Apollo 18

Rating: 3.4 out of 5 stars

Movie: Apollo 18 (2011)

Studio : Dimension Films

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 87 min

Website : apollo18movie.net

Rating : PG-13

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Two astronauts (Warren Christie and Lloyd Owen) are sent on a secret mission to the moon to determine why NASA had deemed the lunar surface unsafe and cancelled all future missions. In the real world, this was due to funding issues which shut down the program in 1972, but this revisionist look at the space program shows that there was something far more sinister afoot than a lack of coin. And the Department of Defense wanted to know what it was. The filmmakers then supposedly found 80 hours of footage, which was classified but leaked out for the world to know in what I guess is a shout out to Wikileaks.

The company releasing this film has gone through some great lengths to pretend that this is actual footage of a real life event that was hidden away from the public. Even the two stars of the film are listed with no credit in the Internet Movie Database. It contends that they are not real actors at all, but real astronauts that had to endure their terrible journey. To me, what the producers are trying to do just insults the movie going audience’s intelligence. This isn’t like Area 51 where things happened on a secret base somewhere that no outsider could get to. This is space we are talking about. And to get to space is not just a hop into your personal spacecraft and off you go. Rockets being hauled out onto the pad and the days of preparations can not be done in shadow. As someone who lived close to Cape Canaveral, any launch is big news and would have been back in 1973, when the space race was in full force. At the very least, people would have remembered it. If you are going to push the conspiracy idea, it works better if the facts are at least somewhat believable. This footage gimmick may have worked in Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, but only because people could relate to not knowing what goes on inside every house or deep in the dark woods. Finding a tape would be almost believable. But using low budget camera tricks and pawning it off as some sort of real footage is stupid.

But in all fairness, that really doesn’t have anything to do with the movie itself except that it sets the tone of the film from the very start with the opening written narration. From there, the story plays in three acts using what looks like 40 year old video tape. It’s grainy. It flickers out a lot, having been supposedly damaged over time, and has that hand held queasiness factor that is only kept in check by some still camera work such as when they are in the capsule. This can get a bit annoying after a bit, but thankfully the shorter running time doesn’t make it too much of a strain on the eyes and in some parts these low budget visual effects actually work in the movie’s favor. At the very least, they do make you feel as though this is the 1970’s you are watching, thankfully without the leisure suits.

The story is far more character driven than other entries into the hand held thriller genre. There is a great dynamic between the two men as the danger gets more and more real. And their fear comes across very well. The close quarters, what lies outside, are all phobias that can be attributed to the human condition and the movie plays on that. It also does well delving in the conspiracy theory that the movie tries to imply. My only minor fault here is that a little more information about what happened prior would have been helpful in understanding and relating to their predicament. We don’t know anything about them and why they are there.

If this was a pseudo documentary into a false conspiracy, it might have been okay, but this being billed as a horror movie. So it has to be reviewed as one. And in this case, it failed pretty badly on the scare factor. Like Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark that we just reviewed, it relies on suspense to fuel the few gotcha moments in the film. But it does not do this successfully. While there are some pretty disturbing moments, the anxiety is never really that heightened that the jumps are off the chart. And once we see the enemy, the film becomes even more anti-climatic. The trailer promised that the last 10 minutes would go down in movie history. Not sure what history they were referring to. The end doesn’t seem to justify the journey making one walk out of the theater really scratching their heads. I guess the sequel will help.

For a low budget film, director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego did his best to try to stretch every dollar and there are parts that are better than some big budget action movies, especially in the acting, but it wasn’t enough to pull the film out of mediocrity. I give this film a 3.2/5, a little better than some, but not able to scare, which was the point.

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Colombiana

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Movie: Colombiana (2011)

Studio : EuropaCorp

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 107 min

Website : www.colombiana-movie.com

Rating : PG-13

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

When a mob boss in Bogota, Columbia feels that her family has betrayed him, he orders everyone killed and believes that is what happened. But what he doesn’t know is that the young daughter Cataleya (Amandla Stenberg) survived. Taken in by her uncle, she learns the ways of being a professional killer and by the time she’s an adult (Zoe Saldana), she is very good at what she does. But there is only one target she’s interested in, and that’s the one that murdered her parents. In order to root him out, she leaves clues that catch the attention of not only him, but of the FBI as well.

