Today, I have concluded my re-visitation of the original Star Wars trilogy with "Return of the Jedi" (1983).
Review:
Like it's predecessors, Return of the Jedi, is compelling, well acted,
fun, funny, action packed, and features likable characters and an
interesting world. It keeps the heart, tone and charm of its
predecessors. The only problems are that the version I watched features
added stuff like CGI, unnecessary additional voiceover, a musical number
replacement, and a cast replacement at the end. Overall, Return of the Jedi is a satisfying conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy.
Max Scale:
Special Edition-8/10 Blu-Ray Edition-5/10 Theatrical cut-10/10 Overall-9/10
This past afternoon, I continued my re-visitation of the original Star Wars
trilogy with the second installment: "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)
Review:
This is a great sequel, as well as a great Science fiction Classic on its own.
Irvin Kershet did a great job directing, as well as keeping the heart
and charm that made Star Wars great. It features a very interesting
story, an expansion of the Star Wars universe, new characters, great
special effects for the time, intense action scenes, funny
moments, interesting and quotable dialogue, and a darker approach. I'm
not going to spoil it (although the movie has been around forever), but
that twist at the end (and yes, there IS a twist) gets me every time.
The only problem is that the version I watched was the special edition
with added CGI background effects which are a bit distracting. Overall,
The Empire Strikes Back is a great successor/continuation that surpasses
its predecessor, and I would highly recommend it to science fiction
fans.
Max Scale:
Special Edition-9/10 Original Cut-10/10
I have always had a fascination with Star Wars as a child, and the
original Star Wars trilogy were some of my favorite films growing up. So
with "The Force Awakens" approaching, I have decided to revisit "Star
Wars" the original trilogy. Starting today with the one that started it
all. So without further ado, here's my short review.
Review:
This is an excellent science fiction/space adventure flick and quite
impressive for the late 70's.
George Lucas did a very good directing and
told a great story using this interesting world he built.
It features
likable characters, intense action scenes, neat production design, great
costumes, unique sound effects, and
creative Science fiction elements (light sabers, protocol droids etc.).
It also features a killer music score composed by John Williams. The
only problem is that this is the special edition with added CGI effects,
and the original theatrical cut is kind of hard to find. Overall, this
is a great flick and a great franchise starter, and I would highly
recommend it to anyone Max Scale: Special edition-8/10 Original cut-10/10 Overall-9/10
Synopsis:
In this remake of the 1982 horror classic, a family moves into the suburbs. However, their new home is haunted by evil forces, and they must come together to rescue their youngest daughter who was captured.
Review:
In a way, this film exceeded my expectations...I expected it to be
bad, and it was.
While it's not as awful as I thought it would be, it's
still quite bad.
Not only does it fail as a remake, but also as a
stand alone horror movie. It features cheap scares, bad acting,
forgettable characters, and plot points borrowed from other horror
movies from this decade ("Insidious" (2011), "The Conjuring" (2013)
etc.).
Also, it's so different from the original that it's not
even a remake. It's just an average PG-13 supernatural fear fest with
the same title. Not to mention that the girl isn't even Carol Anne from
the original, but "Maddy," which was quite a stupid move on their part.
The only parts that were like the original are the static TV, the clown,
and another thing at the end, in which saying it would spoil it.
Almost nothing happens, and a lot of the scares are pointless. The
clown did absolutely nothing, and was just an obvious attempt at giving
the film a similar feel to the original. There is a tree in one scene,
which did something, but was of no significance to the story. It doesn't
really get good until about the last 30 minutes or so.
On a
positive note, it features nice looking visuals, and a few cool scenes.
But those things alone can't promise a good movie. It's better than the
"Nightmare on Elm Street" 2010 remake, but that's not saying much.
Overall, this was a pretty mediocre horror film/remake. I can't recommend this movie.
If you're considering watching this, that's your business. But be
advised that if you go into it expecting it to be as good or memorable
as the original, you're going to be disappointed. In other words, you
are probably better off seeking out the 1982 classic instead.
