Showing posts with label latest movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label latest movies. Show all posts

2 Dec 2011

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011) / Review

Release Date: 18 November 2011 (India) Runtime: 117 min
Genres: Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Romance
Taglines: Forever is only the beginning

The Quileute and the Volturi close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses different threats to the wolf pack and vampire coven.

Director: Bill Condon
Writers: Melissa Rosenberg (screenplay), Stephenie Meyer (novel)
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner

Stewart is finally acting, which is one of the biggest reasons why this movie is so much better than the others. She portrays Bella in a way that is so close to the book, and it's wonderful to see her and Pattinson playing lovers that are so, so, so in love. The fact that Bill Condon (director) gave the happy couple so much time to be just that, happy, makes you really believe in their love and it makes you understand why they can't live without each other.
This movie takes you from a beautiful wedding, complete with the most hilarious toasts (Jessica and Charlie) wonderful music, stunning dresses and declarations of love that will touch everyone's hearts, to South America for a sexy, funny and exciting honeymoon where we see heartfelt smiles, kissing, cuddling and teasing along with the epic headboard breaking scene. It then settles back in Forks, where we get to witness the most terrifying pregnancy imaginable.
 The special effects team deserve an Oscar for the work they've done on making Stewart look like she's slowly fading away. The moments leading up to the birth scene are actually scarier than the scene itself. It really is a horror film towards the end, and some scenes should maybe have been rated R. It ends in the perfect place, such a natural and obvious cut. I am so thankful that Breaking Dawn has been split into two parts, because I can't imagine even once scene in this part that could have been skipped.
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Cast
Taylor Lautner , Gil Birmingham, Billy Burke, Sarah Clarke, Ty Olsson, Kristen Stewart, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli , Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz , Nikki Reed, Robert Pattinson, Christian Sloan, James Pizzinato

Produced by Wyck Godfrey, Stephenie Meyer, Mark Morgan & Karen Rosenfelt
Original Music by Carter Burwell       
Cinematography by Guillermo Navarro       
Film Editing by Virginia Katz       
Casting by Debra Zane       
Production Design by Richard Sherman         
Costume Design by Michael Wilkinson    
Filming Locations: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Budget: $127,000,000 (estimated)
Production Co: Summit Entertainment, Sunswept Entertainment, TSBD Canada Productions
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | DTS
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MOVIE TRAILER
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20 Nov 2011

Jack and Jill (2011)/ Movie Review

Release Date: 11 November 2011 (USA) 
Taglines: His twin sister is coming for the holidays... ...and it ain't pretty.
Genre: Comedy

Family guy Jack Sadelstein prepares for the annual event he dreads: the Thanksgiving visit of his identical twin sister, the needy and passive-aggressive Jill, who then refuses to leave.

Director: Dennis Dugan
Writers: Adam Sandler (screenplay) Steve Koren (screenplay), Ben Zook (story)
Cast : Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes, Al Pacino, Elodie Tougne , Rohan Chand, Eugenio Derbez , David Spade, Nick Swardson, Tim Meadows , Allen Covert, Norm MacDonald, Geoff Pierson ,Valerie Mahaffey , Gary Valentine,   
Storyline
Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler) is a successful advertising executive in Los Angeles with a beautiful wife (Katie Holmes) and kids, who dreads one event each year: the Thanksgiving visit of his identical twin sister Jill (also Adam Sandler). Jill's neediness and passive-aggressiveness is maddening to Jack, turning his normally tranquil life upside down. Written by Columbia Pictures  

Filming Locations: Allure of the Seas
Production Co: Broken Road Productions, Happy Madison Productions
Sound Mix: SDDS  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) | Dolby Digital
Original Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams        
Cinematography by Dean Cundey        
Film Editing by Tom Costain        
Casting by Roger Mussenden & Jeremy Rich       
Production Design by Perry Andelin Blake       

