Rebel_With_A_Cause_94 Reviews

Transcendence (I) (2014)

One of the Biggest Disappointments of the Year

[4/10 · 12 July 2014]

At first glance, it's hard to imagine Transcendence being anything but a great film. It has a great cast, an intriguing plot, and it's produced by Christopher Nolan and directed by his long-time cinematographer Wally Pfister. Unfortunately, this is one of the most disappointing and underwhelming viewing experiences I've had all year.

The main problem with Transcendence is that any interesting elements that our introduced in the film are quickly abandoned by a weak script that offers us absolutely nothing that we haven't seen before in Sci-fi films. The film gets off to a decent start setting up the plot and keeping us intrigued to see where it goes. Once the first act is over, it quickly starts to go downhill. As previously mentioned, there are several interesting ideas that our introduced throughout the film that the film never builds upon and quickly abandons them. This makes it a very frustrating viewing experience as it makes it appear hopeful that the film is finally picking up, only to once again be letdown. A lot of the flaws with the film come from it's weak script. In addition to never building on any interesting ideas it introduces, the characters are too one dimensional to connect with them on any emotional level and the story offers nothing we haven't seen before in other Sci-fi films of this type. Johnny Depp who normally is great in even his weakest films, appears to be sleep walking through the entire film appearing to be bored. Rebecca Hall did a decent job playing Depp's wife, but nothing spectacular. The only actor who really shines is Paul Bettany who delivers a great performance despite the weak material that he is given to work with. Morgan Freeman is completely wasted and given absolutely nothing to do. His character could have been completely cut out of the film and it wouldn't have altered anything in the story. Wally Pfister is also in part to blame for the films flaws. This is his directorial debut and it's very blatant and obvious that he struggled to put everything together considering the films lack of energy and dullness. A project of this caliber should not have been put in the hands of a first time director. There is also an anti-technology stance the film takes, yet only suggest and never actually shows the damage that Depp's character is doing in his new form which I found to be very annoying.

Now while Transcendence is far from a good movie, I can't quite call it terrible. I never really found myself bored during the film and was for the majority involved with the story throughout since it's told at a very straightforward pace. Pfister also shows that while his directional skills might be weak, his cinematography is nevertheless great and the visuals are impressive.

Overall, Transcendence isn't quite terrible, but it's convoluted and weak script plus direction make it a frustrating viewing experience that offers almost nothing. Despite the film being released in April, 2014 may have already found it's title for the most disappointing film of the year.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

2014's The Dark Knight

[10/10 · 12 July 2014]

If there would be one film to compare Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to, it would have to be The Dark Knight, in which it is a sequel to a fantastic film that manages to out-do the film it was proceeded by.

As far as Summer Blockbusters go, this is one of the best I've seen in the last decade. It has the epic action set pieces and incredible CGI that we've come to expect, But also a great story, fantastic performances, and emotional depth that many of these Summer films are missing. A majority of the dialogue between the Apes are translated in English subtitles as they communicate with Sign-Language, which was a very ambitious move by the filmmakers as that element alone could easily turn-off some audiences. While there is no doubt the technical aspect of the film is highly impressive, it also succeeds outside of it as well in telling a survival story between the Apes and remaining Humans on earth. The film doesn't take any sides between the two species portraying them equally both having their protagonists and antagonists. We don't find ourselves rooting for either side, but rather sympathizing with both of them. Their some beautiful and incredibly touching moments of the Apes and Humans connecting with each other throughout the film, creating a great sense of dread and intensity considering the dramatic irony of the events to come later in the film. Despite these moments being the more quiet and peaceful in this extremely dark film, it makes them all the more tough to watch. The human characters in the film are portrayed very well. While the relationship between Ceaser and Jason Clarke's character isn't quite as strong as his and James Franco's character in the previous film, it doesn't hurt the connection between the two's relationship at all still hitting an emotional chord among the viewer. The action sequences are absolute breathtaking including a great battle sequence and fist-fight between two Ape characters during the climax.

It's only a little over halfway through the year, but Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the best film I've seen so far this year. It's an intense, emotional, and thought-provoking films that is not only impressive on a technical level, but in film making generally.

