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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Alice in Wonderland

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie: Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Studio : Paramount Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 108 min

Website : aliceinwonderland

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Roger Ebert was the person who got me started reviewing movies for my middle school newspaper. In preparing for my reviews, I usually read his, and he came to an epiphany about Alice in Wonderland: Lewis Carroll didn’t write it for children. As I watched the film, I reflected back to when I was six years old, when I first saw the film. I remembered being completely confused throughout the film and somewhat frightened when Alice was being chased by the Queen and her mob of cards (I also thought back to why my friends and I were so fascinated by it during college). As I write this review, I realize Tim Burton was the perfect candidate to direct this version, which plays like a tripped-out nightmare (which Carroll’s story essentially is).

This version starts off with little Alice having just returned from Wonderland, being comforted by her father. We quickly cut to Alice at age 19 (likably played by Mia Wasikowska), who is about to enter an arranged marriage with Hamish Ascot, a total doofus (Leo Bill). Rightfully afraid of the monotonous life that awaits her, she flees in the middle of the ceremony and chases another white rabbit down a hole. Two seconds later, she’s back in Underland and off on a new adventure.

The visual elements here are amazing, as is characteristic of Burton. Bonham Carter has (literally) taken on a swelled head for the role of the vengeful, jealous Red Queen, and Tweedledee and Tweedledum are complete grotesques. Burton also gives this world a very dark-looking tone, which is actually even more fitting for the story than the generally pleasant-looking one of the 1951 animated version.

Burton mainstay Tim Burton gives the Mad Hatter (who turns out to be an instrumental ally in Alice’s quest) a third dimension. The story, while slow in spots, picks up when Alice is thrust into a war between the Red Queen and her sister, the benevolent White Queen (Anne Hathaway). There’s also one memorable exchange between Carter and Hathaway that allows us to peer into the mind of the evil Red Queen and infer how she came to be the creature that she is.

I enjoyed the movie, but I’ll warn parents of very young children that this is only for ages 8 and up. A very young child left the theater with his mother, in tears at one of the more violent sequences. However, in a few years, the kid probably will be enthralled by it, as will the parents.

-Craig Wynne

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9

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: 9 (2009)

Studio : Relativity Media

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 81 min

Website : Official 9 Site

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

I’ve seen burnt-out radioactive wastelands, cities crumpled to ashes from the lasers of flying saucers, jungle-clad skyscrapers of dead cities, and giant biblical meteors/volcanoes/global warming ready to take out 95% of the human population. Out of all the end-of-the-world scenarios I have seen, I did not expect to find a film that would center on a dead 30′s-era fascist empire, let alone one that was animated and has no steampunk elements in it.

Shane Acker’s vision is quite intricate right down to the very aperture blades of his protagonists’ eyes. Character designs for the film are fantastic and I spent a fair amount of time fascinated looking at the character models and the way they interacted with a lightly stylized but palpable end of the world. 9, as well as his eight aptly named automaton brothers and sisters, are the last known forms of sentient “life” in the world. When an arcane device reawakens what destroyed the world (no spoilers!), it is up to them to decide the fate of the world.

As you may tell, the plot is where you will probably find yourself underwhelmed. The acting is not great; that’s not to say it’s not bad either, it just feels very samey: like you’ve seen these character templates before in the same sort of film, complete with a few rehashed one-liners. I do admit to thinking that some characters were more memorable than others, like Martin Landau’s wise but inquisitive #2, but there was nothing really there to keep me interested in their roles.

Perhaps I’m jaded from these sort of movies, or I followed the hype more than I should have. This movie does fulfill a sweet tooth for the person with a taste for eye candy, but I could not really tell you much else that drew me to the film. In short: it’s this year’s Hellboy 2.

-Donald Lee

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Ponyo

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Ponyo (2009)

Studio : Studio Ghibli

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 103min

Website : disney.go.com/disneypictures/ponyo

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Ponyo is the name of a fish that escapes to the world of men and befriends a young boy, Sosuke, who lives in a harbor town. Ponyo’s father disagrees with her interacting with the world of man and tries to stop her, and what results is a sort of modern fairy tale of young love.

It seems that after Studio Gibli mastered the use of integrating cgi into animation, Ponyo returns to an emphasis on hand-drawn cel animation. You can tell the difference from the unpolished feel of the art that makes it feel more homey and even enhances the storybook feel in certain parts.

I applaud the effort, but at the same time it feels like the animators have been out of touch with this medium for quite some time. While there are some amazing scenes that I am impressed at, a lot of the basic animation is, well… really basic! There is almost no consideration for integrating the characters with their backgrounds, and this difference becomes distracting. I may sound like I am being harsh on Miyazaki’s vision here, but compare this film to his earlier work like, say, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and you can tell that the same crack team that made such a detailed and interactive world is not there this time around.

