R.I.P.D.

2013 - 0/5

When I first saw this trailer, it reminded me of Down to Earth; but an action version. It seemed like it would be a fun movie to watch, but I did think that the trailer gave too much away. I heard people saying that this movie is a rip-off of Men In Black. I have never seen MIB, so it’s not something I’d compare it to.

Ryan Reynolds (Nick) and Jeff Bridges (Roy) didn’t have any chemistry. They didn’t mesh together at all, so the comedy aspect was off. Reynolds isn’t that great of an actor, and it was really hard to understand Jeff Bridges voice most of the time. He sounded like a drunk slurring/mumbling his words. It happened throughout the entire movie and it annoyed me from beginning to end.

Acting aside, the storyline wasn’t that great either. It seemed as if they started filming it and creating the plot as they went along. They had a general idea of where it was going, but it just didn’t work. It was hard to believe that the RIPD was able to keep their business so hush-hush in the living world; so when Nick and Roy let that ‘deado’ run in the street, it was the first time that had happened? Ya right! I also didn’t think there needed to be a love story with Ryan and his wife. That didn’t fit in very well. It’s obvious why it’s there, but it didn’t work.

There isn’t much to say about the script other than it being as generic as they come. Like I said earlier, it was hard understanding Bridges anyways.

I can’t say that the next point I make is considered a saving grace, but the only thing I liked is Nicks ‘avatar’, the old Asian guy holding the banana (as the living see it). It made me laugh every time.

So if you don’t see this movie for the acting, the storyline or the dialogue, well… going to see it for the effects wouldn’t be a good call. There was nothing amazing about it. And why this movie was in 3D, I have no idea.

Skip it.

Stash House

2012 - 0.2/5

This movie is Panic Room all over again. But with a young couple.

It was over acted. Neither of them were able to act upset/cry.

Its hard to believe that someone got shot, but is able to function as if he didn’t.

The criminals said and did the dumbest things; so it was hard to believe that they were any sort of threat.

It actually had some really good camera angles. I really liked the security cameras.

It was too dark, so at times it was hard to tell what was happening.

So you can talk to each other through the walls, but the neighbours can’t hear a big explosion… sure.

There were a lot of conveniences with regards to items (the bike rack, the house warming gift, flash lights, ect).

The rain at the end was pathetic. It's one of the worst effects to use to add drama(?), especially if it's not done right.

I just can’t give this movie any more credit that I already did; 0.2 is generous.

This seemed like a movie made by films students in their first year. It was supposed to be cool, but it turned out to be a mess.

Forever Strong

I honestly don't even want to bother writing a review for this movie. I think it's obvious why I watched it... I'm sure the pictures I selected give it away too ;) :P

Clueless

1995 – 4.9/5

An opportunity came up to see this in the outdoor theater at Stanley Park. Would I miss such an opportunity? As if!!!

This movie is a classic of its genre. Any teen movie made since 1995 took a page from movie in one way or another. Its been almost 20 years since this movie first came out, but this movie will never get old. Its something I can re-watch over and over again and still enjoy it. I love how it’s still relevant so many years later.

Alica Silverstone as Cher was perfect! She was very believable as the rich girl from Beverly Hill. Zero flaws in her acting. The character was so well rounded.

There was a perfect blend of other characters in this movie that worked very well with Cher; like Dionne, whose her “friend because [they] both know what it's like for people to be jealous of [them]” -Cher.

It’s great to see a young Paul Rudd and Brittany Murphy. They both did a great job!

The script was the absolute best part of this movie. Pretty much every line was very well thought out. So clever and witty. Each character had their moments. Definitely a script that can still be quoted.

The plot was simple, the script was the best, and the acting was solid. What more could you want from a movie in the teen genre! Like my 1993 Acura Integra, this is a movie that’s able to hold is value after so many years. I would say this movie a guilty pleasure, but screw that! No guilt at all!

This movie kind of makes me want to read Jane Austen’s, Emma. I’m curious as to how contemporary the movie is compared to the book.

Some of my favourite lines:

Dionne: Hello? There was a stop sign!
Cher: I totally paused.

Mel: Which reminds me, where's your report card?
Cher: It's not ready yet.
Mel: What do you mean, "it's not ready yet?"
Cher: Well, some teachers are trying to low-ball me, Daddy. And I know how you say, "Never accept a first offer", so I figure these grades are just a jumping off point to start negotiations.

Mel: Do you know what time it is?
Cher: A watch doesn’t really go with outfit, daddy.

Cher: Do you prefer "fashion victim" or "ensembly challenged"?

Josh: Do you have any idea what you're talking about?
Cher: No. Why, does it sound like I do?

Tai: Why should I listen to you, anyway? You're a virgin who can't drive.

Pitch Perfect

2012 – 2/5

1 point for Rebel Wilson
1 point for me apparently liking A Capella!

If you watch this movie for one thing and one thing only, make it Rebel Wilson! That girl steals EVERY scene she is in. She makes this movie. And I don’t mean her character, I mean her. Who knows how badly this movie would have tanked if she wasn’t in it. She has perfect comedic timing and pretty much every line that came out of her mouth was golden!
For example (possible spoilers):
(re: “Fat Amy”) Ya, so twig bitches like you don’t say it behind my back.
I’m doing horizontal running.
I’m vertical running. I’m vertical running!
I got hit by flying Mexican food. 

