"The Tale of the Princess Kaguya" (2013)

Synopsis:
A bamboo cutter finds a tiny princess and he and his wife raise her as their own. Suddenly, the tiny princess rapidly grows into a young woman. The mysterious princess fascinates all who encounter her. However, she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.

Review:
I looked forward to this when I saw the trailer back in 2014 and I finally watched it tonight. Generally speaking, I'm open to anything that is artistic and creative.

This is a very beautiful film. The characters are very likeable. The story is quite unique and creative. I really like the chemistry between Kaguya and Sutemaru. If I had to pick a favorite character, it would be Miyatsuko the Bamboo cutter. Miyatsuko is a pretty fun character. Whenever he's on screen or says something it always seems to leave me with a grin.

The animation is amazing and absolutely stunning and breathtaking. Not to mention that it lacks computer generated effects which is very impressive, considering that we are living in a world where computer animation has taken over.

It's also quite comical at times. There were some parts that I found quite humorous. For instance, there is this one scene where Kaguya is only a baby and these kids try to get her to go to them but Miyatsuko tells her to come to him.

Also, I am not going to spoil anything but the ending is quite tear jerking and it leaves a powerful message about choosing your destiny.

There is one thing that bugged me though and that is the dubbing. Even though I usually prefer subtitles, I normally don't mind dubbing when the language is very difficult to understand. However, having it dubbed by a big name star just seemed distracting. Maybe there is a version out there with subtitles.

Overall, this was an incredible film and I strongly urge anyone who is a fan of animation and/or looking for a very good storyline to give this one a watch.

In the end, I'll say "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya" may not be blockbuster material but it's a dazzling experience that should appeal to those who appreciate the art of film and animation.

Max Scale:
9/10

"10,000 BC" (2008)

Synopsis:
This prehistoric epic follows a mammoth hunter's quest to secure the future of his tribe.

Review:
A fantasy action adventure epic set in the B.C. era plus a legit fight against a sabertooth tiger. This movie has to be awesome. Right?

Well...no. *shakes head* This was not good. No wonder it was panned.

This was possibly the most pointless and idiotic movie ever created. Nothing in it made any sense whatsoever, the characters were very forgettable and the cool looking sabertooth tiger only appeared in two scenes and served absolutely no purpose to the plot. Also, it's too short to be an "epic". It was flat, boring, illogical and downright silly. 

I do not recommend this film. "10,000 Bull Crap" is more like it.

Max Scale:
1/10

"Into the Storm" (2014)

 Synopsis:
A group of townspeople and storm trackers film an onslaught of tornadoes hitting the small town of Silverton.

Review:
Wow...This movie is straight up garbage. Possibly the crappiest, most cliche, uninspired and idiotic thing ever put together. The characters are complete idiots, the CGI effects are downright terrible and the plot is just a complete copy of other movies without paying any homage or respect to them.

Now the trailers, while hinting at the cliches, had a bit of promise so I was sort of hoping that this would be somewhat decent. But it was just terrible. It felt like watching a bad student project. It even started out dumb in the very first scene but I stuck around hoping it would get better but unfortunately, it just got worse. I was shaking my head the whole movie. A waste of 85 minutes that I could have spent watching a bad Syfy channel movie. 

I don't recommend this film at all. If you've seen, Twister, Cloverfield, The Day After Tomorrow, Chronicle and The Blair Witch Project, then you've seen Into the Storm without even knowing. This is just a dumb down mixture of those movies. 

Overall, I was very disappointed this film.

With all that said, I now have an appreciation for Sharknado. At least that movie was meant to be terrible. 

On a positive note, I'm happy that I didn't pay to see this at the theater.

In the end, I'll say "Into the Storm" is just an uninspired disaster flick with forgettable characters.

Max Scale:
1/10

"American Sniper" (2014)

Synopsis:
American Sniper is based on the true story of Chris Kyle, a sniper for the U.S. Navy Seals, who's pinpoint accuracy saves many lives on the battlefield which makes him a legend.

Review:
I expected this to be an excellent film, given that I like a good biopic and I was interested in seeing this upon hearing that Clint Eastwood was directing. Unfortunately, I was not too impressed here. This film is average at best.

