I have not seen the original movie from the 80's so bear with me. To be honest, the only reasons I went to see this were I was in the mood for a horror movie and Joel Edgerton is in it. He was in Warrior and if you haven't seen it yet you really should. Anyway...
The plot is pretty simple. An alien spacecraft is discovered in Antartica. A scientist enlist the help of a young paleontologist named Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, probably best known for her role in Scott Pilgrim vs The World) and several other people after they find a creature not too far from the craft. So they go to Antartica and start their experiment on the presumed dead creature. Surprise surprise- it's actually alive and begins infecting people. Once infected, the creature takes on the form of that person without them realizing at first. Let the paranoia begin.
The Thing has been getting mostly horrible reviews and I can understand why. But to be honest, I didn't think it was the worst movie ever. Atleast for me, it was so bad that I had a great time sitting there making fun of it and predicting what would happen next (and most of the time I was right). There were a few moments where I jumped in my seat, but overall the movie was more disturbing than it was scary. The special effects weren't too bad.
And aside from Joel Edgerton and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who are good actors and do the best they can with what they have to work with) the acting was horrible.
Overall I would recommend The Thing to anyone who's into bad horror movies. It was a fun way to spend a Friday night.
My Rating: 6/10
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Warrior
I'm so happy I finally got to see Warrior. I'm a huge fan of Tom Hardy and believe it or not, I like watching MMA (mixed martial arts). Although I haven't watched it recently.
Yes it's set in the world of MMA, but at the center of the movie is a family drama concerning two brothers Tommy (Tom Hardy) and Brendan (Joel Edgerton) and their alcoholic father Paddy. Years ago, Tommy left with his Mom after Paddy had basically beaten the crap out of her. Brendan, for his own reasons, didn't go with them.
Fourteen years later, Tommy is a former Marine and an Iraq war hero. He still holds a lot of anger towards both his father and brother. But he wants to get into fighting and needs someone to train him, which was really the only thing Paddy was good at. I can't remember the details, but I believe Paddy was involved with boxing at some point in his life.
Meanwhile, Brendan is now married and has two young daughters. He works as a high school physics teacher and to earn extra money, participates in small fights at night in parking lots. Despite this, he and his wife are struggling to make ends meet. Plus the bank is about to take their house. After getting suspended from his job as a teacher when word of his parking lot fights reaches the superentendint, Brendan decides to get back into MMA (at one point he was part of the UFC, but he wasn't exactly the best fighter out there) and compete in a big tournament in Atlantic City where the big prize is five million dollars.
Tommy ends up in the tournament as well. They both have a series of fights that ultimately lead to the championship where they must fight each other.
The fight scenes in the movie were some of the best I've ever seen. They're very brutal and intense. I cringed several times. But I couldn't take my eyes off the screen as they were playing out.
I think the best part of Warrior, for me anyway, was the acting. Tom Hardy was just incredible. You can really feel for his character and understand why he is the way he is. And the amount of training he had to do to prepare for the role... Wow! When you see him, he'll scare the crap out of you. He's huge! There's no doubt in my mind that Tom will make a great Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, which comes out next summer.
Joel Edgerton is really good as well. While he may not be as huge as Tom Hardy, he's just as intense. This is the first movie I've seen Joel in and I look forward to seeing more of him in the future.
Nick Nolte gives a brilliant performance as a father desperately trying to recconnect with his sons. His character did many horrible things and Tommy and Brendan have every right to hate him. But Nick does such a good job with the role that during one scene in particular, I kinda felt bad for him. I really think he's going to get nominated come award season. This role just screams Oscar.
The movie does have pretty much every cliche you've ever seen in a sports movie. But unlike most sports movies (where one opponent is usually more likable than the other), in Warrior it's really hard to pick a side. I liked both brothers so much and found myself routing for both of them. Warrior is so good that you can look past the minor flaws.
It's almost two and a half hours long but it doesn't feel like it at all. I got so caught up in the story and was on the edge of my seat. I never wanted it to end!