Live Freaky Die Freaky (2006)

Doesn't Live, Just Dies!

[2/10 · 1 June 2014]

There's a lot to be said about Live Freaky! Die Freaky!. First off it's hands down one of the most bizarre films I've ever viewed in my life combining stop-motion, sci-fi, music, dark humor, and the Manson murders all into one strange little film. The concept itself is undeniably creative and original and unlike anything I've seen before. Unfortunately, the opportunity to do anything even halfway passable with this film is completely wasted in a mess of trying too hard to push the envelope just for shock-value and forgetting to add any substance to the absurdity.

The cast consist of almost entirely of musicians including the members of Green Day, Rancid, Blink-182, and more. Billie Joe Armstrong who voices the Charles Manson type character actually does an alright job, but the rest of the cast comes off completely flat and just dull in their voice acting.

The acting is the least of this films problems though. As previously mentioned, the entire films seems to be trying to only accomplish offending and shocking the viewer by whatever means necessary. If this film was to be submitted by the MPAA, it would no doubt receive an NC-17 . This is is not a film for the faint of heart as it contains incredibly explicit puppet sex scenes including full frontal nudity, graphic animated violence, drug use, and near constant profanity. This may all sound shocking, but after the first puppet sex scene which is roughly around 10 minutes into the film, it immediately grows tiresome and repetitive and results in a surprisingly boring film despite the chaos that is presented.

The film is ultimately a dark-comedy/musical with social commentary on the media and how the Manson murders were handled by them, but it fails in all of these areas thanks to the abysmal writing. It's hard to believe that the script was written by anyone but a 13 year-old boy with the most embarrassingly juvenile sense of humor who just discovered the most vulgar words in the English dictionary. There are a few chuckles to be found here, particularly some sight gags in relation to the medias handling of the Manson murders, but the majority of the humor relies on tiresome jokes which involve the constant use of expletives and the most lowbrow sexual jokes imaginable. These jokes are made even worse that they are dragged out for close to 5 minutes on several occasions. I was hoping that the music would be the saving grace here considering the talent involved, but the songs are almost as awful. The lyrics are complete garbage and the songs are anything but catchy. The film seems to be making an obvious attempt to satirize and make a statement about the way the media portrays celebrities, but it's doesn't appear to be saying anything beyond "Oh, the media glamorizes celebrities and Manson wasn't given a fair trial". The portraying of celebrities is nothing to be shocked by and Manson is a wacko that deserves to be locked up.

There's not doubt there is an audience for this out there who will enjoy it simply for it's shock-value and absurdity, but most will probably see for what it truly is. A wasted opportunity for something that could have been unique and original.

Scary Movie 3 (2003)

More of the Same

[5/10 · 19 April 2014]

As far as spoof comedies go, Scary Movie 3 isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't good either. It's a huge improvement over the awful second film in the franchise, but it fails to deliver enough laughs to be able to recommend it.

The film delivers a few laughs here and there thanks to a few surprisingly clever jokes and slapstick bit, but it feels like the writers went for too many cheap jokes and slapstick humor. The two main parodies are Signs and The Ring which the film does an alright job of poking fun at, but there is a lot of wasted opportunity in poking fun of these films as well. One of the problems with the last film as that it parodied films that weren't even part of the horror genre and these moments felt rather forced and out of place than funny. This film suffers from that problem as well parodying 8 Mile and The Matrix. Neither of these moments are funny nor clever and feel like a cheap attempt to parody other recent films that were popular at the time of release. This wouldn't be a problem if the film was not suppose to be a spoof of horror films and these moments weren't taking away screen time that could have been used to poke fun at the films part of the actual genre it's suppose to be spoofing. Anna Faris was alright in the lead, but I was really disappointed by how underused Charlie Sheen was.

Scary Movie 3 isn't terrible compared to a lot of other spoof movies out there. It does have a couple of funny moments, but the laughs are far in-between a great deal of cheap jokes and tired slapstick humor to be able to recommend it.

The Medallion (2003)

Jackie Chan Sells Out!