Synopsis:
A teenage boy and his single mother move into a small town. There, the boy meets a nice girl who's father happens to be R.L. Stine, author of the famous Goosebumps series. As the teens discover Stine's secret, they accidentally open his Goosebumps manuscripts, thus setting all of the imaginary monsters free from the books and bringing forth disaster upon the small town. It is up to Stine and the teens to capture the monsters back in the books and save the town.
Review:
Let me star off by saying that I have never really read any of the Goosebumps books, but they were quite popular when I was a child. However, I have watched some episodes of the Goosebumps TV series, and I found it quite interesting.
Then, I heard that there was a Goosebumps movie in the works and that Jack Black was going to be in it. Part of me was looking forward to it because of Jack Black (He's kinda one of my favorite celebrities), but another part of me was skeptical. Given that each installment in the "Goosebumps" series is a different story entirely, I was not sure how they would pull it off. Also, the trailer was not very convincing.
That being said, I went and saw the film, and I must say that I was very impressed with it, and I enjoyed it very much.
It actually has a very unique and interesting story line. We have these three teenagers, and R.L. Stine, and Stine has these manuscripts of his stories locked. One of the teenagers accidentally opens one of the Goosebumps manuscripts, releasing the monsters.
For all we know, it could have just been an anthology of all of the different Goosebumps stories, but instead, the writers got creative and brought the stories together, followed by a plot involving the Goosbumps monsters unleashed from R.L. Stine's manuscripts and wreaking havoc across the town.
Jack Black plays a fictional version of R.L. Stine (the author of the Goosebumps series). Black actually portrays his character quite well, and is quite funny (as usual). At first, Stine comes off as a jerk, but once you find out his secret, you actually care for him.
It also has some good chemistry between the two protagonists Zach and Hannah, and Dylan Minnette and Odeyah Rush deliver impressive performances that capture it.
The film is also very fun and entertaining. There is not a single moment in the film where I was bored. Slappy the Dummy basically stole the show. Whenever Slappy is on screen, he brings forth a laugh, and a scare at once. I also loved the grocery store scene with the werewolf.
I do not want to spoil anything, but that twist (and yes, there IS a twist) got me. Also, the real R.L. Stine makes an appearance somewhere in the film.
There are a couple of problems that I had with the film. One of them is that, while I cared for Zach and Hannah, it seems to rely a bit too much on the romance aspect. Another problem is that it relies a little too much on CGI to the point where it looked cartoon-ish in some areas. But those things did not ruin the movie for me.
Overall, Goosebumps is a very fun and creative family-friendly spooky thrill ride, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the franchise.
Synopsis:
A son tries to learn more about his dying father than the stories that he told about his life.
Review:
I gave this film a watch on Netflix about a couple years ago out of boredom. I didn't really think that I would like it that much, but I loved it. It instantly became one of my all time favorite movies.
The story is bout a father and son and follows two story arcs. One story arc focuses on the father's life told through the stories that he told his son as a child. The other story arc focuses on the son, now grown up and married, trying to find out the truth behind his father's stories. Ridiculous as it may sound, it's actually quite interesting and thought provoking.
It also has a pretty neat supernatural/fantasy twist going on.
The film is very well acted and it has a great assembled cast. We have Albert Finney as the old man near death telling the stories and Ewan McGregor as the old man's younger self, as well as Billy Crudup as the son. It also features Marion Cotillard, Danny Devito, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buschemi and some other people (whom I did not recognize).
I never would have thought that Tim Burton could pull off something like this, but he did a great job directing, and it's better than most of his other stuff. It is very beautifully shot and has some neat designs.
I am not going to spoil anything, but it has a great ending where everything comes together and starts to make sense.
In my opinion, this is Tim Burton's best film.
Overall, Big Fish is a great and unique feel good dram and I would highly recommend it to movie goers.
Synopsis:
A young woman named Adaline, born on the turn of the 20th century, has
become ageless after a car accident. After many years, she has met a man
who complicates the immortal life that she is living.
Review:
This is a very
good film overall.
The story is quite unique and very
interesting. It is a romantic film with a neat fantasy twist. We have
this young woman who is struck by lightning and survives but is put
under a condition where she stops aging, and goes through different
identities each decade. She also meets a nice guy and they fall in love.
Little does the guy know that she is different.
It is well acted and it
features good performances from Blake Lively, Harrison Ford and Ellen
Burstyn.
