Movie Review: Pacific Rim

 

In a futuristic world, monsters known as Kaiju flood through a crack in the earth and wreak havoc on everything. To counter these monsters we created monsters of our own. Giant robots called Jaegers whose duel pilots mesh their minds together in a process known as drifting, are the only hope to save mankind. The plot is the key factor on if you will enjoy this film, because it says basically all the positives of the film. If you want to see giant monsters fighting giant robots, you get that and its exciting. Other than that though the film falls flat on most technical levels. The set pieces of this film is the high point of Pacific Rim, in particular the Hong Kong battle (or is it Tokyo? I don't remember). The scale of this film is massive and the way director Guillermo Del Toro crafts these scenes was worth the price of admission for me.

In simple terms it's flipping awesome, and enhance a film that is in other ways dull. The acting was stale, and I haven't exactly figured out if it's the actors or the writing to blame. Idris Elba and Ron Perlman may be the only exceptions to the rule, but their screen time is limited. The leads in the form of Sons of Anarchy alum Charlie Hunnam (Raleigh Becket) and Rinko Kikuchi (Mako Mori) are uninspiring and bland and offer no emotional attachment throughout the 2 hour run time. I also found both scientist (Charlie Day, Burn Gorman) rather annoying and I often found my eyes rolling as they spit out fast talking "logic". The more I think about it the more I realize how much the writing failed this film. No characters were given a specific arc, and any conflict was solved within minutes or were dropped all together. The character were written in the most basic cliché ways and nobody every became more than a one dimensional being. I could go on and on but most of all its easier to say the writing sucked. Even with incredible special effects and incredibly fun action set pieces, Pacific Rim is a movie that never strives to be anything more than a popcorn flick. While that is fine, it had potential to be a game changer in a day and age where originality is lost. Thank you Guillermo Del Toro for trying something I haven't seen in a long time, but you missed an opportunity.

Verdict: 3 out of 5

Pacific Rim and Grown Ups 2 Predictions

This weekend we are treated (more or less) to the bombastic Robot vs Monster film Pacific Rim, and another attempt to revamp his career with Adam Sandler's Grown Ups 2. While tracking for Pacific Rim has been poor, and Adam Sandler movies continue to be successful even while being the skid mark on the under britches of cinema, we are given an unpredictable week in the money category. Here are my predictions for this weekend (Both Rotten Tomato score and weekend gross).

Grown Ups 2

The last Grown up film was more or less terrible, but still was an incredibly bankable film which leads me to believe this one will be no different. I find it hard to believe that this sequel will do anything to improve on it's predecessor in quality, especially since Adam Sandler has failed to make any film with critical praise this decade (excluding Punch-Drunk Love which isn't a Sandler type film). Most of these films like Jack and Jill and Just Go With It float between the 10%-20% range and flood the theaters with the same type of people, all people. People see Adam Sandler movies, it's just how the world turns and I have no clue how to explain it. Will Grown Ups 2 be good? No, I am 100% sure and I have complete confidence saying it. Will it be a successful film? Absolutely, once again I am 100% sure because all of his films are. I will not be seeing Grown Ups 2, unless of course hell freezes over and it gets semi positive reviews.

Rotten Tomato Score: 15%

Weekend Gross: 44 Million


Pacific Rim

Guillermo Del Toro is well known within his fan boy circles, but has yet to become anything more than that. Though Pans Labyrinth is known as fantasy at it's highest form, his Hellboy films stay within his cult status. Guillermo is back to big budget film making with a film straight out of a 14 year old boys mind, Pacific Rim. While in the broadest sense we have seen a fight between Robot and Monsters play out in the slippery surface of our bath tubs (I know I have), it never had this big of a production value. Though action figures do put on one hell of a show. The biggest asset that director Guillermo Del Toro has is his passion for his projects, this being one he has been eagerly anticipating to make. That is enough to make me believe the film will be fresh by the weekend. The problem that this film will face is the inevitable comparison with The Transformers Trilogy. The Rotten Tomato score may suffer from it, and I feel it will. It also has struggled to gain traction within the public, but positive word of mouth may help a slow start. The massive budget will be hard to overcome and its very possible that it may be the biggest flop of the year. I don't believe this film will top the box office this week, nor am i sure it will be able to surpass the previous weeks winner Despicable Me 2. Only time will tell if this blockbuster will strike with fans or be left in the dust.

Rotten Tomato Score: 74%

Weekend Gross: 40 Million

The Heat Review

A buddy cop film centered around a know it all FBI agent named Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) and her partnership with a foul mouthed Boston PD member named Mullins (Melissa McCarthy) on their mission to take down the a drug lord.

 

The plot is your typical buddy cop comedy, that trudges along as the lead actors spit jokes left and right until your lungs collapse. The film as a whole, reminded me of events from better films like The Other Guys, and never truly offered something we haven't seen. That is in no way going to effect the score because in this day in age it's hard for almost any film to differentiate itself from the millions of films from our past. What does offer this film something fresh is the lead actresses, in particular the always talented Melissa McCarthy. I am a big fan of McCarthy, I do however feel in almost every film she has been in (besides Bridesmaids) she is given the short end of the stick. They give her one note jokes when she can absolutely kill an emotional scene if given the opportunity. A minute long scene of her crying isn't enough to warrant any sort of emotional attachment to her character. I also had a problem with the way she was written, I understand that she is "ghetto" but her use of profanity resulted in shock value that after the first half hour became a lot less funny. The funniest moments of the film where her clever lines that used no profanity. There was a handful of clever jokes the rest were just curse words than while funny will result in no re watch value. Shock value is only good one time around, the writing of the film didn't offer anything for multiple viewings. I also didn't find Sandra Bullock to be all that believable, matter of fact I don't believe any cop in the film could actually be a cop. Luckily, the majority of the film made me forget about that feeling. On the positive note the chemistry between the leads was fantastic, even though the characters were as cliché as cliché gets. Even if you don't enjoy the film you should find enjoyment in the leading ladies interactions with each other. I firmly believe that the actions in the film are much more funny than the dialogue that is presented.