I can defiantly say that Warrior is one of my favorite movies this year. You don't have to be a fan of MMA to enjoy it. PLEASE go and see it if you get a chance. Hopefully you'll love it as much as I do.
My Rating: 10/10
Yes it's set in the world of MMA, but at the center of the movie is a family drama concerning two brothers Tommy (Tom Hardy) and Brendan (Joel Edgerton) and their alcoholic father Paddy. Years ago, Tommy left with his Mom after Paddy had basically beaten the crap out of her. Brendan, for his own reasons, didn't go with them.
Fourteen years later, Tommy is a former Marine and an Iraq war hero. He still holds a lot of anger towards both his father and brother. But he wants to get into fighting and needs someone to train him, which was really the only thing Paddy was good at. I can't remember the details, but I believe Paddy was involved with boxing at some point in his life.
Meanwhile, Brendan is now married and has two young daughters. He works as a high school physics teacher and to earn extra money, participates in small fights at night in parking lots. Despite this, he and his wife are struggling to make ends meet. Plus the bank is about to take their house. After getting suspended from his job as a teacher when word of his parking lot fights reaches the superentendint, Brendan decides to get back into MMA (at one point he was part of the UFC, but he wasn't exactly the best fighter out there) and compete in a big tournament in Atlantic City where the big prize is five million dollars.
Tommy ends up in the tournament as well. They both have a series of fights that ultimately lead to the championship where they must fight each other.
The fight scenes in the movie were some of the best I've ever seen. They're very brutal and intense. I cringed several times. But I couldn't take my eyes off the screen as they were playing out.
I think the best part of Warrior, for me anyway, was the acting. Tom Hardy was just incredible. You can really feel for his character and understand why he is the way he is. And the amount of training he had to do to prepare for the role... Wow! When you see him, he'll scare the crap out of you. He's huge! There's no doubt in my mind that Tom will make a great Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, which comes out next summer.
Joel Edgerton is really good as well. While he may not be as huge as Tom Hardy, he's just as intense. This is the first movie I've seen Joel in and I look forward to seeing more of him in the future.
Nick Nolte gives a brilliant performance as a father desperately trying to recconnect with his sons. His character did many horrible things and Tommy and Brendan have every right to hate him. But Nick does such a good job with the role that during one scene in particular, I kinda felt bad for him. I really think he's going to get nominated come award season. This role just screams Oscar.
The movie does have pretty much every cliche you've ever seen in a sports movie. But unlike most sports movies (where one opponent is usually more likable than the other), in Warrior it's really hard to pick a side. I liked both brothers so much and found myself routing for both of them. Warrior is so good that you can look past the minor flaws.
It's almost two and a half hours long but it doesn't feel like it at all. I got so caught up in the story and was on the edge of my seat. I never wanted it to end!
I can defiantly say that Warrior is one of my favorite movies this year. You don't have to be a fan of MMA to enjoy it. PLEASE go and see it if you get a chance. Hopefully you'll love it as much as I do.
My Rating: 10/10
Friday, October 7, 2011
Real Steel
I first saw a trailer for this movie a couple of months ago (I'm pretty sure they played it before Deathly Hallows part 2). I thought, this is either going to be really good or really bad. Turns out... it's really good! :)
Of course, the main reason I went to see this was for Hugh Jackman. What can I say, I have a thing for Australian men ;) Ladies I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is Hugh is shirtless in this movie. The bad news- it's only for about 10 seconds :(
Anyway, Real Steel takes place in the not so distant future where actual human boxing no longer exists. Instead they've been replaced by a high tech version of the Rock Em Sock Em Robots we use to play with when we were kids. Sound ridiculous? Yeah, it is but so what.
Hugh Jackman plays Charlie, a former boxer who now is reduced to a couple of underground robot fights here and there (in this world humans control the robots when they fight) and he owes several people a lot of money. In the midst of it all, he finds out his former girlfriend with whom he had a son (the boy's name is Max. Charlie ran off not long after he was born.) has died. Max's aunt wants to adopt him, but due to certain circumstances, he has to spend the summer with his Dad first.