The characters are quite likable. You care for Adaline as she
goes through her ageless immortal life. The romance between Adaline and
Ellis has some good chemistry. My favorite character is William Jones.
Lee Toland Krieger did a very good job directing. It is beautifully shot
and it has some very emotional moments. It is also quite clever and
funny at times. For instance, there is this one scene where Ellis tells
Adaline a bad joke and she laughs at how bad it is. There is also a
scene where William talks about the stars, which instantly made me think
of Star Wars.
I'm not going to spoil anything, but based upon my
expectations, that ending got me.
There is not a single thing about this film that I did not like.
Overall, I really enjoyed
The Age of Adaline and would recommend it to anyone who is into romance
and/or drama with a fantasy twist.
Synopsis:
Aliens in the form of old school
video games attack Earth and it is up to a team of hardcore gamers to save
the world.
Review:
Before I get to the point, let me start out by saying that I actually had hopes for this film.
I am a gamer from childhood as well as a big moviegoer (but of course
you already know that). I went into this film skeptical because of Adam
Sandler (he hasn't really come out with anything good since 1999), but
excited because I really liked the idea and it has Pac-Man. Upon my
first time playing Pac-Man, I found it strangely addicting and
immediately fell in love with it. Ever since then, I have waited to see
Pac-Man on the big screen, and when I heard about the new film "Pixels"
coming out, and that it was going to feature Pac-Man, I could not help
but unleash my inner nerd.
From the trailers, it looked quite promising and had a great setup. We
have these classic arcade games attacking Earth and it's up to a team of
hardcore gamers to save the world. It also gives you a bit of a
Ghostbusters vibe.
You may not have known this but this movie is inspired by an independent
short film from 2010. The short was unique and had an impressive art
style.
I was hoping that this would be a surprise hit like "The Lego Movie" and
"Guardians of the Galaxy" and that it would turn Sandler's career back
around. Unfortunately, this film was a big letdown.
Now before I go into the bad parts, I am going to name some good parts.
The Good:
As mentioned earlier, it has a great setup and a unique idea. We have
these aliens who misinterpret video feeds as a declaration of war, so
they attack Earth in the form of classic 80's arcade video games. The
film is visually impressive and has some great world building and some
really cool scenes. I liked the Pac-Man scene, and the Centipede scene. The film started out pretty good, and the
beginning, when our four main characters were teenagers, had me thinking
it was going to be good. Sadly, that is all of the "good" there is.
The Bad:
It has a bad story line and the plot is rushed and there is no chemistry
within the characters. A lot of the time, the film can not seem to make
up it's mind as to whether it wanted to be a blockbuster or a straight
up comedy. The humor is lowbrow, and every so often, the plot is
interrupted by these long drawn out lowbrow offbeat comedy scenes. At
those times, I was like "Stop making a fool out of yourself and get back
to the story, please!" Also, the romance aspect of the film is forced. Also, there is so much wrong in the Donkey Kong scene.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
They completely wasted the "Lady Lisa" character. She did not even have
any dialogue. I am positive that it was just a blatant cameo of Ashley
Benson as an attempt to lure "Pretty Little Liars" fans.
Sean Bean's performance was also pointless. They could have used him as a
joke relating to him dying in so many movies, but they wasted it on
making him a blatant cameo.
Here is the story (because the trailer won't tell you):
The story begins with our protagonists Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler), Will
Cooper (Kevin James), Ludlow Lamonsoff (Josh Gad), and Eddie Plant
(Peter Dinklage) as kids at the arcade in 1982. Ludlow is in love with
Lady Lisa, the heroine of his favorite game "Dojo Quest". Sam and Eddie
face each other in a Donkey Kong playing contest, which is to be
recorded and sent in a time capsule into space as a message of peace.
Eddie beats Sam. After that, Sam and will have this conversation about
polular celebrities (such as Madonna) that they would like to marry.