The movie is not an original concept. It takes cues from Luc Besson’s previous works such as The Professional which brought Natalie Portman to the public eye as the little girl who sees her family murdered and decides to take up with an assassin for protection and training. Colombiana doesn’t end when she is still a child however, but follows Catalaya into adulthood as a ruthless killer, much like in Besson’s other film Nikita. But even though these two film plots combined into one, the movie is no where near the level in terms of plot and complex characterizations that portrayed the brutal side of the psyche scorned in the other ones, even in someone so young.

But that is not what Besson obviously intended here, but to provide action over the path of enlightened portrayals. And in that respect, he did okay. The movie is filled with all sorts of action scenes, one right after the other, leading audiences on an exhausting, but somewhat exhilarating pace. And that is what most b-rated action movies do, but the lack of any sort of plot and generic characters and villains that were laughable got in the way of even the scenes that were decent.

The one lone star in the movie was Zoe Saldana herself. She portrayed Cataleya with a focus that was unparalleled. Every step she took, every action, even though she had limited dialog, was in character and made the assassin come alive. There was no time that we didn’t believe who she was and that takes a good deal of talent. I can’t think of anyone who could have handled it better. These type of films don’t usually get recognized at the awards, but she really does deserve one for the ruthless persona she brought to Cataleya.

It’s just a shame that she received no support from those around her or the script itself. The acting was generic at best, in some parts even horrible, and the plot that did exist was just there to move the action along.

Colombiana is a recent example of what used to be called a b-rated film. It has a lot of action and not much else. And so we give it a 3.0/5 stars and the only reason we are really going that high is because of Saldana’s performance.

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Final Destination 5

Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars

Movie: Final Destination 5 (2011)

Studio : New Line Cinema

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 105 min

Website : finaldestinationmovie.com

Rating : R

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Death is back with a new twist as a bunch of strangers riding a bus escape the tragedy after one of their fellow passengers warns them to get off before the bridge the bus is on collapses. And as in the previous films, they are then targeted by the grim reaper one by one. But this time, there is a new rule. If they kill someone else, that person will take their place and they will no longer be on the list. But will they be able to take someone’s life to save their own?

I had my doubts about this film. After all, we’ve seen it all before over and over and this is the fifth time out. And given that the third and fourth were not very exciting, the hope for this one was that it at least didn’t suck too badly. But this one actually exceeded expectations to be one of the best in the series. It’s resurgence of the main element, which is the characters themselves, are what raises this to new heights.

One of the things missing in the last two was that I didn’t really care about who lived or who died. It was all the same to me. I didn’t get to know them and as a result, they wound up just becoming part of a mindless kill fest, despite how unique the scenarios might have been. That is not the case here. The characters are designed to be just like the audience, regular people that are now faced with an impossible decision, leaving me wondering what I would do in that situation. The excellent acting puts me in their shoes and when one dies, it’s almost like a part of myself died with them. That’s a pretty powerful feeling that creates a, pardon the pun, new dimension in the series.

It is also this twist that gives each death scene the possibility of turning out much differently then what you’d expect, giving it a very strong sense of suspense before each killing begins, which only serves to heighten the experience even more. You never know what is really going to happen and that will keep you glued to the story and at the edge of your seat.

Filmed in true 3D from the ground up, the effects are very scary and very real looking. Much better than they were in the previous edition. In fact, some effects were so real, I actually found myself ducking or moving as if the items were really coming out at me. And I’m pretty jaded by now on the whole 3D thing, but this one really portrays the process in its best, if not freakiest, light. And despite the darkness of the subject matter, things were very easy to see.

Nicholas D’Agosto and Emma Bell lead a relatively obscure cast, but that works in the movie’s favor because it gives each one more chance to be seen as a regular person and not a celebrity. If they had really pushed the top names, it would not have had half of the impact it does. All do a superb job portraying their individual characters as we said above, so it was excellent casting in our opinion.

Final Destination 5 is an awesome film and if you only see one horror movie this year, this is the one you should check out. But a word of warning. It is not for the squeamish. Along with improvements in 3D and characterization, it is also much sicker with the gory than the previous ones. One scene in particular, which I won’t get into as to spoil it, will most likely even shake the most unshakable. I give this movie a 4.6/5. It’s a bit more blood and guts than I really like in my horror movies, but the suspense and well thought out death scenarios, along with the added twist definitely give me reason to forgive that.

