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Asmith580
Reviews
The Avengers (2012)
I think I know the problem.
Before I review this title, I want to explain why there are so many bad reviews about this film. A lot of people don't know the back story of any of these superheroes, hydra, the tesseract (also known as the cosmic cube), Loki, or the avengers themselves. Joss did not have the time to explain all of this in pretty much expected people to already know about these things. That being said, for the people who are avid fans and know the story, you will love this movie. It is obvious that Joss is a fan of this series and loved making this movie. Everything in it screamed comic book Avengers. Even the Stan Lee inspired underlying theme of what it means to be a hero is prevalent when Iron Man learns that suits and power aren't what makes you a hero, but the willingness to act and sacrifice for others is what truly makes you a hero. I think a lot of people missed this, but this is what comic books are all about and that is why this film is magical. As for the CGI it was amazing and necessary in order to make this film. Wires would not have cut it in this case, no pun intended. This is the movie all of us geeks have been waiting for. Every character was spot on except for maybe Hawkeye and Fury, but I can overlook that. The small details were amazing, for example, the Hulk cannot lift Thor's hammer and Captain America never kills anyone with a gun (although he will use one to keep people at bay until he gets his shield back). This movie is important to comic book aficionados everywhere because we finally have one that was done right. Thanks Joss, screw the mainstream, this one is for us!
Hanna (2011)
A gasp of fresh air in an otherwise dominated genre!
This movie may be ahead of its time. You may not get how everything plays out until the second go around, but I assure you, it is worth watching more than once. Hanna mixes the enjoyment of an action thriller with the emotion of a drama. It seems like only open minded individuals like this movie and people really frowned on some of the small details, but this is most likely because of there personal prejudices. We should all be very appreciative of the stellar acting in this movie. Not only did the main actors portray their characters wonderfully, but so did the actors in the minor roles. This film was shot very well and was a delight to see. I, unfortunately, missed watching it in the theaters, but I wish I would have. Hanna takes you through a lot in its short run-time and the pace may have been too quick for some to fully grasp the story line in full detail, but this is my only complaint. Hanna is not a typical mindless action thriller and the plot is not spelled out for you in black and white. It requires you to be engrossed enough to put the pieces together on your own. It isn't about a macho "Rambo" type of guy mindlessly killing everyone he sees, so please don't expect that. It is a story of a young woman trying to find her place in a world that has tried to destroy her. A lot of the people saying that there are holes in this movie's plot are sadly mistaken. All of the answers to the their questions are in the movie, all they had to do was pay attention. Movies of this type don't typically do well in reviews and the fact that it maintains a 7.5 or so, should show you that it is worth the watch. Have fun and enjoy.
Insidious (2010)
Wonderfully Scary, Delightful, and Fun
Once upon a time there were scary movies. The problem was, they could not scare me. I tried everything, watching all sorts of movies, from classic horror to gory torture, but nothing worked. That is until I saw Insidious. For those of you who know horror, you will see how inspired this film really is. This is a true horror film that uses suspense and plot to lock the movie goer in. I appreciate that it was very well done and did not need to rely on gore and cheesy special effects to scare me. This movie had it all, weaving a plot that was original. You may hear some critics saying it was basically a combination of a bunch of other movies, but what movie isn't? Wan took a risk with talking about astral projection as the average person is not familiar with what this is. However, it worked perfectly for this movie and that is what sets it apart from the others. You can tell that this movie was very well thought out. This movie is suspenseful, visually stunning, terrifying, and pulls at the strings of spirituality. It is a classic masterpiece with a modern twist that will leave you begging for more. This is the first horror movie that I have enjoyed watching in a long time. Thank you Mr. Wan, my hat's off to you. And for all you skeptics out there, beware insidious.