Charlie basically treats the kid like crap at first. But eventually they start bonding when
Max finds a "sparring bot" named Atom. Atom is a bit smaller when compared to a lot of other robots, but Max thinks it can fight and he and Charlie start "training him". This leads to a couple of small fights that gain a lot of attention and eventually a shot at the world championship.
The movie was not without its flaws. The plot is filled with cliches and the dialog is at times cringeworthy. But unlike a certain other robot movie, Real Steel has an actual story with a lot of heart. Hugh Jackman was great in this. And the little boy who played Max was adorable. The chemistry between them was really believable.
Evangiline Lily was good too. She plays the owner of a gym (taking over for her father who died) and a longtime friend of Charlie's. Her father use to train him as well. And of course, she's eventually Charlie's love intrest.
The action & visuals were amazing. It kept me on the edge of my seat.
I think people of all ages will enjoy this. There's something for everyone :) Go see it if you get the chance.
My Rating: 8/10
Of course, the main reason I went to see this was for Hugh Jackman. What can I say, I have a thing for Australian men ;) Ladies I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is Hugh is shirtless in this movie. The bad news- it's only for about 10 seconds :(
Anyway, Real Steel takes place in the not so distant future where actual human boxing no longer exists. Instead they've been replaced by a high tech version of the Rock Em Sock Em Robots we use to play with when we were kids. Sound ridiculous? Yeah, it is but so what.
Hugh Jackman plays Charlie, a former boxer who now is reduced to a couple of underground robot fights here and there (in this world humans control the robots when they fight) and he owes several people a lot of money. In the midst of it all, he finds out his former girlfriend with whom he had a son (the boy's name is Max. Charlie ran off not long after he was born.) has died. Max's aunt wants to adopt him, but due to certain circumstances, he has to spend the summer with his Dad first.
Charlie basically treats the kid like crap at first. But eventually they start bonding when
Max finds a "sparring bot" named Atom. Atom is a bit smaller when compared to a lot of other robots, but Max thinks it can fight and he and Charlie start "training him". This leads to a couple of small fights that gain a lot of attention and eventually a shot at the world championship.
The movie was not without its flaws. The plot is filled with cliches and the dialog is at times cringeworthy. But unlike a certain other robot movie, Real Steel has an actual story with a lot of heart. Hugh Jackman was great in this. And the little boy who played Max was adorable. The chemistry between them was really believable.
Evangiline Lily was good too. She plays the owner of a gym (taking over for her father who died) and a longtime friend of Charlie's. Her father use to train him as well. And of course, she's eventually Charlie's love intrest.
The action & visuals were amazing. It kept me on the edge of my seat.
I think people of all ages will enjoy this. There's something for everyone :) Go see it if you get the chance.
My Rating: 8/10
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Debt
Before I begin this review, I just need a moment-
WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO! NEW SAM MOVIE!!! *runs around the house screaming in excitement*
Okay, I'm good now :)
This is actually not the first time I've seen The Debt. I saw it with a friend at a film festival last October. I'm very happy it's finally getting released so all of you can see this amazing movie.
The Debt takes place in both 1966 and 1997. Back in 1966, three Mossad agents named David (Sam Worthington :D ), Rachel (Jessica Chastain), and Stephan (Morton Csokas) are assigned to capture the Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen) and bring him back to stand trial. I can't really say much more than that without spoiling the movie. What I can tell you is that things don't exactly go according to plan. Now, more than thirty years later, an older David (Ciaran Hinds), Rachel (Helen Mirren), and Stephan (Tom Wilkinson) must deal with the ramifications of what happend.
I really enjoyed this movie, which I would definitely call a thriller. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And no, I'm not just saying this because Sam is in it (really!). I can honestly tell you I would've liked this movie even if he hadn't been in it.
