| Movie | Rating | Review | Date | Your Rating | Match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law Abiding Citizen - R |
Once in a while a really good thriller comes along, which isn't really something special... but it certainly meets my preferences and taste for high adrenalin thriller in the tradition of 7, The Negotiator and Four Brothers. I like F Gary Gray films and this is an absolute thrill ride, despite what others may think, I just really enjoyed the movie. It starts off violently and tragically - as a lawyer I'm also interested in the concepts thrown into the movie, which are correct in some ways. Though fictional, it does provide an honest insight into the legal justice system, specifically how it fails others. Not everyone can have justice. It was a simple movie, the thrill factor is very strong the first time around. It is a no frills, cold hearted flick which is designed to show pain, anger, fear terror and grief, which is portrayed and embodied by Butler really well. But in comparison to others, there was something lacking - it just wasn't as good as the others in my view. But it didn't fail... it just didnt reach the epic height I've put movies like The Negotiator or The Italian Job on. I think because the ending was very flat.... it didn't reach that supreme crescendo when the two rivals meet and have the shootout. It would have been great if Foxx finally snapped and did a Brad Pitt in "Seven." But thats done and dusted. But still... definitely worth watching. People have been caning it for stupidity and a braineless plot or perhaps useless acting - I might only agree on the acting. The rest of the movie was okay for shock value and does keep people interested till the flat ending - it just ran out of gas. Enjoy - if you can. |
December 26, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Machete - Unrated | December 23, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - PG-13 | December 23, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Funny People - R |
Hmmmm..... a shot of dark humor from Adam Sandler - and its not half bad. Going back to the classic Stand up Routine which made EVERYONE in this movie famous (even Eric Bana, but not Eminem) But its full of dirty jokes, and if you're not into those - it is pretty excessive. I got tired of the same d***s and blow job jokes, but the movie really gets going in the latter part where relationships are strained and everyone collides for a blow up - did particulary well by Eric Bana as the typical Australian. Eminems and Ray Romano's short scene was excellent, crude and bloody wonderful. It was good to see all the stand up comedians and everything going on, but they really needed to improve on the material past the dirty sex jokes - but since it is an Apatow movie, what did you expect? Watch it once, cringe, laugh or whatever and move on. Needless to say, its not for everyone. |
December 22, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Avatar - PG-13 |
Visually.... impressive. Music... James Horner needs no introduction. James Cameron? Excellent director. All that plus then-some do combine to make this visual masterpiece. But honestly, the 3D was bullshit. I would have been happier with a normal 2D viewing. Though it is great story telling, Haven't we heard all this before? Pocahontas? Africa? Corporate greed? Wherever great nations invades, local people and cultures are destroyed? Well, this time the invaders get their asses kicked. And whats the thinly veiled hint at climate change destroying our world? Meh, the world is destroying us, and something that I always stress is that nature will overcome whatever advanced technology or society can do. It was great to watch and see nature take on and destroy man and its technology. Anyways.... I give it 4 stars for the good experience and the quality, but 5 stars? This was seriously hyped up and it doesnt quite deliver the whole goods. There was something missing, that crucial element that makes a movie great. Titanic had the iceberg and the ship. The Dark Knight had the Joker and its first 5 mins. Terminator had Arnie. Aliens had aliens. King Kong had Kong. The Godfather had Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Lord of the Rings had New Zealand. The Last Samurai had Samurai and Ninja. Avatar has.... Pandora? Perhaps.But honestly, CGI and 3D effects perhaps is the future, but movies like the Dark Knight who didn't use it that much, still prove that good old movie making is still what we want. When Titanic was over, the entire cinema stood up and applauded. The Dark Knight, they all applauded. Even in Transformers (1) the entire crowd went nuts. And this was the same cinema, and people were sitting on the floor for the opening weekend. Avatar? not so. I think people were slightly confused and disappointed - all I heard was good, but whats with the hype? Hmm... I just think people weren't ready for the amount of special effect, which was the entire film pretty much. Acting wasn't really a strong point, the only notable mentions is Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang for their very colorful and expressive characters. It was interesting to see a whole alien culture, language and customs and traditions. But honestly, it was like seeing native African tribes, everything was nearly all too similar. Except for the animals... which leads me to say, even though they looked great, all the beasts were just real animal bodies and heads and parts interposed on other bodies and parts. Like Hammerhead sharks' heads on Rhinoceros. Or giant moths with heads of a