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Safe (2012)
Safe: The Enemy of My Enemy Better Be Jason Statham
Jason Statham goes all out in his latest action packed movie, Safe. If you like Statham's other adrenaline pumping movie you will love this one. As for those who criticize him for his lack of "acting" may be surprised by this one.
Last time I saw Statham on the big screen was for Killer Elite and I remember walking out incredibly disappointed. At this point I had come to terms not to expect anything but action fun from Statham's movies and I love them for that reason. But Killer Elite even bothered me as being nothing special. So I walked into Safe with moderate expectations and it blew me away. If you have read my previous reviews you know I like comparing films that are similar, so I would have to say this combine elements of James Foley's The Corrupter (rivaling gangs and corruption) and Harold Becker's Mercury Rising (lone cop protecting adolescent with secret information).
Safe follows a former gun for hire, Luke Wright (Statham), living as a lone, homeless man following a run-in with the Russian mafia and is on the verge of suicide until he rescues a 12 year old Chinese girl, Mei (Catherine Chan), on the run from two feuding gangs because she holds the code they desperately need. However, the code goes much deeper than just the rivaling Russian and Chinese gangs and into the corruption of New York City's finest.
After the last couple Statham flicks I knew he was due for a good one. Not only does he kick some serious bad-guy butt in Safe but he actually acts a little bit! There is one scene of a flashback explaining Wright's past with the Russian mafia that showcased some very impressive acting on the behalf of Statham, really cool to finally see it. Catherine Chan was excellent as Mei, she played the perfect damsel in distress without being annoying or plain. I don't know where to begin with the villains. There were so many! James Hong as the Chinese gang leader was effective creepy and intimidating, Reggie Lee added unpredictability to his desperate character as Mei's "father," and Robert John Burke was just awesome as the corrupt Captain Wolf.
Safe definitely revived my faith that Jason Statham could still pick great action movies. The complex story line and series of events made this a very fun ride for action audiences. I give it a 9/10.
Lockout (2012)
Relentless, Fast-Paced Action that Helps & Hurts It
The latest action/thriller from Luc Besson (Taken) follows a similar formula of his other action films. Lockout jumps right into the action and refuses to slow down. The premise is somewhat original with many elements from other future isolated prison films. I think the best way to describe this movie without giving away too many details is that is a cross between John Carpenter's "Escape From New York" and David Fincher's "Alien3" (minus the alien of course).
Guy Pearce plays a wise cracking, hardened government agent who, following some misunderstanding with his superiors, has to go into space on a solo rescue mission for the President of the U.S.'s daughter (Maggie Grace) who is trapped on a run wild women-less prison holding murders and rapists used for conducting experiments. Okay maybe the premise is not too original.
Pearce's portrayal of Snow is one action movie fans will like, he can take a punch while delivering effortless one-liners (much like Bruce Willis did in Die Hard). But I will say the zippy comebacks get annoying at times, some were great zingers I will admit but there are some that were unnecessary. You got the idea Snow didn't give a crap about anything without them. Maggie Grace was a typical damsel in distress, nothing much else to add there. The villains were kind of creepy, Joseph Gilgun was off the wall but predictable and same could be said for the leader played by Vincent Regan. I actually thought of Peter Stormare as Langral as the major antagonist rather than the prisoners.
Like I say in the title, it has action from start to finish which has advantages and disadvantages. The very original special effects were fantastic and fight scenes were well done which made the movie go by very fast. The problem with so much action is that the story gets jumbled or rushed. Besson used this for "Taken" and it worked out for it, but with Lockout there were some things missing or flaws in the story. One was there seemed to be some references to the President being like a tyrant by Pearce's character but it is never really explained.
Overall it was a fun movie, great action with so-so acting and an interesting outer space setting. 7/10 for me, maybe if it were 15 minutes longer it could have made up for its flaws.
Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
"Paranormal Activity 3" Keeps Franchise Alive
I'll start off saying "Paranormal Activity 3" follows the same formula as its predecessors. So if you were a fan of the first two, then there is no reason not to be a fan of this installment. The film is set in 1988 where the boyfriend of the mother of Katie and Kristi (lead women from previous two films who are kids in this film) sets up cameras around the house after detecting spooky footage on his camera following an "earthquake." From there the film begins to follow the pattern of the previous films of escalating horrific occurrences and more characters getting exposed to the unknown visitor.