The trailer is the highlights

The standard that Adam Sandler movies has set is pretty low, but even with such low expectations going to the movie, the movie still felt terrible. The gag is twins and ignoring that healthy identical twins with different genders is impossible, we get to see Adam Sandler dress up as a woman. And, we get to see Adam Sandler dress up as a woman a lot, ridiculously lot and so much so, that Jack Adam Sandler and the rest of the cast are just supporting actors to the almighty squawking of Jill Adam Sandler.
We could say this is just Adam Sandler up to his usual antics but Jill Adam Sandler hogs up the screen time and nothing about her really makes any sort of logical sense. There is Al Pacino as himself who falls for Jill, a possibility that the writers explain away as madness or nervous breakdown of Al Pacino. Then, there is Jill who is loved by the kids and Jack's wife Erin (played by Katie Holmes) for reasons that Jill doesn't portray on screen and we are never shown, all we are shown is the mean and manipulative Jill. The Jill that Adam Sandler portrays is his own immature rendition of a woman, filled with toilet humor and displays of uncharacteristic skills and strength as positive attributes. Jill is portrayed uninteresting and vacuous though written differently, and that being the center of the movie makes the movie uninteresting and tiresome.
The movie would have been an acceptable Sandler movie if Jill had been played by a woman who could actually portray a big heart. The previous Sandler movies were enjoyable movies, but Jack and Jill is a real stinker, barely watchable. The only thing I found interesting was the background opulence of everyone around, thrown around so casually that it really feels like the big guys involved in the movie have severely lost touch with their audience and given way to sloth where they think anything they do is magical. Avoid the movie.


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4 Nov 2011

Puss in Boots (2011)/Movie Review

A story about the events leading up to the sword fighting cat's meeting with Shrek and his friends.

No regrets at all in watching this animated fantasy-Western adventure.
I see Puss' humble origins as a kitten growing up in an orphanage in the Mexican town of San Ricardo. He develops an unlikely friend in one odd egg named Humpty Alexander Dumpty. Circumstances eventually break up the two friends. After several years, Humpty seeks out Puss (with the help of sultry seductress Kitty Softpaws) to convince him to help get Jack's magic beans from Jack and Jill. I know this sounds like a messy mishmash of fairy tale characters, and it was. The artists also take liberties in their visual interpretation of these characters, including the Golden Goose (which I personally found corny).
Thanks to the Shrek films, we already know Puss in Boots and what to expect from him. His Zorro-like swashbuckling exploits, his charm with the ladies and his cute wide-eyed pleading look are all here, and Antonio Banderas too! Selma Hayek voices Kitty delightfully. This new character is quite likable, and you would like to see more adventures of the two cats. As for Humpty (voiced by Zach Galifianakis of "Hangover" fame) though, here lies the prickly problem. You may or may not like him, both his look and his character. Humpty can really be annoying!
There are so many hilarious isolated situations that could make you laugh out loud. I certainly did at several points. My favorite funny moment was that when Humpty changed into his Golden Egg costume. I'm sure you can get an absurd image just by reading that last sentence. Haha! His line when he was running and commented that he needed powder to prevent friction in his pants (he was apparently not wearing underwear) really made me guffaw! You have to hear it to believe that a line like that made it into a children's cartoon flick.
The artwork was of course flawless. The textures are palpable. The action sequences are exciting and funny at the same time. The fight scenes mixed with dance moves were quite interesting to watch as well. The 2D version looked adequate enough to enjoy the adventure. Overall this is a fun movie to watch with the whole family.
 
Genres: Adventure | Animation | Comedy | Fantasy
Release Date: 27 october 2011 (US)
Taglines: Rebel. Lover. Hero.
Cast overview :
Antonio Banderas- Puss in Boots (voice)
Salma Hayek -Kitty Softpaws (voice)
Zach Galifianakis- Humpty Dumpty (voice)
Billy Bob Thornton-  Jack (voice)
Amy Sedaris -Jill (voice)
Constance Marie -Imelda (voice)
Guillermo del Toro- Moustache Man / Comandate (voice)
Rich Dietl -Bounty Hunter (voice)
Ryan Crego - Luis (voice)
Tom Wheeler -    Bartender / Hotel Owner / Mean Boy / Wagon Driver / Rodrigo (voice)

Directed by Chris Miller       
Writing credits:  Charles Perrault, Brian Lynch, David H. Steinberg, Tom Wheeler, Jon Zack  
Original Music by Henry Jackman       
Film Editing by Eric Dapkewicz       
Production Co: DreamWorks Animation
MOVIE TRAILER
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30 Sept 2011

Killer Elite (2011)/Movie Review

Release Date: 23 September 2011 (USA)
Runtime: USA: 105 min  | Germany: 116 min  | UK: 100 min
Genres: Action | Thriller   Taglines: May the Best Man Live

When his mentor is taken captive, a retired member of Britain's Elite Special Air Service is forced into action. His mission: kill three assassins dispatched by their cunning leader.