dinosaur. Or wild dobermans with their skin turned inside out. Interesting to look out, nothing special or new. And of course... they are big. But hell, Lord of the Rings was so much better - even the giant mammoths were unique in their own way. Mechanicized infantry from Mech Warrior. Hover copters from computer games. You know, this would really make for an awesome computer game. But probably it would suck, like most games from movies adaptations. This movie was... over hyped. It just wasn't special... nothing really new. Even the 3D and special effects were not new... just overused? Special Effects and 3D cannot carry a movie, sorry to say. A love story, a war story, a clash of worlds.... somehow it was a bit o everything and it didn't meld properly. There was no real cohesion, nothing connected well together. It did move at a good pace, but it was choppy at times, like as if James Cameron chopped it with axe - very blunt. I guess the final battle was climactic... but honestly, it was also.... pretty average. Ive had more climatic battles in Call of Duty Modern Warfare than this. Intriguing, but pretty forgettable. And thats the final thing. Unless you've fallen for the hype, I'll remember this movie for being hyped and honestly trying to advocate 3D special effects... but I'll probably never watch it again. Like Titanic. Ive only seen Titanic from beginning to end only once. I will watch the Godfather over and over again. I will watch The Dark Knight over and over again. Hell, I will watch Transformers (1) over and over again. But this.... is forgettable. It made its big hoorah and I enjoyed my time watching it, but all it did was leave me feeling like I've been suckered to spend more on a giant screen and 3D. I just didn't care for the movie at the end. It was like any other big movie. My FINAL PROGNOSIS? Cameron blew out the budget, on technology and such, so everything else became secondary. In the end, the accountants were running this movie, not the creative minds and it shows in everything that lacked. 4 Stars for some of the hype - one star off for being all the above. This is no big Oscar winner, except for Special Effects. And thats about it. |
December 20, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Harry Brown - Unrated |
You know, when geriatrics and such start getting vigilante, it does sound ridiculous. But when Clint Eastwood did it in Gran Torino... I actually thought how scared I would be if Eastwood came after me with a Rifle. As I'm writing this, I just read a report in Germany where a few pensioners, pissed off about losing their savings in the Economic Crisis, went after their financial manager, kidnapped him and tortured him for 4 days. Okays.... best not to piss off the elderly. (just to mention one of my bosses' is a master in White Crane Kung Fu! That means he'll fuck anyone up! o___O!!!) And now, the original English Bad Boy Michael Caine steps up to dish out payback as Harry Brown (how very English and coincidental to Eastwood's famous character) a pensioner who recently became a widower, and all he has left in life is his life and his best friend. Young thugs start to terrorize the streets of London, and Harry tries to turn a blind eye to the trouble. But when his best friend is killed standing up to the gang, the police unable to conduct an investigation due to internal politics, Harry loses his cool and sets to hand out his version of justice.... albeit his version stemming from his past, when he was a highly decorated Royal Marine Commando. With nothing really to live for but teaching the youth a lesson the hard way, Harry struggles against his prey, his age and the young Detective who is pursuing the "vigilante". This is a clear cut and dark movie. Violence is part of the natural order of things, so if you got a problem with that, then don't bother watching. But what makes this movie work is the simplicity of all things. It intertwines the cold hard realities (yes reality) of youth violence, drugs and alcohol and how it is getting out of control - to the loneliness and impending age of death faced by Harry.... his losses and age makes him realize the fact he has nothing to lose by taking on the gang, his life not worth anything, with everything he loves, gone. The ugliness and waste of life is the real image here... nothing is clean in this movie, the bloodstains will never wash out. The film goes from sterile, pure white to a dirty dark, menacing look, and in the middle of this is a white haired Harry Brown dressed in black like an avenging angel cleaning up the hood with a cold ugly rage only matched by the fierce, red hot temper of Eastwood's Walt Kowalski. There's no happy ending to this story, rather more a symbol of hope and encouragement that justice will prevail in the end. It does remind me of that line "Evil is victorious when good men do nothing." Its a cold, haunting movie, a performance orientated flick to which Caine carries beautifully. While not up there with Gran Torino, Caine is a loved and respected actor, and his talent is what makes this quality. |
December 8, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Lovely Bones - PG-13 | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Skeptic - Unrated | December 8, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Brothers - R | December 3, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Armored (Armoured) - PG-13 | December 3, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Above the Law - R |