First of all, I found this movie to be pretentious uninspired propaganda. It's like the same old "Soldier saved lives and has no time for his family, so he must be a legend and we must glorify it" kind of stuff. Also, I was bored with it. I was yawning throughout most of the film and that rarely happens to me.

I wanted to like this. I really did. It has it's qualities but it just doesn't quite work.

On a positive note it's well directed and well acted. I liked Bradley Cooper in this and I liked the tone and what the film was going for.

In the end, I'll say "American Sniper", while it has a lot of thing going for it, is just overhyped propaganda with an uninspired storyline.

Max Scale:
4/10

"Jupiter Ascending" (2015)

Synopsis:
The film is set in a distant future where a young woman who cleans toilets for a living is suddenly targeted by a ruthless tyrant who is a son of a royal family from another planet. She and a genetically engineered warrior travel across the galaxy to stop the tyrant and save Earth.

Review:
This film is very enjoyable for the most part. It's a very fun and neat science fiction space adventure with a bit of romance and comedy.

The story and concept, while similar to other sci-fi movies, are quite unique and creative. It blends science fiction with fantasy which is neat. It also has a bit of a fairy tale vibe which is nice.

The visuals are stunning and stylistic and the action sequences were intense. I really liked the environment and the alien creatures were cool. The characters are interesting and I like the chemistry between Caine and Jupiter. I am not a Channing Tatum fan but I thought he was good in this. I also like Sean Bean's performance.

There were a couple things that bugged me. One of them is the plot. While the storyline is interesting and thought out, I felt it had a few too many holes and it seemed all over the place. Another thing is the acting. While, the acting isn't the worst I've seen in a movie, I think it could have been improved. I like Mila Kunis but I think her performance seemed a bit wooden. Also, I think Eddie Redmayne tried a bit too hard with his performance as the villain.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It's not quite "Blade Runner" or "The Matrix" or even "The Fifth Element", but it's a very good sci-fi flick, and it's worth seeing on the big screen. I can see it getting a cult status.

In the end, I'll say that "Jupiter Ascending", despite it's flaws, is an enjoyable popcorn space adventure that should satisfy big sci-fi nerds.

Max Scale:
8/10

"Pitch Perfect" (2012)

Synopsis:
Beca, a freshman in college, joins the school's all-girl acapella group to compete in the finals.

Review:
I really, really, REALLY hated this movie. I apologize to those who love this film but I find "Pitch Perfect" to be ridiculously overrated. Don't get me wrong. I like movie musicals (well, the ones that I actually find appealing). But for some reason, I don't think this movie worked at all. I guess because it's really stupid and annoying.

The storyline is just ridiculous. Beca, our protagonist, starts college at this university populated by annoying acapella singers. Beca is caught singing in the shower and is forced to join the school's all-female acapella group "The Bellas" and compete against the all-male acapella group "The troubles". That's pretty much it.

The characters are very unlikeable. For instance, The leader of the "Bella's" is so bent on winning that she doesn't allow dates and gets upset when Beca tries to change it up while they do the same performance every competition that they compete in.

The singing is terrible (except for Anna Kendrick and the "Fat Amy" who actually could sing). Not to mention they managed to butcher some of the greatest classic rock songs of all time.Worst of all, during the bus scene, they all burst out singing a terrible song.

The "humor" in this movie is downright poor. I didn't laugh once during this entire movie. It's all just lame puns and a failed Asian stereotype. "Aca-scuse me?" "You're gonna get pitch-slapped." Really? Whenever there was a moment where it tried to funny, I just cringed. Picture a group of people who do silly/stupid stuff as an attempt to be "funny" and just end up making fools out of themselves. That would be the best way do describe the humor in this film.

Also, there were those pop-cultural movie references that did nothing but remind me of movies that I would rather be watching.

Overall, I thought this was a really lame movie.

In the end, I'll say "Pitch Perfect" is not worth your time unless you're on of those gullible generic bandwagoners who would fall for anything that's "popular" and "hip".

