Friday, January 27, 2012

Man On A Ledge

NEW SAM MOVIE!!! NEW SAM MOVIE!!!

You knew it was coming ;) Most of you are use to my Sam obsession/dedication by now. For those of you who aren't familiar with me or think I'm crazy- give me a break. It's been a rough few days and this is probably the closest I'll ever get to spending the night with Sam.

That being said, Man On A Ledge was amazing! One of those movies that have you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

The movie takes place in New York City. Sam plays Nick Cassidy- an ex cop who is sent to jail for supposedly stealing a valuable diamond from the wealthy David Englander (Ed Harris). He breaks out and eventually checks into a very nice hotel, only to go out on the ledge of his room, threatening to jump.  Of course, a large crowd gathers and police are called in to try and get him down. But the only one Nick says he'll talk to his is a woman named Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks), a police psychologist with her own troubled past.

Things are not how they seem. Across the street from the hotel, Nick's brother Joey (Jamie Bell) and Joey's girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) are breaking into a building owned by David Englander to try and pull off the ultimate heist and prove that Nick is innocent. Nick is (and I don't consider this a spoiler since they show it in the trailer) threatening to jump as a distraction. From there it's a race against time.

You know I have to start with Sam's performance ;) Of course he did an incredible job. What can I say that I haven't said before. I really wish some critics would just leave him alone. Sam is a great actor and works really hard. I enjoyed seeing him take on this role. This is no secret, but I get more than a little excited whenever I see Sam's movies. Pathetic? Maybe. But I honestly don't care what anyone thinks. Everyone needs something that makes them happy. Tonight I swear I had a huge smile on my face the whole time I was watching this. I had a really great time.

Okay, I'll move on before I start going on for hours about how great Sam is...

As I said before, Man On A Ledge had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There was never a dull moment. I think the director (Asger Leth) did a wonderful job keeping the audience interested.

The other actors were good as well. I really like Elizabeth Banks and think her and Sam had great chemistry during their scenes together. Ed Harris (even though this may not be his best role) was pretty convincing as the villain.

The only "negative" thing I have to say about the movie is that Kyra Sedwick's (who I'm normally a fan of) character, a news reporter, annoyed the hell out of me.

So would I recommend this movie? You guys already know the answer to this one :p

My Rating: 10/10

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Underworld: Awakening (3D)

I went into this movie with very low expectations. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the Underworld series for the most part. I liked the first one, hated Evolution, and loved Rise of the Lycans (mainly due to Michael Sheen, who's a brilliant actor and his character Lucian is probably my favorite in the series). So how was Awakening? Much better than I thought it would be. It's far from great, but it's not nearly as bad as Evolution. I'd say it's better than the first one, but not as good as Rise of the Lycans. I realize these movies are far from great cinema, but they're fun. I like their approach to vampires- that it's a virus. It's also nice to see vampires that don't sparkle lol.

In Awakening, the humans have discovered the exsistance of vampires and lycans and are determined to wipe them all out. Selene (Kate Beckinsale, who looks just the same as she did when the first Underworld was released I beleive 10 years ago) is held captive for 12 years by some science lab. She eventually escapes, but not before putting on her famous tight leather suit. Selene then finds a small group of vampires and she leads a battle against the humans, being totally badass and killing a few lycans across the way. She also finds a girl, Eve, who's a hybrid (which isn't really a spoiler since the trailer mentions it) that escaped the lab as well. As you might've guessed, there's the usual "this girl holds the key to everything" crap that appears far too often in movies. But Eve does get to kick some ass so it wasn't as bad as I thought. That's about all I can tell you as far as the plot.

The budget seems to be bigger for this one. The special effects are pretty good (even the lycans looked scary as hell and not like some guy dressed in a WalMart Halloween costume as in previous movies).

As far as the 3D goes, it was okay. There were a few awesome moments but that's about it. I would say save your money and see it in 2D, but good luck finding a theater that is showing it in that format. I'm not sure how it is anywhere else, but in my area there's only one theater that I know of that is showing the movie in 2D.

Will there be a 5th movie? I think so. The end of Awakening certainly points to it. To be honest, I think they should do one last movie and then be done with it. Who am I kidding though, as long as Kate Beckinsale can fit into that black leather suit, they'll keep making more movies.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Friday, January 6, 2012

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

This movie is based on the 1974 novel written by John Le Carre. I first started reading it back in November, but got sidetracked with the holidays and didn't end up picking it up again until maybe two weeks ago. I'll admit, it's not an easy book to read. Not that it's bad or anything, it's just that there's so many characters and things going on that it gets really confusing. I made it through about eleven chapters, but even that was a chore. Now that I've seen the movie and kind of have a better understanding, I'm going to try and finish it. I thought the movie was really good for the most part.

Having said that, it's not for everyone. It's very... "British" I happen to like these kinds of movies, but I'm sure some people will find it boring. It's not your "typical" spy movie with bullets flying and things exploding. Although a few people surprisingly get their brains blown out (literaly). It's mostly a bunch of guys sitting around talking to each other, some flashbacks, and you try and figure out who's telling the truth and who's lying.

I can't say too much about the plot without spoiling things, but Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy takes place in London during the Cold War. There's a Russian double agent who's infeltrated the highest level of British Intelligence. George Smiley (played by the amazing Gary Oldman), who's been forced into semi retirement, tries to figure out who it is.

The movie starts off very slow, but gets more interesting as it goes on, especially during the last half.

I'll admit, the main reason I wanted to see this was because Tom Hardy is in it. He's defenetly one actor to watch this year. He's got several movies coming out that I can't wait to see. His role in this was small, but important. I really liked his character and he played the part well. He does wear this hideous 70's wig, but Tom is very easy on the eyes and one of the few people who could pull that look off. A little fyi for the ladies- there is a scene that has Tom pantless, but sadly you don't get to see much :( Okay, moving on before I scare you off with my Tom Hardy obsession...

The best part of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for me, and what the movie will probably be remembered for, is the acting. They put together an amazing cast. I already mentioned Tom Hardy, but this is Gary Oldman's movie. He's such a great actor and I'm surprised he hasn't won an Oscar already (he might get nominated for this. Not sure though.). He really brought the character of George Smiley to life. I've been a fan of his for years and can't wait to see what he does next. Also in the movie is the always incredible Colin Firth (although not his best role) and several other British actors that I've seen before but I'm too lazy to Google their names right now. The overall story is pretty good, but it's the acting that makes my rating so high.

If you enjoy these kind of movies, I think you'll like this. And if you don't, atleast give it a chance. The acting alone is worth the price of admisson.

My Rating: 9/10