Rear Window (1954)
Films will come and films will go, but a classic can never be killed
..We like to think that if a film is from a certain era, it is going to be slow and boring. I am writing to you as someone who previously owned this mindset. I really had to put my ADD aside when watching this film. It seems that I, like many of us, have grown accustomed to unpredictable plot twists with large explosions and clean special effects. If that is what you need to enjoy a film, then please look elsewhere; but if you enjoy great acting, suspense, and women who actual have curves; then this is the movie for you. I must say that Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly were magnificent. It is rare now days to find actors with such unique characteristics that made them an icon. The love between these two was very evident and I was glad to see Grace stick by her man through it all. This movie was filmed entirely on a single set which can make for a feeling of claustrophobia, but at the same time it allows you to relate to Jimmy Stewart's character as being confined inside his home with a broken leg. The beginning of this film was drawn out and took some real refocusing on my part to keep me moving along, but just as I was drifting off there would be a shot of a hot neighbor girl dancing in her 50s bikini to draw me back in. Once you get past the first 30 minutes or so, you really begin to feel for Stewart's character. You see the paranoia take hold as he begins to see the events of a possible murder unfold. You can feel his frustration when the people who are supposed trust him refuse to believe what he is saying. One scene that particularly stands out is when Grace Kelly's character enters the home of the killer to gather more evidence when she is caught and confronted by the killer. I was on the edge of my seat and felt almost as if I were the one watching helplessly as my future wife was manhandled by this brute. This movie is a roller-coaster of emotion and that is why it is a classic. Horror should give you the chills and good horror should freak you out, this does both. This is captured perfectly in the scene when the neighbor's dog is killed. The killer' room is dark and Stewart's character can see nothing, but he knows the killer is there. The suspense builds culminating in the strike of a match and the glimpse of the killer sitting alone is his room watching and waiting. There is so much this movie has to offer, it is fear on the simplest level and done very well. Hitchcock's use of shadow and cinematography is legendary and he holds nothing back in this wonderful film. Love him or hate him, this is a must see in the Hitchcock collection, granite you can get past the first 30 minutes or so.
Waking Life (2001)
A culmination of thoughts from the conscious collective
..Often times we see quotes flashing across the screen for future films with descriptive expressions such as "visually captivating", "thought provoking", or "A true masterpiece that allows the imagination to lose itself in a requiem for modern cinema". More often than not however, this isn't the case, until now. This movie is truly inspired. We wander through life never reaching out beyond the scope of our own reality, until something comes along that forces us to do so. Directors, writers, and producers should all take note of this stunning film. This is what cinema is all about. It is one thing to entertain, but it is another to truly captivate an audience and make them think. The blending of philosophy, narrative, eye popping visuals, culture, arts, performance, and acting made this movie a joy to watch. I often found myself pausing the movie to ponder the ideals and questions this movie brought to light only to get lost in the depth of their revelations. This movie opened up profound ideas that when analyzed, peeled away like the layer of an onion revealing even more meaning beneath. This is not a movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, or relies on action and special effects to captivate, but it is a film designed for the thinker in all of us. How refreshing it is to see a film like this on the shelves when so many have missed the mark. I feel this film did exactly what it intended and accomplished the goal that it sought after. This movie will not make millions in the box office or be seen as the greatest film of all time. It may never win an Oscar, but in the hearts of many dreamers and thinkers it will go down in history. So in conclusion, If you're looking for more than the typical everyday action adventure film, then please see this film and I promise you will not be disappointed.
2012 (2009)
2012 – An adult idea turned into a family movie doesn't work.