Cast overview:
Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro, Dominic Purcell, Aden Young, Yvonne Strahovski, Ben Mendelsohn, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, David Whiteley, Matthew Nable, Lachy Hulme, Firass Dirani, Nick Tate, Bille Brown, Stewart Morritt
   
Director: Gary McKendry
Writers: Matt Sherring (screenplay), Ranulph Fiennes(book "The Feather Men")
Original Music by  Reinhold Heil     & Johnny Klimek        
Cinematography by Simon Duggan & Alain Duplantier
Film Editing by John Gilbert        
Casting by Leigh Pickford        
Production Design by Michelle McGahey        

Storyline
Based on a true story, Killer Elite pits two of the worlds' most elite operatives - Danny, an ex-special ops agent (Jason Statham) and Hunter, his longtime mentor (Robert De Niro) - against the cunning leader of a secret military society ('Clive Owen' ). Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly dangerous game of cat and mouse - where the predators become the prey.

Production Companies :  Omnilab Media|   Ambience Entertainment|   Current Entertainment
Film Victoria |  International Traders |  Open Road Films |  Palomar Pictures (II)  | Sighvatsson Films | Wales Creative IP Fund
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) | SDDS

Filming Locations:  Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, UK| Central City Studios, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (studio)| Dandenong, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia| Footscray, Victoria, Australia| Frankston, Victoria, Australia| Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia|

Review
The Killer Elite is saddled with a vague and forgettable title but at least it sounds more lethal than the book it is based on by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, "The Feather Men". An evil cabal known as the Feather Men does not inspire too much fear. These ex-SAS (Special Air Service) members, and now business leaders, chose the name themselves to signify their light touch on situations which concern them. Shady characters are starting to ask around about an old mission in Oman involving SAS men and this falls right in the wheelhouse of issues the Feather Men are watching out for.
The Feather Men novel is allegedly based on a true story but none of the facts have ever been verified. Sir Fiennes described the book as 'factional' which does not bode well for the story's authenticity. However, the plot is intriguing, especially for a shoot 'em up first, ask questions later action fest. The background and set up are complicated enough which makes you want to follow it closely. I do not want to provide an exact plot synopsis but essentially Danny Bryce (Jason Statham) must kill some ex-SAS men to save his assassin mentor (Robert De Niro) from some Omani oil sheiks. Spike Logan (Clive Owen), also an ex-SAS man but not one of the marked men, has his sixth sense kick into overdrive and tries to save his mates from Danny's bullets as a good Feather Man would. Sir Fiennes actually claims to be one of those marked SAS men.
The script portrays Danny as an assassin who has lost his taste for killing and vows after every trigger pull that "this is my last job". He is supposedly from Australia but oddly maintains a thick and native British accent. Since every assassin must have someone to come home to, his girlfriend Anne (Yvonne Strahovski) waits impatiently for him as he disappears on his missions. Strahovski is a real life Australian and has a matching accent to prove it. She has been outstanding in the Chuck series so it is enjoyable to see her finally cross over into mainstream film.
The overall look to the Killer Elite is good however. Even though it was mainly shot in Melbourne, the skies are usually England gray and the Brecon Beacons mountain range sequence is shot well. This film is right in that middle range where I am unsure still at this point rather to recommend it or not. It is much better than the garbage in its genre such as The Expendables but fails to reach up to the higher level of Crank or The Bank Job. I suppose I marginally recommend the Killer Elite for its absorbing plot and intricate assassination sequences, but be warned, this film is not anything more than average.

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17 Sept 2011

Red State (2011) /Movie Review

Release Date: 12 August 2011(UK)| 22 September 2011 (Australia)
Runtime: 88 min | USA:97 min    Genre:  Horror | Thriller
Tagline: Fear God  Sound Mix: Dolby

Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda.

Director:  Kevin Smith
Writer:  Kevin Smith
Cinematography by David Klein
Film Editing by Kevin Smith
Cast: Michael Angarano,  Deborah Aquila, Nicholas Braun, Ronnie Connell, Kaylee DeFer, Joey Figueroa, Kyle Gallner, Anna Gunn, Matt L. Jones, John Lacy,Catherine McCord,  Alexa Nikolas, Stephen Root, Cooper Thornton, Betty Aberlin, Kerry Bishé

Production Companies
  • Harvey Boys, The
  • NVSH Productions
User Reviews
Best Kevin Smith Film to Date!
Author: sethmartin  from United States
The film begins with sort of the stereotypical horror movie formula, teenagers go out looking for sex and find themselves staring death in the face. However, what happens to them in Red State is a far departure from your standard Jason or Michael Myers flick. The film is hardly a stereotypical horror movie. In fact, Kevin Smith deliberately goes out of his way in this film to keep it far from the typical story arch and structure of most studio movies. Just when you think you know what is going to happen next, Smith hits you with another twist and surprise. This film is completely unpredictable and unforgiving of its characters.