[2/10 · 5 April 2014]

If there was ever a film that would fit the term "Americanized", it would easily be The Medallion. This Jackie Chan outing easily ranks as one of the worst films of his career. The film starts off with potential, but quickly throws it all out the window as it indulges with painfully unfunny attempts at humor, awful cgi, and weak fight scenes. The best martial arts films in history are the ones were the actors are actually performing the martial arts themselves which are what makes it so impressive. When the fight scenes are obviously cgi (and very poorly) it destroys exactly what made Jackie Chan's previous films good. On top of that, the film tries way too hard to be a comedy as well with weak Michael Bay type humor that will have the audience rolling their eyes.

What else is there really to say about this film other than the fact that it really is one of the worst Jackie Chan films. Don't waste your time as Chan has plenty of other films out there and much better ones.

The Raid 2 (2014)

Improves on the original by out-doing it in every single way possible

[9/10 · 5 April 2014]

I won't lie, when I first saw The Raid I loved it, but honestly it found it to be a bit over-hyped. Maybe it was because I had heard so many great things about it that my expectations were a bit too high, but it was still the best action movie I had seen in a long time at it's release. However, The Raid 2 is one of those rare sequels that actually surpasses the first film in every way possible!

Despite being a sequel, you don't really need to see the first film to understand this one. Aside from the opening scenes and the main character returning, this has absolutely nothing to do with the first film. The story here while nothing original, is an entertaining crime thriller that will hold your attention and is nice to have after the first film was so thin on plot.

But story is not what will be getting audiences into the theater. Of course, it's the action and saying it delivers is an understatement. This film has hands down some of the greatest action sequences ever put on film with everything from hand-to-hand combat to quite possibly the greatest car chase sequence of all time. Even with the amazing action sequences in the first, this puts them to absolute shame. The film does not shy away from the brutality either and all the blood and gore an action fan could want is on display here. You will definitely find yourself cringing in the best way possible at more than a few of the fight scenes. Even at 2.5 hours which had me nervous for a film of this type, it never drags and actually feels about 45 minutes shorter than it actually is.

Believer the hype, The Raid 2 is one of the best action films ever made!

Sabotage (2014)

Delivers as an Action/Crime Thriller with one of Arnold's Best Performances To Date!

[8/10 · 28 March 2014]

Don't listen to the critics! Go see this movie if you are an Arnold fan! Unlike The Last Stand and Bullet to the Head, this is a straight up dark gritty crime thriller with some great action sequences. While most of the team was unlikable, all of the cast gave good performances aside from Olivia Williams who's accent was pretty bad. The story was good and had enough twist and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the film. The action scenes were fantastic and the violence was incredibly brutal and gory! This is one of the most violent mainstream movies I've seen in a long time! Trust me when I say this movie earned it's R rating! I loved how David Ayer managed to combine the genres of action, crime drama, and western elements together while keeping the tone ultra dark and gritty. Arnolds performance here is also one of the best of his career in my opinion. If I had any complaints it's that it is true the characters are very unlikeable and while they are suppose to be, you do get tired of their crudeness pretty fast.

Very good movie and defiantly worth seeing on the big screen! Don't listen to the critics! If you are a fan of action/crime movies you will enjoy this!

Broadway Idiot (2013)

A Great Behind The Scenes Look at The Production of the Broadway Show

[8/10 · 20 March 2014]

As a huge fan of Green Day and absolutely being in love with their album American Idiot after many years, I was actually really intrigued when I heard the album had been adapted into a Broadway show. I finally got the opportunity to see the touring production of the show a few weeks ago when it came to D.C. While I didn't find it to be anywhere as great as some of the fans had made it out to be, I would say for the most part I found it to be an enjoyable, if flawed show. After seeing it, I found this documentary and thought it would be an interesting watch.

Now the description for the film makes it sound as it's mainly going to be covering Billie Joe Armstrong's transition to Broadway when he performed the role of St. Jimmy back when the show was in New York City. While this is certainly there, I would say the description for the film is slightly inaccurate as most of this is seen towards the end of the film. The film runs for a short 80 minutes, but it still gives a great behind-the-scenes look at the production of the show featuring many interviews with Green Day themselves and the producers and cast of the show along with music from the band a show as well. It starts by taking a look back at the production and release of the original album itself along with the early steps that were being taken to adapt it into a Broadway show. It then goes on to show the production of the actual show and Green Day's involvement with it. We then get to see the success of the show as it goes to NYC and Armstrong's transformation to acting.