Then it quickly cuts to a scene when they are now adults having the same
conversation (expect this time with younger celebrities sucha Scarlett
Johanson). And then from there, it cuts straight to the invasion. Sam
now works for a company that installs software. Will is now the
president of the United States. The military is finding a signal of an
attack from Galaga enemies. As Sam is doing his job, he meets a woman
named Violoet (Michelle Monaghan) and her son Matty. Sam then gets a
call from President Cooper. Sam then goes to the White House and they
discuss the attack. Then, as Sam is driving home, he finds Ludlow in his
van. Ludlow has a theory that an alien life form found the video feeds
and sent real life verisons of what it saw. Then, Sam and Ludlow attempt
to train the soldiers to fight back, but the admiral is not amused. So
they try the English soldiers in London, England. Then Centiped attacks
London, and Sam and Ludlow fight back and succeed. Then they find out
that Pac-Man is attacking New York, so they bail Eddie out of prison.
Sam, Ludlow, and Eddie, joined by Prof. Iwatani (Denis Akiyama) fight
Pac-Man and succeed. Then there is a celebration Dinner party where
Ludlow sings "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". There, we find out
that Eddie has always been cheating. Then, a giant space ship in the
shape of a boss Galage approaches and releases more real life video
games (such as Space Invaders and Frogger) that wreak havoc all over
Washington DC. Sam, Will, and Violet go into the ship (which has Matty
held captive) and confront Donkey Kong, while Ludlow and Eddie fight off
all of the other games. Ludlow encounters Lady Lisa (Ashley Benson),
who at first resists, but suddenly joins the fight. Upon learning that
Eddie is a cheater, Sam then realizes that he is the "true" Donkey Kong
champion and defeats Donkey Kong and saves Matty, thus destroying all of
the other games including Lady Lisa. That is the whole movie right
there.
The film also breaks it's own rules at times. For instances, Sam Brenner defeats Donkey Kong by throwing a hammer at him. Wouldn't that also be cheating? I know it's "a movie", but anyone who has played the original Donkey Kong arcade classic should know that that's not how you beat Donkey Kong.
There are things in this movie that I liked, but there were more things
that I did not like than things that I liked. A few cool scenes were
just not enough. What this movie needs is a good script, character
development and a well assembled cast. Pixels had none of those.
It's a shame, because on paper, Pixels really had potential.
Overall, I was very disappointed with this film, for I was looking forward to it when I saw the trailers. I would not recommend it.
You are better off seeking out "Wreck-It Ralph"-or heck, "Scott Pilgrim vs The World"-instead.
Synopsis:
A young programmer is selected to take part in a new experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a female A.I.
Review:
I must say that I am very impressed with this film.
The story, while it bares a familiar concept concerning "artificial
intelligence", is unique, creative, original and intriguing. We have
this programmer named Caleb, who is invited by Nathan, the CEO of the
company, which Caleb works for. Then there is this robot called "Ava". I
cannot really say anything about the plot without spoiling it but the
majority of the film is set inside a compound.
While it has a small number of characters, the characters are quite well
developed. I as good chemistry between Caleb and Ava. There is not much
to say about Nathan without spoiling it, but let's just say that he is
not a terribly nice guy.
The film is quite well acted. Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac portrayed
their roles very well and Alicia Vikander stole the show as Ava the
robot.
Alex Garland did a very good job directing. It is beautifully shot and
it has neat scenery. For a small budget of $15 million, the special
effects are quite impressive. They did a nice job blending CGI with
practical effects and making the robot believable. It also has some
intense moments and the final act is awesome.
The music score is great and it added some depth into the film. Ben
Salisbury and Geoff Barrow both did a very good job composing the music.
Basically, this is one of those films that you have to actually watch and see for yourself to know what it's about.
Overall, Ex Machina is an excellent science fiction thriller, and I
would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of science fiction.
Synopsis:
After a young girl named Riley is uprooted from her midwest life and has moved to San Francisco, her emotions-Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear-conflict on the best way to navigate through a new house, city and school.
Review:
This is a great family film overall. It is smart, inventive, fun, emotional, and quite clever.
The story line is very creative and original. It takes the viewer inside a
person's mind and features emotions in the shape of characters. It also
explores a whole world inside the mind featuring memories, dreams, and
imagination. This is quite possibly Pixar's most original idea since Toy
Story.