All in all The Heat is a solid comedy that may not stand out, but will give a handful of laughs when other films fail to do so. It may not be clever or witty, but for the first viewing the shock value will do enough to make the film worth seeing for most people.

Verdict: 3 out of 5

Despicable Me 2 Review

In 2010, Illumination Studios warmed everyone's heart with a tale of an oddball villain named Gru (Steve Carell) who through a series of events turns his life around and becomes the parent of 3 adorable orphan girls. In this expected sequel we revisit this new family as Gru's begins his new mission as the good guy in a secret spy organization known as the Anti-Villain League. Though Despicable Me 2 never recaptures the heart of it's predecessor, it offers a slew of laughs and an enjoyable experience for all ages.

 

My biggest gripe with this in particular film is the amount of screen time given to the fan favorite minions. Much like any other kids movie, the cutest and most loveable characters are forced into the frame without any need to be there. This is the case with the minions, I figure they are in at least 95% of the scenes in the film, and most scenes with them didn't work for me. The scenes that did work however is any interaction between Gru and "his girls". Not only where they funny, they added a large amount of heart to the film that for the most part is a mixed bag. The minions being forced into each frame felt forced, and while at times funny, relied on slapstick to get a the youngsters to laugh. They are even an essential part of a razor thin plot, that I felt could of and should of been different. Too much of a good thing, isn't necessarily a good thing and that is the case with the minions. What made the minions so loveable is there subtle way they were used in the first film. This movie may has well been called Minions (oh yeah, that comes out next year). I know a large majority of the population will disagree with me, and that's fine because I understand what they wanted from the film.

Not many people are like me, they don't go into animated films expecting more than a good time. Which means I highly recommend the film to pretty much anyone, even though I found it to be an average animated film. The minions will make people laugh, and there is no character that is ever dull or misused, with the exception of the middle child Edith who is really there to complete the group. You will continue to fall in love with Gru as a father figure, and even have fun with the newer characters like Lucy (Kristin Wiig) or Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt). For a sequel I say, not bad Illumination keep working hard and thanks for an enjoyable film.

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5

Monsters University Review

Pixar shows up this summer season with the prequel to one of their many beloved animated films, Monsters Inc. In this film titled Monsters University, the college years of Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) are revealed to us in a fashion that is all too cliche, for a company that strives to be so innovative.

To go into the story of this film would be somewhat tedious, because I can sum it up in a way that will explain most of the film. Leaving this film my first thoughts were Revenge Of The Nerds with  a Monster exterior, and I firmly believe that is what this film is. The story has the popular kid (Sully), and the unpopular kid (Mike) who eventually are forced to work together in a series of events against the best scare students on campus, exactly like fraternities in a Greeks row battle. Despite some subtle twist and turns the story is the most cliche and lazy story that the company has ever produced. That is not to say everything about the film is poor, because it is enjoyable and offers a handful of laughs (literally maybe 5). Most of which are given to the group of misfits that Sully and Mike get attached to, while the stars lack the opportunity to shine. It was like the quick witted and funny Mike Wazowski that I loved was dulled down into the typical straight man that Sully was in the first film. One straight man is enough, Mike needed to be utilized much more effectively. While the leads advance the plot, the misfits are held in the background, only to pop out to throw a joke now and then. Which would work if the story wasn't so painfully predictable and average. There is also a couple appearances made by Monsters Inc. alums that felt forced and in someways confusing. I can't stand films that rely on nostalgia to enhance a film. Make a good story before you decided to nod the previous films, in this case a film that events happen after this one.

In the end of the day, I found myself watching an average animated film that falls more towards Cars 2 and Brave, than every other film released by Pixar. The last 3 Pixar films are what I consider an extreme rut, one that they have yet to get out of. I don't believe that doing a sequel to great animated films is the answer either. It saddens me that the some upcoming films that Pixar are planning are indeed sequels (Finding Dori). With Toy Story being the only exception to the rule, sequels do nothing for an animated film franchise. Monsters University was unnecessary, forced and not nearly as funny as it should have been. While no animated film this season haven impressed me (Though Epic and The Croods were better than this) both Turbo and Despicable Me 2 rest on the horizon. As for now I will be waiting for Pixar to up its game and get back to what made them great. 

Verdict: 2.5 out 5

Pacific Rim Tracking Poorly

What some people considered to be a huge movie, is tracking to be nothing more than the speed bump of the summer season. Pacific Rim which plot pits giant robotic war machines vs monstrous creatures from the deep, hasn't a couple more hurdles to jump. On paper you may piss your pants with fanboy excitement but that is just the problem, fanboys aren't the majority of people that go to the movies. What the majority of people may go see is a stupid Adam Sandler comedy in this case Grown Ups 2 which opens on the same day as Pacific Rim. I can't explain why Pacific Rim is tracking at a mediocre 30 million and Grown Ups 2 is tracking 40 million I can however read between the lines.

Grown Ups the predecessor of this new comedy, grossed 40.5 million in its opening week, which gives the sequel a better chance to improve on that. As for Pacific Rim, you get what would be considered either a monster movie, or a robot movie. While robot movies have found some success in the form of the transformers trilogy, monsters movies haven't fared very well. While Godzilla (1998) did hold a 44 million dollar opening weekend it was in an extreme downfall from there and ended up grossing 136 million dollars domestically. That could just be the case of a bad film under performing in all categories, but it does say something about the films itself. The films are pure fanboy films, Pacific Rim more so than ever and it may hurt itself in the long run.

What Legendary Pictures Is Saying

Like any bad press start, you have people trying to pick up the trash. In this case Thomas Tull the head of Legendary Pictures, here is what he had to say and what I make of his comment.

