TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN Movie Review
Director: Michael Bay
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson
One of the most anticipated movie of the year 2009 is the sequel to Michael Bay’s adaption of the 80’s cartoon Transformers. The first movie had many flaws but sported some great special effects and a likable lead character. My main complaint about the first movie is that there was way too many human characters, therefore taking away from focus on enough of the robot characters. Unfortunately with this sequel we get more human nonsense.
Yes, the Autobots and Decepticons have more screen time but that’s only because the runtime checks in around a tiring 150 minutes. The problems with the first one are expanded on in this outing. More stupid characters and corny lines fit into this lengthy film. Understand I am a fan of the cartoon and I realize that a movie based on an 80’s cartoon isn’t going for Oscar-worthy performances or a plot that has to always make a whole lot of sense, but I feel insulted after leaving the theater.
I need more then just loud noises and some great special effects in my movie. Even the action is drawn out with Bay’s sweeping camera shots and slow motion. Characters appear and disappear when needed. Another problem is that the humor is hardly ever funny and crude at that. All these factors get old very quick. It’s not too often that I look at my watch hoping for an ending in a movie, but I did during this film.
Aside from an action sequence in the woods featuring Optimus Prime, I can’t say there was much I liked about this movie at all. This mess is one to avoid.
Popcorn Ninja
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material, and brief drug material.
Runtime: 150 mins
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Movie Review
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston
Director: Gavin Hood
I’m a big fan of the first two X-Men films. The Last Stand, third installment in the original trilogy, had some good action and a majority of the cast back, but it lacked what the first two movies had. I’ve said it and I’ll say it again, movies just try to hard and incorporate too much action/special effects, but forget about the human aspect of movies.
Unfortunately, Wolverine is a similar type of movie. The film will answer all the questions about Logan aka Wolverine, but that to me is the downfall of the movie. By trying to answer every single question in a 107 minute film, you crunch too much into it. While trying to tell this story you still have to have a large amount of action. The final result ends in a movie that is thrown together with a rushed feeling.
Where the Singer X-Men movies seemed to soar, this movie seems to fail. The one positive about the movie is that Jackman does appear to be giving it his all and he does fit the role of Wolverine. Unfortunately, with all his talent he could not save this one from being an average comic book movie.
Popcorn Ninja
Rated PG-13
107 mins
Terminator Salvation Movie Review
Cast: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Common, Moon Bloodgood
Director: McG
The next part of the Terminator saga and one of the most anticipated movies of this year has finally hit the big screen. Terminator Salvation follows the story of John Connor (Bale) in the future this time. Having little to do with time travel this time around, the plot is definitely a different feel for the sci-fi action series. The problem is the difference can be both good and bad.
Director McG definitely shows that he has more up his sleeve then ever before. The director has brought a good style to many of the action scenes, the most memorable one a scene including a helicopter. The problem with the style is that we gain almost all action but less drama. The previous releases in the series (especially the two done by Cameron) merged both an interesting plot, strong characters, and some of the best action scenes to hit the screen.
Christian Bale appears to be going through the steps on this one, unlike his stronger performances like Rescue Dawn and The Dark Knight. It should be noted that newcomer Sam Worthington appears to have star power and gives hope to his future in Hollywood.
Like many other blockbusters to hit the screen of late, there is enough action to keep you entertained for a couple hours but don’t expect there to be too much to think about after you leave the theater.
Popcorn Ninja
2009
Rated PG-13
Runtime 130 mins
STAR TREK Movie Review
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Eric Bana
Director: J.J. Abrams
It seems like there are more and more Hollywood reboots lately. They continue to try the remaking and redoing of older movie franchises (Friday the 13th, Batman series). Some are actually good and most are a lost cause. This time around the brilliant J.J. Abrams, tries to restart a classic but at times flawed Sci-Fi series. And this time around it is a huge success.
The movie show the origins of the Star Trek Enterprise. Everyone from Kirk to Scotty have their share of screen time. This movie hits all the right notes with amazing direction and some of the best visual effects we have seen of late.
Put together a cast of young stars that fit into the roles perfectly. Both Pine (James T. Kirk) and Quinto (Spock) are so comfortable as the legendary characters. They create their own while staying true to the source of their characters.
It isn’t just a great summer movie, it’s one of the better Sci-Fi flicks to hit the screen in a long time. It’s exciting, dramatic, funny, and smart. Many of the previews say that it is the Star Trek everyone will love. They aren’t kidding.