The characters are likable and entertaining. We have the four emotions,
Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear who operate the feelings of a
young girl named Riley as she and her mom and dad have moved to a new
home. You care for Riley as things go wrong in the world inside her
mind. You also care for the emotions as Joy and Sadness set out on a
quest to set things right while Anger, Disgust and Fear are left on
their own, and you want the emotions to succeed. My favorite character
is Anger.
Pete Docter did a great job directing. It has gorgeous and colorful animation and unique and stylish designs.
It is also very funny at times. This is one of those where the humor
actually works and I laughed more than I usually do at he theater. I am
not going to spoil anything but you may want to stick around during the
credits.
Overall, Inside Out is another very impressive animated family feature
from Pixar and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of
animation.
Synopsis:
A teen girl instigates a social pecking order revolution after learning that she was labled a "DUFF" (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by her two more attractive counterparts.
Review:
There is nothing to say about this film besides that it's an uninspired
pile of drivel. It desperately tries to be the next "Mean Girls" and it
fails miserably on every level.
The story line is utterly ridiculous. We have the two attractive girls
who are buddies and have an unattractive friend dubbed "The DUFF"
(Designated ugly fat friend) to use to make them look better. Who does
that?
It is also loaded with cliches. Like we have this loser trying to fit in
with the popular students and gets recognition from a viral video.
***SPOILER AHEAD***
Also, we find out that her "lover" is actually not in love with her at
all and dubs her "DUFF" like everyone else at her school. How original.
The characters are very unlikable and nothing but blatant stereotypes. Our protagonist Bianca gives us very
little to no reason to root for her. Both the guy that she is in love
with and the guy who she seeks help from are both pretty much jerks.
Also, in most of these type of films, the "mean" character, while
purposely unlikable, at least has some sort of likable personality and
is entertaining and you would love to hate him/her. But here, you don't
exactly love to hate Madison Morgan.
The humor is bland, uninspired, and painfully unfunny. I did not laugh once.
On a positive note, Mae Whitman was actually pretty good in it. She portrayed her role quite respectively.
Maybe there is a good movie hidden there, but overall, I was not impressed with it whatsoever, and I would not recommend it.
In the end, The DUFF is one of the more mediocre attempts at teen satire.
If you are looking for a good teen comedy satire with a female lead,
where the protagonist gets widespread attention from everyone else at
her school, watch Mean Girls or Easy A.
Synopsis:
A spy organization recruits a local street kid who is undefined, but with potential, into the agency's competitive training program, while a global threat emerges from a sinister tech genius.
Review:
This is a great film overall. It's fun, action packed, and often funny
at times. There is not a single moment where I was bored with it.
The characters are likable. The story is interesting and compelling.
The characters are likeable. I liked the protagonist Eggsy. He is
believable and you actually care for him. Harry and Chester King are
quite entertaining and likable supporting characters. Valentine is
quite an entertaining villain as well as his amputee Gazelle.
It's well acted. Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong and Michael
Caine portrayed their roles very respectively and made their roles
entertaining and believable. Samuel L. Jackson did an awesome job as
Valentine as well as Sofie Boutella as Gazelle.
Matthew Vaughn did a great job directing. It's beautifully shot. The
action scenes are well done and downright intense. While it is mostly
action packed, it leaves room for the story line and the action scenes
are actually part of the story and have every reason to occur.
There is not a single thing about this film that I did not like.
Overall, I found Kingsman to be a pretty awesome film and I highly recommend it to action fans.
In the end, "Kingsman: The Secret Service" is a fun and compelling action masterpiece.
Synopsis:
22 years after the event in "Jurassic Park", a new theme park in Isla Nublar "Jurassic World" is now open. After 10 years of operating, a new attraction is created to pique the interests of the visitors, which goes horribly wrong.
Review:
This film is enjoyable for the most part. It introduces some new dinosaur hybrids which are cool as well as it features some of the classic dinosaurs that we are familiar with.
The characters are likeable and entertaining. I like the protagonists Owen and Claire and Claire's two nephews Zach and Gray. Our four main characters had good chemistry and you care for them when they are in dangerous situations.
I think Colin Trevorrow did a good job directing. It is visually impressive and the special effects are quite well done. It has some intense moments and I absolutely loved the final scene. I like the references and connections that it had with the first film.