Audiences that have seen the movie, love the movie," Tull told me.  "I think in our core audiences and, sort of, the fanboy groups that want to see the movie...we have seen tracking wildly on all of our movies so, at this point, all we can say to audiences is if you go see this movie, you're going to love it and you're going to tell your friends - that's all we can do.  The other stuff, it has almost become like sporting events.  Every weekend, it's so wildly reported on and now even opining about tracking, which is kind of weird to me.  I can tell you, when I was a kid andStar Wars came out, I wasn't like, 'I don't know, the trailer looks cool, but the tracking sucks.'  I don't know what that is."

I applaud you Mr. Tull, for playing it off as if tracking is no big deal. There is nothing wrong with the confidence he has in the film, but to pretend that everything is going well is an absolute lie. I am sure Legendary is shaking in there boots, especially after leaving their partnership with WB. Though Warner Brothers is backing this particular film (a very small amount) a bust will not run well with a company looking to find success. Also though Rian Johnson (Director of Looper) raved about the film, saying it made him feel like a 12 year old boy. The others reviews that have came on board tho mostly positive are not what I would call "loving it". Also yeah feeling like a twelve year old boy is great and all, but a more complex and inventive story would be nice. Nobody is denying that the action of the film and scale will be extremely impressive, but nowadays that doesn't cut it.

Why you shouldn't worry

Just because a film doesn't do well, it doesn't mean its a bad film. Look at last years Dredd, I found it to be a pretty good film even with its poor box office reception. However it's low budget made it still a successful film in the long run. Also this years The Great Gatsby was projected well below it actually performed, but it is a different case. At the beginning of the year if you told me I could see a film staring Leonardo DeCaprio or a Robot vs Monster flick, id have to choose DeCaprio because the latter has a better chance of being bad. If we are lucky it would turn out like Hellboy I and II and it will find its fanboy following, but for sure it won't be one of the more successful films of this year.

Has Pixar Lost It's Touch?

My review of Monsters University will be coming soon, and since I am in the process of moving the blog has been stationary for the last couple weeks, making this post more important than it should be. I want to start by saying that Pixar is still a top class animated studio, and with its past films still warrants the top dog stature it has gained. In my opinion however, Pixar has hit a rut, one that may become more apparent In a few years. It seems as if the originality of their films has become none existent, and they are fast tracking sequels and in this particular case a prequel that is unnecessary. Was Monsters University a terrible? absolutely not, but it wasn't a good one either. It was an average film that falls closer to mediocrity as it becomes predictable and cliché. When leaving the theater Suzanne said to my complaints "It's a kids movie your judging it to harshly." and I promptly replied "when did Pixar make just kids movies?". That is what Monsters University was a kids movie that relied on cheap gags and a lack of wit and charm. I didn't want to see Revenge of The Nerds with a slew of monsters, I wanted another original film.

The last 3 films of Pixar are what I consider "the rut" even though one of them won Best Animated Feature (Brave), which is another rant for another time. Cars 2 is critically known as the worst Pixar film followed by Brave if you are using the Rotten Tomatoes score as the benchmark for which is a better film. For me at least Monsters University is my second least favorite Pixar film, and would fall short of my top 20 animated film list, a list which contains most every Pixar film. Looking at future projects we are given another unnecessary sequel in Finding Dory, and a couple original projects that show some promise. However, in the competitors front DreamWorks has multiple original ideas that sound more promising, along with a somewhat unnecessary sequel to their top film How To Train Your Dragon. With companies such as Blue Sky, Illumination and Aardman continuing to improve, Pixar needs to watch its back before they are bested with more original films by its competition.

I said it from last winter, Turbo (A DreamWorks production) will be the animated film of 2013. With Monsters University not hitting a homerun, the opportunity for Turbo or Despicable Me 2 is in the clearing.

Man Of Steel On Pace For A Big Weekend

Though my predictions for the Rotten Tomatoes were way way off, it looks that the film will exceed at least one of my predictions. I predicted that Man Of Steel would gross 103 million this weekend, and if the numbers are correct it's looking to gross upwards to 125 million. If you add the Wal-mart special screenings with the midnight you have the gross of 21 million, and it has been said through Friday it will have grossed around 56 million. Of course nothing is said and done until Sunday when the reports are released, but Warner Brothers should be happy with those numbers.

It may fall behind the 174 million put up by this years Iron Man 3, but it would be unfair to compare it to that. Iron Man 3 was riding the momentum of The Avengers, one of the highest grossing films of all time. While Man Of Steel is a reboot coming off the under performing Superman Returns. Unfortunately, i believe there is little chance it will return next week as a leader. Newcomers World War Z and more so than that Monsters University should knock the illustrious Superhero down from the top of the food chain. If the film has some legs, via good word of mouth (not from critics) than the film can continue to rack in the cash throughout next month. There is a lot of films coming out that will draw children and adult away from the film. We will continue to watch it as it strives to reach the billion dollar mark.

Movie Review: Man Of Steel (Spoiler Free)

Trey: 4.5 out of 5

Though Ive never been a Superman fan, I now believe that a man can fly. Filled with insane action sequences, great acting and a little bit of emotion, Man Of Steel soars above the summer movie season and offers a film unlike anything I have ever seen. While building an strong foundation for future films and a larger universe. For not being a fan, this is the Superman film I have always wanted to see.

Suzanne: 4.9 out of 5

I am right there with Trey, I have never been the biggest fan of Superman. The one thing that I did like that was Superman related was Smallville and this movie was nothing really like that TV show. But let's get to the movie at hand, Man of Steel. This movie was by far the greatest movie I have seen this summer it was entertaining, slightly comedic and very emotional and overall fantastic.

Overview

This is not the Superman from the 1970's, and is more of a sci fi alien encounter than the superhero films of our past. When Jor-El (Russel Crowe) sends his newborn infant Kal-El to earth before the core of his home planet implodes, and General Zod (Michael Shannon) captures the codex that is traveling with him. The film instantly cuts to an adult Kal-El/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) who is alone and searching for the meaning of his existence on this planet. The film from there continues with varies flashbacks of the childhood experiences of Clark and how he handled his immense power. With Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) hot in his tails Clark is faced with an ultimatum, give himself over to Zod or the whole planet will be destroyed.