.....Let's jump into the thick of it then. This movie was terrible. If you're going to make a movie about the end of the world, don't try and make it for families to go see. A movie like this should have blood, gore, trauma, real human emotion, painful sacrifice, love, loss, triumph, hope, and reflection of doing the right thing. You can tell that this movie attempted such things, but they went about it all wrong. All we get once again is action packed thrill ride scenes with absolutely no real and tangible emotion. I had the same problem with the new Indiana Jones. If there is no chemistry between your characters and the audience, then you have failed as a writer and as a movie maker. Thus this movie was an utter failure in my eyes. There is so much wrong with this movie, it isn't even funny. From the little things like knowing for a fact (being an ex-jet engine mechanic for the US Navy) that an engine would immediately stall if any amount of ash got inside and all your electronics would stop working if a volcano went off near you, to the big things like the directors attempt to make us care for all the evil billionaires who got to survive, but forget that the common man got screwed like usual. ***Spoiler Alert*** The ending of this movie was downright stupid. You expect me to believe the main characters got to the main land with a bunch of rich billionaire jerks and the people who let everyone die and live happily ever after. I don't think so, the writers of this movie obviously either thought about these things and didn't care, or were just a bunch of morons who didn't think about it. (I guess they could have just been lazy) This ending sums up the movie well with poorly thought out scenarios with a terrible story line masked by CGI effects all to make a crappy film for one reason only . . . to make money. I would love to remake this movie and rate it R, so I could capture what it would really be like if the world ended in 2012. So in short, if you're a mindless drone who doesn't care about cinema, plot development, or the character's on-screen chemistry; then go to this movie and enjoy, but if you are looking for more than overblown GGI effects and the mindless plot lines that we have come to expect from Hollywood these days, then by all means, go and see a good movie and scratch this one off your list.
Hagane no renkinjutsushi (2003)
Great Anime, Disappointing Ending
All I can say is "Wow". This is an excellently done Anime. Kudos Bones. Most Anime fans will love FMA. It is very well done with great dubbing and fluid fight scenes. The story line twists and turns keeping you on the edge of your seat and constantly saying "this is getting intense" FMA is never predictable and always leaves you guessing. The relationship between Ed and Al is truly something to be admired and your really begin to feel for the two as if they were your own brothers. FMA takes you through an emotional roller-coaster with strong character development that keeps you engaged in the series. If the measure of a good show is its ability to leave you wanting more, then this anime really makes the grade.
Now that I got the praise out of the way, let's talk about the reason this anime didn't get a 10 from me. If anyone has read my reviews in the past they will note that my biggest pet-peeve when it comes to movies is a poorly thought out "cop-out" ending. Low and behold this anime, unfortunately, doesn't fail in that. The build up in FMA is so intense that nothing short of a great ending would suffice. It seemed as if the ending to this series was forced out in the last two episodes because they ran out of funds or something. For those of you who have not seen FMA, I recommend you do so, and then read this as it will spoil the series for you. Everyone else, feel free to read on as you already know the basic story and I don't have to explain the entire thing. So Ed and Al get the philosopher's stone. So they should be able to just make everything right in the world. But I guess not, they find out they have to fight Dante who has the ability to send them through the gate. Rose sends Ed and his dad through the gate. The other side of the gate is our world, London in WW2. This is just stupid. All this build up for that! All I can say is this was a big let down. So Ed makes his way back and gets killed by Envy, who is his step brother. Al uses the stone and revives him, but is taken to the gate and is floating between worlds with his body; witch again is stupid because he shouldn't have had to this happen to him as he was the philosopher's stone. Then Ed transmutes to the gate and destroys the city that all the bad stuff happened in. Al appears in Risunbule with no memory of the events and is in his 10 year old body. We don't know where Ed is. It then turns out Ed is trapped in our world with his father. Now Ed and Al have to be separated until they find a way back to each other. I thought this was such a horrible ending, that didn't explain anything and made all the events of the series completely pointless. Here are some key points of needed explanations:
1. Why did Wrath have such a strong connection to Ed and Al's mother? 2. Why did Ed and Al's step brother turn into a dragon while going through the gate? 3. What was the gate and why was it there? 4. Why do Humunculi float in between worlds? 4. Who was Rose's baby and how did she get it? 5. Were homunculi partial human transmutations that just needed the soul to be reattached? 6. Was the philosopher's stone really what it claimed to be? If so, why couldn't Al get his and Ed's bodies back no problem?
