ooos & aahhs” from the watching audience. This film features some of the most violent and brutal action sequences I’ve ever witnessed. The Raid: Redemption is not for the faint of heart — it’s for those hardcore adrenaline junkies who are missing out with today’s mainstream American action flicks.
Matt’s Review: ‘Titanic 3D’ is the Movie We All Remember With a Little Extra Flair
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GRADE: A
Sure, most of us have seen Titanic before, but many missed the opportunity to see it on the big screen the first time around. I was amongst those few and I wanted to see Titanic 3D not only for the chance to see it projected at the theater, but also to get a look at James Cameron’s attempt at creating a worthwhile post conversion 3D experience. Despite me still having gripes about pieces of the 3D in the film, this post conversion effort was the best I’ve seen to date.
GRADE: C-
The Cabin in the Woods looks like the conventional horror flick where a band of good looking younglings congregate to party at a creepy north woods cabin only to be interrupted by a merciless killer. But don’t take this film at face value, because there are many hidden secrets buried within. In this review I won’t spend a second going deeper into said secrets, because this is something you should discover on your own should you decide to see it.
Matt’s Review: ‘American Reunion’ is Funny, But Tries Way Too Hard to Be So Much More
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GRADE: B-
Did we really need a fourth American Pie? Absolutely not. But considering I spent time with the previous three films this ‘final’ chapter (don’t be surprised if there is American Pie 5: Hey, We’re 50!) was something I had to make time for, and it was worthwhile for more reasons than one. While this film is chocked full of fading and faded stars, it’s nice to see the East Great Falls graduating class of 1999 back together. Most of you should expect a lot of laughs in this film and the best thing about American Reunion was definitely the humor. Many pieces were childish and disgusting, but some of those were arguably the funniest parts. If you liked or laughed at any of the previous three films, American Reunion will not disappoint.
GRADE: D+
For those hoping Wrath of the Titans would turn out better than its predecessor, I can assure it’s only marginally better than Clash of the Titans. Better is good, but considering the 2010 film was a visual nightmare and an awful movie, don’t count a victory Warner Bros. I’ve talked to plenty of people who enjoyed Clash of the Titans — if you’re one of those few, the sequel should be right up your alley. For the rest of us, stay clear of Sam Worthington’s latest, it doesn’t deserve your support at the box office.