After watching it again, I realised that there was more to this film than a typical Seagal flick. For starters, its his first major hit and it also set the standard for the 90's cop thriller drama. Dont expect this to be an action movie, its a cold hard thriller with Seagal for the first time showing his red hot temper and devestating his opponents as he battles a shadowy CIA group dealing drugs and weapons from South America and into the US. Framed, harrassed and finally marked for assassination, Seagal plays Nico, a diamond hard cop and special ops veteran who crosses the path of his old enemies from Vietnam and the black group who believe themselves to be untouchable. With a good cast and helmed by Andrew Davis (Under Seige and The Fugitive) it is a plot worth thinking about as you dont know how the pieces fit together until the latter part of the movie, so its not a typical dmub story, its got meaning and a moral, which is expressed through Seagal's script and narrative. Very modern and slicker than your average movie, this one is worth watching, dont dismiss it as a cheap Seagal flick, its probably one of his best. |
November 28, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Inglourious Basterds - R |
Not exactly the typical Tarantino flick... and rather mild on the violence and gore than the trailer showed us.... maybe my expectations were different as this movie is. Anyways, with a colorful cast led by Brad Pitt, Taratino gives his his take on WWII. A cross between the original Inglorious Bastards and The Dirty Dozen, it strives to find some position but I cant help thinking that it didnt meet my expectations - a couple short stories revolving around the Nazi propoganda machine, but these stories are not equal to Pulp Fiction. The script was excellent, the cast were on the ball.... if you don't mind the dialouge in French and German most of the time. Some may find it long winded and boring, though the build up of some scenes were a let down. Laced with the same dark humor and themes like revenge and brutality, the movie is rather more a play than a movie. Anyways, it was good viewing, but a tad long and did leave me feeling confused on what exactly Tarantino was trying to achieve here.... he keeps on twisting to a new direction, though it wasn't completley unexpected and didn't surprise me, which is one of the things I want from a Tarantino movie. But you can't beat his unique vision and the script and the colorful characters he creates... and the simplicity of everything else makes it work. There is no large extravagant sets, no over the top expenditure on filming and production and certainly no frills. Its honest, simple and effective filmmaking, which is true Tarantino style - letting the raw movie, the cast and the direction do its work, which is what makes him such a great director. A good movie with different ideas, but I think Tarantino needs to step back and go back to his uniqueness. I know he has a great love for the old exploitave cinema and b grade flicks, but his best work has usually been the most unique, and Inglorious Basterds is not a unique idea, but a made with a unique concept, which is why I dont think it had a great effect on me. |
November 27, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Old Dogs - PG | November 27, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Ninja Assassin - R | November 27, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| 2012 - PG-13 |
Dont really care for disaster movies, and this was no exception, and despite the Star power, it was just a mess of CGI and a bad script. What is with these doomsday movies?? I thought The Day After Tommorrow would be the last, but alas I was wrong... and here we are again with another. What are they trying to do with the flick, I don't know. But it the Russian was funny and it was good to see George Segal and Danny Glover on the screen again. Anyways... probably best to give this one a miss. |
November 21, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Face/Off - R |
Yes I'm recommending this AGAIN. When John Woo was finally let off the Hollywood chains which stifled his start in Hollywood, the result was a masterpiece which defined the new sky high limits of adrenaline fueled action that will stand the test of time and is an instant classic. Aside from the operatic display of guns and violence, Travolta and Cage, two of Woo's favourite actors, combine to great the most dangerous and deadliest enemies to grace the screen, the literal live wire tension and crackling energy between the two is beyond good and evil, it's another universe in itself. A flawed, broken FBI agent out for revenge, hunting down his worst enemy and nightmare, a psychotic criminal genius without remorse or a conscience, that it nearly drives him insane.... and nearly does when switches identities with his mortal enemy for an undercover mission... only to discover the trap has reversed and his now the hunted.Losing everything but his hatred, he decides to play the game his way.... and becomes the person he hates. The script is perfect, the music score is perfect, there is no limit in this movie to what is possible or not, it happens and it doesn't just happen.... it annihilates everything and anything. There is no flaw that I can see at all. It is without a doubt, the perfect action movie, and its hard to beat. Just watch it yourself and see why. |
November 15, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Tango & Cash - R |