This film was pretty well made I must say. Keeping the film in a 1988 setting was fairly well executed. The vintage San Diego Padres logo on the fridge, light bright game on the kids' dresser, and the cloths of the babysitter and Randy. Other parts seemed a little, well, out of the time period. But that's just me being a little nit picky. The jumpy parts were very well done and really make you jump. I also have to give them credit for doing new ways to creepily almost see the spirit (best of course being the sheet standing behind the babysitter).
The acting was good for the most part. Christopher Nicholas Smith as Dennis and Justin Ingram Randy were definitely the highlights. They were easy to relate to and characters you could pull for. Lauren Bittner as Julie wasn't really anything special except for being attractive.
The only place this movie was lacking was plot development. (**SPOILER**) Yes I get that this movie was about the experiences the girls had as children with this unknown entity but it doesn't add to the story except that the Grandmother was involved. The idea of a cult to create a male heir in the family tied in but the ending was kind of unsatisfying. I get that Kristi was lined up to marry "Tobey" but what does that have to do with anything? Is the fourth installment going to cover what happened after? The movie didn't show the house burning as was indicated in the previous films. (**SPOILER**) I don't know, it just left too much open to be answered for me to really put this up there with the first one.
Overall, the scares were legit, acting was so-so, and visual effects were cool, but the story needed a little more. I recommend this to fans of the previous two, those who didn't enjoy them don't bother and why are you reading this? 8 stars
Super 8 (2011)
Super 8 Brings Back "Mint" Memories
This movie was pretty fun. Spielberg and Abrams both have noticeable presence in the film, meaning there's signature things in the movie that relate to past works. It's full of good action, suspense, and acting. This movie also did a lot to bring back memories of when you were a kid and the conversations you'd have with friends.
The action and effects where cool. The explosions were semi-tame, meaning not too over top keeping in mind that this is some-what of a monster movie. (***SPOILER***) Even though you don't see the creature/monster much, from what you could see it was very well done. This brings back the memories of Spielberg's "Jaws" where the lack of visual presence of the shark made it that much more suspenseful. (end ***SPOILER***). However, there seemed to be some unfulfilled desire that I felt wasn't met when watching this, mainly the ending.
The acting is what really made this movie, though. The way the kids interacted by poking fun at each other, each having a signature phrase they use often to describe something ("mint"), and basically the common arguments/dilemmas friends face together. Elle Fanning was especially impressive with her scenes. Most of the adult actors were forgettable, however, which may have been the main reason for me feeling something was missing. Characters that were suppose be antagonists I never really felt a feeling of anger or dislike towards.
Overall, good movie with great action and acting. 7 Stars.
Green Lantern (2011)
"Green Latern" is what it is
I'll start out saying I have never read any of the comics so the concept of the "Green Lantern" is relatively new to me. With that said I thought that it was a interesting story behind what Green Lanterns are, their powers, and the other Green Lanterns were pretty cool but something just seemed to be missing.
This movie is exactly what you'd think it would be, a movie with a cool super hero and awesome effects but the story is a bit cliché for the genre (which didn't bother me that much). If you go into this honestly expecting cinematic beauty all I can say is "why?" This is meant for entertainment and it does a pretty good job at that. The action sequences and attention to detail with the other planets, creatures, aliens, and what have you really was great so kudos to the special effects team.
Acting was "meh." I think Ryan Reynolds fit the role, Mark Strong was great, Peter Sarsgaard was effectively creepy/weird, and Blake Lively...well all she had to do was look sexy/pretty (mission accomplished). However, the cliché love story seemed forced to me and the chemistry between the actors just wasn't there. Other cliché areas of the story actually seemed to poke fun at themselves which added to some of the other funny moments.
Also the only other draw back was not even the fault of the movie but the marketing team. They left little room for surprises and potentially hurt my experience in the theater because the movie started to become kind of predictable since I was piecing together parts of the trailer before they came up on the screen. Again that is not the fault of the movie.
Overall, it is a fun watch for entertainment purposes. Cool hero, interesting powers & back story of Green Lanterns, and great special affects. 8 Stars