As a documentary, this provides for the most part exactly what viewers will want to see. The film consist of a great collection of interviews and footage of production and the actual show itself. It was nice to see the band get time to talk about the production of the original album and the production footage of the Broadway show is great and covers everything from the songs to the set design. It's also a real treat getting to see actual footage of Armstrong performing as St. Jimmy in the show.

While this a very good documentary, I can't quite say it's great. The main problem is all the footage here is painting the show in a very positive light and doesn't show any of the difficulties or troubles of the production of the show. I find it hard to believe there weren't any and would've liked to see some of that stuff going on behind the scenes as a documentary should instead of just focusing on all the good stuff. I also will admit I got tired of hearing Michael Mayer after a while as he seemed a bit full of himself.

Despite my small complaints, Broadway Idiot is still a very good and entertaining documentary that in it's short running time gives just about everything fans of the show will want to see! Even if you weren't a fan of the show or have never even heard of it, you still might enjoy it as it provides plenty of great footage that will keep the viewer intrigued as any good documentary should!

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)

And Just When You Think This Franchise Can't Get Any Worse...

[1/10 · 1 January 2014]

Let's face it, the Paranormal Activity franchise is one of the worst out there. The whole franchise has been built on the over hyping of one film that led to billions of dollars in revenue and spawned a franchise of even less scary sequels. Now after 4 installments, the franchise has gotten it's first spin-off and it's just as awful as you'd imagine.

If there's anything positive that can be said about the film, it's not as bad as the last installment. This really isn't a positive though considering that the film is still garbage and the fourth installment is one of the laziest films I've ever seen. The Marked One's does add some elements that haven't been seen in the previous films, but they are things that you've seen done a million other times in different films and they aren't even particularity done well here. It's essentially just ripping off much better movies.

The acting here is by far the worst in the whole series and it doesn't help that the writing is as equally atrocious. The profane filled dialouge is embarrassing to the point where you will actually find yourself becoming annoying by the constant use of the F-word, and this is coming from someone who has a pretty filthy vocabulary.

Aside from elements from other films that have been rehashed into this entry, The Marked One's offers nothing you haven't seen in the other installments. It's slowly paced and features the same cheap scares that you've come to expect from the franchise and you've seen more than a dozen horror films, than you've seen everything that this film has to offer.

The worst part of all is that the ending for the film is downright insulting to the viewer. It's evident that the writers were trying hard to tie this one in with the rest of the franchise, but had no clue how to. They try to present to us a so-called "twist" that makes absolutely no sense and is only there so there is some sort of connection the previous films. I won't spoil it, but most of the audience left the screening pretty annoyed.

If you've somehow managed to enjoy this terrible franchise, you might find some enjoyment in The Marked Ones. But if you are a veteran horror viewer, you'll want to look elsewhere because there is nothing here worth wasting time on. Hopefully this franchise will come to an end soon and we can stop having to sit through these awful films every year. The only scary thing about this is that we've got to sit through another installment in October.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Another Masterpiece From Scorsese

[10/10 · 27 December 2013]

Martin Scorsese has once again brought us another masterpiece with one of the most fun and entertaining viewing experiences I've ever had! An outrageous 3 hour drug and sex filled and darkly hilarious romp featuring the best performances I've seen all year.

Leonardo Di Caprio is one of my favorite actors and even knowing his talent, I was still shocked just by how fantastic he was as Jordan Belfort. Despite being a huge fan, I almost couldn't believe I was watching the same Di Cpario I'd been seeing for years as he carried the film with such charisma and energy! It's by far the performance of the career and it he should more than deservingly receive an Academy Award for Best Actor (although he will probably be snubbed). Leo is not the only one fantastic here, Jonah Hill also gives the performance of his career here as well and Matthew McConaughey also shines in the brief amount of the film he appears in.