One of the special action movies of the 90's, this one is special because it reignited the buddy cop movies and had a rapid fire script with plenty of gags.... not to mention Stallone and Russell pulling it off as slick as racing flats on a wet track. Though I will say a lot of the action was recycled from my NO.1 Movie, J.C.'s Police Story, it was entertaining nonetheless, especially Kurt who I think stole the show with his wild boy antics and the drag scene. XD Anyways, Tango and Cash, two polar opposites in character, 100% identical cops, LA's Finest, gets set up by a group of drug dealers who've had enough of their successes. Copping an early plea of guilt to avoid the maximum sentence, both blue light specials find themselves in Hell, and as we all know, cops in prison is like being a snowball in Hawaii.... no chance. But of course, its Sly and Kurt here, two prime beefsteaks of the Golden Age of Action, and yeah ladies, you do get to see a lot of their backsides and such, so the movie is friendly for women. XD But the boys get a young Teri Hatcher, and boy was she the bomb back in her day. Well, now she's supposed to be a milf, but guys like to dream right? XD So, not much in direction, it did move around like a door missing a few hinges, but the script and the action was in your face and enjoyable. Even the courtroom scene was prime, Kurt surprisingly saying "eloquent" and everyone looks at him thinking "He knows how to say eloquent?".... then a few minutes later screaming out "THIS IS FUCKED UP" and getting all the cheers from the cops. The we have a modified RV assault vehicle, , monster trucks and things that go booom with spectacular results. Well.... why not? there's plenty of other ways to waste time, but this is one of the best. |
November 7, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Marked for Death - R |
Steven Seagal was the man back in the hey day of mindless action movies, and this one was an interesting change from the usual cop thrillers. Seagal play a retiring DEA agent, having had enough of the drugs and evils of his job, so he quits, makes his confession and gos back home to recuperate and forget about it all. The problem is, the Rastafarian gangs are taking over, taking drug dealing to a whole new level with provocative violence and stir crazy mythology, led by the psychotic Screwface, a supreme being amongst his men and feared by everyone. When Seagal interferes in a nightclub shootout, he and his family are cursed and marked for death by the gang, so its time to kick ass of course! Anyways, what i liked about this movie was the change of pace and the bad guys, the Jamaicans are a scary bunch when hopped up on drugs and twisted immortality. Of course, there is a plot and background to the story, but it disappears in the first half when Seagal loses his cool and declares war on the gangs. Action, things that go BOOOM and a pretty hectic car chase which ends with a nice jump into a jewelery story, and finally the showdown at the end which consists of a duel with swords. Anyways, the only problem you will face is understanding what the rastas are saying. I was alright with it, but hell it took me time to fully understand a rasta accent and language, so subtitles will help heaps. XD Anyways, another 90's action flick, and Seagal is smooth as usual. It even has a great scene in the crappy script, where Seagal meets his partner after killing one guy and watching a Rasta jump out a window to his death.... "One thought he was immortal and the other thought he could fly. Both were wrong." XD |
November 7, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Cobra - R |
The stereotypical 80's action flick.... violence, sex appeal, pop music and Stallone. its not like theres anything really going for it except the cool 80's factor and soundtrack, which was okay. Stallone once again mumbles his way through the movie as hard boiled cop Cobra, protecting a witness played by the sexy Brigitte Neilsen who is being hunted by an army of psychos, hell bent on reforming the world order. It was a concept ahead of its time , funnily enough. XD I bet noone even considered psycho gangs going out as serial killers, but then again, we need an army of bad guys to pile up the body count, as thats why Sly does best. ' Anyways, the movie is about coolness and badassness... and Cobra is a bad ass character with flaws. Like advising his partner on being too violent and lowering his sugar levels, to joking that his parents should have named him Alice. But then we have the bad ass look with the match in the mouth, the ivory handled pistol grip with a cobra emblazoned on it, the 1950 Mercury is one helluva car for a kick ass cop, and of course, his sub machine gun with laser sight. and dont forget the usual badass long coat. XD Anyways.... 3 stars for being a true cheesy 80's flick. Its so bad, it was good. |
November 7, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Drop Zone - R |
Wesley hits the air time again, as a US Marshall pursuing a computer genius who was kidnapped at high altitude by a group of elite parachutists and ex law enforcement and soldiers. Knowing that the kidnappers and his prisoner is still alive, he takes to the skies with the aid of a crazy drop expert and her equally crazy team , learning how to parachute, as well following the trail of the kidnappers, who have a bad guy agenda to make millions, by utilizing their skills. Wesley can't get enough of high altitude, and honestly, if we had mroe cops and security like Snipes, we'd be a hella lot safer! But anyways, this movie, like Passenger 57, set the bar again for a new kind of action. A mix of gun play, fist-cuffs and sky diving embroiled in an average though believable plot, makes for a pretty good flick. And why not? This is one of the earliest movies to take extreme sports to the big screen in a big way, and the sky diving cinematography was excellent, most of the time. But the cast was good, another bad guy in the form of bad ass Gary Busey. Snipes, once again, is a flawed and vulnerable character, and is pretty much a novice when it comes sky diving. But considering what he's up against, he had to learn how to fly pretty fast, before the ground or the bad guys get him, whichever comes first. So welcome to the daredevil world of sky diving.... and Wesley Snipes. XD |