This is by far the best looking Kevin Smith movie to date. The constant use of hand held cameras and creative cutting, keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I think a fair comparison would be Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects" or parts of the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Also, the film has no musical underscore. It uses ambiance and sound effects in place which works beautifully for this film. Most films use music to enhance the mood and make you feel a certain way. In this film, you can tell Kevin Smith doesn't care how you feel and wants you to just sit there and take it.

The cast is also spectacular. Michael Parks steals the show. Also John Goodman delivers the goods and has a lot more screen time than the teaser trailer suggests.
All in all,  this film is one of the best films in the last few years. With everything being computer generated these days, it refreshing to see a small practical film like this which still holds as much power as one of the big boy studio flicks. And for those of you worrying about the political or religious messages, there aren't any. This movie does not preach religious views to you nor does it take any kind of political side. Its plain and simple. This is just a horror movie about a family of psychos. The fact that they are religious just adds to the terror.
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13 Sept 2011

Warrior (2011)/Review

Release Date: 9 September 2011 (USA) Runtime: 140 min
Genres: Action | Drama | Sport
Taglines: Family is worth fighting for

Director:  Gavin O'Connor
Writers:   Gavin O'Connor | Anthony Tambakis
CASTS
Joel Edgerton | Tom Hardy  | Nick Nolte |Jennifer Morrison | Frank Grillo | Kevin Dunn | Maximiliano | Hernández | Bryan Callen | Sam Sheridan  | Fernando Chien  | Jake McLaughlin | Vanessa Martinez |
Denzel Whitaker | Carlos Miranda |Nick Lehane
Filming Locations: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
Budget: $30,000,000 (estimated)
Production Co: Mimran Schur Pictures | Lionsgate, Solaris 
SUMMARY
Two brothers face the fight of a lifetime - and the wreckage of their broken family - within the brutal, high-stakes world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting in Lionsgate's action/drama, WARRIOR. An ex-Marine haunted by a tragic past, Tommy Riordan returns to his hometown of Pittsburgh and enlists his father, a recovered alcoholic and his former coach, to train him for an MMA tournament awarding the biggest purse in the history of the sport. As Tommy blazes a violent path towards the title prize, his brother, Brendan, a former MMA fighter unable to make ends meet as a public school teacher, returns to the amateur ring to provide for his family. Even though years have passed, recriminations and past betrayals keep Brendan bitterly estranged from both Tommy and his father. But when Brendan's unlikely rise as an underdog sets him on a collision course with Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront the forces that tore them apart, all the while waging the most intense, winner-takes-all battle of their lives.
 REVIEW
The picture flirts with contrivance and cliché (it at times feels like a smoothie composed of the best bits and pieces of the Rocky pictures and The Fighter), but comes out the other side due to a refusal to pander or insult our intelligence.  There are no 'big speeches' and plenty is left unsaid.  I appreciated the fact that we never get any details about just what horrors Paddy committed against his family back in the day, only offhand implications.  I appreciated that the film takes it for granted that Brendan loves his wife and his children and doesn't feel the need to add gratuitous displays of 'emotion' (i.e. no overacted playtime with kids, no flashes to happy moments during a climactic moment of struggle, etc).  And, without going into details, I love that the film doesn't resolve its deep family hurts by the end of the picture, but rather puts its characters in a place where at least some of these characters have a chance to repair the long term damage if they so choose.
Warrior is, above all, an emotionally engaging and uncommonly thoughtful family drama.  It rises above most in its genre by refusing to pit 'good' against 'evil' and by refusing to pander to our lowest emotional denominator.  It features moments of genuine insight and recognizable human interaction that feel so 'right' that you almost want to cheer.  Like the best of its genre, it is less about who wins or loses as opposed to who is in your corner when the game ends.  It does have several crowd-pleasing moments, and few of them are the sort that you'd expect in this genre.  It features wonderful performances across the board, and I could easily see this film's cast dominating the year-end awards race if the film hits it big at the box office.  Aside from too much 'on the nose' play-by-play announcing during and between the fight scenes, the film has dialogue that rivals anything you're likely to hear this year in terms of authenticity.  Warrior is a wonderful movie and a pretty great film.
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7 Sept 2011

Apollo 18 (2011)/Movie Review

Release Date: 2 September 2011 (India)   Runtime: USA:88 min
Genres: Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Taglines: There's a reason we've never gone back to the moon.

Director:  Gonzalo López-Gallego
Writers:   Brian Miller (screenplay), Cory Goodman
Stars:  Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen and Ryan Robbins

Decades-old found footage from NASA's abandoned Apollo 18 mission, where two American astronauts were sent on a secret expedition, reveals the reason the U.S. has never returned to the moon.