Director Martin Scorsese who has directed some of the best films ever made brings his magic touch in telling this bizarre true story. Despite being 71 years old, he still knows how to have fun telling this story bring a wonderful visual style and fast pace at which the films 3 hour runtime fly's by. But it's not only Scorsese's directing that makes the film work so well, Terence Winter's writing just as equally plays a role in the films brilliance as well with his script filled with dark humor and excellent dialogue that will be quoted in years to come. On top of that, the two hold no bars on exploring Belfort's wild lifestyle refusing to shy away from the excessive amount of drugs and sex involved. This is one of the most graphic mainstream films I have seen in quite some time. But it's pervasiveness only favors the film making it all the more fun and entertaining.

Even though it's long length, graphic content, and dark humor will turn some off, The Wolf of Wall Street ranks up as the best film I've seen all year and one of Scorsese's best!

Crash (I) (2004)

Not Worthy Of Winning "Best Picture"

[6/10 · 1 December 2013]

Out of all the films that didn't deserve to win the title of Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Crash takes the cake for being the most undeserving.

I admired how ambitious it was and the performances are fantastic, but it's so melodramatic that it becomes hard to take serious and at times just frustrating to watch. The subject matter here is interesting, but it's handled in such a preachy and pretentious way. To make matters worse, the film doesn't really go anywhere by the end of it's nearly 2 hour runtime and ultimately feels rather pointless.

It's worth a watch alone for the performances, but how this won (let alone nominated) an Academy Award for Best Picture is beyond me.

After Earth (2013)

Another Dud From Shyamalan

[3/10 · 1 December 2013]

If there's really anything positive that I can say about After Earth, it's that it's not as bad as The Last Airbender.

With that being said, it's still another terrible entry in Shymalans once promising career. Will Smith is completely wasted here given almost nothing to do and Jaden Smiths acting is anything but enough to carry the film by himself. The films is really poorly written and paced with a script that is so thin and derivative, it feels more like a generic video game than an actual movie. Shyamalans direction is so weak here that it doesn't even feel like he even directed. I will say there is some good cinematography here and there, but the film offers nothing new and ends up being one of the most dull and boring viewing experiences I've had this year.

The worst part of After Earth though might be that it's only a further reminder of how low the once promising Shyamaln's career has sunk.

Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

A Brainless and Cheesy, But Nevertheless Entertaining Die Hard Cloe

[7/10 · 1 December 2013]

Although ridiculous to a nearly absurd level and is essentially nothing more than a Die Hard clone, but this is still an enjoyable action movie if you can get past some of it's flaws. It was good to see Gerard Butler playing a badass again and he did a good job carrying the film. While defiantly not his best work, Fuqua's direction really benefits the film with some pretty impressive and brutal action sequences. And while I previously mentioned that this is a Die Hard clone, it's a much better film than A Good Day To Die Hard.

Not for those looking for great quality in their films, but fans of B-Action Movies will get some enjoyment out of it.

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

A Sequel For The Fans!

[8/10 · 1 December 2013]

This is one of those times I have to say Screw The Critics! Kick-Ass 2 may not be as good as the first, but it is still pretty damn good for a sequel! Lots of laugh-out-loud moments along with plenty of good fight scenes as well. Chloe Grace Mortez, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Jim Carrey all nail their roles and steal just about every scene they are in. Although, I did think Carrey was underused and would've liked to see more of him. The film does become a bit too cartoonish and a bit inconsistent, but I was having so much fun watching it didn't take that much enjoyment out of it. If you are a fan of the first than I can almost guarantee that you will enjoy this one as well! By far some of the most fun I've had at the movies this year and better than any other comic-book or superhero movie to be released this year as well.

The Internship (2013)

Entertaining, but very Forgettable

[6/10 · 28 November 2013]

I love Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson and while I wasn't expecting Wedding Crashers, I was hoping The Internship would at least be another good comedy for the comedic duo. While it defiantly has some good moments here and there, this is a very predictable and forgettable comedy.

As many have said, it is a bit hard to get past all of the Google product placement in the film. Vaughn and Wilson are good, but this really felt a the kind of comedy that should've been released in the 80's. The plot is predictable and cheesy. Also, there is no reason this film needed to be 2 hours. It was way too long and got boring after a while. Not really a good comedy even though it had some funny moments. The best parts were in the first 45 minutes.

Not the worst. Not the best.