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Cars 2

Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Movie: Cars 2 (2011)

Studio : Disney-Pixar

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 113 min

Website : disney.com/cars

Rating : G

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and his best friend Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) are going international in this sequel to Cars from Disney-Pixar. The best cars will be racing in the first World Grand Prix and McQueen picks his buddy to accompany him on a journey that will span across three countries. But when Mater is mistook as being an American spy, he finds himself in the middle of an espionage adventure that he isn’t quite ready for, a mission given to him by the mysterious British spy Finn McMissile (Michael Caine).

Disney-Pixar is known for their great balance between emotion and action that feeds both the adults and the kids at different levels. It’s always a heartwarming story at the base embellished by the antics of the various characters. But no matter what actions take place, the tale is always one that people can relate to. This is become the standard for their films and Cars 2 just does not live up to that. The main reason is that instead of that base to play off of, it depends on the slapstick comedy and explosive action that would seem more comfortable in a Saturday morning cartoon than an animated feature. There is a lot more cartoon violence in this one than in the first, and I had to admit, I half expected Roger Rabbit to pop up somewhere with a bomb in his hand.

But before I go any further, perhaps it is unfair to compare it to other Pixar offerings. After all, movie companies make a wide range of films for different audiences and Pixar should have the right to do so as well. In this one, they went the Transformers route, but there is an audience that loves the heavily populated action films and kids will love the antics of Mater and his “Get R Done” attitude. And so while it may not be their best, it’s certainly an entertaining way to spend an afternoon if you aren’t too critical of its lack of emotion.

This movie reminded me a lot of a Bob Hope / Bing Crosby vibe in their road movies. Bob Hope would always get into all sorts of mischief and provide the comedy to Bing Crosby’s straightlaced ways. And so it is with McQueen (who is played well once again by Owen Wilson) and Mater. Larry the Cable Guy has certainly found his niche and he plays the character with such fun that between his voice and the visuals, he steals basically every scene he’s in. It’s no wonder that Disney made him a much bigger part in the sequel, though if you find redneck humor not to your liking, Mater might not be as enjoyable, but we all thought he was hilarious. Michael Caine also voices Finn McMissile with all the charm and debonair nature of a James Bond, giving the British spy car a great personality that will surely endure into the future. Emily Mortimer also does well as Holley Shiftwell, who is the female spy who keeps an eye over Mater’s mission.

I think it would have been better if they called this what it was, which is Lightning McQueen and Mater’s World Adventures rather than Cars 2. It doesn’t work as a sequel, but more of a spinoff like the cartoon shorts they play on the Disney Channel and so perhaps there would have been less griping over the film’s contents. We do have to admit that we missed characters like Sarge, Doc Hudson, Fillmore (who’s voice George Carlin died), and Luigi and Guido. The new ones don’t seem to have that same feel. So it’s more that they extended the Cars universe (which gives them many more merchandising opportunities), but I do hope if there is a Cars 3 that they consider bringing back some of these older characters.

We are going to go against the grain of most critics and give this 4.3/5. It’s not a perfect film, but it’s not the horrible film they are trying to make it out to be. As we said, it’s not near as heartwarming, but the action is exciting, the characters fun and for the kids and young at heart, it’s a good time.

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Insidious

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie: Insidious (2011)

Studio : Alliance Films

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 100 min

Website : insidious-movie.com

Rating : PG-13

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

In the same spirit, pardon the pun, of Poltergeist and Amityville, comes the story of a family of five who moves into their new residence, eager to start their new life, but the house isn’t all that welcoming towards one particular member of their family. Their eldest son Dalton is being stalked by the residence and the old spirit that lives there. At first, it’s just little things like books falling off shelves and strange noises, but when Dalton goes up to the attic to investigate, he slips off a broken ladder and falls. But starts screaming at something he sees. But after calming him down and tucking him in, his parents Josh and Renai (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) believe he is fine. But the next day, they find him comatose in a state that doctors can’t explain, even after spending three months in the hospital. Believing that home would be a much better place for him, they bring him back to the house, but the spirit has just begun to use him for it’s own agenda. Even moving doesn’t free them from the terror that has become their boy.

Lately horror movies have depended on a lot of gore and violence, each one topping the previous one. And one of the main purveyors of portraying the sick and twisted is the makers of Saw (writer Leigh Whannell and director James Wan). In this film, however, they show that they have just as much talent at suspense as blood and guts with what is a scary film of the imagination, toning it down so much, it actually got a PG-13 rating instead of R. The fright though works very well and there are truly some horrific moments that will surely make you jump out of your seat. And there is even some funny moments thrown into balance out the film, which are not overly hilarious, but light hearted.