Max Scale:
1/10

"The Odd Life of Timothy Green" (2012)

Synopsis:
A married couple are told that they can't have kids. So they make a wish and all of the sudden, they find a boy with leaves on his legs. The boy brings magic to their lives as well as the rest of the town.

Review:
Generally speaking, I enjoy a good "feel good movie" as well as anything fantasy-ish. But this was not very good at all. I think it tried way too hard to be this supernatural fairy tale type thing. The plot is uninspired, the acting is terrible, the ending is predictable and the script is just a mishmash of ideas done well in better movies and poorly here.

Basically, there is this married couple, Jim and Cindy Green. Cindy is unable to conceive. So they write a series of wishes for their dream child who would be talented at sports and music. They bury their wishes in a box. After a rainy night, they suddenly find a mysterious boy named Timothy who has leaves on his legs. Jim and Cindy make Timothy wear knee socks to cover the leaves. At school Timothy meets a nice girl but Jim and Cindy don't see her as a good influence on him. Throughout the movie, each of Timothy's leaves falls off. Then before his last leaf falls off, Timothy informs Jim and Cindy that when all of his leaves fall off, he goes away. Then the last leaf falls off and Timothy vanishes. That's the whole movie right there. I just saved you 80 minutes.

On a positive note, it was quite emotional at times and it had a few comical moments. I liked the cowbell scene which I will admit is quite humorous.

Overall, it was an unfortunate letdown. I do not recommend this film.

In the end, I'll say "The Odd Life of Timothy Green", while emotional at times, suffers from an uninspired storyline and poorly drawn characters.

Max Scale:
4/10

"Noah" (2014)

Synopsis:
In this Biblically inspired epic, an man by the name of Noah is chosen by God to take a momentous mission involving building an ark before an apocalyptic flood occurs to cleanse the Earth. 

Review:
I'm a christian and a fan of Darren Aronofsky's films and I enjoyed this film very much. The story, while not 100% accurate to the Bible, was well told. The acting was excellent, the visuals were stunning and it has a pretty neat artistic design and some pretty cool and intense action sequences and cool rock angels.

My one complaint is that it felt a bit longer than it needed to be.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I think it's almost everything a Biblically inspired film from a non-christian standpoint should be.

One thing you should know is that this is not a religious film. If you expect something religious or remotely accurate then you will be disappointed. But if you love movies and/or enjoyed Darren Aronofsky's other work such as "The Fountain", then I'm sure you will fing this enjoyable.

In the end I'll say that "Noah", while not entirely accurate to the classic source material, is an impressive different take on the bible story with neat visuals and action sequences that should satisfy moviegoers.

Max Scale:
9/10

"The Town that Dreaded Sundown" (2014)

Synopsis:
Sixty-five years after a masked killer identified as "The Phantom" terrorized the town of Texarkana, the so-called "moonlight murders" happen again. A lonely teenage girl may be the one to stop this mayhem.

Review:
I must say, I'm quite impressed with this film. It's pretty neat and intense and the lead character is actually believable. The storyline is interesting and quite creative.

For a modern slasher flick set in present day, it has a bit of an old school feel to it which is pretty nice. It's also a pretty nice tribute to slasher classics like "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974) and "Halloween" (1978). This is definitely an instant horror cult classic in the making.

From what I've heard, this is a remake/sequel to a 1976 horror/slasher classic with the same title. I haven't seen the original but I think this got me interested.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I highly recommend it to horror fans.

In the end, I'll say "The Town that Dreaded Sundown" is the most impressive modern slasher flick yet.

Max Scale:
9/10

"Branded" (2012)

Synoppsis:
A man sees a conspiracy behind advertising, which no one else can see, in which businesses are run by monsters and he is the only one who can stop it.

Review:
This is a complete joke of a film. I will be spoiling it for some folks. First of all, the trailer is very misleading. It makes it look like a sci-fi blockbuster about a monster conspiracy behind marketing. For instance, in the trailer, you see these dragons and candy monsters and wraiths and a cool looking coca-cola monster, all of which can only be seen by our protagonist. This is an intriguing idea that could have worked and been made into a pretty awesome sci-fi thriller. Unfortunately what we have here is a poorly written, incoherent and remarkably dull propaganda snoozefest featuring a bland and uninteresting lead character and subplots that go absolutely nowhere.