For a story there really is not much of a tale here, either. There is a dramatic push in the film for some sort of climax, and it never really gets there. That’s fine that a film of this nature should have no sense of emergency, but the “danger” inherent in the story seems tacked on. Add this with an ending that feels rushed and you have one of the weaker films of the Miyazaki legacy.

Still, this may just be a stepping stone for him to return to those days in the past. His approach may have even been the encouragement behind Disney’s work on their newly anticipated film The Frog Princess, which touts a return to hand-drawn cel animation and so far looks visually stunning. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing Miyazaki’s next project in the hopes that he really pushes his vision back into this old medium.

-Donald Lee

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G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Movie: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

Studio : Paramount Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 118min

Website : gijoemovie.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

And so comes one of the most anticipated movies of the year, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Having been a fan of the cartoons and the action figures as a kid, I was excited to see this movie. As I watched, that excitement dwindled.

This movie seems to want to do for the cartoons what Phantom Menace did for the Star Wars movies. At the beginning of the film, we see two Special Op soldiers, Duke and Ripcord, being recruited for the G.I. Joe unit led by General Hawk. Their current mission seems to involve the retrieval of four nuclear warheads from the evil Cobras, before they destroy world landmarks, although this plot element unfolded in such a slapdash manner that I had a hard time grasping the logic of why the Joes would even be involved in this mission.

No matter: you don’t watch a movie like this for the story, which seems to be mostly background material so that the makers can create explosions and dogfights for the blockbuster action crowd. That being said, the movie is well-made on a technical level, but the special effects don’t make up for a lack of story. I love an action movie best when well-drawn characters who are fighting for something at stake. For most of the movie, I didn’t care whether the Joes retrieved these warheads because the makers didn’t take the time to make characters we could root for (the cartoons, campy as they were, actually had stories and distinguishing differences between characters).

The movie began to grow on me in the last hour, as some of the backstories involving Storm Shadow, a troubled ninja, and Barroness, Duke’s ex-fiance gone Cobra, engaged my interest. Marlon Wayans also provides some good comic relief as Ripcord as he jive-talks and takes pratfalls in a robotic suit of armor, but these things don’t bring the movie up to the level.

The ending all but tells us that there will be a sequel in the future. If and when it comes out, I’ll probably end up watching it on someone else’s Netflix subscription with a group of friends and a case of beer. If you must see this movie, I recommend that you learn from my mistake and save it for that particular forum.

-Craig Wynne

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceRating: Four stars

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Studio : Warner Brothers Pictures

 Info : Click Here

Runtime : 153min

Website : harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthehalf-bloodprince

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

There’s a scene at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where Professor McGonagall (always wonderfully played by Maggie Smith) says to Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, “Why is it whenever something happens, you three always seem to be in the center of it?”  Ron replies, “I’ve been wondering that myself.”  That’s basically the essence of the entire series, but these three kids (now teenagers) are so charismatic and likable that we accept everything and take the ride with them.
 
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth installment in this huge franchise, and for those who haven’t read the books, I’ll give a brief plot summary: there’s strong sentiment going around the wizard world as to whether Harry Potter is the “Chosen One,” that is, the person who has been chosen to fight Lord Voldemort and save all of humanity.  Harry’s also found a book in his Potions class that belonged to the Half-Blood Prince, and this book is able to help him create potions.  Meanwhile, more ominous things are happening at Hogwarts, and Lord Voldemort may be working through Harry’s archenemy, Draco Malfoy, in order to wreak havoc.  We also learn more about the Dark Lord’s past, and see how Dumbledore inadvertently groomed him in order to become the force of mass destruction he is today. 
 
All of this stuff is fun and exciting, and we’re seeing a less whimsical and much darker Hogwarts than we have in the previous films.  The film seems to be mostly shot in neutral tones, which works very well given the secrets and histories we’re exposed to in this installment.  It does lag somewhat as we move towards the final sequence, but that’s only for about 15 minutes in a two-and-a-half hour film, and the conclusion left me stunned (even after I knew what was coming from having read the books).
 
Still, my favorite parts of the film had nothing to do with the suspense portion.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione have blossomed into teenagers, and they’re all experiencing true romance for the first time.  There are some well-observed moments here, as Hermione scowls while Ron becomes involved with another girl, and Ron’s sister Ginny grows increasingly infatuated with Harry.  I, along with several others, laughed out loud at some of their behavior, because watching it indeed reminded me of what it was like for me to be in love as a teenager. 

This is a good film.  It’s not my favorite of the series, but the action in this movie is as exciting as it was in the previous entries, and thus far, it’s the most human. 
 