November 4, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Hard Target - R |
John Woo's first venture into the American market was actually tame in comparison to his Hong Kong Movies which is stuff of legends. But then again, American movie makers did sit up and take notice... and their jaws dropped when this gem got released. Hardcore, over the top and even maybe a little ridiculous at times, but still enjoyable for the action junkie. If its John Woo you want, this is gonna provide. Van Damme plays a retired Marine Recon Soldier (aka Special Forces) who is hired by a young woman looking for her missing father. What they uncover is a dark and sinister group who provides the ultimate hunt - man hunting of retired combat soldiers at half a million dollars per head. Led by the egotistical and smooth Lance Henriksen, and aided by his second, the ultra violent Arnold Vosloo (whose name is Van Cleef btw, XD) they decide Van Damme and his new friend have butted their nose in where it doesnt belong. But of course, who is hunting who, as Van Damme takes it up a few notches. Its the early 90's people want kick ass and things that go BOOOM. So be happy. XD I guess the standout scene is the intro fight, the drawling western showdown music, the gunslinger routine and lightning fast draw.... if its one thing this film does better than most, its the style of the action. Smooth, strong and effective, making use of Van Damme's awesome martial arts and beautifully caught in slow motion in some places. There's nothing really more to say, just action, action and more action. Thats what I loved about the 90's. Action. XD |
November 4, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Passenger 57 - R |
As Im reviewing this, I've gotten into a 90's action phase, reviewing all the classic action flicks back in the day. Obviously these guys aren't Oscar winners, but these movies did set a standard of action for the decade, and some of the biggest action stars made their mark, and the stories were unique and the bad guys were the best ever on the screen. One of the early classics is Passenger 57, which took plan hijacking and terrorism to a new level in the 90's, and made Wesley Snipes a household name and gave him a chance to display his impressive martial arts. Supported by Tom Sizemore, a young Liz Hurley and Bruce Payne as one of the best bad guys in the movies, Snipes goes up against a terrorist and master hijacker, who is also insane. Of course, the story element isn't the best, but solid enough to include a background trauma for Snipe's character, he isn't an invulnerable hero, but a man dealing with a painful loss who just got back into the business, but he happens to be the best at what he does. Though not much for background and production work, the music, done by one of my favorite musicians, Stanley Clarke, had a good dark beat and the intro roll was akin to a James Bond opening credits, without the naked women of course. XD But the Xray effect and synthesized score also set a new tone and sound for the 90's. I love this movie because I think this is a great, basic action film, and mostly set the trend for others to come, as far as martial arts, gunfights and planes. Snipes is a good actor, no doubt about that, he played the part perfectly, mixing a brooding, hard edged character who can throw a razor one liner at the bad guys when needed, or preferably, a kick to the face. Probably one of the best action movies around, which is unique in its own right. |
November 4, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day - R | October 26, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Tournament - R | 3 stars for fun factor and gratuitous violence. Not much to say, the plot is thin but doable, the action is over the top but effective, the gore is ridiculous and better than most horror films. Yeah, it deserves 3 stars, it flows and moves faster than a train with no brakes and has some entertainment value thanks to Ian Somerhalder as the maniac that Heath Ledger's Joker would have loved. | October 25, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Lagaan - Once Upon a Time in India - PG |
For a movie which is SOOO GOOOD and beautifuly made - it will make you ignore the length as you will be immersed in this Bollywood epic. Aamir Kahn is one of Bollywoods' favourite sons as he stars and produces this epic - which stands as one of the best Bollywood movies to date. Set in the 1800's, in the midst of British Rule, one province takes a gamble to defy their oppressors and the land taxes in a game of cricket. Simple... yet cleverly wound into a bollywood love triangle intertwined with the regular, but in this case fabulous musicals which have made this movie spectacular, and cinematography to make your heart melt. A distinctly unique film, you will see an age old India arise out of the dust, and Victorian Age British mixed in the wilderness of the sub continent, a real historic rewind so accurate it would make you believe you were there. Better watch this musical! |
October 19, 2009 | N/A |
681 ratings
580 reviews