The weakest part of the story has to be the introduction of the ghost hunters headed by actress Lin Shaye. One of the most classic techniques in thrillers is that unknown, which can be very effective in keeping the mystery alive, around the horror movements. The geeky logical and scientific explanations, in our opinion, took away from the fun of questioning what was going on in our own minds. Of course, you don’t want the audience confused, but on the other hand, what they don’t know scares them, which is the purpose of the film. It just seems that the film gets sidetracked from that point on and is not as stylistic and clever as the first part.

Still though, the film is well acted and really brings on the horror, which is why we go to see such a movie. It shows that you do not need a lot of disgusting imagery to provoke the kind of frights that are of the mind, just as Alfred Hitchcock didn’t need to show the stabbing at the Bates Motel. Even though not one drop of blood or knife was shown plunging into skin, the film managed to keep people out of showers for a long time. We think that this movie will have that same type of effect on people, which makes it a whole lot of fun.

While we didn’t like the second half near as much as the first, because the reality didn’t live up to the promise, we still give it 4/5 stars. It’s creepy, funny in parts, and an all around good time and the kind of film that may actually follow you out of the theater like a good horror movie often does.

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Hanna

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Hanna (2011)

Studio : Focus Features/Sony

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 111 min

Website : hannathemovie.com

Rating : PG-13

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is a 16 year old who grew up unlike any other teenager in North Finland. She was trained by her father, including homeschooling, as not a carefree lady interested in shopping and boys, but as an assassin that he needs for a secret mission. Ex-CIA, her dad (Erik Bana) is bent on making sure she reaches her goal. But there are those in the intelligence agency that wish to see her stopped at all cost, led by Marissa (Cate Blanchett), who has a goal of her own. The girl must fight her way through Europe, avoiding those out to get her, in order to be successful and fulfill her father’s wishes.

The trailers and marketing for this film do not do it justice and are misleading at best. No doubt that the studios want to play up to the image of a teenage girl kicking serious butt as Hit Girl did in Kick Ass. But that’s not what this story is about at all. Yes, there is foreign intrigue and some serious battle scenes, but for the most part, it’s a coming of age story for a young lady who is thrust into a world that she’s not ready for. It’s all very deliberate and done with emotional thrill including some comedic parts, rather than explosions and such. In other words, it’s more Tarantino than Michael Bay.

Films that do well at Cannes are often this type of high brow art film for which this one fits. This is the kind of film that wins Academy Awards. The cinematography is superb and stunning, as if it was shot for an IMAX documentary, from the vastness of the desert to the glistening of a snow covered cottage. Wherever you are in the film, you feel as though you are there, which makes the scenes even more poignant and realistic.

The acting is very good in this film. Ronan plays the part of the unprepared, yet strong, driven character of Hanna with amazing skill for a young lady and should be a contender for the Oscars. The rest of the cast including Blanchett and Bana also play their parts quite well. The only gripe we had is not really in the portrayal by the actors, but what they had to work with in some scenes. The movie seemed a bit lax in development of these supporting characters, which made it difficult to see what they were all about and how that related to the girl.

The music is provided by the Chemical Brothers, who are a techno band. Their music is electronic, which seems like an odd choice for this film. And yet, like Ladyhawke, whose pop soundtrack didn’t seem appropriate for Medieval times and yet it worked, the synthesizers and dance music are equally effective in this one. The compositions are very supportive of the scenes, giving it that artsy feel, but at the same time complementing the action to the point of melting into it.

All in all, even though Tarantino had nothing to do with it, the movie is very reminiscent of his style, so if you like his movies, you’ll like this one. We have to say that we did enjoy it and give it 4.5/5 stars. The supporting roles could have been better developed, but that’s only a small complaint. The movie is funny at times, sad at times, and pulse racing at others. What more could you want?

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Source Code

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Movie: Source Code (2011)

Studio : Summit Entertainment

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 94 min

Website : enterthesourcecode.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

In a unique twist on a concept introduced in TV’s Quantum Leap, a special individual can actually jump into another person’s body through the use of a machine. But unlike Sam Beckett in the TV show, the bodies that are jumped into will die in eight minutes. But we are not aware of that at the start of the film, and neither is Colter Stevens, an army helicopter pilot, who suddenly finds himself on a commuter train in Boston. He has no clue why he is there. All he knows is that this beautiful woman sitting across from him apparently knows him and that his name is not Stevens, but Sean. Stevens (played by Jake Gyllenhaal of Brokeback Mountain fame) must figure out why he’s there, what is going on, and stop what is about to happen to the train that kills everyone aboard and has eight minutes to do it, sort of.