Visuals

Trey: Many others and I know that Zack Snyder is a very visual director, and this film utilizes every trick up his sleeve. The CGI is gorgeous and even with an abundance of action and CGI, I never felt like the scenes became tedious. I felt every blow even tho the people delivering them probably couldn't. Amir Mokri really delivered some great cinematography, and the flair and style utilized by Snyder made every scene exhilarating. When Kal-El first took flight my jaw hit the floor, and it was worth every minute.

Suzanne: The visuals in this movie were quite spectacular. I was very impressed by all of the detail of they put into Krypton and how truly amazing the planet looked. The fight scenes were amazing to watch and they looked so beautifully real it was crazy. I was completely floored when Clark Kent first flew, I felt like I could feel the rush with him which was just crazy.


Audio and Score

Trey: I am a big fan of Han Zimmer and his Man of Steel score was pretty spectacular. However there wasn't many different tracks they repeated many. I just believe they were utilized extremely well and added even more excitement to the action scenes.

Suzanne: I loved the score for this movie, it really blew me away. The subtle music throughout the movie really helped to carry the emotions of the actors on the screen and I think that is a very difficult thing to do. It picked up extremely well during the actions scenes as well which just made them that much better.



Acting

Trey: I have no gripes with the acting in the film, if any I felt Shannon was a bit more reserved than id like him to be. Cavill did a tremendous job being this incarnation of Superman. He isn't Christopher Reeve they are very different and I enjoy both versions. Were Reeve was more clumsy and unique outside the suit, Cavill was strong and silent. When he did get to show some charm near the end of the film he did it perfectly, making me believe the end of the film will lead to great things for Cavill in future films. Also another standout for me was Russel Crowe who absolutely kills it as Jor-El. Throughout this entire movie I never once thought about Reeve, or Brando or Terrence Stamp. Each actor portrayed this version of the character phenomenally even with some hokey dialogue. Amy Adams also played a Lois Lane for this age, and made her more than just a damsel in distress, I was rather surprised with how intricate she was to the film. I hear a lot of complaints about how the relationship wasn't there and I feel it just begun. Never once in the film did I feel like they were instantly together even after there kiss and that is perfectly fine with me. This wasn't a love story it was a story about Kal-El finding his path. Also I have a lot of praise towards Kevin Costner as Pa Kent and whoever played Faora.

Suzanne: Fantastic! That is what I have to say about the acting in this movie. Everyone, including a few extras, had amazing performances and I think that is a hard thing to get with movies. I thought Cavill was the perfect choice for Superman, he was rugged and charming and overall a great Superman to watch. Now, his female counterpart Amy Adams also did quite well with her role as Lois Lane. She was quirky and bossy and she played her role perfectly, from the Lois Lane's that I have seen she is definitely my favorite. As for the Kryptonians, a.k.a. Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon, I thought they were quite fun to watch. The way the two of them interacted with each other was very entertaining to watch, even though it was a very short time of interaction. Russell Crowe was bad ass and he completely portrayed his character to a tee, it was spectacular to watch to say the least. I thought with Michael Shannon, having met him at Eberfest, that he was completely the opposite of himself. He was a great villain for this movie and I thought that he was one of the main highlights. The way his character was so angry and crazy about taking over and saving his race was just crazy. Also with Clark's parents I thought they both added a lot of dynamic to the movie, they were both very key emotional parts and they played their parts very, very well.


Story

Trey: This is the portion of the movie that has been getting the most heat for critics and I feel they were expecting something from their past. This isn't the fun loving Superman everyone remembers, this is brand new stuff and good for that. The story was very comic book like and the only complaint I have towards it is that the editing the way it was put together was rather choppy. I felt a linear story could have helped the film, but would make it more like the films of the past. As for an origin story, this is one of the best I have seen. When the film was emotional it succeeded in being that, and when it wanted to be thrilling it was. It was a simple story, but it was an extremely inventive and new way to represent everything from Krypton, to every aspect of the story. I did however feel there may have been a better way to piece the film as a whole together. That is however a nitpick for a film that I feel builds the perfect foundation for future films. While it may not offer the wit and charm of the first Superman films it offers incredible action, likable character and a whole lot of hope. I was with Superman the whole film through every scene and every ounce of pain and agony and I couldn't be happier with it. The way the film ended made me slightly giddy and put Cavill in a very familiar situation that even if you didn't enjoy the film you can see the potential for future success. I agree the essence of the character may not be the same as what everyone from the past believes it should be, however this new Superman is one I will enjoy following throughout his many adventures.

Suzanne: The story for this movie was the beginning of a long journey in my opinion. This is the the very start of the amazing life of Clark Kent and Superman and it was a great start. It is a very good start for audiences to begin to love Superman and follow him just like we have with the Batman Trilogy. I thought as far as filming with the movie it needed less lens flares and not as many close up shots of things we don't really need to see such as the wagon, etc. I don't really have a whole lot to say about the story to be honest.

Movie Review: This Is The End

Overall

Trey: 4 out of 5

When its funny it's hilarious and the majority of the film followed that suit. However to many penis jokes and a bland middle section ultimately turn this disaster film from a great comedy to a good one.

Suzanne: 3.5 out of 5

This movie was pretty hilarious overall and I really enjoyed that fact that they did a light hearted apocalypse movie. I agree with Trey that there were far too many penis jokes (but hey if that's your thing this is the movie for you) and the middle of the movie did drag quite a bit. Other than that a great comedy if you need a good laugh.

