Gone

2012 - 0.5/5

First thing I want to say is that it’s going to seem as if I’m being extremely nit-picky, but that’s not the case. I didn’t need to sit here with a fine toothcomb to pick apart everything about this movie. No. This movie crumbles the moment it starts. So yes, I pretty much have a problem with everything about this movie.

When it comes to the acting, I think that Amanda Seyfried did the best with what she was given. There were some points in which her acting was so bland and boring; that’s a reflection of the movie as well. I had seen Amanda Seyfried in Mean Girls, Mamma Mia, Dear John and Letters To Juliet, and those were either comedies or rom-com’s so I was wondering how she’d do in a thriller.

This is what we know from the trailer: Jill (Amanda Seyfried) was kidnapped by some guy who kidnaps and kills women. His MO is that he dumps them in a deep hole he dug in the middle of a huge forest in Oregon (named ‘Forest Park’ – how creative). We don’t know who he is and we don’t know why he’s doing it but that doesn’t matter. Jill is a lucky one because she happens to escape. So now, this guy is after her again because she’s the one that got away. Sounds cool right? Yeah! And that’s not even where the trailer ends. This guy does come back, but instead of taking Jill, he mistakenly ends up taking Molly, Jill’s sister. We soon learn that the police don’t believe that his guy even exists (which I’ll talk more about later), so Jill is left to go after this guy herself and save her sister. Once her search starts, she just bounces from person to person obtaining more clues as to who this mysterious guy is and where her sister is being held. Everyone is made out to be suspicious and there really isn’t a climax.

I have finished my very long, very in-depth review and I'm trying to figure out how to post it.

84th Academy Awards

Click HERE to check out my Oscar predictions.

17 Again

2009 – 3.1/5

Zac Efron: Hot!
Good movie: Yes!!!

Mike O’Donnell is about to play a very important basketball game in his senior year of high school. With a college scout floating around, and a potential scholarship on the line, he finds out his girlfriend Scarlett is pregnant. He leaves the game in order to pursue a life with Scarlett and their child. 20 years later, Mike (Matthew Perry) is about to get divorced from Scarlett, has no relationship with his 2 teenage kids, doesn’t get the promotion he expected and he lives with his childhood best friend Ned (Thomas Lennon). He goes back to the school and after a short conversation with the ‘janitor’ he is turned back to his 17-year-old self (Zac Efron). At first, he thinks he has been given a chance to relive the life that he gave up, but he soon finds out that that isn’t the case.

Even though this is rated PG13, it’s still pretty funny. Practically the entire movie is a comedy, with the exception of the courtroom scene at the end. This is when Zac Efron really shines and shows that he can be a serious actor. Efron is able to portray a parent effortlessly and I’ve always thought he was a good [and hot] actor. He deserves more credit than he gets, and I think he proves that in this movie.

The only negative thing I have to say about this movie is Matthew Perry as the adult Mike O’Donnell. I didn’t think he fit the part mainly because of his looks. Clearly not a ‘thirty-something-year-old’ and because he doesn’t have a large part in this movie, another actor would have fit the bill more and that wouldn’t have changed anything.

To be honest, we’ve seen this type of movie before. It really isn’t original, but it’s not overplayed. It’s done in a tasteful manner and overall, it’s a fun movie to watch, the acting is well done, Efron is easy on the eyes, and it’s worth the watch.

I cannot wait for The Lucky One to come out in April 2012

The Contract

2006 – 0.5/5

This entire review will contain spoilers, but it’s a predictable movie so it’s not like I’d really be giving anything away. When I first saw this movie around the time it came out, I thought it was pretty good for something that was straight to DVD. With that being said, this movie is not without its fault – and by golly, there are many. There wasn’t much substance or direction, so this movie fell short of its potential. And seriously, this movie had potential!

There were a lot of parts that were unrealistic and coincidental:
-Ray being an ex-cop, ergo, knowing how to use guns
-Chris (the son) knowing his way around the woods because of one prior outing
-One of the ‘bad guys’ just happens to be an expert tracker
-The ‘bad guys’ getting a hold of a police helicopter without being detected
-Chris giving the gun to the guy in the couple they come across when the helicopter is approaching, and the guy gets shot, not the kid

Is the audience really supposed to believe all this crap? Yes, Ray is an ex-cop, but the audience never gets to know why Ray chooses to take Carden into police custody (to prove himself to his kid?). It is also never explained why that FBI lady wanted Carden dead and gave orders to one of the ‘bad guys’ to kill him (considering they’ve never met).

The acting by Morgan Freeman was pretty good; him in the role of an assassin seemed really cool, but there wasn’t much to the character itself. I never thought that John Cusack was a good actor because he practically portrays the same character in every movie and this movie is no exception. The role of Carden and Ray could have been played by nobodies and it wouldn’t have effected the movie in any way. Obviously, they were both in this for the money. This kid Chris was one step away from being a teen angst in every sense of his character. As for the couple, you knew they were added so one of them gets killed and the nudity that went along with the introduction of the couple wasn’t necessary.