In a Groundhog Day plot point, he finds when the disaster happens, he is thrust back to relive the eight minutes once again, getting another chance to discover the secrets that will lead to the rescue of all aboard. And he keeps reliving it over and over until he completes the mission. The problem is that in the real world, time is still going on as normal and there is information that the train is not the only target and so he not only has to save them, he must do so quick enough to prevent the other ones as well. All while struggling with new found feelings for Sean’s travelling companion, the lovely Christina (played aptly by Michelle Monaghan).

Because it’s basically the same eight minutes each time, the hardest part is keeping the audience interested. When we heard that it was going to employ this story line, we were a bit skeptical of the film, but we were pleasantly surprised. Ben Ripley’s superb script includes so many twists and turns and nuances, that we were at the edge of our seat the whole time. Director Duncan Jones said in an interview that he cut the opening scene, which would have provided back story to the character of Stevens. Wise move. Letting us figure it out with him gave us our own mystery to solve and made the film far more intriguing.

We’d say a bit more, but we don’t want to spoil it for you. We will leave it for you to discover on your own.

We can say, though, that the entire cast excelled in their performances in what was a difficult movie, but what sold the movie was the chemistry and fantastic acting of its two main stars. Gyllenhaal and Monaghan were perfect as the “couple” on the train. In his case, we could really feel and sympathize with his frustration and urgency. And in her case, she played the woman whose companion suddenly turns into a whole different person. The supporting cast of Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright (who incidently was injured before filming, thus the cane) round out quite an accomplished group.

We give Source Code 4.8 out of 5 stars for its great story, moving performances, and thoughtful direction in what could have been a disaster if handled incorrectly.

The film is rated PG-13 for violence, language and imagery that some may find disturbing, and rightfully so. Source Code is in theaters now.

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The Losers

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie: The Losers (2010)

Studio : Warner Bros.

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 98 min

Website : the-losers.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Based on a comic of the same name, this film is an old-fashioned action movie with tough guys, guns, chicks, and explosions. The plot has the main characters, The Losers, traveling from place to place, working together, carrying out various missions, exchanging witty banter, while trying to find and destroy the ever-so-elusive Max, a ruthless boss who is very well-protected.

Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard) directs this action flick with lots of confidence, zooms, action still shots, and various editing tricks, which, thankfully, weren’t too distracting. The typical action movie plot had occasional fun twists.

The characters and their relationship dynamics truly make this film shine. They have great chemistry. Jeffery Dean Morgan (who played The Comedian in The Watchmen) is charismatic as the decisive, yet flawed leader of the group. Zoe Saldana brings a lot of feminine charm and spunk as Aisha. The banter between the characters brings a lot of humor and life to much of the film.

Jason Patric is particularly great to watch on screen as the bad guy, Max, an evil genius with the best lines, just short from being completely insane. He is often surrounded by women. He kills and gets people killed for small things. Of course, he may not be realistic, but is a great cinematic bad guy.

There are occasional missteps here and there. A fight scene between Clay and Aisha appear to make little sense in regards to plot (but hey, it looks cool). Also, while the stunt work and real-life action scenes look good, whenever there is CG, it looks out of place, and in some cases, took me out of the film. Now, given its comic book origins, I have forgiven a lot worse in other films that were also made from comics.

This film reminded me a bit of the 2003’s Italian Job, in terms of flavor. Overall, this film, padded with humor, action, and fun characters, was made purely to entertain, and the filmmakers have certainly accomplished that mission.

-”D-Art” Kang

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Layer Cake

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Layer Cake

Studio : Sony

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 106 min

Website : Layer Cake Movie

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

When looking up “Layer Cake” on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, the combined, it only gained a 7.75, but the reasons given by critics were that it was the same as all the other British crime dramas that predated it, mostly notably “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels”. As the producer on the two movies, it isn’t surprising that one would make this comparison, but they missed the mark. The point of “Layer Cake” was to take these same ideas, where bumbling criminals can always succeed and turn them on its head.