As far as the acting, I have to begin with Sam. He gives an amazing performance as David. David's background is extremely tragic (and that's putting it mildly) and Sam plays this very convincingly. You really feel for his character. I'll admit, I was crying at one point (somewhere out there I know you're laughing at me as you read this Ashley lol). I know some critics out there like to give Sam a hard time. To all those that do- you suck! But I'd like to hope they change their mind after seeing him in this.
Jessica Chastain (who's in another good movie out now called The Help) did a great job as Rachel. She's quickly becoming a really good actress and I can't wait to see more movies from her. Helen Mirren plays the older version of Rachel. Of course she was good. Helen can do no wrong in my opinion. I've been a fan of hers for years.
The actors who play young Stephan & older Stephan were good as well. And Jesper Christensen was very convincing as the sadistic doctor Vogel.
When award season comes around, I wouldn't be surprised if Helen Mirren or Jessica Chastain get nominated. I would love to see Sam get nominated as well, but I somehow doubt the Academy has the same enthusiasm for him as I do.
I have only one VERY minor complaint. I thought the director could've done a better job in terms of casting older David. Don't get me wrong, Ciaran Hinds is a good actor and played the part well, but he looks nothing like Sam! I definitely see Jessica as a young Helen Mirren and even Tom Wilkinson as an older Morton Csokas. But they should've tried to find an actor that somewhat resembled Sam. Like I said though, the issue was very minor and in no way changed how I felt about the movie.
Obviously, I highly recommend The Debt. PLEASE go see it! You won't be disappointed :)
My Rating: 10/10
WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO! NEW SAM MOVIE!!! *runs around the house screaming in excitement*
Okay, I'm good now :)
This is actually not the first time I've seen The Debt. I saw it with a friend at a film festival last October. I'm very happy it's finally getting released so all of you can see this amazing movie.
The Debt takes place in both 1966 and 1997. Back in 1966, three Mossad agents named David (Sam Worthington :D ), Rachel (Jessica Chastain), and Stephan (Morton Csokas) are assigned to capture the Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen) and bring him back to stand trial. I can't really say much more than that without spoiling the movie. What I can tell you is that things don't exactly go according to plan. Now, more than thirty years later, an older David (Ciaran Hinds), Rachel (Helen Mirren), and Stephan (Tom Wilkinson) must deal with the ramifications of what happend.
I really enjoyed this movie, which I would definitely call a thriller. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And no, I'm not just saying this because Sam is in it (really!). I can honestly tell you I would've liked this movie even if he hadn't been in it.
As far as the acting, I have to begin with Sam. He gives an amazing performance as David. David's background is extremely tragic (and that's putting it mildly) and Sam plays this very convincingly. You really feel for his character. I'll admit, I was crying at one point (somewhere out there I know you're laughing at me as you read this Ashley lol). I know some critics out there like to give Sam a hard time. To all those that do- you suck! But I'd like to hope they change their mind after seeing him in this.
Jessica Chastain (who's in another good movie out now called The Help) did a great job as Rachel. She's quickly becoming a really good actress and I can't wait to see more movies from her. Helen Mirren plays the older version of Rachel. Of course she was good. Helen can do no wrong in my opinion. I've been a fan of hers for years.
The actors who play young Stephan & older Stephan were good as well. And Jesper Christensen was very convincing as the sadistic doctor Vogel.
When award season comes around, I wouldn't be surprised if Helen Mirren or Jessica Chastain get nominated. I would love to see Sam get nominated as well, but I somehow doubt the Academy has the same enthusiasm for him as I do.
I have only one VERY minor complaint. I thought the director could've done a better job in terms of casting older David. Don't get me wrong, Ciaran Hinds is a good actor and played the part well, but he looks nothing like Sam! I definitely see Jessica as a young Helen Mirren and even Tom Wilkinson as an older Morton Csokas. But they should've tried to find an actor that somewhat resembled Sam. Like I said though, the issue was very minor and in no way changed how I felt about the movie.