However, I had a few problems with the film. One of them is the storyline. The story is a bit thin and too much of a repeat of the first film. Another problem that I had is the acting. While the acting is not bad, it was a bit uneven at times. Also, I think the comedic moments, while clever, could have been funnier.
Overall, I enjoyed Jurassic World and would pick it any day over "Jurassic Park III". I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Jurassic Park and/or dinosaur in general.
In the end, "Jurassic World" may not be the perfect follow-up to Jurassic Park and it may have needed more work in the story department, but it is a fun (and albeit nostalgic) thrill ride that should satisfy blockbuster goers.
Synopsis:
A decidedly odd couple convince Dr. Alan Grant to travel to Isla Sorna, which results in an unexpected landing unexpected new inhabitants on the island.
Review:
There is really nothing to say about this one besides that it's total crap.
The plot is absurd, uninteresting, forgettable and it goes nowhere. "The Lost World" was not exactly a needed sequel, but the plot in that at least went somewhere, but this was just tedious and unnecessary.
The characters are forgettable and uninteresting (except for Dr. Grant, the protagonist from the first film, who reappeared in this). The first two films had a good set of characters who have interesting personalities and are quite entertaining. The characters here are just wooden and dull.
The action scenes are uninspired and boring. Not to mention that the special effects are generic and underdeveloped. Do you want to know what the worst part is? The T-Rex is killed by a different dinosaur. It's quite insulting, given that the Tyranosaurus Rex is supposed to be dinosaur of all dinosaurs.
There is not much else to say really. I was bored and upset throughout the film.
Overall, it was just flat, boring, illogical and downright silly.
In the end, "Jurassic Park III" is not only an uninspired mishmash of the previous two films with nothing new to offer, but also a slap in the face to anyone who likes dinosaurs.
Synopsis:
In this follow-up to the blockbuster hit "Jurassic Park", a research team was sent to the site B island of the park to study the dinosaurs there. Suddenly, some carnivorous dinosaurs are loose in San Diego.
Review:
This picks up directly after the events in the first "Jurassic Park" film. While not as good or memorable as it's predecessor, the film still delivers some enjoyment and has it's qualities.
The story, while not terribly necessary after how the first film ended, is interesting and quite thought out. It has more of an expansion of the "Jurassic Park" world, which is pretty neat.
Just like in the first film, Spielberg did a good job directing. The special effects, while not exactly "ground breaking" are neat and impressive. It still keeps the neat blend of practical effects and CGI that makes the dinosaurs believable.
While it does not feature anything new, it has some thrills and intense moments and there was not a moment where I was bored with it.
There are a couple of problems that I had with the film. One of them is that, as a sequel, it seemed a bit tedious, given that the ending to the first film was conclusive and did not really need to be continued beyond that point. The other problem is that other than being set at a different location and expending the world, it did not have much new to offer.
Overall, The Lost world takes a bit of a ridiculous turn, but in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the film for what it is. Plus, it's got dinosaurs attacking San Diego. Who would not want to see that?
Synopsis:
During a preview tour, a dinosaur-themed amusement park suffers from a major breakdown that causes it's exhibits to go haywire.
Review:
This is just a great film overall.
The story is creative and quite compelling. It is a unique modern take on dinosaurs centered around a theme park and pulls that off quite well with a good story and character development.
The characters are interesting and likeable. I liked the protagonist Dr. Alan Grant and the Murphy siblings Lex and Tim. They have interesting personalities and you actually care for them as they get caught in dangerous situations. Dr. Ian is also an interesting character. Dennis Nerdy is the comic relief and he is quite entertaining and funny at times.
This film is well acted. Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Wayne Knight and Samual L. Jackson all portrayed their characters very well and respectively.
I think Stephen Spielberg did a great job directing. It has a neat blend of CGI and practical effects to make the dinosaurs believable and some intense action scenes. It also has a very catchy and memorable music score from John Williams.
There is not a single thing about this film that I did not like.
Overall, Jurassic Park is what you would call an "instant classic".
Synopsis:
The secret Krabby Patty formula has been mysteriously stolen, and Spongebob must join forces with his nemesis Plankton to retrieve it.
Review:
This film is very enjoyable film overall.