On previous projects that Mr. Vaughn worked with Guy Richie, the characters played by Jason Statham, Tom and Turkish respectively were neither adept nor even competent. The character played by Craig is a middle man for the British drug trade with aspirations of getting out of the business, not because of morality, but because he is a business man who tires of the incompetence of those he works with. He is backed by a small group of cohorts who help him ply his trade. Because he is careful, Craig’s character tries to stay away from those who aren’t.

Unfortunately for him, in his self-stated last deal, he is given the task of selling 1,000,000 ecstasy hits which were stolen from a group of Serbian militants. The thieves are the kind that he attempts to avoid, but now has no choice but to associate with him. Having both the British drug lords and Serbian militants on either side of him, guns drawn if he decides to sell or give the drugs to anyone but them, he has to get creative.

With a stellar cast, including George Harris, Colm Meanny, Kenneth Cranham, Sienna Miller, and Michael Gambon, the film succeeds at every corner, giving only the exact amount of information needed to move the story forward. For a viewer that wants everything explained to them, this is not the film for you, but on a second watch, the film will answer most of the questions needed to truly enjoy the movie.

A last word about cinematography and soundtrack: I am not sure that I have seen many movies with many more beautiful shots which flow in and out like dancers on a stage or music that so suits the mood, from The Cult’s “She Sells Sanctuary” to Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get Blue Monday out of My Head” to Joe Cocker’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”, every song fits the moment of film perfectly as if they were written for this project.

Layer Cake is a must watch, and a suggested buy for film.

-M. Sigurd Hall

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Brooklyn’s Finest

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie: Brooklyn’s Finest (2010)

Studio : Millenium Films

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 132 min

Website : brooklynsfinestthemovie.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

I’m currently teaching a class in introductory literature, during which students are required to read one play. This semester, that play will be Oedipus Rex. As I’ve been rereading the play and attempting to tie it into my lessons on Greek tragedy, I couldn’t help but think of Brooklyn’s Finest, which stars three characters who could easily be tragic heroes in a Greek drama.

The first is Tango (Don Cheadle), a narc who’s been undercover for so long that he’s become confused about where his loyalties lie, particularly to Caz (a returning Wesley Snipes), a drug dealer who apparently saved him during a prison riot when he did an undercover stint there. Eddie (Richard Gere) is a burnt-out patrolman with seven days left before retirement. We first see him when he wakes himself up by chugging some whiskey and pointing a revolver into his mouth. Ethan Hawke is Sal, a detective with a wife and family that’s too big to support, with a set of twins on the way. In desperation, he’s taken to robbing drug dealers.

The movie intercuts these three stories, as we’re meant to see the hardships that real New York City cops endure: it’s the antidote to the fake buddy cop picture. We see Tango’s frustration appear to drift into borderline madness as he keeps being promised Detective First Grade by his supervisor (Will Patton) and threatened by a slimy agent (Ellen Barkin) if he doesn’t bust Caz. Eddie’s being asked to mentor rookie cops by taking them into the high-crime Brooklyn streets that have worn him down. His “retirement ceremony” brings some dark humor, all the more because it’s so sad. Sal’s wife (Lili Taylor) has to go to the hospital because of mold on the ceiling, which is threatening the health of her unborn twins. “Can you move to a bigger house?” the doctor asks. If only he knew…

The pacing here is excellent. Antoine Fuqua, the director of Training Day, does a great job at moving back and forth between these three stories, never dwelling on one for too long but allowing us enough time to get to know each character. The only downside was I had a hard time sympathizing with Hawke’s character, who seems to have put himself in his predicament of “too many kids.” My reasons will make me sound inhuman, so I’ll stop there.

The cinematography is fitting to the story as well. We don’t see overhead shots of the Brooklyn Bridge with the Manhattan skyline in the background, like most New York-set movies. Shots are limited to the streets, because this is the world occupied by these cops. The romance of New York is lost by most people who live there, but these guys appear to see it as a crime-ridden hellhole. With the exception of a shot of a subway station and the Brooklyn accents (well-done by both Gere and Hawke), this could really take place in any city.

One of my favorite movies is Requiem for a Dream, based on the Hubert Selby book. I hadn’t seen his name on any of the previews, but I wondered for a bit if the screenplay had been adapted from one of his novels. Brooklyn served as a fitting backdrop for his stories, all of which focused on multiple characters suffering from their own faults, and ultimately, succumbing to the consequences to follow. Michael C. Martin and Brad Caleb Kane, the screenwriters, certainly seem to have been inspired. It’s well-written and well-made. Not as good as Training Day, but worth the trip to the theater.