Like I said earlier, this movie had potential, and with a few tweaks here and there, it could have been good, but don’t’ waste your time with this one.

Catch Me If You Can

2002 – 2.9/5

-It’s a fascinating story based on true events.

-The opening credits were cool at first, but it got to be a bit long.

-I love how the movie started with the game show To Tell the Truth that tells the audience exactly what Frank Abagnale Jr. did before he turned 19.

-I thought it was going to be good considering it was directed by Steven Spielberg and it has Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.

-The acting was fine, but not as good as I thought it could be. There wasn’t much depth to the characters, which was unfortunate because this movie should have revolved around Frank Abagnale Jr. and Carl Hanratty.

-Christopher Walken! What a treat!

-Cameos with Elizabeth Banks, Jennifer Garner! Dam, this movie is on a role.

-Defiantly worth the watch once.

-Although this movie was entertaining, I think I would have preferred a documentary on Frank Abagnale Jr.

S.W.A.T

2003 – 3.7/5

After being detained, Alex Montel, a criminal wanted in several countries for several offences, offers $100 Million to anyone that will help him escape. Enter LAPD SWAT team. I like the plot but the $100 Million aspect was questionable, but I rolled with it.

The members of the SWAT team were a good group: Colin Farrell fit the personae of Jim Street. I was thinking that LL Cool J would be the weakest link, and of course he had to show off his body, but he did fine with the role. Michelle Rodriguez as Sanchez was good, but she didn’t have a chance to make an impact with the short amount of screen time she had. And Samuel L. Jackson as Hondo was convincing as the team leader, and lets face it, SLJ is badass and so was his character. As for Jeremy Renner, [I think] this was the first movie I had ever seen him in (when this movie first came out), and I had a feeling he would go on to better roles – case in point: The Town.

There was a lot of action to keep you entertained, although at times it was overdone. There really wasn’t much to the script; it seemed as if some lines were added to make it better or perhaps more gripping, but really, nothing stood out. There really wasn’t much character development. For brief moments you get to see a tiny glimpse into a few of the characters and that was it, but I didn’t mind though because you don’t watch a movie like this for its characters, you watch it for the action.

***SPOILER ALERT***
During the final fight between Gamble and Street, it was dark so at times it was hard to tell what was going on, but it was well choreographed.

The Godfather

1972 - 0/5

My opinion of this movie in one word: overrated. Okay, I know people will hate me for this but I did not enjoy this movie. I had a feeling I wouldn’t like it, and lo and behold I didn’t. I was very disappointed.

I went in with high hopes, and it was a let down for sure. I typically don’t go into a movie with any expectations, but considering how much praise this movie gets, I think my expectations were fitting. Clearly this movie was made in the 1970s, so I had to take that into account with regards to the cinematography, editing and effects. But when it comes to plot, script, and acting, no excuses can be made. It dragged the entire time, there wasn’t much impact with the script and the storyline was stale. The acting was okay, but overdone at times. I really didn’t feel anything for any of the characters or whatever happened to them. So what if so-and-so died – I didn’t even know who he was anyways!

I was looking forward to watching all 3 Godfather movies, but after struggling to finish this one, I think I’ve seen enough.

A comment my friend made:
One good thing did come out of the movie though. When Marlon Brando won the Oscar for Best Actor, he chose not to accept the award, instead, made a political statement about the injustice faced by Native Americans and raised awareness of the Wounded Knee incident. An incident that the American media hardly covered at the time.

Click HERE to see the video

Straw Dogs

2011 - 0/5

I HATED this movie SO much. If I could give this movie a negative rating I would. Terrible. Just terrible.

The Guardian

2006 – 3.8/5

I just realized this is the third movie I’ve seen that’s based around water (Blue Crush and Pirates of the Caribbean 4).

The first 20 minutes were very intense and it seemed like it would be what you would see in the last 20 minutes of a movie. And just for the record, the last 20 minutes were pretty intense too! This would be the second time I’ve seen this movie and I still had a lump in my throat during the tense parts. It was a long movie, but it sure didn’t feel like it. As far as I’m concerned, everything you see, belonged.

Ben Randall (Costner) and Jake Fischer (Kutcher) were the main characters of this movie, and enough time was spent to develop each character. Aside from Randall and Fischer you still get a good sense of the other characters. Up until I saw this movie, I had never thought that Ashton Kutcher was hot. Ashton Kutcher with short hair = hot! I’ve always seen AK in comedic roles, so I wasn’t too sure how he would do in a serious role (I saw The Butterfly Effect after I saw this movie). As for Kevin Costner, he is not an actor to me. He is Ben Randall, a United States Coast Guard. That’s how convincing he was as Senior Chief Ben Randall.