Budget: $5,000,000 (estimated)
Production Co:  Apollo 18 Productions, Bekmambetov Projects Ltd. (BPL)
Filming Locations: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
REVIEW
This film is best summed up by my comment to my brother when he got up to go to the toilet and asked me to tell him what happened. 'I don't think you'll miss much' I said, and was correct. To be fair, I would have been correct if he hadn't bothered coming back, or even hadn't come in the first place.

Very poor character development. Practically no suspense developed throughout, and even poorly faked. High def images overlaid with cine-camera 'crackle', anyone?

Compare this with the more traditionally filmed, and more obviously sci fi 'Moon', and I don't think anyone will prefer Apollo 18.
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3 Sept 2011

Colombiana (2011) /Review

Release Date: 26 August 2011 (USA)  Runtime:107 min
Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller 
Tagline: Vengeance is beautiful.
Budget:  $40,000,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend:  €174,369 (Belgium) (31 July 2011) (33 Screens)
Gross:  €328,248 (Belgium) (7 August 2011)
Production Co: Europa Corp., TF1 Films Production, Grive Productions
Filming Locations:Chicago, Illinois, USA

Director  Olivier Megaton
Writers:  Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen
STORYLINE
A young woman grows up to be a stone-cold assassin after witnessing her parents' murder as a child in Bogota. She works for her uncle as a hitman by day, but her personal time is spent engaging in vigilante murders that she hopes will lead her to her ultimate target - the mobster responsible for her parents' death.

CASTS
Zoe Saldana, Amandla Stenberg, Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis, Callum Blue, Jordi Mollà, Max Martini,
Lennie James, Graham McTavish, Monica Acosta, Beau Brasseaux, Jesse Borrego, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Affif Ben Badra

Production Companies
  • Europa Corp.
  • TF1 Films Production (co-production)
  • Grive Productions (co-production)
  • A.J.O.Z. Films (executive production)
REVIEW
Among  Luc Besson's most famous films are Léon: The Professional , Nikita and The Fifth Element
 Besson started his own production company, EuropaCorp, which in the last ten years or so has funded its fair share of diverse movies, both in the French and English language. Nevertheless Europa (as it's known in short) is best known to mass audiences for its numerous, high-octane, medium-budget action films, most of which are written or co-written by Besson himself
Among these are the Taxi, Transporter and District B13 series of films, Wasabi, Taken, From Paris With Love, Danny The Dog (also known as Unleashed), Bandidas, Kiss Of The Dragon, Yamakasi, Crimson Rivers 2, Hit-man,... Through these films, Besson is also responsible for introducing the world to Parkour, which seems to have taken over action cinema in the past 5 years (and even making its way to films such as Step Up 3D).

Colombiana is another one of action's movie . The story starts in 1992 in Bogota, where some mob guy, Don Luis, orders a hit against a former associate of his who he considers has betrayed him, and naturally his whole family. Only young Cataleya Restrepo escapes the bloody shootout during an intense Parkour chase (what else?), and manages to reach her uncle in Chicago, to whom she swears that she'll become a hit-man and avenge her family. Fast-forward and enter Zoe Saldana as adult Cataleya as the rest of the film takes place, strangely enough, in 2007. With her uncle's help, Cataleya has indeed grown up to be an awesomely skilled contract killer, having performed 22 jobs in 4 years. However, she signs each of her kills with a message destined for her real prey, making her one of the FBI's most wanted. When the FBI decides to divulge her "serial killer" status, Don Luis and his men know what's up, and all hell breaks loose.

Much has been said of the film's similarity with Besson's Léon and Nikita, with many people musing that the film could just have well have been a sequel to Léon with Natalie Portman's character all grown-up and kicking butt.  Colombiana is really your typical, run-of-the-mill Besson action production, which is really not a bad thing. It is not in the top-tier of action films but still it's an entertaining romp.

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31 Aug 2011

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark /Movie Review

Release Date:  26 August 2011 (USA)   Runtime:  99 min
Genres:  Horror | Thriller
Filming Locations: Central City Studios, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.

Director:  Troy Nixey
Writers:  Guillermo del Toro (screenplay), Matthew Robbins (screenplay),
Original Music by   Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders
Cinematography by Oliver Stapleton
CASTS:
Bruce Gleeson ,  Edwina Ritchard , Garry McDonald , Bailee Madison , Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen, Katie Holmes , Guy Pearce , Jack Thompson , Julia Blake , David Tocci , Lance Drisdale , Nicholas Bell , Libby Gott , James Mackay , Emelia Burns
 
Box Office
Budget:  $12,500,000 (estimated)
Production Co:  Gran Via, Miramax Films, Tequila Gang

REVIEW
I loved the trailer for don't be afraid of the dark and couldn't wait to watch it on big screen. I was the first one in the theater with my girlfriend for the midnight show of this film and the first one to walk out. If you are looking for a long scene by scene review of this so called 'movie' then you must look somewhere else since I couldn't bare to watch the entire film. i walked out after one hour and 15 minutes.