-Craig Wynne

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Daybreakers

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Daybreakers(2010)

Studio : Lionsgate

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 98 min

Website : daybreakersmovie.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

When the Spierig brothers plotted out this film, you can tell from the start that they have a passion for vampires and the culture around them.

The world of Daybreakers is a reflection of our own, cast in a shadow where the dead work at night through a Metropolis-inspired cityscape as they drink their coffee mingled with AB positive. From sun-blocking tinted panels to LCD mirrors, the design of this alternate reality is perhaps the most breathtaking thing about this film.

We step into this world long after humanity was given an ultimatum to live as vampires or die as their cattle. Unfortunately, living this way has led to a decline in the once mighty human population, and humans are becoming rarer as vampires begin to starve. What’s worse, those that starve do not simply “die,” but instead lose their sentience and mutate into mindless bat-human hybrids (think Nosferatu). The fear of starving and the greater fear of mutating is creating havoc within the populace, and the only salvation to be found is in a blood substitute that will keep vampire society alive.

Ethan Hawke plays Edward—did they really have to name him that?—a researcher for a “Big Brother” pharmacy agency that is trying to find a blood substitute while trying to maintain their dwindling supply of humans to feed the country. He is also one of the only humanitarians of this world and brother to a soldier who enjoys life as a vampire. Along the way, Edward encounters a small colony of humans and a potential new way to save vampirekind.

The movie starts off as interesting, but the storyline can not seem to hold up. It wants to be a horror film, but really comes off as more of a thriller with action elements. I don’t mind this, but a lot of cheap scare tactics get thrown in to prove its origin and it gets annoying. Worse still, the luxurious pace of the film fails as it goes from a scenic stroll of this new world into a clumsy gallop past the interesting grotesqueness of this rotting society. It’s a shame considering there’s so much detail that is easy to miss by the later half of the film.

I think this film would have been better as a mini-series. With what the Spierig brothers made, it would have given more time to love being in their vampire-dominated society and made it that much more horrifying to watch it slowly crumble away. As it stands now, it’s only a good idea with a half-baked execution. Don’t get me wrong, it has a lot of cult potential, and at a 20 million dollar budget this is an impressive film, but I don’t see it winning the recognition it has the chance to gain.

-Donald Lee

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The Road

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: The Road(2009)

Studio : 2929 Productions

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 111 min

Website : The Road

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Based on Cormac McCarthy’s acclaimed novel, The Road speaks like a Hemingway story. Our hero is a nameless father with a nameless son. In a world where the end finally happened and recovery never came after almost, if not over, a decade; what hope is there left? Almost as though it was defying 2012, which inherently believes in the goodness of everyone, The Road questions if people have any form of morality left.

The two travel to the sea, not so much because there is sanctuary down there as much as it is the final hopeful request of a wife and mother who committed suicide. The only other thing they can carry is the belief that “they are the good guys” and that they will not succumb to the animalistic urges of cannibalism to stifle the consistent hunger and cold.

Visually, the world is dreary, bleak, and lifeless: appropriate for this world. Forests are nothing more than fields of dead timber that crash with a simple tremor, fields are fallow, and the dead rest in nooses or in piles of fully-devoured feasts. Even something as simple as a pack of crayons seems to offer tones mostly in monochrome-inflected stains. In contrast, vivid memories from the father come around that are gorgeous with life.

The acting is great throughout (a special nod to Michael K. Williams for stealing one scene exceptionally well), and even the makeup team seemed to be phenomenal by making well-recognized actors like Redford and Mortenson appear alien from who they actually are. It took me several screenings to finally recognize some of them and even now I still find it difficult to see how they pulled it off.

With a story and execution that stands up as one of the best I’ve seen, this is hands-down one of my favorites for this year. Kudos to John Hillcoat, whom I will be crossing my fingers for next to Peter Docter and Lee Daniels come February.

-Donald Lee

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Sherlock Holmes

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Sherlock Holmes(2009)

Studio : Internationale Filmproduktion Blackbird Dritte

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 128 min

Website : Sherlock Holmes

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Sherlock Holmes is a popular novel turned into a block buster movie. The cast includes some of the hottest and popular stars like Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams and others. If you liked the novel then you would definitely enjoy the movie as well.