The story, while it borrows from episodes from the show, is quite well thought out. Basically, it's an adventure movie, a time travel movie, an action movie and a superhero all at once, and the film pulls that off quite well. It has a nice throwback to the older Spongebob episodes from when the show was good. That pirate was quite entertaining and I think that Antonio Banderas did a very good job with that role.
It is also very clever and funny at times. Given that the show has kinda gone downhill since 2005, I was not expecting it to be that funny, but it really surprised me. The jokes here are quite impressive. I don't think I have laughed this much at a Spongebob cartoon since the first Spongebob film "The Spongebob Squarepants Movie".
The film is well animated. It has a neat blend of hand drawn animation, live action, and computer animation.
The film also has a catchy soundtrack, featuring a few musical numbers involving some of the characters, and three songs by N.E.R.D. that appear during the end credits.
This is film is, overall, downright fun. I can't think of a single part where I was bored with it.
There were a couple of problems that I had with the film. One of them is that the plot drags a little bit up until the final act. The other problem I had is that the computer animation on Spongebob and his allies, while decent, was not terribly believable.
Overall, I really enjoyed Sponge Out of Water and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Spongebob and/or is into animation.
Synopsis:
Juggling upset Russians, British Mi5, international terrorist, and art dealer, Charlie Mortdecai rushes to recover a stolen painting that is said to have a secret code that leads to lost Nazi treasure.
Review:
There is really nothing to say about this film besides that it is pretty much an uninspired piece of crap. Generally speaking, I often enjoy a good British comedy, and there are some movies I enjoy that are poorly reviewed. But this film was just not good at all.
Basically, it seems to completely miss the point in what makes a comedy work. The humor in this movie (if you can even call it that) is juvenile, uninspired, and downright awkward. For instance, there were a lot of moments where I was like "Is that supposed to be funny?". It basically uses gimmicky dialogue and hand motions as an attempt to make people laugh, which just did not work. What this film needs is some "jokes".
It also fails as an action flick because the action scenes are boring and not very exciting.
Also, the storyline is quite pointless and forgettable. I mean I watched this not too long ago and I barely even remember the story besides that it was centered around a painting.
It just goes to show that not even a good cast can save a pile of junk such as this. That is the kind of impression that Mortdecai made on me. I feel sorry for Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, and Ewan McGregor being involved in this.
Overall, I found Mortdecai to be a pathetic attempt at an action comedy, and I would not recommend it to anyone.
Synopsis:
A time traveler (Ethan Hawke) must travel through time to stop a mysterious criminal who is plotting an attack on New york city and has eluded him throughout time.
Review:
There is not really much to say about this film without giving anything away, so this review will be a bit brief. All that you really need to know is that it's a time travel flick.
The story is intriguing, unique, thought provoking and compelling. It may seem confusing but it makes sense if you pay attention. I am not going to spoil it for those who have not seen the film but it goes a direction that you may not expect.
The film is well acted. I liked Ethan Hawke in this and I think he did a very good job with his role.
I think the Spierig brothers (Michael and Peter) did a very good job directing. It has beautiful cinematography, very believable make-up, and it does not rely so much on CGI effects. It also has some intense moments.
Overall, I thought Predestination was an excellent film and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of science fiction.
Synopsis:
Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) joins a clique of A-list girls known as "The Plastics", but then makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennet), the ex-boyfriend of "Plastics" leader Regina George (Rachel McAdams).
Review:
Let me stat off by saying that I am not a fan of these type of films and I have been avoiding this movie for longer than I can remember. However,
the other day, I decided to give it a try, and it was actually not a bad film
at all.
For the most part, it's pretty smart and clever and quite
entertaining and has a bit of social satire. While it is not exactly "laugh out loud", it is often a bit funny at times. Also, the dialogue is quite memorable.
I liked the characters. The A-list girls, while often up to no good, are quite likeable. It is also well acted and I think the cast portrayed their roles quite well. I liked Lindsay Lohan in this. Amanda Seyfried, as a first time actress did quite a good job here. Amy Pohler is entertaining and funny as usual.
The one problem that I had with the film is that while the humor is often clever and funny, I felt that it needed a little more work and it could have been funnier.
I am normally not a fan of chick flicks, but I thoroughly enjoyed Mean Girls and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of comedies.