-Craig Wynne

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Year One - Jack Black

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Movie: Year One (2009)

Studio : Columbia Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 97min

Website : yearone-movie.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

When my friend Rob proposed that we see Year One, I jumped at the chance.  Here we had Jack Black and Michael Cera, two of my favorite actors, collaborating with Harold Ramis, a comic legend.  Where could they go wrong?

 The answer: the script.  Year One is such an unfocused, unfunny mess I don’t even know where to begin tearing it apart.  The movie naturally takes place in “year one,” in which Black and Cera are two hunter/gatherers. Black, in all his manic wisdom, manages to eat the “forbidden fruit” (Biblical parallels, anyone?) and is subsequently expelled from his tribe.  In yet another parody of Jerry Maguire, Black announces that he intends to explore the outside world and invites anyone willing to accompany him.  Cera (playing essentially the same milquetoast from Juno and Superbad) volunteers, and the two are off on their adventure.

 The movie doesn’t seem to have much of a story, as the two of them meet various Biblical icons, including David Cross and Paul Rudd as Cain and Abel, respectively, Hank Azaria as Abraham, and Christopher Mintz-Pleasse as Isaac.  Mintz-Pleasse had my sides splitting as McLovin, so I naturally thought any movie with him in it wouldn’t be all bad.  Unfortunately, his comedic talents are wasted, as he has maybe nine or ten lines throughout the movie.
 
Black and Cera do what they can with the material, but they can’t save the script. We’re treated to a story that plays mostly like a series of unfinished Monty Python sketches, along with Cera urinating on himself, Cera rubbing oil on a hairy Oliver Platt, and a couple of smiles, but no laughs.  The rowdy high schoolers who populated the theater remained mostly silent throughout the ordeal.  I remained silent during, and after the movie, wondering to myself why I had paid 12 bucks to see it on opening weekend.  Although it’s nearly out of the theaters, if you haven’t seen it, I’ll steer you away from renting it on DVD or even catching it on cable.  See a Monty Python film or History of the World, Part I instead.

-Craig Wynne

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Star Trek - Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Star Trek (2009)

Studio : Paramount Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 127min

Website : startrek.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

There is little to say about Star Trek. The movie in two words: Absolutely Amazing. The new Star Trek not only brings in great actors who played the parts perfectly but it was by far one of the best sequels of the film world to date. I personally have not seen any Star Trek movies or episodes in the past by any means. With that in mind; this movie really shocked me!

I cannot believe how intense a situation can get onboard a starship! Is captain Kirk really that much of a controlling character in the original series? Aside from that fact, I really liked the creative scenes that were put together involving both Kirk(Chris Spine) and Spock(Zachary Quinto)!

Throughout the beginning of the film they were fighting to be the man in control but they both accepted each other through their own way and are working together as possibly the best duo tandem this film industry has ever seen.

The new Star Trek promises glorious action, exacerbate drama, enormous laughter, and diabolical intelligence all wrapped into a two hour film. Star Trek is one of the best movies on the market right now so don’t miss your chance to see it!

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-Trent M.

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Quantum of Solace - Daniel Craig

Rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars

Movie: Quantum of Solace (2008)

Studio : Columbia Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 106min

Website : 007.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Bombing, intense, crazy, action-filled, jumpy are all adjectives to describe this amazing film. This opened the movie up to a lot of expectations within the starting 5 minutes. Casino Royale (the previous James Bond movie) is very similar, in so many ways, with Quantum of Solace. The only clear difference is the speed and background information. To start I will identify Casino Royale’s strengths and weaknesses, then compare them with Quantum of Solace’s.

In the beginning of Casino Royale the film was action-filled from the start yet it explained in a lot of detail the background story to this new James Bond. But in Quantum of Solace’s beginning moments, there was little explanation of a background story and a lot of action from the start. The very minimal background story was almost not efficient enough to occupy capacity of the movie. With the overflow of activity in different environments and little back-bone to the story the movie was lost on the main idea in viewers eyes but upheld itself with massive amounts of action. The end of the movie didn’t follow the pattern of its previous film, which is a good thing, by just continuing with the story accordingly and not throwing in any puzzling pieces to the end of the film. However, both movies had one big ending action event taking place to signify the end of the films.

In many ways Quantum of Solace is a great movie, but I was hoping to be more drawn in with this high hitting James Bond film with a background story then massive amounts of action. If you can easily interpret a film and follow along intentively then this is a great movie choice for you! I will leave you with two last thoughts:

• Enjoy the amazing action scenes.
• Bond’s past is catching up with him! (teaser)

BUY Quantum of Solace on DVD

- Trent M.

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