The movie is a thriller in which Sherlock Holmes works to solve detective cases. Serial killer Lord Blackwood and his close assistant Dr. Watson have been caught by Holmes. Sherlock Holmes thinks that he is done with the case but Blackwood returns back again and resumes his killing activity. It becomes the task of Sherlock Holmes to look for the sorcerer Lord Blackwood and hunt him down. The detective has to work hard to open up secrets of killing, cheating and black magic while contending with the head of Scotland Yard as well as the Fiancée of his partner.

The movie is a good one and all the parts seem in place, however even though the director has done a good job in maintaining the viewer’s interest the momentum does not stay the same throughout the movie. The best scenes were those where dialogues were shared between Law and Downey Jr., their interactions were quite witty and quick which seemed to be like that of a married couple.

There is minimal and clear-cut action which is worth watching in the movie. The director has done a good job in not putting too much emphasis on those scenes which are not really important to the story. Everything seems to go in harmony and flows down naturally till the end of the movie.

The make up on Rachel is a little too excessive and unnecessary; she would have looked much better looking a little more natural. The movie has got quite a lot of repetition; once you have crossed the first 30 minutes of the movie you have pretty much seen it all. There seems nothing new happening after the initial minutes, the rest of the movie is just recycling of the first few scenes.

Overall, the movie is entertaining and although it may be a little repetitive you will most certainly enjoy it.

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Avatar

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie: Avatar(2009)

Studio : Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 162 min

Website : Avatar

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Avatar is a great movie with astonishing visual effects. The graphic features of the movie are awesome but the movie is not free from being flawless.

The story is based on Jake Sully who has been transferred to another planet known as Pandora. He is there to replace his brother after his death and if he succeeds to accomplish the mission the government will then restore his legs. Pandora is a place which is occupied by the race known as Na’vi and it is Jake’s task to get used to their way of living and subsequently remove them somewhere else. When this happens the humans would come and rule the planet. The planet of Pandora is a land filled with rich material and this is what Parker Selfridge is after.

Jake has the task to gain access to the Na’vi people while using the identity of an “avatar”. In the process to create his bond between the race and himself he meets Neytiri and falls in love with the attractive alien. At the same time the merciless Colonel tries extreme tricks and techniques with his military unit to drive the race out and calls for a battle with the aliens of Pandora.

The visual effects of the picture are really unbelievable. Avatar is about a new world and when you watch the movie you feel you enter their world for a short period of time. The actors have worked remarkably well and have portrayed their emotions on to the viewers. Zoe Saldanas depicts a great emotional character and for some reason Sam Worthington parades around with many different hairstyles throughout the movie.

The movie is not an original and unique story, it is not much different from what we have been seen in the past. Although the director has done a great job in putting the movie together the story is nothing special.

You can enjoy ‘Avatar’ if you have a great liking for artistic and heavy visual effects. If not then this movie is not made for you and you are better off doing things outside the theater. However if you decide to go for the movie turn off your mind and just keep your eyes open to watch the creativity in the making of Avatar and you will then certainly enjoy it.

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Gamer

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Gamer (2009)

Studio : Lakeshore Entertainment

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 95 min

Website : gamerthemovie.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Do you expect a movie made by the guys behind Crank about a future of people-controlled first-person shooters to be a masterpiece worthy of several Academy Awards? If you do, then you’re probably going to be disappointed. For the majority of you that know better, you’re probably just wondering if you are going to see something violent and crazy and if your protagonist is going to give you something as epic as his time as King Leonitas. If you are those people: you’re probably going to feel mostly satisfied.

Reconstituted plot aside, Gamer does live up to its promise in being over-the-top with copious amounts of bosoms and blood. In a way, this movie manages to make you feel the mood of a First Person Shooter where you are chunking anything meaty (beware: the shaky camera approach gets used extensively during those scenes), while giving you the sensation of a hedonist humanity that seems too jaded with excess to care about their living toys and some eccentric bits that work fairly well.

That said, I can see people griping about the storyline having a fair number of gaps of nonviolent scenes where “Kable” (Gerard Butler) is piecing together his past. Me, I liked it. These scenes usually had a somewhat artistic slant with the camera work and it did its purpose fairly effectively. For those just expecting a pure modern grindhouse, though, it may seem offset with the rest of the film, moreso with its fairly underwhelming ending that I keep reminding myself is not a homage to Blade Runner despite how much of this film’s plot is reconstituted from other recent movies.

In the end, I can not really gripe the film. It is watchable, moreso with friends, but I’d recommend this film for a DVD night.

-Donald Lee

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