Obviously, I highly recommend The Debt. PLEASE go see it! You won't be disappointed :)
My Rating: 10/10
Friday, August 26, 2011
Columbiana
As far as revenge movies go, this was pretty typical. However, I must say... Zoe Saldana kicked some serious ass!
I know I'm being biased since Zoe was one of the stars in my all time favorite movie, Avatar. But so what? :p
The movie is about a woman named Cataleya, who at the age of nine witnessed the brutal murders of her parents. She ends up living with her Uncle & Grandmother. Fifteen years later, Cataleya is now a cold blooded assassin (trained by her Uncle) who is hell bent on getting revenge on the druglord who is responsible.
The actions scenes, while predictable & absurd at points, were good. Kept me on the edge of my seat.
Aside from Zoe (who is always amazing), the acting was just average.
There were only two real issues I had, neither of them were what I'd call major though. First, they gave Cataleya a love interest which really wasn't necessary other than to give director an excuse to show Zoe practically naked & appeal to the men in the audience.
The other thing was the music. Don't get me wrong, I liked the songs, I just thought they weren't placed well at times.
Not sure how well this will do at the box office, but I liked it. I think you guys will too if you're into these kind of movies.
My Rating: 7.5/10
I know I'm being biased since Zoe was one of the stars in my all time favorite movie, Avatar. But so what? :p
The movie is about a woman named Cataleya, who at the age of nine witnessed the brutal murders of her parents. She ends up living with her Uncle & Grandmother. Fifteen years later, Cataleya is now a cold blooded assassin (trained by her Uncle) who is hell bent on getting revenge on the druglord who is responsible.
The actions scenes, while predictable & absurd at points, were good. Kept me on the edge of my seat.
Aside from Zoe (who is always amazing), the acting was just average.
There were only two real issues I had, neither of them were what I'd call major though. First, they gave Cataleya a love interest which really wasn't necessary other than to give director an excuse to show Zoe practically naked & appeal to the men in the audience.
The other thing was the music. Don't get me wrong, I liked the songs, I just thought they weren't placed well at times.
Not sure how well this will do at the box office, but I liked it. I think you guys will too if you're into these kind of movies.
My Rating: 7.5/10
Friday, August 19, 2011
Fright Night (3D)
It's been awhile since I've seen a decent horror movie. Fright Night was actually pretty good :)
That being said, it's far from being perfect. The dialog was bad at times and the movie was very predictable. But it was fun. Infact it's a mix of both horror and comedy. Wether the funny moments were suppose to be intentional or unintentional I'm not sure.
Anyway, the plot is pretty simple. Charlie (Anton Yelchin) is a guy in his late teens living with his mother in a small neighborhood around Las Vegas. One day a new guy named Jerry (Colin Ferrel) moves in next door. People start disappearing and other strange things happen. Charlie quickly discovers that Jerry is (this really isn't a spoiler) a vampire. You can pretty much guess what happens after that.
Most of the acting is bad, except for Anton & Colin. Anton is a good actor. He's in two other movies I really enjoy- Terminator Salvation & Star Trek 2009. And I must say, Colin Ferrel is awesome as a vampire! As much as I like the Twilight movies (hey don't judge me :p ), it was nice to see vampires that don't sparkle and are more "traditional".
Do yourself a favor and see this in 2D. The 3D isn't that great and not worth the extra money.
My Rating: 7/10
That being said, it's far from being perfect. The dialog was bad at times and the movie was very predictable. But it was fun. Infact it's a mix of both horror and comedy. Wether the funny moments were suppose to be intentional or unintentional I'm not sure.
Anyway, the plot is pretty simple. Charlie (Anton Yelchin) is a guy in his late teens living with his mother in a small neighborhood around Las Vegas. One day a new guy named Jerry (Colin Ferrel) moves in next door. People start disappearing and other strange things happen. Charlie quickly discovers that Jerry is (this really isn't a spoiler) a vampire. You can pretty much guess what happens after that.