Oldboy (2013)

Highly Entertaining Revenge Thriller/Mystery

[8/10 · 27 November 2013]

I haven't seen the original so my opinion here is completely unbiased.

While at times it did feel a bit rushed and I was never as emotionally involved in the story as I wished I was, I still found Spike Lee's remake to be a highly entertaining film. It plays out like a really straight forward (perhaps a little too straight) revenge thriller/mystery with that benefits from a strong performance from Josh Brolin and plenty of brutal over-the-top violence. The greatest thing about it though has to be the twist which is one of the most disturbing, twisted, and sickening things I've ever seen in a film.

This isn't a great film and I have no doubt that the original is superior (I wouldn't be surprised if I would be more critical of the film If I had seen the original), but this is still a solid remake that's highly entertaining and worth checking out. It isn't anywhere as bad as many of the reviews on here suggest it is.

If you have seen the original, I would say you don't necessarily need to see this version. If you haven't though, give it a shot!

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

A Facisnating True Story with Gritty Realism and Excellent Performances

[9/10 · 20 November 2013]

One of the best films I've seen this year! A raw, gritty, and incredible true story about a HIV diagnosed man who went to extraordinary lengths to survive at a time when the AIDS epidemic was at it's worst.

Matthew McConaughey who lost a significant amount of weight to play the role gives the performance of his career along with Jared Leto who's equally as good here. The two give quite possibly the best performances I've seen in a film all year in which I actually forgot I was watching actors in a film and instead felt as if I was watching real people. There's no doubt they will both receive nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

While this kind of story does feel a bit familiar overall, it's excellent screenplay and sense of realism along with the excellent performances make up for it. While it's defiantly not easy viewing and a bit of a downer to watch, it's a truly inspiring (and important) true story and one of the years best films.

McConaughey has been made out to be a bit of a laughing stock after starring in a series of really mediocre films. His recent performances however, have shown that the man truly is one of the best actors working in the business right now. Dallas Buyers Club is only further proof of this.

The Call (II) (2013)

Hang Up on This Call

[3/10 · 14 November 2013]

The Call is the type of film that had no business being released in theaters and should've gone straight to video. Not only is this an incredibly generic thriller that feels like a Lifetime movie, but it's increasingly stupid script ruins any somewhat decent things the film has going for it.

Halle Berry plays Jordan, a 911 operator who lets her emotions get in the way when a call goes terribly wrong and results in the death of the caller. Not able to handle the guilt, she takes a job as a trainer for future 911 operators. One day while she is in a training session, a call comes up that the present operator can't handle and Jordan steps in and the movie kicks into gear...or at least tries too.

I'll give credit where credit is due, the film has a really simple premise and doesn't waste anytime and moves at a very fast pace. Halle Berry also gives a surprisingly good performance for what material she is giving here. The first half of the movie is also semi intriguing and held my interest up until around the 45 minute mark.

The main problem with The Call is that it becomes increasingly stupid and improbable. The script is already loaded with terrible dialogue and clichés, and this only adds to the film becoming increasingly annoying. The characters are equivalent to the undeveloped teens in a slasher film who make incredibly stupid decisions that no other person in the situation would ever even consider doing. As the film goes on you will think the film can't get any dumber, only for it to shock you within minutes by becoming even more than what previously happened. The rest of the cast here does a really poor job. The worst being Michael Eklund who plays the killer who's performance is way too over-the-top for him to be taken seriously. Although, this is another instance where the script shares a good deal of the blame as the majority of his dialogue is laughable.

It's third act is where The Call completely falls off the rails going from a thriller between 911 dispatchers and the victim to a Halle Berry action movie. As terrible as the script is, it at least was consistent for it's first two acts. Not only does it feel completely out of place, but by the end of the film Halle Berry's character's motivations make no sense logically or morally.

The Call is a generic, stupid, and ultimately forgettable film that can't even carry it's simple premise throughout it's short 94 minute runtime. If it hadn't been for the third act, then it might've been a passable film for T.V viewing. But, it fails even at that. The Call is the type of film that will most likely soon be in the discount DVD bin at your local Best Buy where it should've been in the first place.

