Archive for Reviews
Matt’s Review: ‘The Hunger Games’ Has Everything Fans and Newcomers Could Want
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GRADE: B+
I’ve heard many in the world of social media call out similarities between this film and the famous vampire series starring Robert Pattinson.Those who’ve heard the comparisons, The Hunger Games is not like Twilight. Not at all. Those who are fans already know that. While both series share a similar fan base, a lot of teenage girls, they are light-years apart. Those die-hard book fans and eager movie-goers will be very pleased to know my expectations for this highly anticipated film were met. The adventure starts early and lasts until the credits roll.
Matt’s Review: ’21 Jump Street’ is Hilarious, But in the End, It’s Not All Laughs
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GRADE: B+
The last movie I saw Jonah Hill in he was a fat disgusting adolescent in The Sitter. Fast forward to 21 Jump Street, Hill has slimmed down to a wire frame of his old self. The latest from Hill has him starring alongside Channing Tatum where the pair infiltrate a drug ring at a high school as undercover police. While I usually despise Tatum because he is such a wooden actor, this type of comedic role is something he fits naturally. This role felt like he was just being a normal goofy version of himself, and he wasn’t bent on being dramatic like some of his other films like Dear John or The Vow. Tatum and Hill have great chemistry as a pair, and both shouldered the load carrying this comedy from beginning to end.
GRADE: C
Put Ed Helms and Jason Segel in a movie together and it has to be a success right? The film would be full of funny moments with these two leading the charge. Unfortunately, Jeff, Who Lives at Home is more of a drama despite being labeled as a comedy. While the serious portions of this film are worthwhile, the unfurling narrative lacks focus. For a movie named after Jeff, at times he felt like a secondary character.
Barrett’s Review: ‘Friends With Kids’ is a REAL Adult Dramedy
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GRADE: B+
I’m 26. I’m single. At this point in my life I’m not thinking about kids as a short-term possibility (*knock on wood*). But as I’m entering the twilight of my 20’s, it’s definitely something I’m beginning to mull over and how it will factor into my life…eventually. Hundreds, thousands of movies over the years have portrayed or dissected the challenges and joy that having children brings to one’s life – either through raunchy comedy (Knocked Up) or serious drama (Kramer vs. Kramer). But there are rare breeds of films that are able to tap into these cinematic elements in a way that makes you laugh, shed a tear and think about the importance of the people in your life. Friends With Kids is one of those films.
Matt’s Review: ‘John Carter’ Plays Nice, But Lacks Spirit — It Also Looks Awful in 3D
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GRADE: C+
As I usually do in reviews such as this one, I have to be forthright and explain I did not read the John Carter books — I’m not going to either, so don’t stress that I do. The movie was my first exposure to the story, so bear that in mind. I have to say, Disney really took a gamble on John Carter. The budget for this film ballooned to $250 million, which will make it difficult for the film to make it out of the red. I have a feeling that after seeing the success of Avatar, Disney felt like this was their $2+ billion movie. Sadly, I am here to report that it is not, because John Carter had pieces that worked, but for the most part, I just did not care about this film.
GRADE: B+
Silent House is a good horror flick for many reasons, foremost, because of Elizabeth Olsen. The younger sister of the famous Olsen Twins stepped out of their shadow early last year with a perfected performance of a troubled and cryptic character in Martha Marcy May Marlene. It’s nice to see an Olsen that isn’t scary-skinny and in a role that isn’t fodder for kids. Even aside from those points, this girl has serious acting chops, and they are put on full display in Silent House. Her ability to convey fear and sheer terror is something that trickles down onto the viewing audience, forcing us to mirror said emotions.
Barrett’s Review: ‘Project X’ is All Boobs and Booze, But That’s Not a Bad Thing
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GRADE: B
This will probably be one of the shortest reviews that I’ve ever written, because there’s really not much to be said. Project X is what it is: a party comedy bursting at the seams with profanity, nudity, dick jokes and the ever-cliche’ high school theme of nerds wanting to be cool. The comparisons to Superbad are just, simply for the friendship dynamic of the main characters, but it doesn’t come close to the memorable substance that McLovin’ & Co. provided moviegoers back in 2007. Project X, is however, an entertaining comedy that will make you want to party as soon as the credits roll.
Matt’s Review: ‘Wanderlust’ is Stupid, Annoying, But Quite Funny
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GRADE: B-
This film isn’t going into the vault of greatest comedies of all-time. Wanderlust has a lot of comedic juggernauts (Rudd, Justin Theroux, Kerri Kenney) mixed with a stupid but interesting story — however, the side splitting laughs are scattered. It has quite a few small chuckles in between, but oftentimes I found myself just waiting for the next big laugh and not caring about anything else.
GRADE: C-
Imagine a film about Navy Seals that uses the real men who went through the arduous Navy application process as the on-screen characters. This concept has become a reality with Act of Valor. I had high expectations for the realistic action, but had my doubts about the untrained actors being convincing. It seems my observations from the trailer were correct as this film had finely executed and completely believable action, but stone-faced characters across the board. Act of Valor sacrificed a lot passing on talented learned actors for enlisted Seals. It’s a different idea, and one that didn’t succeed here.
Matt’s Review: ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ is a Mediocre Fast Paced Spy-Thriller
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GRADE: B-
I don’t want to go too in depth with this film review, because every other review I write does just that. So this is my attempt to be clear, succinct, and to the point. Here we go. The film stars the great Gary Oldman as Mr. Smiley, an agent of the government seeking to unravel the mystery of who is the mole on the inside. It has an all-star cast worthy of any award ceremony — the cast includes: Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and John Hurt. In this spy thriller, all of these men play a key role to discovering the truth behind the traitor.