The movie had a good amount of action in it, but it was mainly character and story driven. The plot wasn’t necessarily original or unique, but I think it’s worth your dime and your time. A solid movie for sure.

My favourite line:
Ben Randall: If I feel you will fail them, I will fail you.

 

Despicable Me

2010 – 2.8/5

I wasn’t sold within the first half hour, but it moved at a good pace and I think the second half was better than the first. It was a very creative movie with regards to the script and some other ideas: the statues in the Bank of Evil were funny and original. The minions were cute and I liked the 3 girls. I did not like the “Box of Shame” bit in the orphanage (it was a bit much for a Family Film). The songs were really catchy and I actually really enjoyed the music. Lastly, YAY for the Nerdfighters salute from Vector!

Steve Carell’s accent was a bit weird at first, but I think it also suited what the character looked like. The script, as a whole was okay, but it had a couple of lines that I really liked.

Edith: Lets go destroy another game.

Edith: Pretty please.
Gru: The physical appearance of the ‘please’ makes no difference.

Gru: That book was accidently destroyed maliciously.

One For the Money

2012 – 0.4/5

First things first, I didn’t know this movie was an adaptation of a book. I saw this movie in theatres on the discount ticket day, and it wasn’t even worth the $6.99 I paid, let alone full price. The moment I knew this movie wasn’t going to be as good as I was hoping… mind you, I didn’t exactly have high expectations, but there was potential… was during the beginning credits before the movie even started: that Katherine Heigl was an executive producer. Obviously no one else had faith in this movie, ergo, she had to put the money in it herself.

A lot of reviewers on IMDB stated that Heigl’s Jersey accent was horrid. I didn’t even notice that because I couldn’t get past her brunette hair. I didn’t really like Heigl as Stephanie; I think another, perhaps ‘rougher’ actress could have pulled it off better. For the most part, I didn’t like most of the cast – they were a bunch of nobodies. There wasn’t any character development so I didn’t feel much of a connection to any of them. The only character I actually liked was Lula. Her parts were actually funny, but it wasn’t needed.

The script was pretty bad. And I don’t just mean that it was ‘meh’, I mean it was bad. It was just plain stupid. I was hoping to get some laughs, but that never happened. I’ve gotten more laughs in the first 10 minutes of Will & Grace episode (Season 3, Episode 14 – My Uncle the Car) I’m currently watching while writing this review, than I did in this entire movie.

I haven’t read the book, but I’m sure that the plot wasn’t as hollow as the movie; it just crumbled as the movie went on. Regardless that Vinny was Stephanie’s cousin, I really don’t think it would be that easy to get a job as a Bounty Hunter. And it’s hard to believe that Stephanie becomes best friends with Ranger after one phone call.

I thought it was boring and I’m not sure what genre this was because it surely isn’t a comedy. According to several reviews I read on IMDB, a lot of people walked out, some were disappointed with the cast and others questioned whether or not the makers of this film had even read the book.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

2011 - 1/5

This series has gone downhill since the first and I only wanted to watch this because I’ve seen the other 3.

It sucks that Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley weren’t in this one because I don’t really like Penelope Cruz.

At times I felt as if some of the characters were explaining certain situations and didn’t think it was necessary.

The movie started off okay, and as unrealistic as it may be it was fun to watch, but then again, this movie is the forth in its series, and they're all really similar.

I also liked the fight between Jack Sparrow and his imposter. I liked the lighting during that fight, and other times candlelight was used.

I did not like the addition of the Mermaids. I thought it was corny and I find it kind of sad that the love story between Philip and the Mermaid was added. The CGI for the mermaids wasn’t even that good.

Blue Crush

2002 – 1.4/5

I saw this movie a few years ago and I remember liking it, contrary to my first review (that it was a typical movie about a girl who is trying to prove herself – that review still applies). I decided to give it another shot and I think I liked what it was supposed to be rather than what it actually was.

The storyline was non-existent and it wasn’t developed as well as it could have. It was quiet scattered and nothing was tied together well. So many different things were added in and it just didn’t work. We are never told why the mom left or what made Penny change her rebellious ways. The explanations for why Anne Marie’s ex is suddenly buddy, buddy with Matt (to impress girls) is stupid. And same goes with Lena and Eden, who are still working even though they quit (needing the money). This movie did not need a love story, but of course the director added that in.

I do have a few nice things to say…the acting wasn’t horrible, the music was good, nice cinematography and the camera angles were really nice in the water/surfing scenes.

The director took this movie in whatever direction he wanted, and as an audience we’re supposed to follow the path blindly. By the end, it left me thinking, ‘so what?’

Video: Animated Disney Movie Tag