We're the Millers (2013)

Enjoyable, but nothing special

[6/10 · 11 October 2013]

In a year in which most comedies have been rather lackluster, We're The Millers is above the previously mentioned, but still not as good as it could've been.

What makes the film work is the chemistry between the cast. Jason Sudeikis is great as always and gets the best material to work with her. Jennifer Aniston and the actors playing the kids do a good job as well. They all helped carry this movie and are the most enjoyable thing about it. Ed Helms also has a supporting role in which he is fantastic! The film has a great setup and the first 30 minutes are really funny. However, once the films kicks into gear and the characters hit the road, it somewhat falls apart a bit. The main problem with the film is that the script is weak and doesn't deliver as many laughs as it should. That's not to say all of the jokes fall flat, but I found myself chuckling a lot more than actually laughing. They could've really done something fun with this concept, but instead it ends up feeling like a generic road trip movie with an uneven mix of raunchy R-rated and weak sitcom level humor. A good majority of the funniest parts of the film were already spoiled in the red band trailer which also didn't help.

Don't get me wrong this is not a terrible film, but you'd expect something with a bit more effort put into it considering the people involved. It has plenty of decently funny moments and the cast does an excellent job. But, the script is very weak and it never takes full advantage of it's concept. It's still better than some other recent comedies such as The Hangover: Part III and Grown Ups 2, but it's still rather disappointing and a bit dull.

Worth a rental.

Furious 6 (2013)

The Best Fast & Furious Yet!

[7/10 · 1 June 2013]

Never have been a fan of this series, but after seeing the trailers and hearing some positive things, I decided to give this one a shot. And ya know what? I actually had a pretty fun time. I like the direction Justin Lin took with this one just making it big and stupid, but totally self-aware of what it is. The action set-pieces are an absolute blast to watch with each one topping the previous one before it. The last 2 scenes are worth the price of admission alone. I also enjoyed the chemistry between all the actors which added a surprising amount of laughs to the film. Still, the film has plenty of flaws that the series has shared. There is a bit too much down time in the middle where the film starts to drag when it begins to build on it's incredibly thin story. There's also some moments of dialogue that are so poorly written it's hard not to notice them. Overall, while it's not great by any means, I would defiantly say that this is my favorite of the series so far (although that's not saying much). Nothing special or all that memorable, but as a summer popcorn flick, it gets the job done. Fans of the series will most likely love it while even the non-fans will still be able to have some fun with it. I do have to admit though after the post-credit scene, I would be lying if I said I wasn't incredibly excited for the 7th installment!

Next Friday (2000)

Skip This Friday!

[1/10 · 25 March 2013]

After seeing the first Friday film and enjoying it, I expected this sequel to while not living up to the first, to be an enjoyable comedy that would serve up a decent amount of laughs.

This film is the equivalent of an Araon Seltzer and Jason Friedberg movie where the film has no plot and the humor is solely based around swearing and being vulgar, except it's all irritating and not funny in the slightest. The film may have been more tolerable if the characters were actually likable, but they are all annoying and unlikeable. Mike Epps was a terrible addition to the cast and is neither funny or a good actor.

There's nothing good about this film and it should be avoided at all cost. Even if you are a fan of the first film. I doubt I will even bother to check out the 3rd entry in the series after this mess.

Stolen (2012)

Another Dud From Nicolas Cage

[5/10 · 25 March 2013]

Nicolas Cage has not had a good track record lately. His movies over the last 2 years have ranged from forgettable (Ghost Rider 2, Seeking Justice) to downright terrible (Season of the Witch, Trespass). Stolen falls on the lower end of the forgettable batch, but pretty close to the terrible.

I went into this knowing pretty much nothing besides the fact the film starred Nicolas Cage and was given a very limited release late last year. I finally came across it on Netflix streaming yesterday and decided to give it a shot.

It's impossible to watch this film without feeling like it is a Taken rip-off since the plot revolves around a father trying to rescue his daughter after she is kidnapped. Except Taken did this plot 100x better with a story that had much more depth and was a lot darker. This does the story very bare bones and is as thin as they come.