Nothing in this movie makes any sense whatsoever. Now matter how hard you try to interpret it, you will still be left puzzled.

The story begins with our protagonist Misha as a child getting struck by lightning and being informed that things will be different for him. Years later, Misha is grown up and is working for a marketing campaign in Moscow. His boss has a niece named Abby. Misha and Abby fall in love and the remainder of the film is focused on their relationship. Misha's boss then gets a heart attack and then Misha leaves Moscow and becomes a farmer.

Six years later, Misha has a dream that tells him to do something. Misha wakes up the next day and sacrifices a red cow which supposedly causes him to see things that no one else can see. Then, Misha returns to Moscow and learns that Abby was pregnant when he left and now has a six year old son. At Moscow, there is a burger joint and a vegetarian Chinese buffet which are rivals. Misha can see creatures running the businesses. A candy monster runs the burger joint and a bunch of dragons run the Chinese buffet. Then advertising is banned. The end. None of the monsters show up until the last 10 minutes or so. Plus the CG effects are Nintendo 64 style. I just saved you 100 minutes. I do not recommend this film.

In the end, I'll say "Branded" is a waste of an intriguing idea.

Max Scale:
1/10

"Dragon Wars" (2007)

Synopsis:
"Dragon Wars" (A.K.A. "D-War") focuses on a reporter named Ethan who investigates disasters that happen in Los Angeles. He then discovers that L.A. is under siege by dragons and it is up to him to save the city.

Review:
This movie is just terrible from start to finish. I am going to spoil it for some folks. Where do I begin? Well, first of all, the storyline makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Basically, it focuses on some ritual where a young woman has some birthmark and when she turns 20, she must be sacrificed to a giant snake in order for that snake to be turned into a dragon. There are two giant snakes. Each one is supported by a clan. The good one is named Imugi and the evil one is named Buraki. Our Protagonist, Ethan Kendrick meets and falls in love with a 19 year old girl who bares this birthmark. Supposedly, Sarah is part of this so-called "ritual".

Throughout the whole movie, Ethan and Sarah are basically just running away from a giant snake and armed lizards. Nothing really happens in the movie and when something does happen it just seems pointless.

At times, the plot feels unorganized and unfocused. For instance, Our protagonist has a flashback to when he was a child and opens this box and a light comes out of it. What did that have to do with anything? Also, there is this fat guy, unrelated to the story, who witnesses Buraki and goes and tells everyone about what he saw. Of course they think he's crazy, so they tie him up. Again, what did that have to do with anything?

In the final act, Sarah turns 20 and she and Ethan eventually get spotted by Buraki's clan and are taken to their place. I will admit the setting and tone here is pretty neat and impressive. It's like the creators of the film put all of their effort on this one scene and then just got lazy while making the rest of the film. It's like they made the whole movie just for this final scene.

Moving on, Ethan and Sarah are tied up and Sarah is about to be sacrificed to Buraki while Ethan is powerless to stop it. Then, out of nowhere, Imugi shows up and the two giant snakes have a showdown. Ethan eventually frees himself and Sarah. Sarah then realizes that the only way that Buraki can be defeated is for Sarah to be sacrificed to Imugi. In doing so, Sarah controls an orb thing and gets Imugi to bite the orb and then Sarah dies. Imugi is then transformed into a dragon and destroys Buraki. Imugi leaves and our hero Ethan is left stranded in the desert. The end. Yep, that's the whole movie right there. I just saved you 90 minutes of your life.

Also, the CGI effects are downright awful even for 2007 standards. Let's just say that Sony PS1 and Nintendo 64 had better graphics than this.

On a positive note, I liked the concept of the film. I think the name "Dragon Wars" deserves a better movie.

In the end, I'll say "Dragon Wars", despite it's creative concept full of interesting ideas, fails due to an incredibly poor execution and uninteresting script.

Max Scale:
1/10

"The Last Mimzy" (2007)

Synopsis:
A brother and sister find a box that contains toys, including a stuffed bunny, which possess unearthly powers.