Overview

When Jay Baruchel comes to L.A to visit his best friend Seth Rogan, Jay's plans to just chill with his friend are thrown out the window when Seth persuades him to go to a house warming party at James Franco's House. They arrive at the party where Seth meets up with some of his good friends like James, Jonah Hill, and Craig Robinson. Jay however doesn't get along with everyone and feels as if he is being put on the back burner by his would be best friend. When outside the apocalypse begins, whoever survives the chaos outside has to band together and figure out a plan to survive. (Sorry for the overview, that was one of the most difficult overviews I have ever had to write. I didn't want to give away anything but the bare minimum.)


Visuals

Trey: Though much of the film takes place within Franco's house there is a bit of special effects spread throughout the film. When there was some monsters and the wreckage outside for the budget I thought it did rather well. This isn't a blockbuster film but the simple use of the CGI was good enough.

Suzanne: I thought the visual effects were pretty good for this not being a huge movie. They spent a majority of the movie inside which was fine but I wanted them to be outside in the wreckage a little more than they were.

Audio and Score

Trey: nothing to really talk about in this section, however there was some nice musical touches. In particular a perfectly timed and hilarious use of a famous Whitney Houston song, and even the Backstreet Boys. Yeah I said it.

Suzanne: I didn't notice a ton of music in the movie overall but when I did it worked perfectly. They used it for comedy and it was quite amazing and made the movie that much better.

Acting

Trey: When you have people playing the exaggerated versions of their real life selves, the expectations for the acting isn't very high. I believe you will be impressed with whatever characters you end up liking. An example would be I have never been a fan of Seth Rogan and Jay Baruchel, and they were the characters I didn't enjoy (Along with Franco). However I loved the performances of Craig Robinson and Jonah Hill, I found them to be the funniest and just overall the most enjoyable. Also I would like to point out the extremely hilarious cameo performance from Michael Cera. I believe it's exactly what he isn't like in real life, but it made me laugh a lot.

Suzanne: I thought that everyone did really well with their end of the world performances. I loved when they showed all of the celebrities at James Franco's party because they each had their own little quirky comedic part and it was great. I really enjoyed the comedic interaction between all of the main characters, Rogan, Franco, Robinson, Hill and Baruchel. I thought everyone was very funny and that really made the movie what it is. And finally I have to give a shout out to Michael Cera for giving a hilarious cameo in the movie that was really different than what we usually see from him.

Story

Trey: I found the story to be most impressive, and much different than what I was expecting. There was some gags (penis ones) that fell flat for me, and they kept adding more and more as the film went on. The best part about the story it added a twist I wasn't expecting, and for every bland scene I was confident they would come back and make me laugh soon, which they usually succeeded at. Mad props to Rogan and Goldberg for writing a funny bromance adventure. The film started out immensely strong, then started to fault in the middle, but redeemed itself in the final 15 minutes of the film.

Suzanne: I thought the story actually came together really well. I wasn't sure going into the movie that it would work very well but it truly did. The only part of the story that I really didn't enjoy was all of the penis jokes, I thought they really over did it with those. I thought that they spent a little too much time in the house but in the end it did work so I can't really complain. Overall the movie's story was really great and really funny.

What's Up With Man Of Steel?

I think most people would admit that the marketing for Man Of Steel has teased a fantastic film that blends drama and action. However with the current standings at Rotten Tomatoes it holds a measly 68% and a 7/10 overall. Reading the reviews the problems become apparent, too serious, too much action not enough charm. Here is my thoughts on the whole situation regarding what was expected to be one of the biggest films of the year.  I want to start by saying I have yet to see the film, just studying what the negative and positive reviews say about the film.

I don't know about you guys but a more serious more action packed Superman film is pretty much what I was hoping for. Yes, I wanted a Nolan style story with emotion and depth and maybe Man Of Steel misses that mark, but I haven't seen Superman punch anyone since the disaster known as Superman IV. Though many reviews have pointed out that it can be very emotional at times, one constant has been the praise towards the scope and action sequences of the film, though a lack of weight and a somewhat repetitiveness within the action has been noted by some. It's a lot of action, literally the last 45 minutes of the film (so I've heard) is pure destruction and sometimes if not done well it can become dull like Transformers 3 did for me. If you love action and that doesn't bother you then you will love the film.

The seriousness has also been a big point of criticism amongst the mixed reviewers. I believe they wanted it to be like the original Superman, which is exactly what Snyder and crew didn't want. Everyone needs to treat this film like a completely new incarnation of Superman, he is tormented and lost he isn't silly and full of life like Reeve's. Stop expecting that and either embrace the new incarnation or don't. You don't need to bash it based on what it is, respect it for it's merits don't compare it to a classic like Superman: The Movie. I feel if everyone went in without seeing Superman the movie, like many of my friends will get too. They will come out with a much more enjoyable experience.

My Superman review will come out tomorrow night after my 7 o'clock showing.

Our Top 3 Favorite Movie Teams

In vein of the new film Now You See Me, Suzanne and I will be listing our favorite movie teams. There is really no credentials as to what is considered a team, besides the fact that they need to be working together. This isn't a top ensembled cast, its a group of people working together to accomplish amazing things. Teamwork is the backbone of society and nothing beats a great movie team. Though one bad-ass hero is great, nothing beats a well oiled team. Here we go!

Trey

3. Charlie And Team (Italian Job 2003)


Though this film is a remake, not many teams are put together as well as this out for revenge team. Every group consist of intricate parts, in this case you have the mastermind Charlie (Mark Wahlberg).  His right hand man the tough guy Handsome Rob (Jason Statham), and the computer geek Lyle (Seth Green). Rounding out this already awesome team is the extremely attractive safecracker Stella (Charlize Theron), and the explosives and weapons expert Left Ear (Mos Def). I absolutely love this movie, and this team is pure awesome. One of my favorite scenes revolves around Seth Green imitating the British gruff accent and suave lady skills of Jason Statham from afar. This is a well oiled machine who completely dominated their final plane to a rousing success. Eat that Steve (Edward Norton).