Popcorn Ninja
PG-13
126 mins
2009
My X-MEN TRILOGY Blu-Ray Review
With the upcoming release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 20th Century Fox has mastered the original X-Men trilogy on Blu-Ray. The trilogy was released back on April 21, 2009. This collection comes in a box with three individual cases (for each movie). Each case includes a total of 3 discs - feature film, special features, and a digital copy disc.
The first installment of the trilogy gives a great start to the story of these super heroes. The movie does a great job of introducing the main characters and gives most of them enough screen time for some development. Bryan Singer (Usual Suspects) is very talented and it shows with his translation here. With some strong performances from Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as the heads of both sides of the mutants.
The second movie, X2: X-Men United, expands on the characters and gives us better action and pacing then the original film. Singer has made one of the best super hero movies that we have seen yet. Much of the movie focuses on Wolverine’s past and how he became what he is today. It also leads us into the Jean Grey/Phoenix Saga.
X-Men: The Last Stand loses some of the steam and continuity due to new direction from Brett Ratner (Rush Hour). This is not to say that Last Stand is a bad movie, but it definitely feels different. My main complaint is that much of the movie feels rushed. Clocking in at only 104 minutes, it feels very compacted. Many subplots seem to come and go, without the detail that Singer originally brought to the table. There is still a fair amount of well-done action sequences and some closure to some of the main plot lines.
The video and audio quality are top notch on this disc. There is a very noticeable improvement over the original DVD releases of this title. The audio features an DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix, which provided great sound throughout, whether it was action or dialogue.
Other than a weaker third installment of a trilogy, this boxset of Blu-Rays gets my highest recommendation for overall quality of films, as well as an amazing spectacle of audio and video.
Popcorn Ninja
New G.I. Joe Resolute Review
I’m not sure if anyone else out there was a big fan of G.I. Joe growing up, but I know I was. I loved watching the original cartoon series and we can’t forget the numerous action figures that came out.
Well there was a treat this past Saturday when Cartoon Network aired the new G.I. Joe Resolute movie at 12 PM EST. I didn’t know what to expect with it but it was a total treat. The animation was definitely sharper and more up-to-date than the 80’s cartoon that I remember, but still had an old school feel to it. Many of the major characters had roles in the new movie, including Duke, Flint, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Destro, and Cobra Commander (and more).
Although it felt old school, it was much more mature. Take note that this is aimed at adult viewers - not children. The opening scene showed a crime scene with a corpse and blood everywhere. It is definitely for a more mature audience. This time around things were exploding and people were actually getting killed.
After the World and G.I. Joe become under attack by Cobra, they must split up to fight against time to save many of the World’s major cities. Much of the movie focused on the past of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, which was cool to see.
The movie ran a little over an hour and was a definitely a treat for fans of G.I. Joe. There has not been any news (that I’ve heard) about kick starting a new cartoon series but for the fans of Resolute, let us hope it does come.
Popcorn Ninja
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Review
Every once in a while a movie comes along that has just about everything and seems to hit all the right notes. After viewing SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, I can easily say that this is that type of movie.
This is a story about a young man, named Jamal, who lands himself on the Indian version of the hit TV show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”. The big question is if the man is up for answering all the questions, since he has spent most of his life in the slums, hence the name Slumdog Millionaire. The director (Danny Boyle) has made a masterpiece in story-telling. Going from the present to the past, he beautiful guides us through Jamal’s experiences. What helps even more is that the cast of mostly unknowns (at least to us in the US) provide performances that are genuine and effective
This is a movie is perfectly made and includes a little bit of everything for us movie lovers - laughs, suspense, and drama. Probably the most romantic movie you’ll see in years.
This Sunday the movie will be up for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture of the Year and Best Director (Boyle). I can say with no doubts or hesitation that this movie deserves to win big this weekend.
Highly recommended.
Popcorn Ninja
Cast: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor
Director: Danny Boyle
Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language.
Runtime: 120 mins
THE DARK KNIGHT Movie Review
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal
Director: Christopher Nolan
Perfection is the only word that comes to mind when thinking about this epic movie. Everything from the special effects to the brilliant editing. Many movies now days you walk away from wishing certain parts would have been executed better, but The Dark Knight is not one of those movies.
This sequel to Batman Begins (another excellent film) picks up with the entrance of The Joker played by Ledger. The Joker quickly convinces many including the mob to help create chaos in Gotham City. (more…)