Whoop there it is.
Excuse me bitch, you don’t need to shout.

Rebel Wilson aside, I think I’ve made it clear as to what other aspect (yes, singular) of this movie I enjoyed… A Capella! For those of you who think this movie is like Glee, I will beg to differ (although I don’t watch Glee, but from what I understand it’s a musical). This movie is NOT a musical. The characters do not randomly break out in song in order to explain something. This is a movie about a group of girls who enter A Capella competitions. That is all.

Yes, I did give this movie a 2/5 strictly based on the A Capella and Rebel Wilson, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the movie was complete trash. There were some good actors (Brittany Snow and Skylar Astin), and there were some not-so-good actors (Anna Kendrick and Adam DeVine).

Because I loved the A Capella and Rebel Wilson, I will gladly say that I’ll watch the second one coming out in 2015.

Horrible Bosses

2011 - 1/5

Although I pretty much only heard good things from everyone that had seen this movie, I was hesitant to see it. This movie was better than I expected it to be, but it wasn’t hilarious or anything. It had its moments, but that’s about it.

It had a unique/unusual storyline, and it seemed somewhat obvious that a lot of thought went into how things should play out, but the execution was shaky. The plot itself is ridiculous, but if you’ve ever had a horrible boss yourself, and for the sake of being entertained, you might actually like this. The comedy in this movie is very hit and miss.

I like how each character does a voice over at the beginning. Because I’m unsure about how a continued voice over would fit into the rest of the movie, I can’t say that that would make it better. There really wasn’t much else to voice over though.

I liked all the actors but not all the characters:
-I will always see Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green (Friends), but this movie definitely gave that notion a run for its money.
-Kevin Spacey and Colin Ferrel were really good too!
-Jason Bateman was his usual self.
-The other 2 guys suited their characters as well.
-Didn’t know that Jamie Foxx had a part; his parts weren’t that funny.

Would I recommend it to others? Ya, it’s worth watching.
Would I watch it again? No.

Monsters University

2013 - ?/5

Where to start… with the good things I guess.

There are 3 certainties in life: death, taxes, and amazing animation in a Pixar movie. If you can count on one thing always being great with regards to a Pixar movie, its animation. Hands down, their animation has always been flawless. This cannot be argued.

So what else did I like about this movie? Well, the young version of Mike Wazowski (not voiced by Billy Crystal) was adorable! I still think that voice over actors did a great job and each voice suited the character.

Never thought the ‘bad’ would ever outweigh the ‘good’ in a Pixar movie, but here goes.

Monsters Inc. is one of my favourite Pixar movies, so when I heard a prequel is coming out, I knew I was going to see it, but I also knew it was a prequel. I’ll be honest. Pixar sequels (Toy Story aside; although the second one fell short) haven’t been that great. None have ever been as good as the first; which is the case for the majority of movies, animated or not.

It is an animated movie, but that doesn’t mean adults shouldn’t be able to enjoy it either. Pretty much all other Pixar movies has proved that. It seems as if this movie was targeted more so towards a very young audience, but oddly enough, its more so targeted towards university/college students (the ones that were young when Monsters Inc. came out). Typically Pixar movies have certain jokes/situations that are found funny by kids and adults. Pixar has always been able to keep a fine balance between entertaining kid and adult, so everyone leaves the theater happy.

When it comes to Monsters University, for adults, it brought nothing to the table. It was as if somebody had a checklist of things that needed to be included, and the director/creators of this movie went down the list and checked everything off. But what you ended up with, and it kills me to say this, is a movie that flat-lined from the beginning to end.

I didn’t laugh, not even a chuckle at any point – and that’s sad because this is a Pixar movie. There was no (what I’m going to call) “Pixar Magic” put into the making of this movie. It seemed as if people decided that there should be another Monsters movie, so they took the first idea that was thrown onto the table.

It lacked any originality and dragged most of the time. The University/College movie has been done many times before. This leads me into my next gripe: I don’t know anything about the American University/College system. Yes, I know what Fraternities and Sororities are, but other than their existence, nothing. So that's pretty much excluding everyone that knows nothing about the American system.

I can’t say that I liked it, but I didn’t hate it either; it just was. So my rating is in limbo. You’re pretty much just going to be starting at a screen blankly for 1.5 hours.

Monsters Inc.

2001 - _/5

Loved this. So original and unique. Great!

Review pending.

The Heat

2013 – 2.8/5

The plot has been done many times before, but the script is what keeps your attention – also the acting.

The easiest way to explain the script would be the following equation:
Miss Congeniality + Rush Hour = The Heat
My point being, that buddy-cop movies have been around for a while and the 2 cops put together are always on different ends of the spectrum. Same goes with uptight cops being paired with offbeat cops.

This is a funny movie… while you’re watching it. It had a lot of good one-liners, but none of them were memorable. Myself, my friend and the rest of the theater were laughing out loud quite often. But the moment I stepped out of the theater, I could barely remember any of the one-liners.

Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock make a great duo. This was obvious from the trailers. The characters balance each other out, and eventually they [somewhat] meet in the middle. The actors have great comedic chemistry.

To sum it up, it wasn’t original, but it was entertaining through the script and the acting was really good.

Although I’ve pretty much wrote down everything I wanted to say in my review, I’m not ready to post it yet, but I will anyways. I’ll add to it later if need be.