2. Cleveland Indians (Major League 1989)

I love a good baseball movie and making it a comedy centered around a bad baseball team is always fun to watch. I could have chose something like the Bad News Bears but my favorite baseball comedy is Major League. The key components of this team is an extremely wild flame thrower named Ricky Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) and a cocky speedster named Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes). Throw in a burnt out veteran as your straight man, and a over payed loser and you got yourself an awesomely bad baseball team. Lets not forget my favorite player Pedro Cerano (Dennis Haysbert) a spiritual outfielder who can't hit the curveball. This is one of the great baseball movies and it's a shame I have yet to buy it. Now that this post reminded me of this film, I will be looking out for a Blu Ray copy.



1. Cobb's Inception Crew (Inception 2010)

There is a lot to like about Christopher Nolan's Inception, one of those being the tremendous team put together by Miles (Michael Caine). The Leader/ Extractor of the group Cobb (Leonardo Dicaprio) spends the beginning of the film putting together his team to infiltrate the mind of someone and plan an idea into their head. This team consist of the architect Ariadne (Ellen Page) who designs the dream that the dreamer is put into, Arthur (Joseph Gorden-Levitt) the point man who does research beforehand and helps the extractor and Eames (Tom Hardy) who can imitate and take the form of other people within the dream. Of course their is other members like Siato (Ken Watanabe) who funds the project and Yusuf (Dileep Rao) who is the chemist and created the sedative to keep people asleep. This is absolutely without a doubt my favorite team, they play so well off of each other. My favorite member? Eames of course because everybody likes someone who dreams a little bigger.



Suzanne

3. The A-Team (2010)

I love when A plan comes together, especially when that plan is created by mastermind Hannibal played by the always bad-ass Liam Neeson. The A-team may not have been critically acclaimed but its pretty awesome and the chemisty between the cast is absolutely dynamite. You have of course Liam Neeson whose name says everything about himself, and the cocky ladies man Face (Bradley Cooper, The kooky Murdock (Sharlto Copley) and the tough guy B.A Baracus (Rampage Jackson). The team has a lot of dynamics, and the characters really work well together.

2. Oceans Eleven Team (2001)

This is the epitome of a team, a very large team 11 to be exact. I am not going to list all the team members cause my hands would cramp up and honestly I don't remember all of them. I do however know Danny Ocean (George Clooney), Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) along with this really cool contortionist fellow. They are so awesome that they don't rob only one casino they rob three simultaneously. Easily, the best 11 person team in movie history.



1. Han Solo and Chewie (Star Wars Trilogy)

There will never be any two team tandem that can overshadow the sheer greatness of Han and Chewie. You have the extremely charismatic and fan favorite Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and the lovable sometimes cowardess Wookie named Chewbacca. I am not all that versed in Star Wars lore, so I wont be given you a breakdown of what a Wookie is or why they make an awesome gargling noise. No matter because everyone knows what a Wookie is unless you lived under a rock your whole life and missed out on one of the great trilogies of all time. If you did somehow miss out turn it on and enjoy this awesome team    
                                                                                    as they travel through space.



Honorable Mentions

Both Suzanne and I both have some honorable mentions, because we each randomly thought of more teams we enjoy. I for one love the new StarShip Enterprise crew with Chris Pine as Kirk and more so Zachary Quintos as Spock. Not to mention one of my favorite comedic actors in Simon Pegg as Scotty and Anton Yelchin as Chekov. I always wanted to mention a more unorthodox team in the form of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), Fox (Morgan Freeman) and the loyal butler Alfred (Michael Caine). Suzanne wanted to throw out Harry, Ron and Hermoine as well.

Man of Steel Predictions

With the release of Man of Steel slowly approaching, way to slow. I decided it is time to make my predictions on its Rotten Tomato score and its weekend gross. It's a tough thing to predict because there hasn't been much about it besides one 8/10 IMDB critic review and a couple anonymous reviews which were also well received. As for the gross it is tracking to be a 100+ million dollar weekend, but so was Star Trek Into Darkness which didn't do that. Lets start by predicting its rating on review sites.

Though people claim Superman Returns is the biggest pile of crap ever to hit the silver screen, they are wrong. Even with the backlash it received it got a 76% which is on par with most superhero films. It just wasn't the Superman film everyone wanted or was expecting, it was very drama heavy much like the Donner film. That being said we come to Man of Steel which is high octane action mixed with a grounded story and some heavy themes regarding alien life and loneliness. The reinvented Superman look far superior to its predecessors and even attempts to bring great story telling along with the intense action sequences. One can look at the Dark Knight Trilogy as a base range because like Man Of Steel a good story is the primary objective. That means it should fit within the Range of Batman Begins 85% to The Dark Knights 94%. I will however go big on this one, and say it ends with a  92%. I think its a movie that will appeal to the masses and inspire hope in the Superhero Genre that there is still surprises in store for us.

Predictions 92%

As for gross things becomes much more difficult to predict. I don't believe it will reach the Avengers first weekend mark, and I am still debating if it will hit 1 billion world wide. It is very possible that it could cross that mark and WB is definitely hoping it will but I am unsure. Star Trek Into Darkness was also expected to get 100 million and fell well shot with a weekend haul of 70 million. Does that mean the market is saturated? absolutely not, because Fast 6 pulled in 117 million in its memorial day run. This to me shows that the market is still waiting to boom, Avengers type boom? probably not but something impressive. Iron Man 3 will still probably be the highest grossing film of the year but Man of Steel should be second.