Nicolas Cage does an alright job in his role here. Not a great job, but he is honestly probably doing a better job than he should be here. Everyone else is pretty terrible though. Especially, the girl playing the daughter. She really needs to go back and take some acting lessons before ever stepping in front of a camera again. The cringe-inducing dialogue doesn't and incredibly flat and dull direction doesn't help either.

What saves Stolen from being a terrible film are the decent action sequences. There are a few good shooting and chase sequences throughout the film that helped hold my attention through the films run time.

Even if you are a fan of Nicolas Cage, it's hard to recommend Stolen. There's nothing it that's memorable at all and is merely just a rip-off of much better action-thrillers. Maybe it will keep you entertained on a rainy day when you have nothing else to watch, but that's just about all it's going to be good for.

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

A Mediocre Day To Die Hard

[6/10 · 25 March 2013]

As a huge fan of the series, I was really looking forward to A Good Day To Die Hard.

Unfortunately, A Good Day To Die Hard is the weakest entry in the series.

The action set pieces are entertaining and Bruce Willis is good as always as John McClane, but the film suffers from poor directing, a weak script, and worst of all lacks the feel of a true Die Hard movie and instead feels much more like a generic action movie.

Easily the weakest film of the franchise, but it's not as bad as some of the reviews have made it out to be and worth a rental for the action sequences.

Lets hope Die Hard 6 is better.

Parker (2013)

Jason Statham's Weakest Film Yet

[2/10 · 29 January 2013]

I generally enjoy Jason Statham movies and even though they have been getting more and more generic as they go along, I still tend to enjoy them for the most part.

Unfortunately, this is not the case with Parker.

Based on what I had seen from the trailers, I didn't go into Parker expecting it to be great, but at least decent with some good action scenes in it. Even for a Jason Statham movie released in Janurary, Parker is surprisingly awful. I felt like I was watching a T.V movie. Statham gave a lazy performance as Parker and nothing about his character was interesting. The directing was really poor and whoever was directing really was just doing this for the paycheck. THe writing was even worse. It went between being a brutal revenge story and a crime caper action comedy too much and felt really unbalanced. The story was boring and played out like the most generic of these types of films. The action scenes weren't terrible, but they were very run-of-the-mill and there was nothing about them that made them exciting or entertaining to watch. What made the film even worse was that there were visible errors in the film that any director should've been able to notice such as an early scene in the film where Jason Statham is walking in the rain and you can clearly see where the hose is moving over Statham to make it look like it's raining. It only gets worse once Jennifer Lopez's annoying one dimensional character gets introduced.

Parker should've been a fun movie and there's really no excuse for it being as terrible as it is. After seeing this garbage, I honestly don't have any desire to see a Jason Statham movie again for a while (Unless it's Crank 3).

The tagline for Parker reads "To Get Away Clean, You Have To Play Dirty", and thats exactly what the people behind this film did.

Stand Up Guys (2012)

They Really Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

[3/10 · 19 January 2013]

I was actually looking forward to this movie because of the cast. A crime comedy with a legendary cast, how could this possibly go wrong? Unforutantely, Stand Up Guys is a disaster.

Al Pacino and Christopher Walken try their best, but they have nothing to work with here. The script is awful and the two characters are lifeless, undeveloped, and have absolutely no chemistry with one another. The writing is surprisingly bad too with more than a handful of awful jokes that become increasingly irritating to listen to. There is a Viagra joke early on in the movie that is not only not funny, but has been ton a million times in other movies. Even worse, they milk the joke dry by forcibly bringing it up constantly within the first 30 minutes of the film. Alan Arkin has a very small role in the film and one of the few scenes he's in was one of the few parts I actually enjoyed in the film. The whole film is pretty much 90 minutes of "OH LOOK HOW OLD THESE ACTORS ARE HA HA HA", except none of the jokes are well-written and the film has no build up or pay off. It just keeps going on and on until it leads up to one of the worst most anti-climatic endings i've ever seen. The worst part of it might be though is having to watch these legendary actors go to new lows to the point where it becomes embarrassing to watch them.

After seeing this, i'm really not surprised Lionsgate is dumping it in February and not even really making any attempts to market it. They obviously know that it's a stinker and want to get it in and out of theaters as fast as possible without anyone noticing. Don't waste your time with this one even if you're a fan of these actors.