The movie starts off really slow...slower then usual with predictable story line. The run time for the film is 1:40 and after sitting through 1:15 with literally nothing talking place in the movie, i decided to walk out. Please be warned that this review will get a lot of thumbs down by Del Toro staff or groupies but i can only urge you to refrain yourself 3-4 days from watching this film. come back to this site in a day or two to see the star rating of this film plummeted.


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28 Aug 2011

Fright Night (2011)/Movie Review

Release Date: 19 August 2011 (USA) Runtime: USA: 106 min
Genres: Comedy | Horror
Taglines: You can't run from evil when it lives next door.
Director: Craig Gillespie
Writers: Marti Noxon (screenplay), Tom Holland
Storyline
A remake of the 1985 original, teenager Charley Brewster (Yelchin) guesses that his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths. When no one he knows believes him, he enlists Peter Vincent (Tennant), a self proclaimed vampire killer and Las Vegas magician, to help him take down Jerry.
Production Co:Albuquerque Studios, DreamWorks SKG, Gaeta / Rosenzweig Films
Budget: $17,000,000 (estimated)
Casts
Anton Yelchin , Colin Farrell , Toni Collette , David Tennant , Imogen Poots , Christopher Mintz-Plasse , Dave Franco ,Reid Ewing , Will Denton , Sandra Vergara , Emily Montague , Chris Sarandon , Grace Phipps , Chelsea Tavares , Lisa Loeb

_____________________________________
Review
To be honest the 2011 update of FRIGHT NIGHT stands perfectly on its own even without the familiarity of the original. As a film the remake gave me everything the original struggled to give me- a fun and engaging movie experience.
Anton Yelchin stars as Charlie, a teen trying to leave his geek past behind by blowing off his former best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) in order to stay connected with his attractive and popular girlfriend Amy (Imogene Poots). Ed turns Charlie’s attention to Charlie’s brooding neighbor, Jerry (Colin Farrell), accusing him of being a vampire.
There you go- if you’re familiar with the original you know the story, if not, then that’s all you really need to know. I have seen the original and I do like it, but in all honesty I may have come late to the party. I didn’t understand all the love I’ve seen regarding it and then when I saw the update all I could think was how much I enjoy the remake infinitely more. There’s very little in the remake I had issues with and the stuff that I did have issues with are minor and will likely grow on me after subsequent viewings. Multiple viewings is the other key factor- where I have no desire to watch the original on a regular basis, I could have sat and watched his version a few more times and be delighted to do so.
What I believe FRIGHT NIGHT gets right was the decision to cast Colin Farrell. From beginning to end Farrell’s performance as Jerry is nothing short of awesome. Jerry as a character is menacing yet playful at the same time- a mix that Farrell plays almost flawlessly, making both aspects of the character a ton of fun to watch. Anton Yelchin also does a great job playing off the awkwardness of trying to leave behind his geeky childish days in exchange of popularity and hot girls. Yelchin adds in another layer when he has to convey the absurdity of his neighbor being a vampire to others. As far as cast goes the only one that didn’t fully work for me was Christopher Mintz-Plasse- I didn’t hate him, but there are moments where I could have easily done without him. I also love David Tennant as Peter Vincent- updated as an egotistical Criss Angel type of Vegas performer. Tennant lends to the goofier side of the film, but I found him to be quite hilarious.
With all the different aspects and characters at play the film is edited together tightly. Not a second of the film felt wasted and even the quiet moments have a distinct sense of purpose but are incredibly subtle. FRIGHT NIGHT has maintained the fun and playful comedy as well instead of opting for a darker overall tone. Make no mistake there are some sinister moments to the film, but they are all done with a certain playful attitude.

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25 Aug 2011

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)/Movie Review


Release Date29 July 2011 (India)   Runtime:  USA:118 min
Genre:    Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller | Western

Plot:A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys and natives are all that stand in their way.
The Old West.. where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world. 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents-townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors-all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival. Written by Universal Pictures

Director: Jon Favreau
Writers (WGA): Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
Original Music by  Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography by Matthew Libatique
Filming Locations:  Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA
Company:  Universal Pictures
Casts  : Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Abigail Spencer, Buck Taylor, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Matthew Taylor, Cooper Taylor, Clancy Brown, Paul Dano, Chris Browning, Adam Beach
1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Daniel Craig), Jake Lonergan, with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). Its a town that lives in fear.