Predictions 

Weekend - 103 million
Total Domestic - 450 million
World Wide- 750 million

Trey's Blu Ray Collection: Crazy, Stupid, Love

 

This is my go to chick flick when I need something a little romantic. The reason for this is because it's funny and boast a cast that has a lot of charisma making for a very enjoyable movie. The film revolves around Cal Weaver (Steve Carrel) and his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) whose going through a rough patch in their relationship. Rough enough that Emily asks that they be separated for a while until she figures out what they want. In another story that plays out Hannah (Emma Stone) is a new lawyer who has is stuck in a relationship that is going nowhere fast. The only thing half exciting in her life is the run in at the bar with the suave ladies man Jacob (Ryan Gosling). Then there is 13 year old Robbie (Jonah Bobo) who is in love with the baby sitter. The whole film is the progression of love, and finding happiness in the most unlikely of circumstances or places. In one story it may be about finding the spark that there once was, in the other moving on to something better. It really is a great story, that makes for a fun movie. I particularly like the scenes and dialogue between Gosling and Carrel, I didn't know Ryan Gosling had any comedy chops but he does good enough to keep up with the always funny Steve Carrel. There isn't much more to say about the film, without giving away key moments. If your looking for a good date movie this one is worth your time, and parties will enjoy it.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

1. Children of Men
2. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
3. American Beauty
4. Arthur Christmas
5. Master And Commander
6. Crazy, Stupid, Love
7. The Brothers Grimm
 8. Cast Away

Movie Review: Now You See Me

Overall

Trey: 3.8 out of 5

Though better than I was expecting, lack of character development and the use of magic tricks as plot convenience or even holes held down the possibility of a good movie being great. The cast while extremely likable lacked any emotional ties and one twist near the end felt a bit far fetched. Otherwise the movie is immensely entertaining and a good summer movie that anyone can enjoy.

Suzanne: 4 out of 5

This movie was better than I expected after all of the negativity it got on Rotten Tomatoes. I thought they incorporated magic into the movie really well and it kept me wanting more. Unlike Trey, I quite enjoyed the cast although they needed to be developed way more than they were. But entertainment wise a great movie for all ages and a very enjoyable one at that.

Synopsis

When 4 magicians with different skill sets are banned together to do unthinkable heist, 2 cops must figure out how they pulled off a series of financial thefts that landed the bank accounts and wallets of the people in their audience. These magicians call themselves The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco and Woody Harrelson) and there goal is to set the wrongs in the world right. They do this in the form of stealing money from banks or people and giving it to the people they feel deserve it. This draws the attention of the CIA in the form of Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and his new assistant from Paris Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). Is all this magic real? or can the CIA with the help of a magician debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) crack the code.

Visuals

Trey: Nothing special in this one but nothing terrible either. There is some shaky came that hurt my head a bit, but overall solid cinematography. The special effects were limited and worked well when they were utilized.

Suzanne:  There weren't as many special effects in this movie as I thought there would be. In the trailer it seemed that, that was all it was going to be but it really was limited like Trey said. I thought they were pretty spectacular though overall. I was very glad that they didn't over do it with special effects they kept it at the perfect number in my opinion.


Audio and Score

Trey: I really enjoyed this score actually, it was very uptempo heist music. They mixed in a couple songs that some people may recognize and the classic heist feel was very enjoyable.

Suzanne: I have realized that for me I don't notice music as much as I should. When I did notice it I thought it worked really well with the movie. It was typical heist music that made your heart beat faster and get excited for the chase scene that was happening at the time.


Acting

Trey: The actors each played their roles very well, and gave a pretty straight forward script a big lift. Harrelson and Freeman were my favorite, each brought some good timed comedy and a coolness to their characters. I really have no complaints in this category but nobody was blowing me away with their performances. That is probably because there was no emotion, the movie was meant to just be a fun heist movie and it did that.

Suzanne: I thought the actors did a great job with the roles of bank robbing magicians. I thought it was very funny when it needed to be and serious when it needed to be. The only issue I had was that at the end of the movie I didn't know any of the characters names, I only knew them as the Four Horsemen because their characters were not developed nearly enough. Other than that I think all of the actors did a great job with the little amount they were given about their characters.

Story

Trey: When a movie is about magic and trickery the writing and story is the front focus. With magic you always seen it used as Deux Ex Machina and this film is no different. They use magic or tricks to advance the plot even if it's not logical, it is logical if you feel the magic was real in the film. The first half of the film was very tight and compact, once the reveal came and the movie started to reveal itself it became a bit flat. There was a relationship thrown in at the end and the explanation behind why these magicians came together felt very forced to me. The final twist of the film however is where I felt the most against. Like my overall stated it seemed too far fetched even in a movie where magic was possibly present. I however don't believe any of the magic was real but that is another topic for discussion. The story was enjoyable though and there was one scene involving Ruffalo and Franco that was exactly what I envisioned a year ago when I read about this film. It was easily the best film in the movie.

Suzanne: The story in this movie worked really well for me. I loved the idea of four magicians who don't really know each other coming together to become one awesome act. And to top it off they are all pulling a heist together. To me the magic seemed real in the film and I think it was supposed to make you believe in magic. I thought they did a really good job talking about how magicians always try to divert your attention from the real trick and that was what they were doing the entire time. Overall the story was awesome in my opinion and that is really why I loved this movie so much.

Trey's Blu Ray Collection: Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

 

The hidden gem of my animated movie collection is easily Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs a film based on a children's book series. There is Pixar and DreamWorks but this Sony Pictures film is absolutely the funniest animated film. It's not the subtle adult humor of Pixar films, its silly and corny in the best way possible. Every time I watch this film I laugh historically for 90 minutes straight. It may not have been that successful at the box office (it did well enough to warrant a sequel) but the critical praise was pretty great. The movie is about a failing scientist named Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) who pretty much resembles a silly Adrian Brody. When he creates a machine that turns water into food, it gets blown into the sky and begins absorbing clouds and releasing a series of food weather that begins to turn the town around. It does so because Swallow Falls for many years only ate what the fisherman caught which were Sardines. The food weather is a blessing but like any weather big storms cause big problems. It really is a funny movie and I can't imagine any animated film to make me laugh as much as this does. I love animated films, and this one is one of my favorites. Throw in the voices of Mr. T and surprise voice performance by Neil Patrick Harris, and you got yourself some extremely enjoyable characters. The best part about it is behind all the humor is a story of redemption and heroics, and a lot of heart. If you haven't seen this film give it a try, if you don't care then I will continue to watch it enough for everyone who has missed it.