So as you can see this series completely bombed in the end, but it was fun while it lasted. And call me cliché, but when people go through so much, give them a happy ending! Sometimes I like to feel all warm and fuzzy inside and cheer when the heroes achieve what they went through so much to get.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
The Death of a Hero
***The reference to the death of Indy is metaphorical and not what actually happens in the movie.***
R.I.P. Indy. He was a good man, one of the favorites of all my childhood heroes. When it finally sunk in that Mr. George Lucas and Mr. Steven Spielberg had murdered Indiana Jones, My heart sank. I went through all the emotions. First was unbelief, then sadness, then anger and now finally acceptance. Many people have said we cannot expect Crystal skull to be like Raiders of the lost arc, If that is the case, then they should not have made this movie. Just as Michael Jordan should have stayed retired, so should have Indy. I think it is an outrage not to expect the same magic and talent that the first movies brought. If we do not hold our viewing standards to a level that is beyond that of cheesy one liners and CGI cop-outs, then what do we have? I will tell you, we have senseless movies with terrible dialog and aliens flying out of mountains. There is never, and has never, been any place for aliens in an Indiana Jones movie. Spielberg, I know you are way into aliens, but leave Indy alone! You had your fun with ET and AI, stop ruining movies with aliens. Same goes with you Mr. Lucas. I cannot and will not even accept this movie as part of the Indiana Jones legacy. I refuse to remember him this way because doing so is crime to cinema everywhere. Alas my heart is saddened that the future generation will remember Indy by this movie and not by the greatness that is his original trilogy. I will do my part to make sure my kids know the real Indy and not this old man sell out puppet controlled by two alien dogma imposing wash-ups who have nothing better to do with their time and money then to ruin great films and murder genuine heroes. Alas Indy we will miss you, but we will always remember you the way you lived and not the way you died. Good-bye my friend.
Eden Lake (2008)
Rational thinking is tossed aside faster than the stars I was given to rate this movie.
..We are seeing a common theme amongst horror movies in the early 21st century. What do you get when everything has been done? You either get something really good that goes above and beyond or you get a pile of rubbish as the English would say. This movie unfortunately is just that, a stinking pile of rubbish. The days of the ignorant and helpless woman are at an end. Women are surpassing their former self's by leaps and bounds and the last thing we need is too see a stereotypical overly dependant women who cannot muster the strength or know how to do anything on her own, but unfortunately that's all the makers of Eden Lake give you. This movie has a couple of bright spots with decent cinematography and acting. You can also tell a majority of the budget went to cameras and equipment, which is always a nice break from the shaky first person view that a lot of horror movies have adopted post Blair Witch Project, but it still doesn't make up for a poorly thought out story line. Now I may be a bit bias, but I typically like to give human beings the benefit of the doubt in survival situations, but it seems the screen writers of this film disagree. Keeping in mind the films budget and location, I went into it with an open mind. I was, however, thoroughly disappointed with the sheer ignorance and stupidity of the main character. Combined with impossibly bad luck and the survival know how of a baby, this woman was unable to do the simplest of survival tasks and I was forced to sit and watch it all. When you make a slasher movie it would seem that you are ultimately pinning wits against wits, will against will, main character against killer. You want to draw the audience in and have them side with either the killer or the hero, and Eden Lake fell very short of this goal. I felt that I was supposed to be built up to side with the hero in the long and drawn out character development just to learn that she isn't smart enough to outwit a group of 15 year old kids. Combine this with every cliché thing you hate about a generic horror movie and terribly annoying English accents and the end result Eden Lake. True horror fans; do not be fooled by the good reviews of this movie. This movie is a terrible burden to watch and you will undoubtedly end up kicking yourself for wasting your time. The only thing Eden Lake will leave you with is a headache and a question. How can anyone be so stupid?