Review:
This film was enjoyable for the most part. It was very fun, heartfelt and entertaining. The storyline is quite creative and the characters are quite likeable. I really liked the chemistry between the kids and Mimzy. The visuals are pretty neat. I also like the scientific aspect of it.

There were a few things that bugged me. The brother and sister, Noah and Emma can often be annoying and the ending dragged a bit and the plot felt a bit a bit rushed in some places. Also, not to spoil anything but there is a big reveal at the end where I was like "What?" Not that I didn't like the ending.

Overall, this was a very good film and I think kids will enjoy it.

In the end, I'll say "The Last Mimzy", while not a perfect film, is a fun emotional roller coaster with heart and cool sequences that should be able satisfy children as well as adults who are young at heart.

Max Scale:
8/10

"The Fall" (2006)

Synopsis:
A crippled stuntman named Roy and a young immigrant girl named Alexandria with a broken arm meet at a hospital and become friends. Roy tells Alexandria an exciting story about a group of heroes and Alexandria visualizes the events. Roy sends Alexandria on a mission with a promise that he would finish the story.

Review:
This film is overall excellent. The story is amazing. The chemistry between Roy and Alexandria is very believable. You actually have feelings for the two protagonists as well as the heroes in the fictional story. The acting is great. Lee Pace does an incredible job with his performance as the character Roy. The visuals are absolutely dazzling and colorful. Very little CGI is used and the scenes were done in actual locations. It really shows that you can accomplish a lot without using a ton of computer generated effects.

Tarsem Singh's other films (The Cell, Immortals, Mirror Mirror), despite their stylistic visuals, are quite mediocre. The Fall, however, is a masterpiece.

This film may seem innocent but it's not for kids. It has some pretty brutally violent sequences and deals with drugs and suicide.

This film may not appeal to everyone. If you want brainless fun with mindless explosions and weak character development, then watch something like Transformers. But if you want something more challenging with beautiful stylistic visuals, a powerful message and thought provoking themes, then I highly recommend that you check out "The Fall".

Do not watch the trailer. It spoils the film.

In the end, I'll say "The Fall" is a wonderful thought provoking dark fairy tale of joy and sadness wrapped in a message about not giving up and features very neat visuals.

Max Scale:
10/10

"Speed Racer" (2008)

Synopsis:
Based upon the classic Japanese cartoon series, "Speed Racer" tells the story of Speed, a race car driver who is inspired by his older brother Rex and is in love with a girl named Trixie. Speed seeks to compete in the cross-coutry race "The Crucible". With a little help from his parents, Mom and Pops, his younger brother Spritle, Spritle's ape friend Chim-Chim and Trixie, Speed sets out to conquer "The Crucible" and win the championship.

Review:
I enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would. The characters are very likeable. Especially Spritle and Chim-Chim. Spritle and Chim-Chim were are very fun characters. There wasn't a single scene with those two characters where I did not have a good time. The acting is pretty impressive. Especially John Goodman as Pops. I think all the actors and actresses played their roles respectively. The visuals are very neat and stylistic. I don't just mean the CGI effects but also the design and the sets. There is not a single shot that doesn't look cool or beautiful.

Is "Speed Racer" a perfect film? Well, not exactly.
 
The storyline is just your basic average race car sports film. Protagonist has a desire to be a race car driver, then falls in love, then wants to compete in a big race. Also, the movie is a bit silly in some places.

However, the likeable characters, intense action scenes and neat visuals more than make up for it's flaws and cliche plot.

Although it's a PG rated family film, I would look out because it has some pretty violent sequences and some bad language.

This seems to be a movie that you either like or dislike. Personally, I think it's everything a live-action movie based on a Japanese cartoon should be. If you're looking for something that is Oscar material, then you are looking in the wrong place. But if you admire the work of the Wachowski Siblings and would check out anything they would create or are looking for a something action packed and stylistic with likeable characters, then I highly recommend that you check out "Speed Racer".

In the end I'll say "Speed Racer", while not much to the storyline, is a fun and stylish visual treat as well as the most impressive live action film adaptation of a Japanese Anime series.


Max Scale:
8/10