Most of the acting is bad, except for Anton & Colin. Anton is a good actor. He's in two other movies I really enjoy- Terminator Salvation & Star Trek 2009. And I must say, Colin Ferrel is awesome as a vampire! As much as I like the Twilight movies (hey don't judge me :p ), it was nice to see vampires that don't sparkle and are more "traditional".
Do yourself a favor and see this in 2D. The 3D isn't that great and not worth the extra money.
My Rating: 7/10
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The Help
I wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to go see this. It looked interesting from the trailers. But trailers can be deceiving. Not in this case however. I must say I really enjoyed The Help.
The movie takes place in Mississippi in the 60's. During this time many African American women worked as maids for wealthy white socialites/housewives & their families. From one of these families is a young woman named Skeeter, played by Emma Stone (who seems to be becoming a great actress with each movie she appears in). She's an aspiring writer who ends up taking a job for a newspaper, answering cleaning questions in an advice column. She enlists the help of one of the maids (Viola Davis) who works for the family of one of her "friends". Over time Skeeter gets to know her & sees how she's being treated. She decides she wants to write a book from the point of view of the maids.
The movie is far from perfect. The first half starts out really slow, but gets more interesting in the second half when you really get to know the characters.
I think this movie will most be remembered for it's acting. Not just Emma Stone, but Viola Davis gives an Oscar worthy performance. Intact, I wouldn't be surprised if several of the actresses receive nominations. The performance that really stood out for me was Jessica Chastain. She's an amazing actress who actually has another movie coming out in a few weeks called The Debt (a really good movie that I had a chance to see at a film festival last year). Anyway, in this she plays a socialite/housewife who has been shunned by almost everyone for reasons you find out later on. At first I thought she was going to be just another ditzy socialite, but once you get to know her character and what she's been through, you find out that's not the case. Yes she's ditzy, but she's also very sweet and not like the other housewives. I won't spoil anything, but her stitching had me tearing up a bit. Bryce Dallas Howard is also in this, playing the leader of these housewives. The character is a complete bitch but Bryce plays the part well.
I thought the movie realty with the issue of racism well. They didn't sugarbush anything which I'm glad. I can't stand when movies sugarbush things.
This movie overall was really good. It's a drama, but there's plenty of comedy added in when it's appropriate. Not sure how many guys will like it but I think everyone should give it a chance.
My Rating: 7/10
The movie takes place in Mississippi in the 60's. During this time many African American women worked as maids for wealthy white socialites/housewives & their families. From one of these families is a young woman named Skeeter, played by Emma Stone (who seems to be becoming a great actress with each movie she appears in). She's an aspiring writer who ends up taking a job for a newspaper, answering cleaning questions in an advice column. She enlists the help of one of the maids (Viola Davis) who works for the family of one of her "friends". Over time Skeeter gets to know her & sees how she's being treated. She decides she wants to write a book from the point of view of the maids.
The movie is far from perfect. The first half starts out really slow, but gets more interesting in the second half when you really get to know the characters.
I think this movie will most be remembered for it's acting. Not just Emma Stone, but Viola Davis gives an Oscar worthy performance. Intact, I wouldn't be surprised if several of the actresses receive nominations. The performance that really stood out for me was Jessica Chastain. She's an amazing actress who actually has another movie coming out in a few weeks called The Debt (a really good movie that I had a chance to see at a film festival last year). Anyway, in this she plays a socialite/housewife who has been shunned by almost everyone for reasons you find out later on. At first I thought she was going to be just another ditzy socialite, but once you get to know her character and what she's been through, you find out that's not the case. Yes she's ditzy, but she's also very sweet and not like the other housewives. I won't spoil anything, but her stitching had me tearing up a bit. Bryce Dallas Howard is also in this, playing the leader of these housewives. The character is a complete bitch but Bryce plays the part well.
I thought the movie realty with the issue of racism well. They didn't sugarbush anything which I'm glad. I can't stand when movies sugarbush things.
This movie overall was really good. It's a drama, but there's plenty of comedy added in when it's appropriate. Not sure how many guys will like it but I think everyone should give it a chance.
My Rating: 7/10
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