But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents, townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors - all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.
What happens when you overvalue a movie concept and undervalue the story,
The answer to the obvious question hovering around Jon Favreau's latest action blockbuster is yes, "Cowboys & Aliens" is as ridiculous as the title sounds. Yet blame doesn't quite belong on Favreau's shoulders or that of star Daniel Craig or the rest of the cast; rather, the failure of this alien-infested Western results from the domino effect of the countless studios and producers who put their faith (and money) in a concept rather than a story.

To be fair, I know nothing of the Platinum Studios comic by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, but it couldn't have been all that good if all the hottest screenwriters in Hollywood couldn't whip together a plot worth a damn. The duos behind "Iron Man" and "Star Trek" along with "Lost" writer Damon Lindelof all took cracks at the screenplay and an earlier treatment from another pair of "it" writers who wrote next month's "Conan the Barbarian" was discarded. Frankly, criticism of "Cowboys & Aliens" all stems from a story with lackluster characters equipped with cliché motivations. Despite some cool aliens, the action doesn't offer anything unique enough to counter that we've no reason to care.

Craig stars as Jake Lonergan, a stoic outlaw in Arizona sometime in the late 19th Century who wakes up with no memory and some metal device on his wrist. When he arrives in the town of Absolution, the sheriff discovers he's wanted and attempts to ship him off for a reward. That's when the aliens attack, bombing the town and roping up locals before flying off into the night. Lonergan's bracelet activates as a weapon and suddenly he's the only one capable of defeating these things. He joins a rescue party led by a grumpy Civil War vet named Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and they all set off to find out what happened to their loved ones.

The script introduces characters willy-nilly and provides little satisfactory explanation for anything that happens. The story paints Lonergan as a quiet badass, but one who has flashes of some woman he loved. Because his past slowly unravels with nothing revelatory to show for it as the film wears on, it's tough to care much or even see him as capable of romantic feelings. Regardless, a woman named Ella (Olivia Wilde) keeps approaching him with questions he doesn't have the answers to and she evolves into a love interest for nothing but the sake of it. Sam Rockwell has little to no bearing on the film other than serving an example of an otherwise peaceful man who will do whatever it takes to get his wife back. He's a waste in the role. As for Ford, he just gets on screen and acts grumpy and impatient. We've seen everyone on board do so much better
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24 Aug 2011

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)


Release Date: 20 May 2011 (India)
Genre: Action | Adventure | Fantasy
Plot:
Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.

Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) crosses paths with a woman from his past (Cruz), and he's not sure if it's love -- or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past. Written by Walt Disney Pictures

Directed by
Rob Marshall
Writing credits Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert, Tim Powers
(WGA)
Original Music by Hans Zimmer
Cinematography by Dariusz Wolski
Additional Details
USA:136 min | Argentina:137 min
Shooting location: Fajardo, Puerto RicoSee more 
Company:  Walt Disney PicturesSee more 

SYNOPSIS-
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) travels to London to locate the person who has been impersonating him. The impostor has reportedly been recruiting a crew to search for the legendary Fountain of Youth. First Sparrow rescues his former first mate, Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally), who is about to be hanged, though the two are captured. Jack is brought before King George II (Richard Griffiths), who wants him to guide an expedition to the Fountain before the Spanish find it. Heading the expedition is Jack's old nemesis, Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), now a privateer in service to the British Navy after having lost Jack's ship, the Black Pearl, as well as his leg.

Jack escapes, and is found by his father, Captain Teague (Keith Richards), who warns Jack about the Fountain's tests. Jack soon discovers that the impostor is Angelica (Penélope Cruz), his former lover and daughter of the ruthless pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), who possesses supernatural powers and practices voodoo magic. Jack is forced to join Blackbeard's crew and to lead them to the Fountain. Meanwhile, Gibbs, who memorized, then destroyed, Sparrow's map, barters with Barbossa to lead him and his crew to the Fountain.

Aboard Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, Jack learns that the Fountain's water must be drunk simultaneously from two silver chalices once belonging to Juan Ponce de León. The person drinking from the chalice containing a mermaid's tear has their life extended, while the other person dies, their years of life drained from their body. Blackbeard intends to use the Fountain's power to circumvent his fated fatal encounter with a one-legged man, and sets a course for Whitecap Bay. There he traps a mermaid that Philip Swift (Sam Claflin), a captive missionary, falls in love with and names Syrena (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey). Blackbeard then sends Sparrow to retrieve the chalices from de León's grounded ship. Sparrow arrives finding only Barbossa: the Spanish have already taken the chalices.
Casts:
Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Kevin McNally,
Sam Claflin, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Stephen Graham, Keith Richards, Richard Griffiths,
Greg Ellis, Damian O'Hare

Top Review-
Jack Sparrow, You ROCK!, 14 May 2011

What Rob Marshall did with Pirates series, no one else could have done with such finesse and panache. Dropping out two key protagonists without explanations and instead of picking on famous novels, he opted for rather under-rated Tim Power's On Stranger Tides to fit the characters.