Verdict: 5 out of 5

Current Standings

1. Children of Men
2. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
3. American Beauty
4. Arthur Christmas
5. Master And Commander
6. The Brothers Grimm
7. Cast Away

Movie Of The Week: May 26th - May 1st

 

With the release of Now You See Me, a movie based around illusionist and magic, I take a look at one of the best movies that incorporate magicians. That would be Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, a physiological character study between two magicians. The first time I watched this film  I was blown away by the trickery and intellect of the film. The movie boast two great performances by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as the rival magicians who strive to best each other. The movie does take a lot of concentration, and one misstep on the audiences part can result in a bit of confusion. Which is half the fun and leads to an incredible ending that blows your mind all over the back seat. Better than that is the end monologue my Sir Michael Caine, as soon as he dropped that last line I instantly second guessed everything I thought I knew about the film. Then hit the restart button and began to piece the puzzle together all over again. Even if you know what happens when Caine says "Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it because of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to work it out. You want to be fooled." you get all sorts of angry. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME NOLAN! either way it's awesome and makes for a movie that has a lot or re watch value while being an enticing drama.

Trey's Blu Ray Collection: Arthur Christmas

Looks like I forgot another film that starts with an A, blame it on my friend who just returned it after a long time. The film is the first animated film on my list, and makes my rankings much more difficult. I find it extremely hard to justify an animated movie being better than a live action film even if it is. The first one is one of the more recent films from a studio that many people don't pay attention to, that would be Aardman's Arthur Christmas. I love Aardman films they may very well be
my favorite animated studio. They are based out of Britain and utilize that smart British humor, while still appealing to the children. Arthur Christmas is one of their few non-stop motion films in the repertoire, and their only Christmas movie. The film revolves around Arthur the son of the current Santa Clause, who is the son of the Santa Clause we all know and love. The current Santa however is just a figurehead, whose Christmas accolades are performed via extreme technology, and some secret agent like elves. When one girls gift gets lost in the jumble and nobody cares about it, the clumsy yet hopeful Arthur takes up the task of returning the forgotten gift.

The movie is absolutely splendid, and one of the best animated films I have seen in a long time. It's funny and clever and is the newest tradition in Suzanne and I's Christmas schedule. Last year we watched it at least 3 times. The voice acting is spot on, headed by James McAvoy, while the side voices such as Hugh Laurie are just as fun to watch. If you haven't seen this movie you are really missing out, its perfect for kids and has multiple jokes for adults.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5

Current Standings

1. Children of Men
2. American Beauty
3. Arthur Christmas
5. Master And Commander
6. The Brothers Grimm
7. Cast Away

More Marvel Controversy: Thor 2

Today I want to talk about the two things that have recently happened regarding the upcoming Marvel film Thor 2. One of which has been confirmed the other has yet to be confirmed and I doubt will ever happen. The confirmed news is that composer Carter Burwell is no longer scoring the film. Burwell is a veteran whose best known for his work on a slew of Cohen Brother films and Where The Wild Things Are. Just a few weeks ago Christopher Willis Tweeted his began working on the score for Thor 2 with Carter Burwell, which is odd now that Burwell is gone. I would assume that Willis will be the replacement only time will tell.

 

The more interesting bit of controversy comes in the form of the rumor that director Alan Taylor was told to go on vacation until after the films release. My first thought when hearing this was, they must not be happy about something. You don't tell a director to not help promote the film via interviews. If Alan is on "vacation" than he won't be talking about his film, or saying something that is suppose to be hidden. I doubt that means, "Hey, Good job Alan take a vacation till after the films release you deserve it". I see it more as a "Hey Alan, I dislike what you did or wanted to do and we need to talk to the press as damage control." Marvel is known for having a lot of control over their films and I knew one day it would backfire. There has been many occasions of directors being unhappy with the reigns Marvel keeps on their products. Favreau and Downey Jr both blame Marvel for the turnout of Iron Man 2, and Thor Director Kenneth Branagh and Captain America's Joe Johnston both failed to return for their respected sequels. There is something special about a trilogy directed by the same man, when you start mixing and matching things begin to feel uneven. This rumor has yet to be confirmed but I have a hard time remember Alan Taylor saying anything about the finished product of his film.

What do you guys think? Is Marvel doing more damage by over controlling their properties? Or do they have the right to do so? Let me know In the comments below.

Trey's Blu Ray Collection: Children Of Men

I didn't plan on doing this one today as well but I couldn't help but re watch it yesterday. Children of Men is a movie I regret to seeing well after it's release. I think it took about 2 years of people telling me how great it was before even attempting to look for it on blu ray. One day I went to Best Buy and saw it for 7 dollars, while getting me a free movie ticket to see Oblivion (Still wasn't worth seeing Oblivion). I picked it up and went immediately home to watch it. IT IS AMAZING! one of the most creative, haunting and oddly realistic futuristic movies I have ever seen. This isn't the future with flying space ships and cars it's future that is plague with the lack of children. Alfonso Cuaron creates this daunting world which is breathtaking and impossible to dismiss. The whole movie is about how one man must escort the only pregnant girl in the world to a secret project to save humanity. What first struck me about the film is the cinematography, I recently fell in love with tracking shots, and this film does it better than any I have ever seen. The last 20-30 minutes of the film is a rousing sequence that seems to track forever (I am sure there are cuts in there at specific points). I can't get over the execution and technique that this film has, its spectacular. The best part of the film is it's not very long at all, it's under 2 hours. Which leads to a viewing experience that is extremely complex. without being a chore to get through. It's a really great film, within the 4 months span I have owned it I have watched it around 7 times. Each time it gets better and better.

Verdict: 5 out of 5

Current Standings
1. Children of Men
2. American Beauty
3. Master And Commander
4. The Brothers Grimm
5. Cast Away