Similarly, what Johnny Depp has been doing in all Pirates movies and what he did in this movie, no one else could have done it with such perfection. That's Johnny Depp(Jack Sparrow) for you.

Most of you must have seen Indian Jones and the Last Crusade, I guess. You're gonna have a feel of Deja Vu in many of the scenes. Following an appropriately pulpy prologue, the film opens on erstwhile Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) as he's marooned in London in search of a ship, and pursued by local authorities who he makes little serious effort to avoid. Hearing that an impostor Sparrow is auditioning pirate recruits at a seaside bar, he seeks out the interloper only to discover his spitfire former lover Angelica (Penelope Cruz), disguised as him After some requisite sword-clashing, Angelica kidnaps Sparrow and ferries him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, lorded over by Angelica's (maybe) father, Captain Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Commanding a crew comprised of equal parts stray pirates and hulking zombies -- why he needs the former when he has the latter is never explained -- Blackbeard enlists Sparrow to help him locate the fountain of youth, which becomes an especially urgent task after a prophecy foretells Blackbeard's imminent death at the hands of a one-legged man.

Meanwhile, Sparrow's rival Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), now conveniently one-legged, has bid farewell to his pirate's life, and seeks the fountain on behalf of the king of England, who is keen to find it before a rival crew sent by the king of Spain can claim it for themselves. As the three parties converge on the fountain's jungle location, they must also deal with a ravenous horde of vampiric mermaids, from whom a single tear must be procured to drink the fountain's waters.

In case any one of you haven't seen the previous movies, frequent recaps are provided through out and it doesn't matter too much anyway. Depp remains the face of the film. But a majority of his thunder is co-opted by an on-point Rush, who not only gets the funniest lines and reaction shots, but also starts to siphon away much of the roguish charm that used to be Depp's stock and trade. McShane, on the other hand, is underwhelming. Never appearing comfortable in his heavy pirate get-up, his tired Blackbeard is only menacing via other characters' testimonials to his evil, and his one on screen atrocity seems tossed in merely to stress that he is, in fact, the bad guy.

Cruz is a reliably welcome, gorgeous presence, though she too often falls back on the "feisty Latina" signifiers that have been the crutch of so much of her English-language work. Sam Claflin supplies some semi- risible gallantry as a super-studly priest, and Astrid Berges-Frisbey looks effectively terrified as a captive mermaid.

All in all, it is must watch for everybody who is a fan of Pirates series and Johnny Depp. Go for it and chances are less of you being disappointed.

Thanks & Regards,
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23 Aug 2011

30 Minutes or Less (2011) /Movie Review


30 Minutes or Less (2011)
Genre:  Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime
Runtime:  83 min
Plot:
Two fledgling criminals kidnap a pizza delivery guy, strap a bomb to his chest, and inform him that he has mere hours to rob a bank or else..

Casts:
Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, Dilshad Vadsaria , Michael Peña
Bianca Kajlich, Fred Ward

Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Writing credits  Michael Diliberti and Matthew Sullivan
Original Music by Theodore Shapiro
Cinematography by Jess Hall


Country:  Germany | Canada | USA
Language:  German | Spanish | English
Filming Locations:Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Company:  Columbia Pictures

Top Review

As most of you know, 30 Minutes or Less released this weekend to join the countless number of comedies we've seen this summer. My initial expectations for this movie were somewhat high as I thought we would be seeing a clever comedy about a pizza delivery boy having to go through a series of hilarious trials in order to get a bomb off his chest. Instead what I got was a simple, sexual joke infused, and foul mouthed comedy that was not as funny as I had hoped.

To give you a refresher on the plot, 30 Minutes or Less is about a lazy, careless pizza delivery boy named Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) who really has no interest in his responsibilities. The arrogant jerk, which Eisenberg seems to be a master at playing, has no real friends with the exception of his loyal Indian pal Chet (Aziz Ansari), a hard working, rule abiding teacher who just want to be successful. Their simplistic life of playing video games and drinking beer is soon interrupted, when an irresponsible, vulgar, and idiotic man-child named Dwayne (Danny McBride) and his naïve, clueless, innocent sidekick Travis (Nick Swardson) kidnap Nick and strap a bomb to his chest. The price for Nick's freedom, $100,000 for funding Dwayne's personal plans and Nick must deliver in 10 hours or less.


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